When you are lost, staying in one location was the best chance of getting rescued. Cerelial had taught Sapphire that. But what if the rescuers had no idea where you were? If they had no way of reaching you? What then? Sapphire knew she was not in the Emerald Dream and it was just dawning on her where she might be. The dark trees and the deep fog were similar to how Thros had seemed.

Thros was the domain of Gorak Tul, Sapphire's great grandfather. If either he or his Huntsman found her, she would be worse than dead. Sapphire was defenseless, but atleast she wasn't alone. Tanomoan and Rot stood by her.

Sapphire needed to think. How could she get home? Gorak Tul could manipulate Thros however he wanted. So could Adalger. All Sapphire could do is turn into animals. And then it hit her. She could fly! So could Tanomoan. Rot was small enough that perhaps either Sapphire or Tanomoan could carry him. The only way out of Thros that Sapphire knew was that really ugly tree with the door in it. It should be easy to spot from the air.

So she explained to Tanomoan and Rot her plan. Neither of them seemed to understand. Sapphire transformed into her fluffy owl form. She then grabbed Rot by the scruff of his neck. He yelped indignantly when she took off flying. Sapphire could hear Tanomoan flying after them.

The trio ascended over the tree line and from there the outlook was bleak. Sapphire could see nothing but fog and trees, but that did not stop her from trying. She flew straight through the fog without hesitation, but after what seemed like hours, nothing seemed to change. When Tanomoan chirped meekly behind her, Sapphire swooped down through the tree limbs and back to the ground. Tanomoan landed behind her, clearly exhausted.

Nothing looked different for the most part. The trees were just as dark and twisted. The fog obscured the view past a few trees. The ground was bare and a sickly brown color. A skeleton lay half imbedded into the ground. One desiccated hand reached toward the sky. When she got closer to it, it was revealed to be of a human skeleton.

Sapphire immediately collapsed to the ground and tried not to cry. Rot examined the skeleton curiously. He sniffed it for a moment, then started to dig around it. Sapphire did not feel like stopping him. Rot dug for a few minutes, till he seemed to find something. He attempted to pull it out with his mouth, but it was too heavy for him. Rot barked at Sapphire. The girl sniffled, then went over to help him. She scraped the dirt away.

It was a book. After a few brushes of her hand, the dirt came off more of it. It was leather-bound and though the pages were filthy, none of them looked degraded. It was locked by a thick metal clasp on the side. Sapphire undid the clasp and opened the book.

The words on the pages looked to be vrykul in nature, but Sapphire couldn't understand a word of it. The illustrations gave her a better idea of what the book was about. There were drawings of plants and animals in one section, and in another gory anatomy of what looked like vrykul but Sapphire knew were Drusts. She immediately closed the book.

"Interesting, but not very useful. Thanks anyway, Rot."

The dog huffed in frustration.

Suddenly, there was a howl in the distance. Sapphire stood up in alarm. It sounded similar to one of the Huntsman's beasts. She could not stay in one spot for long, lest they find her. She thought about leaving the book, but decided it would be better to bring it. It could be useful, if there is a way to read it.

Tanomoan looked up wearily as Sapphire stood up. The girl picked up Rot and the little darter.

"It's okay. We can walk until you are rested," Sapphire said.

She carried both of them for a while, walking straight for what seemed a mile. To her ultimate dismay, this journey ended right back to the skeleton. Sapphire dropped both Tanomoan and Rot. Finally she broke down and started to cry. She did not know how to get out of Thros and no one even knew she where she was. Gorak Tul was going to find her and-

"Do I hear someone crying?"

Sapphire whipped around toward the sound of the voice. She could not see anyone through the fog, but it had definitely been a voice. She stood up slowly and straigtened her back. The tears stopped running.

"Who are you?" She demanded, though her voice quivered slightly.

A figure came out of the forest and she restrained the urge to scream. At first she thought it was Gorak Tul, but when he came closer she could see the obvious differences. This Drust was a lot shorter and thinner than Gorak Tul. He still had the unnatural wooden growths all over his body and dark blue magic glowed from his eyes. Sapphire took a step backwards. The Drust tilted his head.

"Curious! You are afraid of me and I of you."

"Why are you afraid of me?" Sapphire scowled in suspicion.

The Drust then sniffed toward her. "You reek of darkness and decay. Why are you here, little Drustling?"

Sapphire did not trust him. For all she knew, he was a scout of Gorak Tul's and even now the Huntsman could be bearing down on them. Atleast she would not have to deal with the puzzling woods anymore.

"I'm lost," She admitted.

Another distant howl broke up their conversation. The Drust turned briefly to look toward the noise, then he looked back at Sapphire. She could see fear in his demeanor. He rushed at her and grabbed her hand.

"Come, we must flee!"

Bewildered at the response, she could not break away from the man's grip and had to follow him. Rot and Tanomoan fled alongside them.

"Where are we-"

"Shhhh! The wicker beasts have good hearing!" He snapped at her. The Drust directed her to a ravine and shoved her under a tangle of roots and thorns before crawling in behind her. The beasts rushed into the air soon after. They snarled loudly as they explored the area. One of the wicker beasts got very close to the undergrowth the group were hiding under, but it did not sense anything out of the ordinary. There was deep thundering noise farther away. All beasts turned their heads toward it and rushed back the way they had came, leaving only silence. After a few minutes, the Drust relaxed slightly.

"Who are you?" She now demanded of the Drust.

He looked down at her. Despite being smaller than Gorak Tul, he was at least eight feet tall. Sapphire barely topped over four feet. He could kill her easily but he seemed...submissive. Hunched back and did not meet her gaze directly but was looking to the side of her.

"I am Bolfr. You said you are lost?"

Sapphire nodded. "My name is Sapphire. Can you help me leave Thros?" At he grew alarmed.

"Out of Thros? Oh no! I cannot leave Thros."

Now Sapphire pitied him of a sort. He seemed if not an enemy, atleast unfriendly with the Huntsman, but he was stuck in Thros. After a few prodding questions, her suspicions were confirmed. Bolfr was not friendly at all with Gorak Tul, but all dead Drusts souls were trapped within Thros and could never leave except with outside help. That was how Adalger, and Sapphire supposed herself, could leave. They were not dead yet.

Bolfr looked down, then spied the book she had found. "What is that!"

Sapphire pulled it out and handed it to him. He gasped. "A grimoire! Where did you get it?"

Rot growled in response, which caught the Drust's attention. Sapphire held up the dog.

"Rot found it."

Bolfr did not respond. He was too busy opening the book and flicking through the pages. Sapphire could see him focusing on one page in particular, which had a crude drawing of one of the antlered wooden men that she had seen before with Gorak Tul and Adalger. The Drust pressed his hand against that page and sighed.

"I...I know someone who can help you. But would you do me a favor?"

Sapphire nodded eagerly. She would do practically anything for him if only he would get her out of Thros. Bolfr flipped the book around and pointed at the page with the grotesque drawing.

"Can you read this?"

Sapphire shook her head, then added. "I only know a little of vrkul runes."

Bolfr looked distressed, but pursued his line of questioning. "If you learn more, do you think you could preform this ritual?"

Sapphire stared at the pages and then shrugged. With that Bolfr shoved the book back into her arms.

"If I get you out of Thros, perhaps you could get me out too. Make me a body of wicker and bone and summon my soul."

He sounded desperate, though Sapphire could definitely understand his reasonings. She would not want to be trapped forever in a realm of decay and fog. But she was not sure if she could help him.

"I could try at least," She admitted. Bolfr's eyes brightened and he grabbed her shoulder with his giant hands. He bent down and pressed his wooden forehead against her own.

"Thank you! Thank you, Ingra Sapphire! Come, I will help you!"

He then crawled out of the root tangle without a moment's hesitation. Sapphire followed after him, with both Tanomoan and Rot in her arms again. Bolfr's attitude seemed to change instantly. He stood a little straighter now. He guided her through the forest, which seemed to respond to him differently than it did to Sapphire.

"You do not use the magic of Thros, so you get lost easily. Learn to read the grimoire, then Thros will respond," Bolfr responded when she asked him how he did not get lost. The flat forest started to rise uphill. The trees were still dark and foreboding, but now there were leaves and the fog did not seem so oppressive. Smaller plants started appearing. Hungry, dirty and exhausted, Sapphire did not even question it when Bolfr suggested they stop. She slumped down next to a rock.

"Who can get me out of Thros? Is it Greenstalker?" Sapphire asked, referring to the skulled wolf who had aided her before.

Bolfr shook his head. "No, the Horseman is a creature of darkness and evil. Drusts fear him almost as much as the Huntsman, but I know better. He is not a threat unless you anger him. He can enter or leave Thros whenever he wants. Perhaps he might be willing to bargain."

That sounded like a horrible plan. At least it was better than wandering around Thros in circles.

Bolfr peered around the area. It did not look much different to Sapphire, but obviously Bolfr liked something about it. He nodded with a grunt. "I believe I can call him here. We should be far enough way that if we do draw attention, the Huntsman won't be able to reach in time."

With that Bolfr started creating a circle of magic around him. He clawed into the dark earth strange runes. Sapphire jumped when all of a sudden Bolfr raised his arms up and dark blue magic streamed out of the runes. Rot attempted to get close but she snatched him away and held both him and Tanomoan tightly against her chest.

"Salanar the Horseman! I summon you."

A cold shiver ran down Sapphire's spine. Bolfr had not mentioned his name before now. And Sapphire had heard of that name before. He would be no friend of hers. Before she could even flee however, the fog broke and a horse came galloping right toward her. Sapphire instinctively dropped to the ground and cowered. The horse, a giant brute with a dark mane and eyes that glowed afire, stopped abruptly before her. Sapphire looked up and past the gnashing mouth of the horse and to the rider sitting behind.

It was a deathknight adorned in dark tarnished armor with a torn cloak the color of blood wrapped around him. He gazed down at the sight before him with eyes that burned green.

"My, my. It has been awhile, Sapphire Menethil. How you have grown."

Sapphire stared at him. "We've met before?"

The deathknight dismounted and Sapphire retreated behind Bolfr for protection. Salanar did not react.

"Why of course. Who do you think was the one who found you as a baby?"

He had to be lying. Marwyn and Falric had found her as a baby in Kul Tiras and brought her to Icecrown. She snapped that information back in response. Salanar folded his arms.

"Well, of course they had to change the story. How could a traitor like me have been the one to obtain you?" He responded coolly.

Sapphire bit her lip, not having a good response for that. She tried to think back when Marwyn had told her and could not remember if it had been before the Knights of Acherus had rebelled or after. Her childhood memories blurred together at times.

Baying howls exploded from nearby, causing Bolfr to yelp from surprise.

"They are closer than I thought!" He cried out, then turned to Salanar. "Ingra Sapphire needs help leaving Thros. Can you help her, Horseman?"

Salanar did not immediately answer. He would want something in return, Sapphire knew. He was a traitorous deathknight, but Salanar nodded slowly. It was too late however.

A wicker hound leapt out of the fog and attacked. Bolfr grabbed the beast and flung it away. It collided with a tree with an sickening crunch. More beasts came. Salanar took out his massive axe and cut one of them in two.

"I suggest you mount on Dark Step quickly," He told Sapphire again with that cool, level tone. Sapphire did not need to be told twice. She went toward the horse and started to mount.

Something whistled through the air and suddenly there was burning hot pain in Sapphire's arm. She collapsed to the ground. An arrow now stuck out of her upper arm. She weakly looked in the direction where it came from. Adalger sat on his skeletal stag with a sadistic grin on his face and a bow in his hands. Rot snarled at the sight of the man. Tanomoan hissed.

Bolfr killed another beast and came over to her. He easily picked her up and placed her on the saddle.

"Horseman!" The Drust called out.

Salanar then summoned up a dark cloud of magic that obscured everything. Beasts howled in rage and the thudding of hooves meant Adalger was coming up. Sapphire could hear him cursing her name. The Horseman ran over and quickly mounted his horse behind Sapphire.

"Later, You simply must tell me how you drew that one's ire," He said to Sapphire.

Bolfr took Sapphire's hand quickly. "Remember your promise!"

Sapphire nodded. Luckily the book was still in her possession. She did not know how but she would try her best to help Bolfr.

"Go Dark Step," Salanar said gently. His horse spurred forward and left Bolfr and Thros behind.