Taking Voniata's reins again, I followed the strong tingling, altering my course as needed to stay on the path. We walked for what seems like forever before we came to a bright clearing. The sun shone through the thick branches, creating a mottled pattern of light and shadow on the leafy ground.
"This seems like a good place to rest," I murmured to Voniata before taking out some food out of the bags.
She nickered and started tearing at the short grasses that grew in the partial light. Munching on a heel of bread and taking sips out of my water skin, I sat myself on the soft ground and leaned against a tree trunk. When I was done with my small meal, I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of birds chirping and flitting from tree to tree. I must have dosed off for a bit, because I opened my eyes to Voniata nudging me impatiently, blowing hot air into my face.
Groaning quietly, I stretched and slowly stood up, flinching at my stiff back. I patted Voniata's snout fondly and picked up the reins again before moving to find the magical path again. Minutes melted into hours and hours melted into what seemed like an eternity as my faithful horse and I traveled along the elvenpath, taking short rests as often as we needed to.
The steady stream of tingling magic suddenly started to grow as we walked past a huge rip in the earth; as if a tree had decided to pick up its roots and move to a new spot. Voniata and I stopped and stared at it for a few minutes before it finally dawned on me.
Holy crap, if the Ent's tracks are this freaking huge, then how massive could they possibly be?
I yelped in fright as the earth began to shake around me before seizing Voniata's reins to quickly guide her off of the path to shelter. She whinnied and reared up in fear as rabbits and squirrels darted in front of her, yanking the leather loop right out of my hands, and sped away in a random direction.
"Voniata! Letta! Kausta aptr!" I screamed, taking a few running steps after her before I was scooped up by a massive, rough-feeling hand.
I screamed in terror and rage as I struggled to free myself, screaming curses and insults in both this language and the Ancient Language. Feeling myself being lifted, I whipped my head around as far as I could to see a massive looking tree. Its bark was a cross between a dark brown and a steely gray with patches of emerald moss growing up around its trunk. Wait... it has two trunks! No, they combine into what looks like its body about twenty feet above the ground.
"Let me go! Or I swear I'll find a way to kill you! You hear me?!" I screamed, pounding my fists against its bark, making some of it flake away.
A sound like an avalanche rolled through the air as I was lifted higher still, making me slightly dizzy at the distance.
"It seems like you are a feisty one, youngling," a deep, slow voice rumbled as the hand slowly opened and turned palm up so that I was sitting in it.
Flicking my hair out of my face, my jaw dropped as I saw who had captured me. Staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement was a face that seemed to be carved out of the wood of a tree. Both of its eyes were grass green with flecks of a muddy brown swimming in them, each one about the size of dinner plates. In place of hair, vines and leaves hung from the branches shooting out of its head.
"Hmm," it mused, eying me in interest, "You spoke words from the ancient tongue. How did you learn of it?"
I only could gape up at it, feeling no bigger than an ant compared to the massive being hold me. As it waited patiently for an answer, the Ent examined me closer, bringing its hand closer to its 'face'.
"You look remarkably familiar, I just cannot think of how." It finally announced after a few minutes of examining me, leaning back and stroking its mossy beard in thought.
"W-who are you?" I managed to stutter out, inwardly cringing at how weak and small my voice was compared to his.
"Hmm? I have many names, youngling. It would take many a moon to recite my full name, but you may know me as Naideth, or The Ancient Oak in this tongue." He replied, lifting his gaze and glanced at the trunks of the ancient trees of the forest for a brief moment before returning his gaze to me.
"What do you call yourself, youngling?"
Sitting up a bit straighter, I examined the Ent before I replied, "I'm Eva Thalaela."
That seemed to get the Ent's attention, as he turned his gaze back to me.
"I believe I remember where I've seen you now, youngling. Why have you come here, Eva, last of the elves?" He questioned, his huge eyes boring into my small violet ones.
"I-I've come here to look for the ancient elven cities; I want to know where I was born and who my parents were." I stated firmly narrowing my eyes to glare at him.
"I would greatly appreciate it if you either took me to the capital, where I know Queen Maiaera and King Kanthar once lived, or you can point me in the right direction. Regardless of your approval, I am going to know where my home once was." I continued, getting to my feet in his rough palm and lifting my chin up in what I hoped was a challenging glare.
He blinked once then threw his head back and laughed, a sound like a thousand earthquakes at once, rolled through the silent forest.
"Ah, you sound so much like your mother, young Thalaela." He said after he had calmed down.
Both confusion and awe hit me at the same time.
"Wait, you knew my mother?" I quickly asked with wide eyes, "Who was she? Did you know my father, too? How do you know this?"
Instead of answering, the Ent chuckled, the same avalanche-like sound from earlier, and started walking through the dense forest along the same path I was following earlier.
"W-wait! What about my horse?" I asked, panicking as I saw the landscape lazily pass my on either side of me.
"She'll find you. She's a smart animal." The Ent replied, moving his hand, making me lose my balance and fall on my butt again, towards his body to cradle me gently.
Seeing as I have no choice but to let him carry me, I sighed and gazed at the passing scenery, eventually zoning out altogether.
"So, young elf, how did you survive the Elven Purge?" Naideth's creaking voice startled me out of my thoughts.
Furrowing my brows, I shook my head and replied, "I don't know. I never really thought about it before."
The Ent hummed in thought and remained silent for a few minutes.
"Try to remember, youngling, for I am very curious in how you survived." He said after a while, turning his gaze onto me then back to the forest.
Furrowing my brows, I nodded once then closed my eyes, carefully sorting through my memories for any trace of how I survived. I don't know how long I stayed like that, memory after memory flashing under my eyelids. Just as I was about to open my eyes and tell Naideth about my lack of progress, a memory I haven't seen before flashed through my mind.
Smoke, burning flesh and the metallic tang of blood accompanied the sounds of the screams of women, the cries of frightened children and the metallic clang of metal on metal. Warm arms cradled my body as the woman carrying me dashed past the trees, frequently checking behind her for any pursuers. The orange glow of fires burning behind her made it nearly impossible to tell what she looked like as my tiny head lifted from the woman's breast to gaze up at her face. Shouts behind her made her speed up as she bounded through the trees like a frightened deer, heading towards some unknown destination. When the shouts faded, the woman slowed down to a stop in front of a great white tree with a hole high up in the trunk. With a single bound, the woman jumped onto the nearest branch and steadied herself on it.
"Hush, my dearest Eva, you're going to be safe now." She cooed as she gently placed me into the hole and hid me with the dead leaves and branches within it.
She withdrew as the sounds of yelling, this time accompanied by the barks and howls of dogs, came within earshot again. She mumbled something in what sounded like the Ancient Language as she gently caressed my cheek with long, soft fingers.
"Goodbye my dearest child. May your life be long and happy. Know that I love you, now and forevermore." the woman mumbled as she withdrew her hand, making me whimper in discomfort.
Her amethyst eyes hungrily devoured my face as she muttered something too soft to make out. Giving me the most sorrowful smile I've ever witnessed on a person's face, she turned away, a silver tiara briefly flashing as she jumped out of sight. The force shook the tree and I whimpered in fear before suddenly feeling extremely sleepy. As I closed my eyes, I glimpsed a red and black sky and heard the sounds of battle a little ways away before everything went black.
A/N Aaaand this is the last of the old content! From now on it's entirely new content! I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, for I love hearing feedback! See ya next chapter!
Voniata! Letta! Kausta aptr! - Voniata! Stop! Come back!
~Meerkatgirl13