Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol II - By Richard A. Knaak Page 0,157

chest. “I was certain you were dead! It was all over you and then I suddenly remembered that it had to be a wraith just like where it came from and—”

“Hush, daughter. Take a deep breath and calm yourself. I’m fine. Like you said, it was only a wraith. Perfectly harmless.” Though his words were for his daughter, Dru’s attention was still focused on the missing horse. Was it possible, he wondered, that the animal was no longer in Nimth? Could it be…

“Sharissa.” He stroked her silver-blue hair. “Can you tell me what happened to my horse? Did you see where it ran off to?”

Her emotions slowly coming under control again, the young Vraad looked up at her father. “Your horse? Can’t you find it?”

“I find no trace.”

“That cannot be so!” With the determination of youth, she utilized her own powers to seek out the errant steed. After a few moments, she frowned and said, “You are right! I cannot feel its presence anywhere! I think I do recall seeing it…” Sharissa hesitated, replaying the chaotic scene. “I think it… oh, Father!” Her eyes grew round. “It ran into the forest!”

“As I thought.” Dru separated the two of them and turned to study the forest. A thin mist still permeated it, but, for the moment, it looked more real than the landscape it had replaced.

“Is it one of those rifts you mentioned?”

“Possibly. I have to go see.”

Sharissa nodded. “I guess you’ll be safe if those things can’t touch you, but be careful!”

“I will, even if it means using sorcery. I want you, though, to ride back to where I left you and stay there this time. Keep an eye on the lines… if they change, I want to know when I get back.”

“All right.” With some reluctance, Sharissa obeyed his orders. Dru forced himself to wait until she was beyond the edge of the translucent field and then turned to face the dark woods.

As a Vraad, he should have had no fear, yet Dru felt his heart pound wildly and could hear his own rapid breathing as if someone had magnified the sound a thousandfold. Those two sensations were beginning to become normal with him it seemed, the spellcaster thought sourly. Nevertheless, curiosity held the edge. A cautious curiosity, to be sure, but one that would not, in the end, be denied.

Dru entered the forest.

Just past the first trees, he paused. Becoming lost would have been the culmination of all his troubles. Reaching into a pocket of his robe, the sorcerer pulled out a small, glittering cube. It was a beacon of sorts, one that he had shaped gradually over the past few years so as to give it great strength. He had meant to give it to his daughter, but had forgotten because of his excitement. Still, knowing where the edge of the forest was would do just as well. The horse might be beyond his other sight, but not so this device. It would allow him to backtrack to this spot without error. He placed it on the ground where he had previously walked and made certain that it was secure. Feeling a bit more confident now, Dru moved on, picking up his pace and anxiously waiting for the first sign that he had finally reached the point of intersection.

He was careful to note his path as he wandered among the tall trees. Though the cube would lead him back, it could not warn him of the obstacles that he might have to deal with, or of those things that might lurk in the forest itself. He had not mentioned it to Sharissa, but if the forest continued to grow more solid, it was more than likely that the denizens, including the avian monster that had attacked him, would follow suit. Dru had a spell handy, just to be on the safe side, but hoped he would not need it. In this place, it was possible that his spell might not even go off properly.

Now several yards into the woods, Dru could still feel no trace of the animal. More annoying, however, was a new obstacle to his success. Here in the forest, it seemed, the lines curved, moving off to the right and bisecting trees here and there. For some reason, he could still not see the intersection. A Vraadish temper Dru had once thought he had tamed completely rose for the second time this day, bathing him in a golden aura of his own sorcerous might.