Chapter 5

Ren peered through the dense grove. Had the spark disappeared? The glittering ember had appeared as she left the gates of the witch, and it had guided her along the way for almost a week. Every time she reached it, it leapt forward, and she chased after it. She turned to look around her. It was difficult to see in such overgrown vegetation. She brushed a piece of foliage to the side and there! She saw it! It was glittering just ahead of her. She gingerly clambered over the shrubbery and continued walking.

It had been a rough journey so far, through forests, fields, and a swamp where she'd almost lost her bag. She was more careful with it now. After the third day of travelling, the landscapes blurred together, and she'd lost track of which forests she'd passed and what fields she'd traversed. She only followed the spark now, hour after hour.

She hoisted the bag closer to her. At least she had food. The basket the witch had given her filled up with fresh bread and cheese every morning, just as she'd said. She stopped and looked around. The spark had vanished again. She peered through the thicket, then turned and retraced her steps, in case she'd missed it. But no, it wasn't here.

Strange, she thought. It had guided her the whole time and now, for the second time in just an hour, it had disappeared.

She turned back to where she'd stopped and peered through the thicket again. Nothing. Was this another trial? Another test to show that she was worthy? She slumped to the ground. She didn't want to go through another ordeal, didn't want to prove herself. Why wouldn't the witch teach her? Why had she taken her in if she wouldn't show her?

She stared at the surrounding forest. Somewhere, not far from here, was a field with herbs. How would she find it if the spark kept disappearing?

Something glimmered ahead of her and she stood up. It was the spark! She must have just missed it. She picked up the basket and followed it. It took her past dark lakes, and a field so overgrown she had to stop and untangle herself several times. Would her brother have liked this journey?, she wondered. He had always been more adventurous than her, finding the secret places in the palace garden. He would have run ahead of her, urging her forward.

Soon, the sun went down by the horizon, and she found a tree to sleep underneath. She'd been lucky, and the nights when it had rained she'd slept in the forest, and not in the fields, so she'd stayed dry. She found a tree whose branches stretched out far out from its trunk. It would keep her safe tonight.

She took out the stuffed horse from her pocket and clutched it to her chest as she fell asleep. That night, she dreamt about her family, and the Kingdom as it had been before it was destroyed. There had been rivers and valleys, and in the mountains, you had goats that would eat from your hand if you stayed still for long enough. Her brother ran to her in the dream, laughing as he called her name. She remembered that day. They had played hide and seek, it was just a few days before the Kingdom fell. She had hidden in the garden, and as he looked around, searching for her, she had giggled and he'd found her. It didn't matter, as long as she was with her brother, she felt good.

She woke up when it was still dark, her face wet with tears. She dried her cheeks, put the stuffed horse into the pocket and sat up. The sun would rise soon, she wouldn't sleep more that night. She took a piece of bread and a slice of cheese from the basket and ate in silence. It was only as she wiped her hands and stood up that she realised that the spark was nowhere to be seen.

Again...?, she thought. She looked around, but it had vanished.

Had she lost it again? For the third time? Maybe something had gone wrong with the magic? She sat down again, watching the forest for any signs of it. A light rain began to fall, and she pulled her cloak closer. How would she find her way if the spark wasn't there? An hour went by, and still no signs of it. After two hours, she stood up.

She couldn't wait any longer, she had to continue. She knew which direction she'd come from yesterday, and if she only continued in the same direction, perhaps she'd be able to see the mountain shaped like a cat that the witch had talked about.

The rain fell harder now, heavy drops tumbling from the branches of the trees, but she kept going. In only a couple of days, she'd be by the field, and then she'd be able to return to the witch. She stumbled, and suddenly the spark was there again, just some distance away. She wiped a strand of wet hair from her face.

Strange, she thought as she walked towards it. Had she missed it the whole time? Or had it come back?

She followed it and walked for a couple of hours when she came out of the forest and there, in the distance, she could see the mountain shaped like a cat. It must only be a day or so away. She pushed on. Soon she would be there, and once she'd picked the herbs, she could go back to the witch.

She didn't notice the world shifting at first. She passed through a small groove, and as she came out on the other side, she noticed that the cat-shaped mountain had disappeared. There was nothing on the horizon now. She stopped and looked around. She must have made a wrong turn if the whole mountain had disappeared. But she had followed the spark the entire way. She continued, hesitantly scanning her surroundings for anything that could give her clues to what was happening. Then, as she looked to her left, the lake she had seen in the distance was suddenly much further away, as if she hadn't walked an inch. She stopped. What is this?, she thought.

She glanced back, and now the cat-shaped mountain could be seen again as if it had never gone. She stumbled and sat down.

What was happening? Was this another trial? She looked around, hesitant to go any further. She would get lost if she kept going, even if she followed the spark. Although... She looked around. The spark had vanished again.

She didn't know if it was the rain or tears that fell down her cheeks, and she clutched the stuffed horse in her pocket. How would she avenge her family if she didn't even come back from this trip? Why was the witch doing this to her? Didn't she want to teach her? She thought back to when she was a child and had received the divination given to every child from the royal family. It told about your future and your path, and she knew this wasn't what it had talked about. But then, it hadn't mentioned her kingdom being lost, either.

She sniffled. Every divination gave you a star in the sky that became your guiding light to turn to in moments of need. She stood up. She would follow it, she had nothing else. The mountain shaped like a cat had gone again, and instead, the lake that should be behind her stretched out in front of her. She cradled the stuffed horse in her hand and prayed that the star would lead her right.

She waited until the night fell, and the sky cleared up, and began to walk in the direction of the star.

It took her several days, but one morning, as she came out of a forest, she saw the mountain shaped like a cat again. It's working, her guiding star was leading her right.

She kept following the light during the night, and one morning, as she stopped to rest, she realised that the field she was on looked like the witch described it. She'd found it!

She filled the basket to the brim and decided to rest there for the night. Tomorrow she would go back to the witch.

As night fell, she lay down, but had barely closed her eyes when she heard voices. It sounded like several people murmuring in the distance. She sat up and glanced around, but the field was empty. She must be imagining. She lay down again, but the voices wouldn't stop.

After a while, she couldn't ignore them any longer, and she got up to have a look. She walked toward the sound when it suddenly moved, coming from a different direction. She frowned and turned. No human could have moved that fast. Were there groups of people? She followed the new direction of the sound, but moments later it shifted again. Once again, she turned, more fearful this time, and suddenly the field went quiet.

What was this? There wasn't any village around, she would have seen it. Was this magic? But what did it want? She heard someone laughing in the distance and decided she didn't want to stay there for the night. Hurriedly, she picked up the basket and started to walk, but she forgot about her guiding star and soon, she didn't know where she was.

She stopped. The voices called her name. It sounded like her parents, and she realised what place this was. She had heard the elders talk about it, and the voices were dead people.

She peered into the darkness. A figure could be seen in the distance, a misty shape coming closer. She froze, too afraid to move. It stopped just some distance away, and this time, she could hear what it said.

"It's revenge you're seeking", it whispered.

Ren stared at the ethereal figure.

"You will not find it where you're searching."

Ren didn't understand. What did it mean?

"Will vengeance give you what you want?"

"I have nothing else!", Ren called

"Oh, but you have..."

The voice faded, and the figure faded with it, until the field was empty. Ren looked around. What... was that about? She sat down. What had it talked about? That revenge wouldn't give her what she wanted. But she had nothing else. A creeping feeling of doubt found its way into her. But her ancestors never lied. What if they were right? What if magic wasn't the way?