Chapter 9

Over the last several days Quaine has taken the time to teach all of us that are going how to saddle a horse and how to pack the pack animals. While pack animals have been used in the valley to haul in the crops and to help gather wood, no one was aware at how much the animals could carry as long as the packs are loaded properly and evenly. The Stable master provided us with all the packs that we will need, along with a strange looking stone. He tells me that as long as I have the stone with me that the horses and pack animals will not stray far from me when we make camp at night. In the morning when we are getting ready to break camp all I have to do is bring out the stone and rub it, and wherever the animals are they will come back to the camp to be loaded, harnessed, and saddled.

Quaine has chosen two young men from the village and three young people from the group that has been trying to organize the maps, clues, and crystals. They have been able to put them together, yet deciphering what the clues mean is up to me. The first one I am still pondering on. It seems that each clue might have two answers, and that each has to be answered be fore we move on to the next one. The first one is this: Guidance given, lessons learned, knowledge gained. I know that part of the answer to this one is Quaine, he is here to guide and protect me, I have no idea what the second answer could be.

"Don’t worry on the answer so much", purrs Samantha, "just let the puzzle set in your mind and when the time is right, the answer will be as plain as day."

"Thank you, I need to not worry so much. It looks like a beautiful morning to start our journey. I am glad that you will be traveling with me."

"There is no place else that I would want to be, than by your side."

Everyone is gathering in the stable yard, getting the animals ready, making sure that everything is stowed properly, and saying goodbye to their loved ones. Almost everyone is anxious to get going on this adventure. The only one of us that isn’t is Quaine, he has already been out in the world and knows what lies ahead for us. The first place that we will stop is in his home town, our first night out will be spent in his ancestral home. I have very vague recollection of what the world is like outside this valley. I’m sure that I will find that it is nothing like what little I remember. The world has moved on since the time that the sisters attacked me and tried to silence me forever.

"Now that we are all together, I would like to say something before we start on this journey. I know that all of you are excited about going on an adventure, I know I am, what happens may exceed what we expect to happen. Once we leave this valley, there will be no turning back, if anyone is having second thoughts, now is the time to say so. I do not know how long this journey will last, or what we will find. As I find out more about myself the house here will grow and expand, don’t worry as there will be nothing here that will hurt anything. Even though I leave the valley, no harm will come to anyone here. Between what Quaine and the Stable master have taught us over the last few days, I believe that we cannot be more ready for this journey, so let us begin."

The morning is bright and beautiful as we leave the valley. The excitement of the group is palpable, the tension outside the valley is getting worse, or maybe it’s just getting easier to feel because we are closer to the edge of the valley.

As we reach the rise in the pass between the valley and the rest of the world, storm clouds can be seen over the vast forest that encompasses the far side of the pass. The breeze on our backs is warm, yet there is a chill in the air that has nothing to do with the weather. We follow the narrow winding path for quite a ways, we finally come to a clearing. "Let’s stop here for lunch," I say.

Quiane and Samantha check the clearing for any possible danger. They find nothing, Aletha and a couple of others set out a cold lunch. Quiane shows the rest how to make sure the animals have enough water and that the grass in the clearing is good for them to eat, if not they will have to be fed some of the grain that we brought. All of us, except for Quaine, are feeling a little sore from riding for so long. Quiane then tells us, "The trail ahead is very quiet, and not used by anyone, to ease the pain of riding all day we can walk our animals until we get closer to the edge of this forest. We are not very far from my home, which is on the edge of a small town. We can rest for a little while longer, and still make it before sunset."

We are all glad that we can rest for a little while longer. First, though, we clean up after our lunch. Everyone takes advantage of the break, and lays down, the animals are all munching happily on the fresh grass.

While laying under the cool branches of a tree, I get the feeling that something that I have hidden is in this part of the forest. "Samantha," I ask, "will you come with me? I believe that I have hidden something here in this part of the forest."

"Of course I will accompany you," answers Samantha.

I let Quaine know that we are going into the forest, and why. He tells me to be careful, and not to wander to far. I tell him that I will be very careful. I get my bearings and we head off in the direction that this calling is the strongest. We walk through the forest, there a only a few different kinds of trees. Then I notice that there is one tree that is completely different, and shouldn’t really be a part of this forest.

"This is the tree that has been calling me to it," I say. "Just what is it about this tree that I need to know? What do I need to do?" I walk slowly around the tree, trying to see what secret this tree holds. After the third time around the tree, the tree itself begins to glow from the inside.
Symbols begin to shine even brighter on the trunk of the tree. These symbols are ancient, even older than the writing on the maps, older than what the clues are written in. The branches begin to rustle, one by one a single branch comes towards me. Each branch is of a different kind of tree or bush, something I hadn’t noticed before, I hold out my hands to receive what the branches have to give me. Each branch gives me a stick that is about four inches long, with a sharp ridge that runs the length of the stick, on the edge of the ridge is carved a symbol. The symbols are simple lines that are either on one side or the other of the ridge, or run through the ridge, and even at an angle. No stick has more than five lines on it. One end of each stick is cut at an angle, I believe that it indicates that is the top. I have twenty sticks, each with a different symbol on it. The last branch gives me a bag woven from leaves and small twigs, it is the right size to hold the sticks. The tree then speaks to me, "You have back what was given to me to hold. These sticks will help you to remember what you have locked away. They are the key to great knowledge." With that the tree grows still, the glow is gone, and is now silent.

"Well Samantha," I say, "it seems I have the second part of the clue. These will have to be studied when we get to our first stop tonight. Let’s get back to the clearing." We walk back to the clearing where everyone is waiting and ready to get moving again.

We are on our way again with Quaine leading us to his home at the edge of a small town. I still feel the edge of a memory that doesn’t want to make itself known floating at the edge of my mind. Hopefully these sticks will help me to bring that to light.