Chapter Two

Speech

Beet, beet, beet. Hooves falling on roots. Roots joining, old trees twisting together. A bird lands on my branch, a woodpecker.

Rin comes to a stop after riding for hours and lays out her bedroll. She lies down and drifts off into a peaceful sleep, thankful the trees aren't speaking to her at the moment.

The trees are burning. Fire everywhere. Each time a tree falls, Rin feels it. She feels the fire searing her skin, even though it is not touching her. Another tree falls. It lands in front of her and behind it, perched on a horse, is…And thankfully that is where Rin's dream ends. She does not want to know who it was, burning all the trees, but she knows, it was to hurt her. Rin rolls up her mat and puts it back in Fern's saddlebag. She pats her neck. This horse, she likes. She was present at her birth. Just like Isi was with Avlado and Fallada. Rin had heard the whole story of Isi's braveness.

Rin's thoughts wonder as she rides into the first town of Kel. The one on Bayer's border. Rin calls out to a woman in Kellish tongue, thankful that Isi taught her. She asks how far it is to Castle Diare. The woman answered. A night's ride. Rin thanks her and begins to leave. The woman calls out in Bayern tongue, realizing that is where Rin is from.

"You would be more than welcome to stay with me and my family, good lady." Once again a thought springs into Rin's tree infested thoughts. Speak on, King Scandlan had said. The thought to this day, still scares Rin. And now she has a woman offering her home, at the sound of Rin's voice.

"The good lady would be you." She replies, keeping her tone light and lairing her accent her accent thick, as if to blotch out the people speaking. "I will ride on, but thank you."

"Safe travels!" She calls off.

Rin rides back into the trees and continues northeast, with the direction of the trees. She rides for what seems like hours, but she knows it has not been long.

Beet. Beet. Beet. Beet. Beet, beet, beet, beet, beet, beet, beet. A leaf falls, lady Rinna. Lady Rinna of the Trees. Hearer of our thoughts. River water washing our roots. Rain water conserved in our leaves. Night air cooling out bark. Pain sweeps into Rin's head. She is not able to stay upright on her horse. She falls, plummeting to the earth. Soft roots weave under her, making a soft bed. Even the trees soothing thoughts aren't enough to keep the blackness from clouding in.