Chapter 173: Lady of the Lake’s Guidance
The sun shone brightly upon the lands. Twenty knights were riding on their horses in a prairie, chasing after one young girl. As their horses trampled the plains, they kicked up a sandstorm behind them.
It was a matter of time before they would catch their quarry, but suddenly, a great forest populated by gigantic trees unfurled before them, and the knights could do nothing but watch as the young girl rode into the ancient forest.
Frexinet pulled on his reins, for he would dare not step into the forbidden woods. He, however, was furious about losing the princess. “Damn it! I was so close! If I had two more minutes, I could have caught up to her!”
Krauze caught up to him, and he stopped, though he shot Frexinet a surprised look. “Why did you stop? The princess is just ahead of us.”
“And so is Brokilon, the ancient forest.” Frexinet heaved a long sigh and stared at the forest solemnly. “I trust that you have heard of this place and its stories. Brokilon is a forbidden place in these lands. There is nothing but certain death for humans who tread those woods. Especially for men.”
Krauze arched his eyebrow. He massaged his temple and scoffed. “Governor, may I remind you that losing the princess will have grave consequences for you? Even if King Ervyll is ‘merciful’ enough to let you go free, Queen Calanthe won’t show you the same mercy.”
A chill ran down Frexinet’s spine. Damn these forbidden woods. I’m charging in even if this place is hell itself. Frexinet finally understood where he stood. Ciri escaping under his very nose was already his fault to begin with. If he failed to retrieve her, what awaited him was an execution at the guillotine.
Frexinet finally stopped hesitating and summoned his troop to enter the forest. However, the scent of the soil and trees that assailed him rattled his mind. He had the strangest feeling that his own life would change forever because of the choice he made that day.
Unbeknownst to them, another wanderer had already entered the forest.
***
Brokilon was home to countless ancient trees. An overwhelming majority of the trees were at least a few centuries old. The dappled sunlight would be absorbed by the bushes and ferns as nutrients, while fallen leaves acted as a carpet that was draped over the earth. Insects and bugs scuttled throughout the forest. Glistening cobwebs were spread between twigs, while small animals would stick their heads out to check their surroundings out.
The woods were filled with the scent of beasts, soil, and leaves, but Roy was not in the mood to appreciate the scenery. From the moment he entered the forest, Roy bent over and stood on his tiptoes, reducing the sound of his breathing to nothing more than a little whisper in the breeze. A light yellow shield surrounded him, protecting him from harm. Roy was cautious, for he knew that the lively look of the forest was built upon a mountain of bones and rivers of blood.
Roy came to a halt a moment later. He looked down at the ground of mulch made up of pine cones and ferns, then he noticed a human corpse that was filled with ants and various bugs. Maybe it’s a poacher, a lumberjack, or just a lost wanderer. He bent down and picked up an arrow that was embedded between the corpse’s bones.
It was an arrow made of chicken feathers, a willow stick, and a sharpened stone. There was no metal in it. That did not mean the arrow was weak. It could still pierce through human flesh easily and kill them. Dryad architecture, Roy thought. And Brokilon is their lair.
Unlike leshens, dryads were no monsters. Instead, they were relatives of elves. A race of humanoid creatures with emerald skin, who dubbed themselves the forest’s protector. They had a deep-set hatred against humans who poached and cut down trees, and they would kill every single one of them on sight.
The dryad race was made up entirely of women. Their leader—Eithné—would kill most men on sight, only keeping the strongest of them to feed her lust. Fortunately, dryads would not kill women under most circumstances, especially young, harmless human girls like Ciri, as they had other uses for them.
Roy kept the arrow and progressed carefully. He turned his witcher senses on and captured all the clues related to Ciri. Her scent, for example. However, the forest was a complicated maze, and there were more obstacles in his way than he first imagined. Even if he and Ciri might be inches away from each other, he still could miss her because of the plants that were in his line of sight.
Well, this isn’t making the search any easier. He had to carve the mark of the Viper School on a nearby trunk for every few steps he took, lest he got lost. I hope the Law of Surprise works. Half an hour later, Roy found something. He caught Cri’s scent coming from a strip of torn cloth hanging on a stick. There was a layer of small, chaotic footprints on the mulch beside the strip of cloth. Roy sniffed the air. “No smell of blood. Seems like she’s safe.”
Roy had seen a pack of wolves and a sleeping grey bear on his way here. He held back the urge to kill them in case the dryads were offended, and he slipped by the beasts. How did Ciri manage to get away from those beasts anyway? Wait. Is it her Child of Fortune skill? Roy put his worry for Ciri aside for the moment and tracked the trail of footprints down.
Just when he was about to leave, he heard the sound of someone howling in agony a distance away, then he heard someone groan in pain. A chill ran down Roy’s spine, and he got goosebumps all over his body, but it was not from the cold. I don’t hear any beast roaring. Must have been the dryads. And those howls… Must be the soldiers. Who else?
Roy sighed. He was about to check the scene out, but the howls came to an abrupt stop. Roy turned his attention to the trail of footprints and followed it. Eventually, the footprints came to an end.
“This place is…” A crystal clear lake appeared before him. He was in a clearing surrounded by trees, and Ciri’s footprints disappeared right beside the lake. Roy sighed, and he took a closer look at the lake.
It wasn’t a big lake. For some reason, the trees granted a little spot for the lake to exist. There wasn’t anything over the lake, and the sunlight shone directly on its surface. The waters were shimmering, a stark contrast to the generally dim forest. It was a beautiful sight, though he was more concerned about Ciri.
“That girl’s stamina is great. She didn’t even take a break after running for so long.” Should I keep up the chase? No, wait. Roy gazed at the lake. I have a great idea.
He unsheathed the crimson blade—Aerondight. Roy dragged the blade with him as he slowly stepped into the lake. Eventually, the blade and the young witcher were submerged in the lakewater.
Aqua Blessing took effect, and a big, translucent bubble magically appeared from Aerondight, covering Roy and allowing him to breathe underwater. Thanks to the blessing, Roy didn’t face much resistance when he was moving underwater. This is a magical experience. The colorful fishes under the water swam past him, as if he wasn’t even there.
Eventually, the calm surface of the lake started to rage, and the water started to boil, eventually becoming a blanket of fog that covered the lake. The fog started to spread outward and eventually even covered the nearby woods as well.
Roy walked to the center of the lake, when suddenly, he felt something zip past him, and a beautiful woman shrouded in a veil of fog swam past him. “That’s Vivienne’s token. Roy of Lake Vizima, why hast thou summoned me?” a voice asked Roy. It sounded like it came from the heavens, but at the same time, he heard it in his mind.
“Might you be Brokilon’s Lady of the Lake?” Roy turned around, but the Lady of the Lake seemed to be in a playful mood. She kept swimming around him, keeping him from seeing her face.
“Yes. I am the ruler of the waters in this area. My name is Henn-na.”
“Gracious goddess Henn-na.” Roy scrunched his nose up. Henn-na put her hands on his shoulders, then she let him go and swam away cheekily. A strand of dark green hair brushed across his nose. It felt ticklish, but also refreshing. “Vivienne has told me that I can summon her friends using Aerondight. And I may ask them for their aid.”
“Roy of Lake Vizima,” Henn-na said solemnly. “Brokilon does not take well to strangers, but you are an exception. Tell me. What do you need?”
Roy quickly cut to the chase. “I am searching for a girl. She has ashen hair and is about nine years old. She just went past your territory. May I know her exact location? Her current exact location.”
“Simple enough,” Henn-na said. Roy noticed a beautiful arm appearing beside him, and the goddess waved across the waters gracefully to produce a magical screen. A young girl was shown on the water’s surface. Her face was pale, and she was covering her mouth. She was lying motionlessly in a damp, dark tree hole, and Roy could hear some weird noises coming from outside the tree.
“Ciri!” Roy called out to her, but he received no answer. At the same time, he noticed a seaweed-like plant the size of a forearm suddenly appearing in his other hand.
“Take this. It shall guide you to the place of the person you wish to seek. And send my regards to Vivienne.”
Before Henn-na could say anything else, Roy felt a gentle strength pushing him up from the bottom of the lake, and he broke the surface a moment later. “Beware the vicious dryads of Brokilon. Their leader, Lady Eithné, is a powerful witch. Not even I am a match for her. Be careful.” Henn-na’s voice lingered around him, and it disappeared eventually.
The plant in Roy’s hand suddenly pointed in a direction, as if it were a compass. “Hang on, Ciri. I’m coming.”
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