Chapter One: The Speaking Stones
A pristine blue sky spread overhead, vast, never-ending, but it could be hardly seen under the thick canopy of the forest. Nevertheless, Ami enjoyed the walk; every so often through a break in the luscious foliage she caught a glimpse of the gorgeous clear sky. Cool under the trees, she was happy to be wearing her woolen cloak over her favorite white tunic with dark filigree patterns around the collar and the edge of the three-quarter sleeves. A long, flowing skirt hugged her waist, the hem fluttering around her calves, just an inch above the lace-up moccasin boots she wore. Ami found the boots were not only comfortable to hike in but they protected her legs from the underbrush.
Today she was collecting herbs but it certainly did not feel like any kind of work to her. She paused in her forward motion for a moment to appraise her surroundings. Nearby a low plant with flowers similar to daisies caught her eye, the petals small and white with a center of gold.
Ah, feverfew.
Her hand was a few inches from the plant when a loud crackling sound reverberated through the forest air. She froze when what sounded like thunder followed, booming, echoing throughout the forest. As the noise continued birds shrieked and scattered into the air, dark petals taking wing into the blue cloudless sky. In all her years of living on the outskirts of the forest she had never heard a noise quite like it. Through clear patches of canopy and undergrowth she could hear and see all manner of winged and legged wildlife as they fled from the peculiar sound, which seemed to originate from deep inside the Inner Forest.
Cautious by training and nature, Ami couldn't help but wonder what could have possibly made such a din; an undeniable surge of curiosity rose in her, one that propelled her to put one foot in front of the other in the direction of the circling birds. She had only been to the center of the Southern Forests once, as an apprentice to her mother who was a natural and gifted Healer. Ami followed devoutly in her footsteps, years of tradition and knowledge passed onto her the moment she could read, write and memorize.
They made the journey when Ami was twelve and she
was warned to stay close to the older Healer at all times. Her mother
had not specified why, but Ami could guess for herself having heard
inhuman screams once or twice during the trip. Ami could tell the sounds
disturbed her mother as well, her usually calm face had been replaced
with a stern and determined expression. As they walked, her mother spoke
in a soft voice that Ami did not have to strain to hear.
"In times of crisis, a Traveler appears," her mother said. "Beings that look like us, garbed in strange clothing, with even stranger tales. They appear in the middle of the forest, summoned by the land to the Speaking Stones. You asked me a long time ago why we don't live in the village or the town?"
Young Ami nodded, remembering her mother had never quite answered the question.
"We Mizuno are Healers, child, but there is one other thing we must do. It is our duty to live here, near this forest."
"Why, mother?"
"We act as mid-wives to the Travelers." At her mother's cryptic words, Ami's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"You will recognize the signal, when the time comes; you must go to the Speaking Stones at once. That is why I am showing you the path now: do not forget." Ami nodded mutely then, still not quite understanding what her mother meant.
You will recognize the signal. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind before her eyes widened. The signal!
She spun around quickly, taking in her location. She was not far from the first totem marker. Making sure all her herb pouches were secured properly, Ami took off with a ground-covering jog toward the well hidden path. The totem stood in a bare patch of earth, devoid of any plant life. Various faces were carved onto the pole, creatures that were neither human nor animal captured with expressions of pain in the wood. An uneasy feeling filled her at the sight and Ami paused, catching her breath while searching the ground desperately. She was not even sure what she was looking for until her eyes landed on a dry branch that could be used as a staff.
She had seen her mother carrying a staff during their trip into the inner forest. She was not even sure if she needed it but Ami was alone now and intended to use the staff as a talisman of sort, a reminder that she wouldn't be making the trip alone; her mother was with her in her heart at least. Raising her right foot to resume her trek, sudden terror clutched her and she grabbed at the necklace under her cloak, a gift from her mother, squeezing it for courage as she forced herself to move her other foot. Gulping, she walked past the totem, her pace picking up as she realized she needed to hurry.
The forest swallowed her immediately as she stepped from the clearing, the abrupt change in light making her lose her stride. Here the canopy was thicker, the path much darker as she left the familiar Outer Forest behind. A damp, musty smell enveloped her, and the quiet of the Inner Forest made her heart sound so much louder as it pounded in her chest. She steeled her wavering courage, and with determination started walking again, her feet barely scuffing the untouched forest duff covering the nearly invisible trail. Ami gripped her staff, and with a silent prayer to her mother, continued into the deepening gloom.
The trees looming around her were wall-like in their density. Another totem stood ahead and to her left and she could see sunlight through the gradually thinning trees beyond. There would be a clearing up ahead, she remembered. The Speaking Stones were there. Forty minutes later and covered in sweat, she picked up her pace again to a jog. A snarl followed by a shrill scream in the distance froze the blood in her veins but she kept on moving toward the sunlight.
The brightness blinded her as she exited the line of trees; the sky was still very blue, the sun shining overhead. The clearing looked exactly as Ami remembered, with the same blanket of deep green moss covering the entire clearing except for the stones themselves. A ribbon-like, shallow trench of water, barely a foot deep encircled the pillar-like stones, still and crystal clear. The seven white monoliths towered five-times her height into the sky, small holes carved into the very tops. They were arranged in a circle around a flattened round stone; on the middle of this disk-like surface Ami spied a crumpled unmoving figure.
A bestial shriek pierced the air, this time somewhere behind her and Ami ran towards the figure, fear for herself and the Traveler overtaking her. The hood of the pale blue cloak she wore slipped off her head as she stumbled over the mossy carpet. Even here in the sunlight terror invaded her; she did not feel safe. Ami leaped over the trench, which was only two feet wide, her fear immediately abating the moment she passed over the ring of water. Ami breathed a sigh of relief. She suddenly knew they would be safe as long as they stayed within the circle, though she also knew they couldn't stay very long. A light wind sprung up, causing ripples to form on the surface of the water, making the cloth of her cloak flutter and flap while ruffling her short blue hair and cooling the sweat on her face. Above her a deep, low sound emerged from the stones due to the winds and she understood the reason why they were called speaking stones.
Tentatively stepping onto the shallow stone toward the stranger, Ami noticed the woman seemed to be dressed in strange tunics and breeches. But it was the face of the still figure that caught Ami's attention. She had never seen a more arresting face even though the woman's pinched brow and gritted teeth indicated she was in pain. Her ample chest heaved up and down in an effort to draw breath. Crouching, Ami assumed the role of mid-wife, as she was called here to do; she placed a hand on the stranger's forehead, noting the unnaturally high body temperature. At the contact the woman's eyes snapped open and Ami fell back in surprise. Disconcerted green eyes peered at her.
"Wha...where am I?" The voice was a dry croak.
On the verge of answering, Ami was interrupted by a hacking cough from the stranger. She noticed how much effort it took for the woman to breathe and made a decision.
"Please, I will answer your questions but not now. We have to leave." Helping the woman into a sitting position another shrill howl rent the air. Ami glanced towards the trees and the gloom housed within.
"Wh-what...was...that?" The stranger panted, eyes wide as she glanced at Ami before staring off into the trees.
"The Muur-Kami," Ami whispered.
"What?" A noisy inhalation of air was followed by a harsh cough.
"It's to the South. Come quickly, we need to head North." Slipping an arm under the stranger's shoulder and around her back she tried to help the woman stand.
"C-can't..." Slipping out of Ami's grip she fell back to the ground, gasping for air.
Ami scrubbed her face with her hands, trying to think. With the Muur-Kami circling them and the Traveler in this condition they wouldn't last two minutes in the Inner Forest. She would have to find another way to get them home.
The pouches!
Of course, Ami thought to herself, what was she doing before she came here? She had to have something that could help the woman. Untying the bags from the belt around her waist, she grabbed whatever she could find. Sage, chamomile, mugwort, saffron. Mugwort would work best for what she had in mind. Ripping a few leaves off the stem of the mugwort plant she turned to the trench. Even though the water was still it did not seem stagnant; dipping a finger into the liquid she brought it up to her own mouth to test it.
She was surprised how refreshing and cool the water tasted. She looked back at the Traveler. She would have to come back for water, but first she had to feed the woman the leaves. Moving quickly towards the woman she knelt and lifted the woman's head into her lap.
"Here, try to chew this." Ami was surprised how obedient the Traveler was when she opened her mouth partway for the leaf. As her jaw worked, she flinched at the bitterness.
"Just a few more." Expecting the woman to protest, she was surprised once again when the woman did not, instead opening her mouth for Ami to place the other leaves.
"Do you think you can sit up now?"
She nodded weakly and Ami helped her once again into a sitting position. She felt the tautness of muscles under the tunics and realized under normal circumstances the woman was strong. No wonder the Travelers needed help when they arrived, if they were reduced to such a helpless condition on the way to Verdantia. A few seconds passed before the woman shifted her position so she could hold her own weight upright, and Ami quickly seized the opportunity to get more water from the trench. As the woman finished chewing the leaves, Ami cupped her hands together to make a makeshift drinking receptacle and dipped them into the water.
By the time she made it back to the Traveler only half the water remained in her hands. Ami held her cupped palms gently near the stranger's mouth and the woman drank quickly, gratefully, before letting herself fall back onto the ground.
The mugwort seemed to be working immediately, Ami noted. The woman wasn't coughing as much and the wheezing was lessening. Leaving the Traveler to rest for a moment and for the herb to do its work she returned to the trench, dipping her cupped hands again into the water. This time she brought her hands to her own mouth, recalling how soft the woman's lips felt against her fingers. Pink stained her cheeks at the unexpected thought.
This is no time to be thinking such things, she told herself harshly. As if hearing her thoughts and agreeing the Muur-Kami shrieked again. Startled, Ami silently jumped up at the sound, the water in her hands scattering into flying drops as she turned back to the woman lying behind her. The Traveler groaned in response to the shriek, her confused gaze finding Ami's distressed eyes.
"What's your name?" The woman hesitantly asked, making no effort to move from center of the flat stone. Ami realized after all that happened they still did not know each other's name.
"Ami," she answered, as she walked back to where the woman lay, crouching before her again. "And you?"
"Makoto," came the rasp.
Makoto. It suited her, Ami thought, uttering the syllables in her head.
"Thank...you."
"Eh?"
"You're...helping me," Makoto replied, her eyes falling on the stones and the darkness beneath the trees beyond.
"I am. But we have to get out of here. You can thank me then," Ami said, not unkindly.
Makoto closed her eyes, and Ami was surprised by the firmness of the woman's voice as she replied, "Okay. Just give me a few minutes."
Standing under the cover of the dark trees, a cloaked figure stared at the two women in the middle of the clearing, garnet eyes peering out from under a black hood. A small satisfied smile flickered across the figure's face; everything seemed to be going according to plan.
"In times of crisis, a Traveler appears," her mother said. "Beings that look like us, garbed in strange clothing, with even stranger tales. They appear in the middle of the forest, summoned by the land to the Speaking Stones. You asked me a long time ago why we don't live in the village or the town?"
Young Ami nodded, remembering her mother had never quite answered the question.
"We Mizuno are Healers, child, but there is one other thing we must do. It is our duty to live here, near this forest."
"Why, mother?"
"We act as mid-wives to the Travelers." At her mother's cryptic words, Ami's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"You will recognize the signal, when the time comes; you must go to the Speaking Stones at once. That is why I am showing you the path now: do not forget." Ami nodded mutely then, still not quite understanding what her mother meant.
You will recognize the signal. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind before her eyes widened. The signal!
She spun around quickly, taking in her location. She was not far from the first totem marker. Making sure all her herb pouches were secured properly, Ami took off with a ground-covering jog toward the well hidden path. The totem stood in a bare patch of earth, devoid of any plant life. Various faces were carved onto the pole, creatures that were neither human nor animal captured with expressions of pain in the wood. An uneasy feeling filled her at the sight and Ami paused, catching her breath while searching the ground desperately. She was not even sure what she was looking for until her eyes landed on a dry branch that could be used as a staff.
She had seen her mother carrying a staff during their trip into the inner forest. She was not even sure if she needed it but Ami was alone now and intended to use the staff as a talisman of sort, a reminder that she wouldn't be making the trip alone; her mother was with her in her heart at least. Raising her right foot to resume her trek, sudden terror clutched her and she grabbed at the necklace under her cloak, a gift from her mother, squeezing it for courage as she forced herself to move her other foot. Gulping, she walked past the totem, her pace picking up as she realized she needed to hurry.
The forest swallowed her immediately as she stepped from the clearing, the abrupt change in light making her lose her stride. Here the canopy was thicker, the path much darker as she left the familiar Outer Forest behind. A damp, musty smell enveloped her, and the quiet of the Inner Forest made her heart sound so much louder as it pounded in her chest. She steeled her wavering courage, and with determination started walking again, her feet barely scuffing the untouched forest duff covering the nearly invisible trail. Ami gripped her staff, and with a silent prayer to her mother, continued into the deepening gloom.
-x-x-x-
The trees looming around her were wall-like in their density. Another totem stood ahead and to her left and she could see sunlight through the gradually thinning trees beyond. There would be a clearing up ahead, she remembered. The Speaking Stones were there. Forty minutes later and covered in sweat, she picked up her pace again to a jog. A snarl followed by a shrill scream in the distance froze the blood in her veins but she kept on moving toward the sunlight.
The brightness blinded her as she exited the line of trees; the sky was still very blue, the sun shining overhead. The clearing looked exactly as Ami remembered, with the same blanket of deep green moss covering the entire clearing except for the stones themselves. A ribbon-like, shallow trench of water, barely a foot deep encircled the pillar-like stones, still and crystal clear. The seven white monoliths towered five-times her height into the sky, small holes carved into the very tops. They were arranged in a circle around a flattened round stone; on the middle of this disk-like surface Ami spied a crumpled unmoving figure.
A bestial shriek pierced the air, this time somewhere behind her and Ami ran towards the figure, fear for herself and the Traveler overtaking her. The hood of the pale blue cloak she wore slipped off her head as she stumbled over the mossy carpet. Even here in the sunlight terror invaded her; she did not feel safe. Ami leaped over the trench, which was only two feet wide, her fear immediately abating the moment she passed over the ring of water. Ami breathed a sigh of relief. She suddenly knew they would be safe as long as they stayed within the circle, though she also knew they couldn't stay very long. A light wind sprung up, causing ripples to form on the surface of the water, making the cloth of her cloak flutter and flap while ruffling her short blue hair and cooling the sweat on her face. Above her a deep, low sound emerged from the stones due to the winds and she understood the reason why they were called speaking stones.
Tentatively stepping onto the shallow stone toward the stranger, Ami noticed the woman seemed to be dressed in strange tunics and breeches. But it was the face of the still figure that caught Ami's attention. She had never seen a more arresting face even though the woman's pinched brow and gritted teeth indicated she was in pain. Her ample chest heaved up and down in an effort to draw breath. Crouching, Ami assumed the role of mid-wife, as she was called here to do; she placed a hand on the stranger's forehead, noting the unnaturally high body temperature. At the contact the woman's eyes snapped open and Ami fell back in surprise. Disconcerted green eyes peered at her.
"Wha...where am I?" The voice was a dry croak.
On the verge of answering, Ami was interrupted by a hacking cough from the stranger. She noticed how much effort it took for the woman to breathe and made a decision.
"Please, I will answer your questions but not now. We have to leave." Helping the woman into a sitting position another shrill howl rent the air. Ami glanced towards the trees and the gloom housed within.
"Wh-what...was...that?" The stranger panted, eyes wide as she glanced at Ami before staring off into the trees.
"The Muur-Kami," Ami whispered.
"What?" A noisy inhalation of air was followed by a harsh cough.
"It's to the South. Come quickly, we need to head North." Slipping an arm under the stranger's shoulder and around her back she tried to help the woman stand.
"C-can't..." Slipping out of Ami's grip she fell back to the ground, gasping for air.
Ami scrubbed her face with her hands, trying to think. With the Muur-Kami circling them and the Traveler in this condition they wouldn't last two minutes in the Inner Forest. She would have to find another way to get them home.
The pouches!
Of course, Ami thought to herself, what was she doing before she came here? She had to have something that could help the woman. Untying the bags from the belt around her waist, she grabbed whatever she could find. Sage, chamomile, mugwort, saffron. Mugwort would work best for what she had in mind. Ripping a few leaves off the stem of the mugwort plant she turned to the trench. Even though the water was still it did not seem stagnant; dipping a finger into the liquid she brought it up to her own mouth to test it.
She was surprised how refreshing and cool the water tasted. She looked back at the Traveler. She would have to come back for water, but first she had to feed the woman the leaves. Moving quickly towards the woman she knelt and lifted the woman's head into her lap.
"Here, try to chew this." Ami was surprised how obedient the Traveler was when she opened her mouth partway for the leaf. As her jaw worked, she flinched at the bitterness.
"Just a few more." Expecting the woman to protest, she was surprised once again when the woman did not, instead opening her mouth for Ami to place the other leaves.
"Do you think you can sit up now?"
She nodded weakly and Ami helped her once again into a sitting position. She felt the tautness of muscles under the tunics and realized under normal circumstances the woman was strong. No wonder the Travelers needed help when they arrived, if they were reduced to such a helpless condition on the way to Verdantia. A few seconds passed before the woman shifted her position so she could hold her own weight upright, and Ami quickly seized the opportunity to get more water from the trench. As the woman finished chewing the leaves, Ami cupped her hands together to make a makeshift drinking receptacle and dipped them into the water.
By the time she made it back to the Traveler only half the water remained in her hands. Ami held her cupped palms gently near the stranger's mouth and the woman drank quickly, gratefully, before letting herself fall back onto the ground.
The mugwort seemed to be working immediately, Ami noted. The woman wasn't coughing as much and the wheezing was lessening. Leaving the Traveler to rest for a moment and for the herb to do its work she returned to the trench, dipping her cupped hands again into the water. This time she brought her hands to her own mouth, recalling how soft the woman's lips felt against her fingers. Pink stained her cheeks at the unexpected thought.
This is no time to be thinking such things, she told herself harshly. As if hearing her thoughts and agreeing the Muur-Kami shrieked again. Startled, Ami silently jumped up at the sound, the water in her hands scattering into flying drops as she turned back to the woman lying behind her. The Traveler groaned in response to the shriek, her confused gaze finding Ami's distressed eyes.
"What's your name?" The woman hesitantly asked, making no effort to move from center of the flat stone. Ami realized after all that happened they still did not know each other's name.
"Ami," she answered, as she walked back to where the woman lay, crouching before her again. "And you?"
"Makoto," came the rasp.
Makoto. It suited her, Ami thought, uttering the syllables in her head.
"Thank...you."
"Eh?"
"You're...helping me," Makoto replied, her eyes falling on the stones and the darkness beneath the trees beyond.
"I am. But we have to get out of here. You can thank me then," Ami said, not unkindly.
Makoto closed her eyes, and Ami was surprised by the firmness of the woman's voice as she replied, "Okay. Just give me a few minutes."
-x-x-x-
Standing under the cover of the dark trees, a cloaked figure stared at the two women in the middle of the clearing, garnet eyes peering out from under a black hood. A small satisfied smile flickered across the figure's face; everything seemed to be going according to plan.
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