Intermittence - The Woods

Thick clouds hide the moom. Despite the warm temperatures in the Iomaire Draíochta, Sazith shudders and pulls his cloak closer around him. His gaze keeps flicking to the left and to the right, accompanied by frequent glances over his shoulder. Kaleidopae is undoubtedly watching from somewhere deep within the shadows, ready to alert him of any dangers, but considering Marush's intuition and the sneakiness surrounding his life, Sazith isn't willing to take any chances. 

When he steps into the forest, the scent of moss and wet earth flood his nostrils. He closes his eyes and soaks up the richness of the nightlife around him. The sacred oaks whisper in the wind, joined by the song of the crickets and the bark of a fox. The perfect balance of nature and spirt, something that will soon vanish in cloud of oblivion if he and the others aren't able to stop Marush.

With quick steps, Sazith makes it down the path that leads further into the depth of the woods. He passes the clearing with the sacred oaks—one of them bowing her head in respect—and he slows when he reaches a wall of thorny bushes. They retreat from his outstretched hand to open the way for him. His footfalls are drowned by the spongy layer of grass covering the ground in this area of the forest. One more quick look around; the coast is clear.

He steps into the small clearing that is barely large enough for a handful of people to spin around. The girl raises her head. She has chewed her lip raw; her gaze is fleeting. Sazith senses the fear and strokes her shoulder to calm her.

"Did you deliver the message to Raelyn?"

"Yes, Master Sazith. She is gone."

"And were you able to retrieve the pendant from Master Marush's house?"

She nods, her teeth digging once again into her lip. "He almost caught me, but I claimed I was looking for Raelyn to say goodbye."

"Good."

She holds out a key. "I also found this. It was in the box together with the pendant."

Sazith weighs the key in his hand. Could it be what he has been looking for this past decade? "Do you know what it opens?"

"No, but it's made of the same iron ore as the box, so I thought it must be important."

It has to be the key to Gideon's dungeon.

Sazith smiles at the girl. "You did well, Tessa."

She accepts the praise with a small bow of her head. "What happens now?"

"You must leave. Find Andrenior and wait for word from me or your mother. As soon as Master Marush notices that the pendant and the key are gone, he will realize that a metal warlock has been hiding among the students. It won't take much for him to connect this power to you, so you are no longer save within the Iomaire Draíochta."

"And then he will seek me out?" The words tremble under a shaky breath.

"Don't fear your fate, child. You'll be ready to face him when the time comes."

"But my training isn't finished."

"That won't matter. You'll be guided by the five powers of the pentagram, and the spirit of Kaleidopae will protect you."

That is if Raelyn makes the right choice.

Sazith tousles Tessa's hair. "Go now. We will meet again before the night of the next lunar eclipse."

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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