Chapter 9
Prince Lukas, well, Lukas had us going on our adventure faster then I thought. He must care. Unless he just wanted to do the right thing. Oh, I am so confused. I sat on top of Isis, my beautiful horse. She had grown a bit, she was just the right size for me now. Lukas lead the way into a beautiful wooded area. The tree's towered over us as if protecting us from the sun, wildflowers grew everywhere. The aroma of pine and flowers were almost too good to be true.
"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Lukas smiled and pulled the reins on the horse, encouraging him to slow down. "Well, I haven't had much time to enjoy nature. Well barely. Oh, what is your horse's name?" I asked, trying to keep up a conversation. I knew it, I was falling for Luke again. He was under a spell earlier. He had to have been. Or else he wouldn't have done that. He can't be tricking me? I didn't really know what to think, he's so many things all in one, Am I really falling for him?
"Zoe, you are so..I can't put my finger on it. You aren't like many other girls." He replied with a sigh. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? What was he getting at? I stared down at the ground to avoid any eye contact. I watched the horse's powerful hoove's trample the ground. The rhythmetic beat reminded me of what had happened and I shuddered. "His name's Patch. I didn't name him, my mother did." Lukas grinned. I looked up at him. "Patch is a wonderful name." I replied, stroking my own horse.
Deeper and deeper into the woods, we went. There was no looking back now. I found myself constantly staring at Lukas. Hes all I have to lean on. I could feel my heart flutter everytime I looked up at him. His golden curls glistened, his blue eyes intense yet full of care and understanding. Before I knew it, night was upon us and the woods seemed less of a friendly place. Every now and then I looked behind me to make sure nothing was following. I was growing more uneasy by the moment.
Lukas looked in my direction. "Don't worry, no bad can come of this place. Even if there was something horrible lurking in these woods, I will be here to protect you." He grinned sheepishly and we continued on our way. I was afraid to admit it, but I felt as if something were watching nearby. I tried to shake the feeling away but it only grew stronger. I looked all around me. The trees seemed to be much more taller and powerful in the dark. The bushes and plants seemed to whisper as the breeze strode through it. I looked up at the sky to see all the beautiful stars. It comforted me well and I almost fell asleep when Luke stopped.
Alert, I looked at him with worry. "Shhh. Do you hear that?" He asked, putting a finger up to his lips. "Hear what?" I whispered back, I looked to where we had stopped. There was a big wall that seemed to be made of rock. The only way up was a steep bank that I very much doubted the horses could make. Luke quickly got off the horse and took a few steps away. I watched as he traced his fingers along the wall. Curious, I stepped off my horse as well.
"Do you hear that?" Luke breathed with excitement. I listened again. I finally heard it! The sounds of running water hidden within the rock wall. "What? How is that possible?" I asked, confused as I tapped my fist against the rock wall. "We made it Zoe! Here we rest. This is the home of the Podlurve, it's in your book. It's more of a fancy name for a faerie. I've only been here once.. though this is much better than the place I was thinking of staying for the night. Your book states that the Podlurve are a tribe of friendly faerie's that try their best to restore good of this cruel world. They are quite devoted!" Luke explained blissfully as he quickly rounded up his horse.
"Right..but how do we enter?" I asked feeling a bit dumbfounded. Lukas pulled his horse over to what seemed like a gigantic square leaf placed on the wall. "If I remember correctly.." Luke started as he pulled the leaf back. Hidden was a deep crevice that seemed to sparkle. I watched in awe as he traced his fingers along the crevice, making it sparkle even more.
"Alunga Nashoo." Though he only whispered it, he said it with such strength and wisdom. The ground beneath our feet rumbled a bit, and I was in fear for my life. I grabbed Lukas's arm and held on tightly. He smiled. "Not to worry. Only good can come of this." The leaf seemed to have grown bigger and as he pulled it back, a ray of light swept from inside. I looked in and immediately felt mesmerized. Luke looked at my reaction and smiled even wider, pulling his horse inside.
I quickly scrambled to Isis and started pulling her alongside of Luke. I felt a hush as we entered the opening, the leaf fell back in place and shut us inside. I looked around. There were beautiful silver and gold lights everywhere, lighting the way. There were tree's with thick leaves of all sorts of colors, and a beautiful waterfall that streamed down and met the river, which carried itself as far as I could see. The ground was made up of cobblestone and such soft grasses I found myself feeling them every once in awhile.
"Welcome!" A voice from above us exclaimed. "To Podlurve, Zoe I presume?" A beautiful young woman with long wavy golden hair lightly floated down to us with wings that looked delicate, transparent yet it glistened too. These were no faerie's from children's stories, these were faeries of human size and of true beauty. "I am Gwenleth, element of the sun. I am glad you both were able to come tonight as I have an important message for you, Zoe. I'm afraid you will need all the help you can get."
Prince Lukas, well, Lukas had us going on our adventure faster then I thought. He must care. Unless he just wanted to do the right thing. Oh, I am so confused. I sat on top of Isis, my beautiful horse. She had grown a bit, she was just the right size for me now. Lukas lead the way into a beautiful wooded area. The tree's towered over us as if protecting us from the sun, wildflowers grew everywhere. The aroma of pine and flowers were almost too good to be true.
"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Lukas smiled and pulled the reins on the horse, encouraging him to slow down. "Well, I haven't had much time to enjoy nature. Well barely. Oh, what is your horse's name?" I asked, trying to keep up a conversation. I knew it, I was falling for Luke again. He was under a spell earlier. He had to have been. Or else he wouldn't have done that. He can't be tricking me? I didn't really know what to think, he's so many things all in one, Am I really falling for him?
"Zoe, you are so..I can't put my finger on it. You aren't like many other girls." He replied with a sigh. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? What was he getting at? I stared down at the ground to avoid any eye contact. I watched the horse's powerful hoove's trample the ground. The rhythmetic beat reminded me of what had happened and I shuddered. "His name's Patch. I didn't name him, my mother did." Lukas grinned. I looked up at him. "Patch is a wonderful name." I replied, stroking my own horse.
Deeper and deeper into the woods, we went. There was no looking back now. I found myself constantly staring at Lukas. Hes all I have to lean on. I could feel my heart flutter everytime I looked up at him. His golden curls glistened, his blue eyes intense yet full of care and understanding. Before I knew it, night was upon us and the woods seemed less of a friendly place. Every now and then I looked behind me to make sure nothing was following. I was growing more uneasy by the moment.
Lukas looked in my direction. "Don't worry, no bad can come of this place. Even if there was something horrible lurking in these woods, I will be here to protect you." He grinned sheepishly and we continued on our way. I was afraid to admit it, but I felt as if something were watching nearby. I tried to shake the feeling away but it only grew stronger. I looked all around me. The trees seemed to be much more taller and powerful in the dark. The bushes and plants seemed to whisper as the breeze strode through it. I looked up at the sky to see all the beautiful stars. It comforted me well and I almost fell asleep when Luke stopped.
Alert, I looked at him with worry. "Shhh. Do you hear that?" He asked, putting a finger up to his lips. "Hear what?" I whispered back, I looked to where we had stopped. There was a big wall that seemed to be made of rock. The only way up was a steep bank that I very much doubted the horses could make. Luke quickly got off the horse and took a few steps away. I watched as he traced his fingers along the wall. Curious, I stepped off my horse as well.
"Do you hear that?" Luke breathed with excitement. I listened again. I finally heard it! The sounds of running water hidden within the rock wall. "What? How is that possible?" I asked, confused as I tapped my fist against the rock wall. "We made it Zoe! Here we rest. This is the home of the Podlurve, it's in your book. It's more of a fancy name for a faerie. I've only been here once.. though this is much better than the place I was thinking of staying for the night. Your book states that the Podlurve are a tribe of friendly faerie's that try their best to restore good of this cruel world. They are quite devoted!" Luke explained blissfully as he quickly rounded up his horse.
"Right..but how do we enter?" I asked feeling a bit dumbfounded. Lukas pulled his horse over to what seemed like a gigantic square leaf placed on the wall. "If I remember correctly.." Luke started as he pulled the leaf back. Hidden was a deep crevice that seemed to sparkle. I watched in awe as he traced his fingers along the crevice, making it sparkle even more.
"Alunga Nashoo." Though he only whispered it, he said it with such strength and wisdom. The ground beneath our feet rumbled a bit, and I was in fear for my life. I grabbed Lukas's arm and held on tightly. He smiled. "Not to worry. Only good can come of this." The leaf seemed to have grown bigger and as he pulled it back, a ray of light swept from inside. I looked in and immediately felt mesmerized. Luke looked at my reaction and smiled even wider, pulling his horse inside.
I quickly scrambled to Isis and started pulling her alongside of Luke. I felt a hush as we entered the opening, the leaf fell back in place and shut us inside. I looked around. There were beautiful silver and gold lights everywhere, lighting the way. There were tree's with thick leaves of all sorts of colors, and a beautiful waterfall that streamed down and met the river, which carried itself as far as I could see. The ground was made up of cobblestone and such soft grasses I found myself feeling them every once in awhile.
"Welcome!" A voice from above us exclaimed. "To Podlurve, Zoe I presume?" A beautiful young woman with long wavy golden hair lightly floated down to us with wings that looked delicate, transparent yet it glistened too. These were no faerie's from children's stories, these were faeries of human size and of true beauty. "I am Gwenleth, element of the sun. I am glad you both were able to come tonight as I have an important message for you, Zoe. I'm afraid you will need all the help you can get."