All Seda knew was that people rarely came back, and when they did, they had…changed.
No new Jotnar attacks had occurred since the night before, and Seda felt very thankful. Her knee was still in pain from slipping in the shower.
She rested fairly well while sleeping on Cahir’s bed, breathing in his pillows and cuddling under his blankets. However, she kept a close watch on the clock and constantly listened for the door to open.
She stood up from her desk, tidied the papers, pushed in her chair neatly, and went outside to get some fresh air. As she passed the rose bushes lining the entrance of the Gardvord, she noticed a bird watching her from a nearby tree. At first, she hesitated, but curiosity got the best of her, and she slowly walked closer.
Interestingly, the bird had the same azure-tipped beak.
Seda looked up at it and asked, “Are you following me, or are there more of you with that same fancy stripe at the tip of your beak?”
She quickly glanced around to make sure no one saw her talking to a bird. People would probably call the medical wing to admit her.
The bird tilted its head to the side, watching her with its small, beady eyes. Seda walked past the tree, slightly nervous that the bird might come down and scratch her, but with faux confidence, she strode into the brown, dried grass beyond.
The bird jumped off the branch and flew down onto the ground infront of her. Seda shrieked, her arms flying in front of her to protect herself, and quickly stepped back.
“I-I’m not sure what you want. I don’t have any snacks to give,” Seda nervously said.
The bird jumped into the air and flew a few yards away, then landed again in the grass and looked back at her.
Hesitantly, she took a step toward it. The bird watched Seda as she slowly moved closer, then took off again into the air, landing another few yards farther out, looking back at her once more and waiting for her to get closer.
Seda quickened her pace and followed. It hadn’t tried to hurt her and seemed to want her to follow. Her curiosity grew, and she was eager to discover where the strange bird was leading her. The bird took her into a dark thicket of trees, passing by a circle in the woods where people had once gathered, and kept guiding her until she reached a large mound of vines, where the bird perched on top.
A stone slab peeked out from beneath the greenery.
The bird cawed loudly, then shifted direction and flew over the wall. Seda sighed.
What a curious creature.
She approached the mound and looked at the dense vines hanging over the stonework, along with the large, fuzzy leaves that matched the size of her face. She reached out and touched the vines, and they recoiled, as if expecting her arrival. She gasped at the sudden movement, but curiosity called her forward.
When the vines fully parted like a curtain, a door appeared. Thick logs of ancient wood, a crystalline handle, and a hole in the center shaped like a circular segment. The hole had an impression below it, forming a complete circle around the opening.
Standing on her tiptoes, Seda peeked through the opening, expecting to see more of the same area beyond.
She gasped as her eyes took in the view through the hole.Through the opening was a glen, tickling her memory—a foggy fantasy that escaped her long forgotten dreams.
A slow-moving stream flowed through the area as a white deer drank from its waters. Her eyes widened at the majestic purple trees with pink tips, encircled by glowing tulips on the mossy ground. In the center of the glen was a massive stump, larger than a house. It pulsed faintly with a purplish light, surrounded by small, gleaming, white-tipped mushrooms.
She grasped the handle and twisted it, but the door wouldn’t budge.
“Seda?” a male voice called from behind her, startling her. Seda jumped back, and the vines crumbled back down onto themselves. “Are you out here?”
Benny came into view as he rounded a tree, and she sighed in relief. She didn’t want to be out in these woods alone with a stranger, especially a man.
“Hey, Benny! Look what I found!” She excitedly turned around and noticed the vines had returned. She quickly brushed the vines aside, expecting them to retract again with her touch, but they only moved as she brushed them away. She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw only the stone wall behind them. The strange-looking door was gone.
“What the…”
“That is strange. Why is there a random wall here?” Benny walked up and brushed the vines aside. “Who would build such a thing? It looks old.”
“There was just… just…”
“Are you okay?” Benny looked at her in concern. He reached out and touched her shoulder.
“Yeah, I thought I saw something.” Her brows remained furrowed in confusion as she stared at the blank stonework and vines.
