“Shades of the Time Warp,” Thornhold said. “That unnerved me. It felt like it did when we were transported into the game.”
I blinked, squinting as the light began to fade and I could see again. I gasped, bringing my hand to my chest.
The forest outside the stone circle reminded me of a magical faerie forest. The woodlands were thick with cedar and fir, maple, and birch, just like the Dark Woodland, but where there was a faint menace behind that woodland, here everything was lit up like it was Christmas.
The trees themselves had a faint glow to them, with each tree’s aura a shade similar to the leaves or needles. The bare-branched trees of autumn had a pale halo that was rust-colored. But along the ground, all the mushrooms of the wood were illuminated from within, and they were no longer low to the ground, but knee high. And scattered among the sprawling undergrowth, crystal shards thrust up from the ground, also glowing from within. Everywhere we turned, it was as though nature was throwing a massive light show. Even the stars seemed different here.
“It’s so incredible,” I said, unable to look away. “What is this place?”
“Welcome to the Crystal Forest,” Otsiano said. “Enter in peace.”
Brynn started toward one of the mushrooms. It was a fly agaric—one of the red top with white spots kind. The red shimmered under the night sky, as though the shroomwas metallic. “I can’t believe this,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything so trippy!”
Ray and Reggie were just standing there, looking from one place to another. Thornhold stood next to me. He reached out and took my hand, squeezing my fingers. I wasn’t sure if he was scared or just unable to take it all in.
“Where do you live?” I asked, looking around. I didn’t see any sort of village nearby, but then again, we were in a small clearing surrounded by what looked like deep woods.
“I live in a small enclave in the forest—about two miles from here,” he said. “We’ll head to my place. I want to warn you about something, and I can only prove it by showing you something here in the Crystal Forest.” He paused, then said, “Liesel called on me.”
“Liesel?” I hesitated. He shouldn’t know about us unless he had talked to either Liesel or Onna and Casper, so I was inclined to believe him.
“I spoke to her yesterday, and she asked me to find you. She gave me information that you need to know about the Necromancer. Now, will you come with me?”
I glanced at the others who had been listening. They nodded. “All right,” I said. “Lead on.”
As we followed him out of the circle, toward a path that led through the trees, I wondered what Liesel could have found out. Hopefully, it would help save us a lot of trouble.
And, I thought, it gave us a chance to see a world I couldn’t even imagine existing. It was probably a secret module in the game that we hadn’t stumbled upon in our usual gameplay. But now…now…we were getting to see it for real.
CHAPTER 35: DANGEROUS NEWS
The first stepwas to determine if Otsiano was an actual employee or a Sym. If he were a Sym, he wasn’t going to understand that we were all inside a game. I was beginning to be able to tell the difference, but with him, things were different. I squinted, trying to see his aura.
“What are you looking for?” he asked, turning to me.
Startled, I opened my eyes and tried to figure out what to say. “Your…alignment.” Syms understood the concept of alignments, so the vocabulary wouldn’t throw him.
He hesitated, then said, “Myself? I’m neutral good. Not all in the Crystal Forest are, though, so be cautious while you’re here. There are fewer here who walk the path of evil, but chaos can produce its own dangers.”
I nodded, thinking that he was actually a Sym. “Thank you for the warning. We’ll try to heed your advice.” I hesitated, then asked, “Are you a god?”
Otsiano laughed. “God? No. Nature elemental? Perhaps. Lord of the Crystal Forest? Yes—and I guard over the Dark Woodland, as well.” His voice was deep but musical, and a light in his eyes caught my attention. Maybe he wasn’t a Sym, but hedidn’t seem like an employee either. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was.
“Why did you bring us here?” I asked.
“Liesel asked me to. I was talking to her a few hours ago, and she asked me to find you. She has information for you. Please follow me. You can rest and eat while I tell you.” He motioned to one of the massive oak trees nearby, and as I followed his gesture, a shimmer illuminated the air, and then a door appeared beside the tree. Otsiano opened it and gestured for us to go through.
I took a deep breath and stepped through the door, followed by the others.
To my surprise, I found myself in a comfortable, large country kitchen with a wood cookstove, a massive table with a dozen chairs around it, a large storage cupboard, and a beautifully made wooden hutch. Inside the hutch were delicate china dishes with a bluebell design. The entire kitchen smelled of fresh-baked bread, sizzling meat, apples, and cinnamon. As I glanced at the stove, I saw steaks in a massive skillet, and a Dutch oven filled with cherry-apple compote.
I immediately relaxed as a gorgeous woman with two-toned hair walked into the kitchen from a door on the other side of the room. She was tall, lithe, and wore a long gown that made me think of butterflies, for some reason. Her hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, and the front half of both sides was platinum blond. The back half on each side was black as night. She glanced at us with a gracious smile.
“Welcome, strangers, to our home,” she said, moving toward the stove. “Lunch will be ready soon. Please rest and be safe until the food is ready.”
On the “our” I sighed, realizing that I found Otsiano more handsome than I even admitted to myself. But I mustered asmile and inclined my head. “Thank you. We appreciate the hospitality.”
Otsiano crossed the room to her and kissed her on the shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Please meet my wife, Erosel, the Lady of the Crystal Forest.”
