muster. The power
that comes from darkness is quite powerful, but it still took more
than I could bear to break into the mind of that woman. You have
quite a powerful opponent.”
Taisiya nodded. “That’s for sure…but are
there things nymphs do that don’t take up so much of your energy?
Ones that we could use, say, in a fight?”
Lahara nodded. Zara was coming back into
view, so she became rather tightlipped. “All in due time,” she
whispered to Taisiya.
“We’re back!” Taisiya called out. She had
expected Zara to be panicked and nervously awaiting her return, but
instead he was wading his feet in the river water nonchalantly.
He turned at the sound of her voice and
smiled. “I missed you.” He got up and went over to give her a
hug.
“That’s it?” Taisiya asked skeptically, “you
weren’t scared at all?”
Zara raised an eyebrow. “Scared? No. Maybe a
little nervous…but I know you can handle yourself.”
“But the darkness…and…and…” Taisiya
stammered. Lahara shook her head to silence the girl. It was
obvious that what they had been doing had stayed close to them,
unnoticeable to anyone at a distance.
Zara gave Taisiya a quizzical look but
decided it was best not to ask questions. Instead, he gave a polite
nod to Lahara, accepting the fact that she was more than likely
going to be accompanying them from here on out whether he liked it
or not.
There was something in the eyes of the nymph
that put his stomach in knots. He could see there was a definite
darkness to her; it scared him how she reminded him of Adrasteia.
Lahara’s lily-white façade was, in his opinion, just that – a
façade. If there was one thing he learned about nymphs from
Adrasteia, it was that looks could be deceiving. The most charming
and beautiful looking nymph could have a frightening and ugly
soul.
Nonetheless, Zara and Taisiya followed as
Lahara led them deeper into the uncharted territory of the forest.
Eventually, they arrived at a little nook that held a small
cottage. The nymph warned them to stay outside as she disappeared
inside. She came out a couple minutes later donning a warm black
coat and carrying what Zara and Taisiya presumed were
guidebooks.
Zara took the Nymph Compass out of his pocket
and was sad to see that it still would point only at Lahara. The
nymph noticed his aggravation and said softly, “Don’t worry, I know
the way.”
With that, she plucked the compass from his
hands and stored it away among her things for safekeeping. Zara
grumbled to himself but followed along as Lahara led the way. The
quaint view of her little cottage soon disappeared and the quiet
flow of the river came bubbling back into earshot.
“You know it would be much faster if we cut
through the woods instead of taking the river,” Zara protested.
Lahara’s lips pursed as she tried to hold
back her laughter. “Silly boy,” she cooed, “my way will get us
there much faster.”
“What’s your plan?” Taisiya asked.
The nymph explained herself. “I am still a
little weak from earlier today,” she said, giving Taisiya a knowing
glance. “However, I’m doing well enough to use some of my powers.
It shouldn’t be too hard to build us a raft and use get the wind
going to make sure we go along at a nice speed. We’ll make our way
to the end of the river where there is a nice little harbor, and
from there we can acquire a boat better suited to our needs.”
“Great!” Taisiya said. “This is all working
out much better than I had anticipated.”
Zara rolled his eyes and bit his tongue.
Lahara went to work putting on a grand show as she conjured up a
raft. She waved her arms grandiosely, and the leaves across the
riverbank danced to life in the wind. They swirled around in the
air, joining together and sticking to some mud that she raised from
the waterside. Before their very eyes, a sturdy makeshift earthen
raft appeared.
It stayed hovering inches above the flowing
water. Lahara kept one hand doing
that comes from darkness is quite powerful, but it still took more
than I could bear to break into the mind of that woman. You have
quite a powerful opponent.”
Taisiya nodded. “That’s for sure…but are
there things nymphs do that don’t take up so much of your energy?
Ones that we could use, say, in a fight?”
Lahara nodded. Zara was coming back into
view, so she became rather tightlipped. “All in due time,” she
whispered to Taisiya.
“We’re back!” Taisiya called out. She had
expected Zara to be panicked and nervously awaiting her return, but
instead he was wading his feet in the river water nonchalantly.
He turned at the sound of her voice and
smiled. “I missed you.” He got up and went over to give her a
hug.
“That’s it?” Taisiya asked skeptically, “you
weren’t scared at all?”
Zara raised an eyebrow. “Scared? No. Maybe a
little nervous…but I know you can handle yourself.”
“But the darkness…and…and…” Taisiya
stammered. Lahara shook her head to silence the girl. It was
obvious that what they had been doing had stayed close to them,
unnoticeable to anyone at a distance.
Zara gave Taisiya a quizzical look but
decided it was best not to ask questions. Instead, he gave a polite
nod to Lahara, accepting the fact that she was more than likely
going to be accompanying them from here on out whether he liked it
or not.
There was something in the eyes of the nymph
that put his stomach in knots. He could see there was a definite
darkness to her; it scared him how she reminded him of Adrasteia.
Lahara’s lily-white façade was, in his opinion, just that – a
façade. If there was one thing he learned about nymphs from
Adrasteia, it was that looks could be deceiving. The most charming
and beautiful looking nymph could have a frightening and ugly
soul.
Nonetheless, Zara and Taisiya followed as
Lahara led them deeper into the uncharted territory of the forest.
Eventually, they arrived at a little nook that held a small
cottage. The nymph warned them to stay outside as she disappeared
inside. She came out a couple minutes later donning a warm black
coat and carrying what Zara and Taisiya presumed were
guidebooks.
Zara took the Nymph Compass out of his pocket
and was sad to see that it still would point only at Lahara. The
nymph noticed his aggravation and said softly, “Don’t worry, I know
the way.”
With that, she plucked the compass from his
hands and stored it away among her things for safekeeping. Zara
grumbled to himself but followed along as Lahara led the way. The
quaint view of her little cottage soon disappeared and the quiet
flow of the river came bubbling back into earshot.
“You know it would be much faster if we cut
through the woods instead of taking the river,” Zara protested.
Lahara’s lips pursed as she tried to hold
back her laughter. “Silly boy,” she cooed, “my way will get us
there much faster.”
“What’s your plan?” Taisiya asked.
The nymph explained herself. “I am still a
little weak from earlier today,” she said, giving Taisiya a knowing
glance. “However, I’m doing well enough to use some of my powers.
It shouldn’t be too hard to build us a raft and use get the wind
going to make sure we go along at a nice speed. We’ll make our way
to the end of the river where there is a nice little harbor, and
from there we can acquire a boat better suited to our needs.”
“Great!” Taisiya said. “This is all working
out much better than I had anticipated.”
Zara rolled his eyes and bit his tongue.
Lahara went to work putting on a grand show as she conjured up a
raft. She waved her arms grandiosely, and the leaves across the
riverbank danced to life in the wind. They swirled around in the
air, joining together and sticking to some mud that she raised from
the waterside. Before their very eyes, a sturdy makeshift earthen
raft appeared.
It stayed hovering inches above the flowing
water. Lahara kept one hand doing
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