7 Chapter 6

As Nevetharine followed the boy through the forest, many of the stories Meena had been telling suddenly became true to her. The forest had tall, dead trees. It was dark, barren and a thick mist hung in the air. Strange, eerie sounds came from all corners. It sounded like the trees talking to one another. But it wasn't just the trees whispering. She also heard the voices of souls in the forest. Every horrific detail Meena had ever told her about the forest was true, except for one – it wasn't so horrific to Nevetharine at all. A strange familiar energy surrounded her. She turned her gaze to the boy. He stood still in front of a large, natural arch that was created by the tree branches. Judging by its size, it must have been thousands of years old.

She had become so absorbed in the forest around her, that she forgot she was still following him. She realised now that she had no recollection of where they were. A piece of time was missing from her mind. Thick mist surrounded the two old giant trees. She turned her gaze to the boy, who vanished in front of her eyes. She stood motionless for a moment, coming to grips with the fact that she was led here by a ghost.

She was now lost in the Hollow Forest and all that she could do, was walk through the thick fog beneath the towering, arched branches. She took a deep breath, and walked forward.

***

The mist felt cold and clammy on Nevetharine's skin. It reminded her of dead bodies, but unlike the town, it smelt clean and unpolluted. A dull, pulsing pain crept into her legs and feet. The exposed flesh on her arms burned where her skin had been stripped off. She dared not turn in any direction and kept moving straight forward into the thick fog.

She walked for what seemed like hours through the mist, whilst listening to the noises of the forest. She heard no animals, only the eerie, strange whispers of the souls lurking in the shadows. The trees that she could see moved. Their trunks had faces that shimmered with a vibrant green energy. Their branches and roots reached out to touch her and sometimes they succeeded. They spoke to her in peculiar woody-sounds.

She thought about Meena's stories as she walked. She always used to say that the spirits threaten the living here and that they drove them to insanity, but Nevetharine didn't feel threatened by them. In fact, she felt welcomed and quite safe among them, especially the tree-creatures. They certainly seemed friendlier than the 'people' and creatures back in town. If she looked closely, she could see dark, shadowy figures moving around in the fog. They appeared and disappeared. Most folk had nightmares about these shadowy figures, but Nevetharine didn't feel threatened by them in the slightest.

The fog began to dissolve and the trees became clear. An opening appeared in the forest and a small, unusual cottage became visible. Nevetharine stood still for a moment, wondering if anyone was home, and if she might be welcomed inside or chased away.

What if there was someone inside, and they threatened to kill her? What if it was a trick played on her by one of Magnus' minions, in an attempt to drag her back to town? Did she really want to go in there?

Unexpectedly, the voice that spoke in her mind earlier awoke. "Go inside."

Nevetharine frowned. "Who are you?" she thought back at the voice, but no answer came.

"Looking for someone?"

Nevetharine held her breath and swung around. Behind her, stood a woman of her length. She had long hair as black as the midnight sky. Nevetharine's mind was scrambled by her pitch black eyes. The woman had a certain grace about her, and by all standards she would be considered beautiful, in an otherworldly way.

Nevetharine felt speechless. She opened her mouth to speak, yet she couldn't manage to say anything.

The woman smiled warmly at her. "I apologize, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Frightened. Was she frightened? Nevetharine labelled her emotion guilt, rather than fright. She felt guilty for intruding on someone's home.

"You didn't." she managed, "Frighten me, I mean. I mean, I'm not scared of you." Scatter-brain, get a hold of yourself! It's not like you haven't seen another human in ages.

"Well now, that's refreshing! I am Meredith, nice to meet you."

The Witch, Nevetharine suddenly remembered. Of course. She is the only one who lives in the Hollow Forest. She felt like a fool for not realising it sooner. Logically, she knew that she was supposed to be afraid of her. She knew that this woman was dangerous, but she couldn't bring herself to fear anything about her. She felt at ease with her, even. Meredith felt familiar.

"You're the witch."

Meredith giggled at the word. "Yes, so I hear."

"Isn't that what you are then?"

Her expression mocked the myth. "Not quite. Would you like to come inside for a cup of herbal tea? It's my own special recipe. I see you're hurt. We'd better patch you up."

Nevetharine looked at her with a raised eyebrow and half a smile.

"You're amused?"

"You're a witch and you're inviting me into your cottage for herbal tea?" The combination seemed like an invitation to death.

Meredith shrugged. "It's a long way back to town. Follow me, or don't." With that she turned around and started toward her home, leaving the choice up to Nevetharine.

Ferocious cramps in her legs crippled Nevetharine out of nowhere and brought her down to her knees. She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. "Do not show weakness!" There's that voice again.

Suddenly a wave of energy came over her body and the pain dissipated within seconds. Relaxation engulfed her and she felt her breath returning and her heart rate slow down. When she opened her eyes, she found Meredith standing above her. Was it her doing?

"What was that?" Nevetharine asked.

Meredith obviously had no idea what she was talking about. "What was what?"

She turned around and walked back towards the cottage. Nevetharine looked at her in disbelief. She, of all people, knew sarcasm when she saw it. She had a friend called Meena, afterall. She stood up and started following her. Before they could reach the small wooden door, Meredith stopped abruptly in front of her.

"What is it?" Maker, please don't let it be someone that followed me here, Nevetharine thought.

Meredith didn't answer her. She turned her head, listening intently.

"Come with me." She started walking in the opposite direction of the cottage.

Nevetharine followed her without further questioning and that was troubling to her. Why was she following this woman? The desolate ground cracked beneath Meredith's boots. She folded her wine-red mantle around her and drew the cowl over her head. Nevetharine investigated her surroundings while they were walking. She looked up. There was no leafy canopy, instead the dead branches of the ancient trees intertwined so tightly that it completely obscured the sky.

In this forest, there was not so much as a smidge of greenery, except for the green energy inside the trees that gave them life. The mist started rising again.

Meredith looked back at Nevetharine. "Don't get lost. Sometimes I forget how I change this place up."

Nevetharine observed Meredith as she walked. Every step she took seemed perfectly executed, almost as if it was planned. The tunnels beneath the town came to her mind. "Did you send the ghost after me?"

"I did indeed. I wanted to send a little girl, but she wasn't available at the time. I try not to wake them without need. I would rather make use of them when they wander around."

"You command the souls of the dead?"

"I command no one. It is their choice whether they want to answer my call or not."

"But you still control them?" Meredith left her hanging for an answer.