“What?” Amerie exclaimed, “Then who was that woman?”
“I’m not sure, Amerie. How did you describe her?” was Grandmother Lyndzei’s careful reply.
“Don’t you know who she is? She was just here! Didn’t you see her?”
Grandmother Lyndzei said nothing.
“Come on, you must have seen her! I was distracted by how magical this place is, but I can’t believe neither of us mentioned it before. She was here. In this forest. She called herself Miss Crystal and told me how dangerous these woods are! Even though I grew up in them, so I know that they’re not,” Amerie persisted.
“I can only imagine that she must have been a sorceress,” said Grandmother Lyndzei slowly, “Powerful enough to have created some type of decoy realm that intercepts those who pass from the human realm into the star realm. What did she look like, Amerie?”
“Hmm,” Amerie chewed a berry thoughtfully, “Well at first she looked like a princess, but then...well I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s like she broke somehow. I don’t think it’s fair to call anyone ugly, but her face became sort of disfigured. You could just tell her heart was rotten.”
“And was there a catalyst - did something cause that to happen?” Grandmother Lyndzei probed.
“Well, she kept asking me if I was lost and needed help but I said I didn’t. It happened right after that. But I can’t really see why.”
“So in other words, she offered you a deal and you rejected it?”
“I guess.”
“Desaraelfrun,” muttered Lyndzei.
“What did you say, Grandmother Lyndzei? Do you know who she is?” asked Amerie excitedly.
Lyndzei caught herself, “Oh no, I’m afraid I don’t know who she is. Probably just some cheap realm to realm sales sorceress. I said that’s great fruit. I’m old, so it might have come out a bit strange. How do you like your first taste of star realm berries?” At this point, Amerie’s hands had been painted red and blue from the juice of the berries she had been munching on.
“I’d like to say they taste magical, but they’re pretty normal actually,” Amerie shrugged.
Grandmother Lyndzei laughed. “Well I’m sure you already know about the lake in this forest, so go there to wash your hands. The water there should be cleaner than in the human realm.”
Amerie sighed. She really now understood why she was called “Grandmother” Lyndzei. Amerie would have been content to just wipe her sticky hands on the skirt of her pinafore, but now she had another grandparent to listen to about cleanliness and manners. But truthfully, Amerie had started to feel a lot closer to Grandmother Lyndzei and didn’t really mind making her way to the small lake. It would give her a chance to explore the star realm’s version of her favourite forest.
After Amerie left, Lyndzei began to allow herself to process all of the information that Amerie had bequeathed to her. Slowly, piece by piece, things started to come together.
In the past year no one, not even children (who were very prone to falling over) had accidentally fallen into the star realm. As the Gateway Guardian, Lyndzei had been able to tell that the magic around the star spot had been weakening somehow. She had sent hundreds of leaves to King Cedrych as a matter of urgency, but only one reply had ever been received:
Desaraelfrun has saved us.
When Lyndzei read this, her branches almost lurched into her roots. She had heard whispers of Desaraelfrun amongst the other Gateway Guardians. A sorceress who made offers so tempting, no creature could resist. So charming and powerful, no one dared to. Except for Amerie, that is. Lyndzei gave a low chuckle.
Perhaps Desaraelfrun really had saved the forest but how? It didn’t add up. At the time Cedrych the Kind had sent the reply, the forest had been slightly tired, but fine. Only after that first purple leaf did things seem to get worse. So what on ancient earth had possessed King Cedrych, the oldest and wisest tree in this forest, to strike a deal with Desaraelfrun?
Lyndzei’s roots told her that Desaraelfrun could be up to nothing good. Especially after Amerie’s description of her, Lyndzei knew that something evil lurked within her. And the same evil that lurked within Desaraelfrun was now lurking in the forest.
Grandmother Lyndzei’s branches hung low in guilt. The forest I was supposed to protect, she thought.
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