Morning came sooner than she had liked and, after eating a nice fulfilling breakfast with Ves and his father, Amara was almost ready to set off once again.

She sat with them as the morning sun cast its golden rays upon their settlement, a lighthouse in the midst of a dark and dangerous sea. Lakolos' gaze fell upon the shimmering pendant that hung around her neck.

With a curious tilt of his head, he asked, "Forgive me but I must ask, where did you get that pendant? It seems almost familiar to me somehow."

Instinctively, Amara's fingers traced the edges of the blue crystal as she thought back to the strange being that had visited her in her dreams and gifted it to her, saving her from the illusions that threatened to erase everything she knew to be true.

"It was gifted to me by an ancient creature of the forest to guide me and protect my mind from the illusions that tried trick me."

Lakolos' eyes gleamed with recognition as he lifted his own pendant from around his neck, holding the jewellery with great delicacy as he held it out to show her. "Sylvaine gifted it to you then, just as they gifted our people this gemstone thousands of years ago."

Her eyes widened as she reached out to touch the gemstone that sat within a case of polished wood. It buzzed with a familiar warmth and shone brighter the closer she drew.

"These pendants," he continued, "are a gift of ancient magic, channelling the essence of the forest itself, granting protection and guidance to those who bear them. Ours is the only reason our home still stands. We use its magic in our rituals to keep the darkness at bay."

"Why did Sylvaine give me something so precious?" Amara could not help but ask. She was just an adventurer and although she was grateful for the help, she couldn't understand why a being so ancient and wise would entrust something so powerful to her.

Ves smiled as he spoke, "Because you have a good heart, Amara. You have pure intentions and seek to rid this forest of darkness."

"The only thing I seek is the clockwork heart. I didn't come here to save the forest; I came for my home — for Eldoria." She frowned and retracted her hand, wrapping her fingers around her own pendant once again.

The younger centaur chuckled, "That is as noble a pursuit as any, small one. You may think you are only here to save your princess and people but that does not mean you will not save more along the way."

For a moment, Amara's frown only deepened. She didn't quite understand what it was he was saying. How was she supposed to banish the darkness from Veilstorm when she had no magic of her own to combat it? But she pushed that thought aside and focused on what mattered. Sylvaine had provided her with aid and now the centaurs had too. Things were finally looking up.

"You may not realise it now," the centaur leader spoke again, "but your journey is entwined with the fate of Veilstorm itself. Your destiny lies with the darkness that plagues this land — a darkness that threatens your dear Eldoria and has done since long before your beloved princess was even born."

Amara listened intently; her brow still furrowed in confusion. She had never truly seen herself as a hero, as much as she desired to be one. She was an adventurer and wanted to prove herself as such, but she was no saviour of the forest or champion of realms. All she wanted was to fulfil her duty and make her parents proud by finding a way to save her home from further ruin.

"Ves will keep our pendant. It would be yours after I'm gone but I entrust it to you now, my son. With it, you shall be able to watch over our friend and offer her guidance when she needs it most."

The young centaur's eyes widened in surprise as he accepted the pendant, holding it like something precious before gracefully hanging it around his neck. "Thank you, father. I will protect it with my life."

Although she did not know what the wise centaur meant, she felt a sense of relief knowing they would be watching over her and Shadowmere as they ventured back into the forest. Her heart swelled with gratitude, thankful that she was not alone in her journey.

"May the ancient spirits guide you, young one. Your path is a dangerous one indeed, one intwined with the fate of us all," Lakolos said as he rose slowly from the table.

"Farewell, Amara. I am afraid I cannot see you off, it is almost time for our ritual, and I must prepare," Ves chimed in, giving Amara's shoulder a reassuring pat, "but know that we will be watching over you."

Amara nodded gratefully, smiling despite her unease at the thought of heading back into the forest alone. It had already tried to do away with her more than once and come close in doing so as well. She would have to be more cautious and stick to the path laid out within her new map.

After receiving another round of farewells, Amara walked away with a newfound sense of determination; one brought on with the backing of the centaurs. They believed in her when few else did and, although she was unsure how they planned to watch over her from within their small village, she was grateful for everything they had done for her.

"Right," she spoke with a bright light in her voice as he took the reins, guiding Shadowmere out into the forest, "Let's go find this heart."

As they stepped over the threshold, moving out of the safety of the bubble that surrounded the settlement, Amara could already feel a darkness looming over her once again. The pure air that had occupied her lungs was soon forced out and replaced with the thick and heavy fog that enveloped them.

She looked down at the map in her hands, taking note of the direction she was facing, and devised her plan forwards. In the time since obtaining the helpful item, she had studied it relentlessly and mapped out her route to the centre of the forest, where she was sure the princess's missing heart resided.

If she was lucky, she might be able to find a clue that would lead her in the right direction.

Amara shook her head; she had hoped to discover something, anything, useful in her journey, but instead it seemed like she had become even more lost than ever. There was little point in dwelling on the past; she had a map and could at least find her way through the forest. It was just a pity that it wasn't a magic map that could lead her straight to what she was seeking.

She mounted her steed and started the arduous journey towards the centre of the woods. There, she was sure, was the centre point of evil. The further she ventured, the more dangerous the forest had become. It couldn't be a coincidence, it just couldn't. And where better to hide a stolen heart than at the centre of all things evil?

She was sure she saw movement through the trees when she entered the forest once more. The feeling that she had not been alone remained and it was accompanied with an uneasy sensation crawling beneath her skin, warning her not to continue further into the dark.

As they made their way through the winding paths of the forest, Amara noticed with alarm that the trees which lined the trails had grown ever thicker and darker and were now covered entirely with a thin layer of frost and snow. The ground beneath her horse' hooves began to crack apart as she rode along its length; it seemed that the ice underneath the dirt had frozen and formed an impenetrable barrier, making travel difficult.

"This is bad," Amara whispered, tightening her grip upon the reins, "there shouldn't be snow here."

She was right, it was an unusual time of year for snow which could only have meant one thing — the snow was not natural. It appeared to her as though something malicious was controlling the weather as though some dark force was manipulating it to keep her from fulfilling her quest. The trees seemed to bend backwards under the weight of the cold as they grew closer together and the branches stretched towards her and her horse, blocking any path they had hoped to take.

©StoryWriterKato2024 . 1443 words