Chapter Four

Miriam awoke as cool rays of morning sunlight danced across her face. She sighed and stretched, feeling gloriously at home, then came thoroughly awake with a start. She wasn't in her canopied bed at home, she was lying on mosses that carpeted the base of a large, gnarled tree. The sun was peeking at her from the bare, round hill in front of her. Away past the hill, Miriam heard a slow, steady cadence, the pulsing ocean waves. She knew if she followed the teasing sun, it would lead her to the foaming surf. Behind her was a shadowy, rich forest. It was the kind of wood that was hung with ancient mosses and held the secrets of a hundred ages. But, it was friendly enough that the girl was not afraid.

Miriam tried very hard to remember why she was in these woods near the sea. The images came slowly at first, then rapidly, like an old silent film. She remembered her grandmother's death and all of the relatives crowding around. She remembered escaping from them to the South Wing, opening the door, stepping through, and then there was darkness. She had walked a short way, then curled up on the ground and gone to sleep. It may not have been the wisest thing to do, considering that she didn't know where she was, but sleep she had.

When Miriam remembered all this, she leaned back against the tree with a slight sigh of relief. Just as she did, she felt a soft hand touch her shoulder. Miriam jumped up and ran screaming for the hill. Considering everything she had been through, who could blame her? She heard no sounds of pursuit, so she stopped to catch her breath as she reached the crest of the hill, just where she could see the ocean. Immediately, someone was standing in front of her. Before she could open her mouth to scream or move to bolt away again, the – whatever it was – put its hands on her shoulders and spoke.

"Be silent," Miriam took a deep breath and dared look up at her attacker. The being was a tall woman, a bit taller than what we would consider normal. Her skin and eyes were brown, although her eyes were more woody brown than her skin. She had thick black hair that fell to her waist and was topped by a crown. The crown was carved from a light oak, and added to the feeling that Miriam was in the presence of some woodland princess. Her face had a deep serenity, but her eyes were as watchful as a mother doe's. In fact, she reminded Miriam a great deal of a deer.

Miriam finally caught her breath enough to wheeze out, "Who are you?"

The being smiled. "I am called Gazaelle, Gazaelle of the Wood." And the name fit. "But what is your name, little one? And why are you here alone? Know ye not that there are Banu about?"

"I'm Miriam, Miss Wood, and I don't know about any Banny or anything like that."

"How did you get here? I see no means of transportation."

Miriam wasn't exactly sure what a mean of transportation was, but she could answer one thing. "Well, I was hiding from the Relations, and then I came through the door."

Up until this point, Gazaelle had been asking questions in the kind way adults do. She wasn't completely paying attention to what Miriam was saying and she answered while seeming to be thinking of other things. In fact, she was thinking of the woods and the trees and all the nice things she wanted to do, but when she heard about the door, everything else faded away. "What door, child? What door did you come through?" she sounded excited.

Miriam cocked her head to one side and thought for a moment. As she glanced around she spotted it. There, on the hill, was the door. It was standing alone. At the house, the door had seemed big and mysterious. Here, it was just part of the hill. The frame, which had been carved to look like trees, really was two trees that grew around and over each other. The handles were really living roses, fragrant and red, and the keyholes were glistening tears. "Why, I believe I came through that door, but it looks so much more…. Real."

Gazaelle stared back and forth between the little girl and the lovely door. "You walked through that door and found yourself in Aeral?"

"Aeral?" as she said the word it was the same lovely feeling she had felt when she woke up in the wood. It was the feeling of coming home. "I've never heard of Aeral before, but, oh… it's a part of me. I know it is."

"The Faithful have waited a long time for this. Yet you are but a child." Gazaelle looked long at Miriam, thinking. As they stood on the hill, a low moaning cry floated around them. It was not a sound that Miriam had ever heard before. It sounded like a wolf's cry, like someone in pain, like a panther's scream. It was really indescribably horrible. Gazaelle frowned. "Banu." She said softly. "Come, we must flee. It would not do for them to know that you are here." Gazaelle took Miriam's hand and led her deep into the forest. Miriam marveled that Gazaelle's feet seemed to glide over the forest floor. She was moving so fast that Miriam was running to keep up, but she did not look as if she were moving at all.

"Miss Wood, wait, who are the faithful?"

Gazaelle spoke over her shoulder as they moved. "The Faithful are the ones who still believe in good. They are the ones who have stayed true to King Traeven, and to Aeral."

"Traeven? My name's Traeven!! At least, my last name is." Gazaelle paused for a moment, as if she wanted to ask a question, but only nodded and continued on her way. Miriam stumbled over an exposed root, then blurted out, "But where are we going? We're moving very fast, Miss Wood. Can we slow down?"

Gazaelle kept her face forward. "If we slow down the Banu will catch us. I am taking you to Havillah. HE will want to meet you." And they continued through the dark paths.