The sounds of laughter rang over the silent morning like a tolling bell, that woke all other sounds around them. The form that lay within the branches of the great willow tree stirred and smiled wistfully as sleep now evaded them. Looking down through the branches and leaves to see the girls that danced down the path towards the lake blue eyes watched with a sense of longing within them.
As Cassandra Tassity sat up and stretched her stiff body she could not help feel a pang of envy at how at peace those girls seamed. Her thoughts were filled with uneasiness and sleepless nights. even as Cassandra brushed her raven hair from her face she felt a foreboding growing as it had the last few weeks.
It had been since the start of summer. Every year Cassandra's parents had sent her here to this place. Evergreen Woods was a camp that had been built into one of the last large wildlife reservations in the area and it had been her summer home every year since she had turned eleven. It was no wonder why she had come to sleeping almost every night within the branches of this same tree.
Cassandra could still remember all those years ago the feeling of being drawn and then coming here to the great trunk of this beautiful tree. This was her haven. When all else felt lost or she felt that no one truly understood her Cassandra would come here to this place.
Climbing down to the path the raven haired girl of Seventeen made the trek up the stairs towards her cabin. It was time for the girls under her care to wake up for the morning exercises. Slipping into the cabin she smiled at the sounds of the still snoring girls. Each one no older than fourteen for this cabin. With a bright grin she clapped her hands and called for the girls to wake up laughing at the array of reactions.
She was used to this particular group of kids. she had been their councillor for the last four weeks and since camp was scheduled for a full six weeks she knew that the girls would be staying under her care for another two weeks in the very least. Watching as the kids climbed out of bed groggily, she had to notice that they had most likely stayed up past lights out again once she had left to stay in her tree.
"Why can't we sleep in just a little longer? We had that huge hike yesterday" Tarra, one of the older girls complained for the others. When they all piped in their agreement Cassandra grinned and shrugged.
"You know it's good for you to be up and active early. It gets the blood flowing and helps you live a healthy lifestyle?" This was the morning ritual. The girls would complain and gripe about the early wake up call, and she would simply wait patiently for the girls to finish getting ready.
Waiting for them at the door Cassandra made sure she had her towel and had changed into her bathing suite under her shorts and sweatshirt. A short five minutes all twelve girls were up and ready to go and together they made the trek down to the lake.
It wasn't uncommon for the girls in cabin B12 to prefer the early morning swim rather than the on land activities that were available and to be honest Cassandra preferred the job of Lifeguard then having to coach and referee a soccer game or whatever activity they were hosting today.
Waving to Sarah, an older lady who had been lifeguarding at Evergreen woods since Cassandra herself had been a camper, Cassandra settled in on the dock near the ladder. Within minutes the shrieks from the cold temperatures of the water as well as laughing from the girls filled the air.
With a smile the raven haired councillor let herself relax to watch over the girls in between paragraphs of her book. Clutching to her copy of Lord of the Rings with cold fingers Cassandra drew her legs in a little as she felt a sudden chill going up her back. Glancing up she was surprised to find a fog had rolled over the lake between her last checks on the girls.
Further more she was surprised by the chilling silence that had fallen over the lake. She could no longer hear the voices of the girls or the splashing of them in the water. There was no sign of them as far as she could see or hear. Jumping to her feet Cassandra looked around frantically for her kids. How could twelve kids just vanish in a heartbeat?
"Soon" the word was like a shout in Cassandra's ear as she felt as though someone had touched her on the shoulder from behind. Reflexively she turned sharply to once side her eyes scanning the increasing fog. it was becoming so thick that she could no longer see her hand in front of her face as she stepped forward trying to find the source of that chilling voice.
"Soon" it came again but from a distance. This time Cassandra did spot a silver glow within the fog. it was drifting away from her as though someone was walking through the fog. Without meaning to Cassandra found herself drawn to follow that glow. with outstretched hand Cassandra rushed out after the figure in the fog. Only to find a vice like grip upon her shoulder.
The weight bearing down on her shoulder drew Cassandra's eyes around to stare into the s upraised and somewhat startled gaze of Sarah as she was standing inches behind her suddenly. They were a mere hairs breath away from stepping right off the dock and into the water to Cassandra's surprise as she looked back and found that suddenly there was no fog anywhere in sight.
She could once again hear the sounds of the girls behind her and as she glanced that way she quickly counted to make sure all twelve were there. It was like waking from a dream as Cassandra seemed to realize all of this in slow motion. She registered that her had was outstretched the way she had been going only moments before. Letting her hand fall to her side she glanced again to the older councillor.
"The fog...just now. did you see it?" Cassandra asked, her voice hoarse and her throat feeling tight. Somehow she felt she already knew the answer to her question.
"What fog Cassy? There's been no fog today. What was that? You just got up and started towards the end of the docks." The words fell from the older councillor's mouth as her kind eyes searched Cassandra's face.
A deep, heart-warming smile spread over the other's face as she eased up her grip on Cassandra's shoulder. Patting her shoulder some seeing the surprised and someone resigned look on the Teenager's face she stepped back.
"It's alright Cassy. You must have been day dreaming. you get like that sometimes when you read those fantasy novels of yours and you know it." Sarah's words rung true in Cassandra's ears and she smiled a little, feeling relieved at the older woman's kindness.
Sarah was a sweet woman, who often over looked some of Cassandra's weirder personality traits. Bless her heart. She had befriended Cassandra in her first year here and had been a confidant ever since. It was probably because of the older councillor that Cassandra felt so comfortable coming down to the lake in the mornings.
"Of course, you're right as always Sarah. I didn't sleep so well last night either" Cassandra conceded with a smile and a nod of her head. Turning back towards her girls she made her way back to her seat. Leaving her book along this time she watched the girls for the rest of their free block before heading up to get them changed for breakfast.
Cassandra was sitting at the councillors table reading quietly. This was the first period she had off from any responsibilities all day. Sometimes she felt she might have signed herself up for too much this year.
Having an innate talent for specific things, such as archery as well as out door survival basics. Cassandra had been approached by the councillors that ran those departments and been asked to help teach. In exchange she had another councillor that was in charge of supervising her girls during the day when it didn't include cabin only events. Like camping or hiking which was her responsibility to get approved and organize.
This however did leave her seeing kids from all over camp during the day with archer and every other day outdoor skills. Today she had been helping the kids to learn how to differentiate between edible plants and poisonous ones. Cassandra had insisted that the kids only be allowed to eat the approved berries that they had already washed which had saved a lot of kids being brought in sick that had happened this time last year.
Sighing faintly Cassandra ran her fingers over her face and closed her eyes. The events from the morning had unnerved her greatly. They had been further compounded by the fact that while she had been alone waiting for the teams of kids to return with their scavenger list of edible plants she had felt the strangest sensation crawling up her back. as if someone was watching her intently. However when she had looked no one had been anywhere near here.
The sense that something was amiss had been growing stronger every minute since she had left the docks that morning, and it appeared to be far worse whenever she was alone. The word 'soon' seemed to echo in the silence and reverberate from tree to tree when she was within the forest.
This fact bothered her the most. It was as if the forest was a foreign place to her today. A thing that had never happened not once in the six years that she had been coming to this camp. From the very first day she had arrived here the councillors had all commented on how at ease she seemed to be here within the forest. In fact it was the easiness that had led her parents to push her to be more out door oriented as she grew up.
Cassandra spent almost every other weekend with her Father hiking or kayaking in the woods and when it wasn't him it was her mother. Her mother wasn't as adventurous as her father so they would usually travel the same paths that they had walked since she was a little kid, but her mother always encouraged her when she told her the uses for certain plants.
It was her mother's idea that she become a park ranger here. A job that had greatly appealed to the fifteen year old. Since then Cassandra had studied up on what she would need to know in order to become a ranger, and her knowledge of things had grown.
"Soon" The words broke Cassandra out of her thoughts as she jumped, startled out of her thoughts. She had been wandering up the path towards her cabin to get ready for a cabin reading for her girls. The word was sounding now like a cry. surrounding her in whispers from every side.
"We need you. Soon, the withering will begin. Soon. We shall all die." The words came to the raven haired girl as if in a whisper as she looked around for the source of the voice.
"Can you here me? Who's out there? Who are you?" She found herself calling out without realizing it. The sound of her own voice filled her ears before she had even registered forming the words.
"The betrayer has it. the power is failing. the withering comes" The voice was softer now. pained even and growing fainter. Like the course was moving further away.
Before she even really new what she was doing Cassandra found herself running after the sound of that voice. The whispers dying down to nothing. only the word "soon" remaining. A great tiredness seemed to fill the air and pressed upon Cassandra's mind. The urgency she had felt pressing on her doubled as she found herself dashing up the path and then into the forest itself. but still she could not catch any sign of who had called out to her.
When finally the voices stopped entirely and the feeling of being watched had vanished Cassandra was out of breath and unable to run any further. Collapsing into the trunk of the nearest tree to catch her breath. inhaling sharply and trying to ease the burning pain in her lungs and calves she closed her eyes.
The sense of pain and urgency she had felt in that moment, and heard in that voice returned as she felt a warmth under her hand. glancing up at the tree before her she seemed almost unsurprised to find her willow there before her. something urged her to move without her understanding why. she found herself ascending the great tree with a swiftness and ease she had not had before.
It was as though hands helped her support her weight as she ascended into the branches of the great tree and her sense of fear and terror was easing. a strength and warmth was surrounding her. enveloping her as if in a blanket.
She was quickly settled into her favourite spot in the heart of the tree. relaxing amongst it's branches when it came again.
"soon the choice will be laid before your feet once more. will you have the strength to make the choices that must be made?" this voice was unlike the other, panicked, desperate voices that she had been hearing all day.
This one was strong, with a sense of pride and determination. as if from a great time past. The very sound of this voice gave Cassandra strength. Strength enough to turn around and face the silver glow that had appeared behind her in the growing murk of the evening.
Before her was a silver light that burned into Cassandra's eyes with a very pure intensity. it felt like a strength was seeping into her from that light. and it took some time for her eyes to become adjusted to the brilliance of the light. when she did terror crossed her face as she jerked back away from the light that now came towards her, the figure with in it reaching, arms out for her and yet she could not let it near.
With a cry of terror Cassandra jerked away from the light and with a telling snap heard the branch beneath her give way under her weight. The world tilted and soon all that Cassandra new was the sickening sensation of falling...
The pain she felt was piercing. it felt as though her chest was on fire with every inwards breath she took. The only thing that bothered her more was the burning pain within her eyes whenever she attempted to open her eyes. these were Cassandra's first thoughts as she lay on her back assessing her situation when she was next aware of her surroundings. She had woken just minutes before and was aware of the fact that instead of the hard ground she was expecting she was in fact laying on something incredibly soft.
There was also something warm and soft covering her legs and lower stomach which led her to assume that she was in fact laying in a bed. Her first thought was that she had been found by one of her girls or another councillor and brought to the medical wing in the main hall. that however was quickly fleeing from her thoughts, as she had yet to hear the all to familiar voice of the nurse, or even Sarah who often assisted in the medical wing when the nurse was busy.
"Found near the willow tree she was. Poor dear has a broken collar bone and a few broken ribs. She's lucky by my figuring. She didn't crack her head open on the rocks in that area" That voice was coming from the end of the hall. There was a gentle, song like quality to the voice. It was definitely male.
This made Cassandra frown faintly. They didn't have any male nurses or doctors on camp. unless of emergencies one of the local doctors was on call. But there was no way Doctor Carter would come for a simple tree accident.
The content of the words also had her confused. Rocks? They had all been removed from around the willow since they had had to put in the stairs leading to the new cabins at the top of the hill. That had been two years passed and no rock larger than her fist now remained in the area.
"She should be alright by the end of the week, her injuries are mending quite rapidly. You can question her then. Aye my lord." That strange voice came to her once again.
There was just something in the voice that seemed to lull Cassandra back into a deep sleep, or maybe it was the fact that she felt exhaustion pressing on her from the weeks of less sleep? Either way she didn't register the meaning of the words that came as a response to the mysterious voice.
"Good. My father has concerns about strangers suddenly appearing within the borders of Imaldris. Especially with the ring now safely within it's boundaries..."