The Gable Forest

Claire sagged with relief the moment the Gable Forest came before them. The trees towered above them like sentinels, their branches stretching up to the sky as if giants themselves praised the heavens. Her heart fluttered as she gazed up with wide eyes. Within just a few seconds, a strong desire to plunge herself into its depths consumed her. Was it her eagerness to be cured of the Vodar's poison? To rid herself of the pain? Or was it something else entirely that established the feeling?

Just yesterday, the thought of venturing into the forest and traveling to Esterpine sounded like the worst possible idea. Absolutely absurd. Cyrus—on behalf of his entire kingdom—had insulted the Sprite queen and her people by demanding the Stones be returned. It felt almost humiliating to present themselves, on the run with their tails tucked.

But now? Now she wanted nothing more than to venture beneath the green cover that beckoned her. What had changed?

She looked at her companions. Reyr stood left of her, carrying Cyrus's shrouded body cradled in his arms. His forehead was furrowed. The same could be said of Koldis and Jovari, who also eyed the forest with uneasy disquiet. They stood silently, waiting on the brink of the unknown. She shifted her weight, impatient.

"Well, best get it over with," said Reyr, stepping forward.

They followed after him. She did her best to keep up, limping along as spasms of pain shot up her leg. With every step, she felt herself beginning to slow. Her breath began coming in ragged gasps as the pain deepened, especially when her companions increased their pace, nearly leaving her behind.

She gritted her teeth. "You three just go on ahead then," she called. "I'll catch up later."

Reyr gathered her meaning and slowed. The others followed suit. "We should keep our voices down," he warned, looking over his shoulder as they stepped into the shadows. Shadows that would stay with them for the entirety of their journey through the trees. "Best we not draw attention to ourselves whilst we are here."

"Who knows what we will find lurking within," Jovari muttered, giving the forest a dark look. Koldis said nothing and merely clenched his jaw.

This was the first time she'd seen them like this. Even when the Vodar attacked their camp, they appeared far more sure of themselves. What was so worrisome about a bunch of trees?

There are many things to fear within the Gable Forest. It is a hostile place for outsiders.

She snorted aloud, earning a stern look from Reyr. Perhaps her conscience was correct, but her heart disagreed. The forest was nothing more than a forest, after all. And part of her rejoiced to be here.

They soon passed beyond the trunks of the first trees, which were not nearly as thick as those that followed. Each grew larger than its predecessor. At first, the growth around them was sparse, but the density of greenery increased. Within minutes they could no longer see the light from where they had entered, but neither were they in complete darkness. An otherworldly glow permeated their surroundings. It was as if the air itself provided the illumination they needed.

The forest was very much alive.

A smile crept across her face, tugging at the corners of her lips. Happy tingles started in her fingertips and toes, before making their way up her arms and legs, until finally, joy reached her heart. What she felt...it was hard to explain. Like she wanted to dance. The nagging pain in her leg was hardly noticeable.

The others didn't share her sentiments. All three displayed tension as it rolled off them in waves. "I don't like this place at all," Jovari muttered not long after entering,

Koldis replied, "Only a mad man would."

She held her tongue.

They walked for what seemed like hours. She remained enamored by everything, finding each sight more enchanting than the last. The forest floor was no longer grassy, but covered in a blanket of foliage and moss. Creeping vines ejected from the bushes and shrubbery growing up around their tree hosts. The flora was home to firefly-like bugs, which blinked and flickered, making the undergrowth look possessed.

She gazed up at the vines in wonder, winding around the enormous tree trunks. They were twisted so tightly about their hosts they could be climbed like ladders. But to where? When she craned her neck back, their tendrils vanished, reaching up into the sky.

A little laugh escaped her lips, earning a glare from the others. She felt like Alice in Wonderland after drinking a shrinking potion. It was a different world.

So many sounds met her ears. Although she could not see the source of them, birds chirped, bugs buzzed, and even a faint trickling of water echoed. The cacophony created a lovely backdrop to the fairy-like world she now found herself in. A world she wanted to stay in forever.

"How much longer?" she asked, once the excitement of it all began to wear off. It wasn't that she was impatient, she was merely eager to see Esterpine.

"I do not know," Reyr replied. "I thought perhaps we might have arrived by now."

"You don't know?" she asked, eyebrows drawing together. "But don't you know where you're going?" They had been following Reyr the whole time.

"Hardly."

She faltered, turning to Jovari and Koldis. They looked just as lost.

"If you ask me," Koldis said pointing at a knobby trunk gnarled with age. "I would say we have seen that tree four times already and are simply traveling in circles."

"The rumors of travelers losing themselves in the Gable are well founded." Jovari stopped in his tracks as he spoke. "We should never have come here, Reyr."

"What does he mean?" she asked, turning to Reyr.

"The Sprites guard their secrets jealously," Reyr answered, his voice hushed. "It is said that the Gable Forest is bewitched. The trees themselves have minds of their own." She glanced around at the giants, wondering if it was true. Somehow, the concept wasn't impossible to believe. "The forest moves and reforms to ensnare its victims. They made it so outsiders cannot hope to navigate it. Few make it out alive. Those who do are babbling with madness by the time they emerge."

Babbling with madness? She frowned. "Why did we come here then?" she hissed into the silence. "Just because of my leg?"

Reyr sighed, his shoulders slumping. "We had to come regardless," he said. "Traveling around the forest would have left us exposed to the Vodar. They will not venture into the midst of the Gable."

"Well, now we may be lost in here forever," Jovari muttered.

"Cyrus found his way through, didn't—"

"Cyrus sent word to the Sprite queen before arriving." Koldis cut her off and she scowled back at him for it. "He was given emissaries to guide him, else he would have been just as lost as we are now."

"Oh...I—" She jumped as a monstrous crash echoed all round them.

"Quick, hide!" Reyr whispered. The others rushed away while she stood frozen, glancing about for the source of the sound. A hand closed around her forearm. Reyr pulled her away. The four of them rushed to a nearby tree, pushing themselves into the vines of its undergrowth. They retreated just in the nick of time.

Thundering through the forest, came something that strangled the air from her lungs. The creature did not notice them as it went past. She watched it with an open mouth.

The body of this thing was tall and tree-like, but it was no tree. It was made entirely of wriggling worm-like tree roots, which snaked down its waist creating a trunk-like appearance at its lower half. These roots connected themselves to the ground and seemed to crawl and slither along as it moved. That was why it rumbled. The earth had to break away from the roots as they reattached themselves to new dirt. There were also roots flowing out behind its back and head like streamers on a kite. These fluttered around too, looking for somewhere to attach.

In the creature's hands, it held glowing green orbs that threw off illumination identical to what filled the world around them. This glow sparked and flickered like fire. The being carried the substance with care, like a gardener carries its little plantlings, devoting its focus to the task at hand.

"What is it?" she whispered in awe. The others were silent for a time. At last Reyr answered. "I have heard stories of the root men. I never imagined them to exist."

"Root men?"

"Aye. They tend the forest. Very little is known about them. And that is not their true name either, but I do not know the Sprite name for them."

"Simeik..." she whispered and then frowned.

"What did you say?" Reyr turned to her, his brows drawn.

"I...I don't know." And in truth, she didn't. She could not have repeated the word had she tried. It fled her memory as quickly as it had come, leaving her increasingly afraid of herself.

Their focus returned to the strange spectacle before them. At last, the root man's clamor retreated into the distance, and all the normal sounds of the forest returned. Only then did they climb from their hiding place.

"We should turn back," Koldis said.

"No. We must go forward." Reyr maintained his stance. Going through the forest was the only way for them to proceed. The three of them began arguing.

She stepped forward, clearing her throat. "We should go this way," she said, pointing. "Yes, the way is through these trees here." A pair of large trunks to her left looked particularly inviting. While she did not truly know the way, her suggestion was as good as any.

Her companions turned to her.

"She will get us more lost than you have, Reyr," Koldis grumbled.

"Just...trust me, okay?" She was feeling more confident by the moment. "I know you have little trust to give, but I'll get us there, I promise. The forest doesn't scare me like it does you. That clouds your ability to find the way. I know the way. It's just through there." She pointed again in the same direction, this time certain that she was right.

"You are not simply saying this?" Reyr asked.

"No. This is the way."

"Very well. We will follow you."

Her eyes widened, but she quickly hid her surprise. Jovari and Koldis looked furious, but they knew better than to continue the argument. She was determined to prove them wrong. Taking a deep breath and trusting her instincts, she began limping her way to where she believed Esterpine was. The other three followed.

She let the sounds of the forest guide her, doing her best to connect with her surroundings. Sometimes she allowed her fingertips to graze the bark of a nearby tree or caress the dangling vines that hung about them like veils. Reyr had been correct. There was a sentient awareness in everything she touched, as if every growing thing in the forest had a mind of its own. When she quieted her own mind just enough, she almost heard them whispering to her. The idea was insane, and most times her eyes flew open so that she could laugh at the absurdity of it. Plants didn't possess elevated consciousness, did they? It was silly.

But...why then was she finding her way?

Not long after they set out, she noticed that her feet had discovered a well-worn foot path. Just to make a point, she turned back to her companions and lifted her eyebrows. Reyr merely shrugged. The other two ignored her completely.

She continued upon this path, following it as it twisted and wound its way through the forest. Soon after, she felt eyes upon her. She became very much aware that others were watching them. Although she tried, she could not find the source of this scrutiny. She pressed on, and the further they went, the more the signs of civilization began showing.

Perhaps the others had not noticed, but she had. There were well-disguised statues covered in ivy placed throughout the eucalyptus, oak, and sycamore trees that grew in this part of the Gable Forest. Each was posing, but they all pointed in the direction she was heading, as if leading her where she needed to go. She took this as a good sign.

Then, she saw something that stole her breath and planted wonder into her heart. A massive gate-like structure jutted out of the earth rising above her. She stopped dead in her tracks. Jovari, Koldis, and Reyr collided with her back.

This gate-like structure was unlike anything she had ever seen. Aside from its sheer size and the fact that it was taller than the tallest sequoia tree Discovery Channel had to offer, this one was made entirely of roots and trees. The posts were the trees, each manicured and grown to the same cylindrical diameter, stretching up into the ceiling of the forest. And in between these posts, elaborate roots grew, grafted in spiraled patterns. Some designs took on the shapes of strange symbols.

In the middle was a vast doorway. Two trees were bent together at their tops to form a perfectly symmetrical arched curve. Above this, the posts mimicked the same arched pattern jutting straight up and allowing their tops to bow and take form. In between, roots filled in the empty spaces with more elaborate configurations.

Everywhere around them the scent of pine filled the air, reminding her of Christmas. This was it. This was Esterpine. They had finally made it. It felt like coming home.

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