Rina and Phil had not walked for a short while down the road leading to the Magical Forest when immediate differences could be noticed. The surrounding trees were no sparsely placed, but dense. Saplings and undergrown were steadily increasing. The trees themselves were now huge. There were few stumps to suggest that the area had used for logging.
By midday, however, it was clear that the Magical Forest was the wrong fork to take. The trees were now twice the size of the largest trees that could be seen earlier. Dense undergrowth wedged themselves between the giants, making traveling alongside the road impossible. The road itself was gone, having ended a mile into the forest. Phil and Rina now had to make their way through the bushes while swerving around massive tree trunks and ducking under low branches.
Several days later, Phil and Rina collapsed against a tree trunk, aching and drained. Their clothes were torn, their faces were scratched and their food bundles were considerably lighter. They had not seen a single person in days.
"I really want to leave this place." Rina complained. "It scares me. With all these sounds and noise it's a miracle we haven't met any unpleasant creatures." She shivered as a howl was heard in the distance.
"I know how you feel. These sounds are scaring me. I . . ." He faltered. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise and tension in the air, but couldn't locate anything wrong. He glanced at Rina. She too was perturbed. Just then, a loud growl was heard, then a neigh. Crashes occurred and the bushes behind Rina and Phil rattled. The proximity of the noise made them rigid with fear. Total silence prevailed afterwards. Afterwards, little scratching and groans were heard.
Rina and Phil sat still for a few more minutes but the noises continued. Rina slowly got up and gestured for Phil to do the same. Quietly, she ventured towards the source of the commotion, Phil at her heels. Abruptly, she stopped at a rattling bush. Cautiously, she reached out and pushed the bush to one side. Behind it was a herrk, bleeding freely from a numerous wounds.
A pile of brown fur beside the herrk moved and a little head reached out towards her. As she was about to caress the foal, the body of the mother herrk moved. Afraid to anger a protective mother, Rina backed away. The foal cried out and struggled to move his body from below his dead mother's. Rina rush towards the foal, untangling him and placing him in her lap in the same motion.
While Rina focused her attentions on the foal, Phil examined the mother. She had clearly been attacked. Her body was still warm, indicating that she had just now died. Her throat was torn. The creature that had attacked her, it had to be an animal for a fang was found sunken deep in her skin, is a skilled hunter. The truth dawned on him. The mother must have been attacked, but managed to get away. She probably dragged herself to the bush to die in peace. The baby herrk must have been her foal who followed her here. He gasped. If the creature had ignored the foal, than it must be big enough that the foal was a snack that wasn't worth the effort to catch. The creature would surely follow the herrk's scent to them! He turned to Rina to explain, but found her attention riveted by another thing: A weracore.
It certainly looked like a weracore with the same sharp, bared teeth and ugly face. Its limbs were crouched and ready to pounce. The size, though, was unusual. It was twice the size of any weracore he had ever seen. It was probably from living in a magical forest. He pulled out his sword but the weracore broke it with a single swipe. He groped around for any weapon. He found only rocks.
Cursing himself for being caught by a shoulder-height angry weracore without proper weapon, he grabbed two fist-sized rocks and turned his attention to the weracore. It was gradually easing up on them. When it got within pouncing range, he threw one of the rocks at its feet, the weracore backed up in surprise, sniffed at the stone for a moment, and, deciding that it was no threat, walked cautiously closer. Another stone hit it squarely in the chest. Phil glanced at Rina she had picked up a stone and followed his example.
The weracore paused and blinked. Before he could think, Phil threw a stone that smacked the weracore painfully in the nose and drew blood. The weracore stopped, horrified. Then it howled. When it lowered its head, Phil could see its yellow eyes laced with red. Definitely not good. Before he could react, the weracore charged. It had headed directly for Phil and lunged. Phil managed dodged, but got his shoulder swiped. It thundered towards the pair once again when a stone hit it squarely in the nose. Another one singed its ear. Suddenly a hail of stones tumbled down on it. Howling with pain as a well aimed stone knocked one of its eyes; it turned and dissolved into the forest.
Phil straightened and glanced at Rina. She was comforting the herrk which had been frightened because of the brief skirmish. Reassured that she had taken no injury, he turned to thank his saviors. They were standing beside an enormous tree. Maybe the tree looked big because they were small. Maybe they looked small because the tree was big. In any case they stood only as high as Phil's waist.
The full grown male gnome approached Phil. He was dressed in clothes similar to what humans wear: a blue waistcoat with a green pair of pants. His blond hair was tucked in a hat. "Good afternoon. I am AraThaDo. This is my wife, ZaPata. He pointed to a female gnome in a green dress. These are my children, ZarThara, ZeDarus, and baby ArithTaDon. My mother, ZipPiTis, is over there." Two twin female gnomes waved and held up a baby gnome wrapped in blankets. A wrinkled, old gnome stood beside them.
"I am Phil and this is my friend, Rina. Thank you for saving us."
"Yes, thank you very much." Rina, who had come to stand beside him, echoed. Phil noticed that she still kept the herrk close to her.
"It's nothing. Why don't you come into our home and tell us about yourselves. We don't get very many visitors this deep in the forest. You look like some rest will do you good. ZaPata will look at that wound."
AraThaDo led the way to the huge tree his family was standing by. "In here." He heaved open a door that Phil had not noticed before. It opened, revealing a dark void in the hollow tree trunk. "Come along." He said as he jumped into the hole. The twins, baby, and wife followed him. Even ZipPiTis did not hesitate despite her age. Rina and Phil were left standing alone beside the tree.
"We have no choice but to follow." Rina said logically. "Here goes." Holding the foal to her chest, she took a deep breath and jumped into the gap. Phil tried to follow her but found he couldn't. The doorway was large enough to allow Rina, but not him. Finally, he lay on his belly and slid himself through, seizing the door as he passed. Using the door and arm muscles, he dragged himself out of the hole so that he might not fall head first. Wedging himself firmly within the walls of the tree trunk, he shut the door firmly. Taking a deep breath, he plunged into the hole.
To his surprise and relief, the hole did not fall straight down as he had anticipated. Instead, it curved to form a sort of a slide. A short while later, he landed into a pile of rushes and leaves, which made the land much less painful. The chamber he arrived seemed to be dug out. It had a low ceiling and the air smelled musty. Straightening, he noticed the gnome family and Rina waiting for him. AraThaDo beckon for him to follow and headed down a dimly lit corridor, his family at his heels.
"What took you so long? I was getting worried." Rina sounded genuinely concerned.
"I couldn't fit through the door. In case you haven't noticed, I'm much bigger than you." Phil put on a fake scowl. Rina giggled and led him down the hall.
"Ah, here we are. Welcome to our home." AraThaDo held his arms wide as if to embrace the sight before him. Peering from behind AraThaDo, Phil and Rina could see the house. It was made in an underground cave. The cavern was quite roomy and comfortable, though not large enough to contain the entire house. A high ceiling suggested that the cave was miles underground. Homemade furniture were placed in groups, rows of stalagmites seem to double as walls. In one corner, a small pond probably contained the drinking supply. A fire was built in another corner, with shelves containing pots and pans beside it. Rina could see the resemblance of a kitchen, a sitting area, and a dinning table. A small corridor was apparent at the rear end of the cave.
AraThaDo led Rina, Phil, and his family into the cave. ZaPata immediately head to the kitchen. AraThaDo turned to Rina and Phil, "ZaPata will start the food. Meanwhile, ZarThara and ZeDarus will show you to your rooms. You can take a bath, too, but I'm afraid we don't have any clothes your size." His eyes lingered on Rina's disheveled hair and Phil's dirt encrusted hands. The baby herrk cried out, diverting AraThaDo's attention. "The foal can stay with my mother. She has nursed foals before." Rina reluctantly place the foal gingerly into ZipPiTis's outstretched arms. ZipPiTis cradled the foal in her arms. The twins, ZarThara and ZeDarus, came over with a torch.
"Come on!" they both cried. They led Rina and Phil down the small corridor at the back of the cave. "This is where the bedrooms are." ZarThara started.
"Papa had to dig them out because the cave was too small." ZeDarus said.
"The bathroom is in here, too."
"It's got an underground pond."
"The water moves so there is always clean water."
"Isn't that convenient?"
"That's why papa chose the cave to be our home."
"No, he liked the cave and the drinking pond. He found the bathroom by mistake."
"Oh, yeah. And he dug the path to the tree, too."
"I was wondering," Rina cut in to stop their incessant chattering, "How come you family chose the Magical Forest to live in."
"That's a good question. We gnomes had always lived in the Magical Forest." ZeDarus answered.
"We just now moved to a more isolated part of it."
"Of course we had to leave behind cousin ZoPeTous, Uncle ArtTaDon, Aunt . . ."
"Is this the bathroom?" Rina interrupted.
"Oh, yes. Your rooms are here." ZarThara pointed to a pair of rooms with cloth hangings for a door. "If everything is ok, we'll go help Grandma with the herrk." The twins scampered off.
Rina and Phil stood in silence for a moment. "Um, I guess I'll take this one." Rina said, head towards the room towards the left. Phil nodded and entered the other one.
Thirty minutes later, Rina and Phil were seated with the gnome family at the dinner table. The food was good, Rina had to admit, but the taste was a bit exotic. The meal consisted of some kind of roasted meat, a weird tube-like vegetable, a mound of brown mush, and a sticky, thick sauce. Everything, from the meat to the drinks were favored with fruit juice. The meal was altogether too sweet.
Although they were small, the gnomes ate generous helpings. The table groaned under the dishes. Rina looked down at her full plate. She was bloated, but ZaPata continued to fill and refill her plate. She was thirsty more than anything, the stick sweetness of the food stuck to her mouth like peanut butter. She glanced at Phil, he too was replete, but was taking care not to show it. The gnomes, on the other hand, were eating like they had been starved for ages. They were eating at a ravenous pace, though they occasionally stopped long enough to add more food to her plate. She sighed and picked up her spoon. This was going to be a long meal.
Five minutes later, the gnome's eating frenzy had slowed sufficiently for a conversation. "So Rina, tell me about yourself." AraThaDo inquired. He motioned to her to talk with a fork load with meat.
Deciding that the gnomes posed no harm, Rina recited her story from Keith's unexpected arrival to find the herrk and fighting the weracore. "Now we're looking for Console. Do you know where it is?"
"Console, eh?" AraThaDo rubbed his chin, "Can't say I've heard of it. Nope." Seeing Rina's disappointed face, he added, "But I know who does."
Rina's face lit up. "Who?" she inquired.
"It's not really a who opposed to a what." AraThaDo explained, "It's called the Pool of Truth."
"Pool of Truth", Phil mused, "It sounds a bit familiar."
"Information?" AraThaDo hinted.
Enlightenment struck Phil. "It tells you what you want to know, about people, places and such. Fews had gotten it to work though."
"That's because it is an old gnomish secret." ZaPata pointed out. "We can go tomorrow. I need to pick more blueberries, anyway."
"Tomorrow?" Rina sounded a tad bit disappointed.
"Tomorrow." AraThaDo replied fimly. "It's half a day's walk from here and, besides, you'll need the rest. The path's a bit harsh.
Rina had been hiking with Phil, ZaPata, and AraThaDo for the couple of hours. 'Harsh' was an understatement. The trail forced them to scale almost vertical cliffs and cross raging rivers. AraThaDo led the group. He carried an axe to hack away at the undergrowth. Mosquitoes and the sight of fruit wobbling unstably from trees didn't help. Rina understood why AraThaDo had left ZipPiTis, the twins, and the baby at home. They would not survive the trail.
This part of the forest wasn't as scary as the part Rina and Phil had first entened. This was more tropical and food was everywhere. Predatory calls were muffed by the howling wind and rustling leaves. AraThaDo's and ZaPata's apparent knowledge of the forest also provided a sense of protection.
Rina was grateful when AraThaDo finally motioned to them to halt. She collapsed in a heap beside a willow tree. She appraised the hike to be about 2 miles long, yet it fatigued her more than anything else she had done in her life.
Catching her breath, she peered through the branches. She spotted a sapphire pond. Willow trees ringed the pond in a way that the branches hid the pond from sight so that it could not be spotted by mistake from afar.
Everything about the lake identified it as out of the ordinary. The pond appeared normal, but Rina noticed that there were no signs of organic life around there. There were no plants bordering the pond and no fish darting under the water. In fact, the water was what unnerved her most. It was of the purest blue, yet it was so opaque nothing, if anything lived down there, underneath the water surface could be seen. No ripples disturbed the water's surface. It was as if the water had been frozen.
AraThaDo beckoned for everyone to follow him to the water's edge. It was without a wrinkle and reflected the image as clear as a mirror would. Glancing hesitantly at Rina and Phil who were gazing over his shoulder, AraThaDo raised his index finger to the sky and mumbled a few words in a low voice. He than dipped his finger slightly into the water, causing a small ripple. He removed his finger and retreated behind Phil and Rina. The ripple raced across the water's surface until a circle about two feet wide was formed and then stopped, as if frozen in time. The circle turned cloudy, than black. Phil heard AraThaDo hiss instructions in his ear.
"Ask it to reveal the directions to Console."
Phil cleared his throat. "Er, excuse me." He glanced uncertainly at Rina. She smile reassuringly. He turned back to the pond. "Could you please show me the path to Console?"
For a minute, it looked like the pond had not heard. Then there was a blinding flash. As everyone recovered, the black in the circle started to dissolve and revealed what looked like a birds-eye-view of the country of Keron. The map zoomed into a green patch and displayed a picture of the Pool of Truth in its natural, undisturbed state. The picture zoomed out until the Pool was a mere inch wide. A purple line traced a path south, pass the gnome's house cave and back to a fork in a road. Rina recognized it to be the same fork they had met earlier. The line paused at the fork, than raced down the right path towards the Dunes of Disaster. It left a purple trail as it passed through the Dunes and finally halted at a black dot labeled 'Console'. The dot enlarged into images of a fountain, a market square, and a tall, brown-haired boy loosening arrows at a target with deadly accuracy. The picture of the map reappeared for a few minutes while everyone studied it and then dissolved. The circle disappeared, leaving no trace whatsoever.
"Thank you." Phil said politely. He turned back to Rina, AraThaDo, and ZaPata. "That hike was worthwhile after all."
"Let's head back." ZaPata suggested. "I'd rather not leave the twins and the baby at home for long periods of time."