Chapter 37

Yet as the whispers got louder the grating sound was becoming deafening. Eventually I found what appeared to be a doorway made from glass. I opened the door and I was shocked when I found a hut. I then remembered the story Raethien had told about how the Audine had come to be a forest of glass. On the other side of the door the grating noise stopped but the whispers became distinct and significantly louder. I turned around only to see a large glass worm approaching me after it had snapped my iron thread. I was thrown into the cavern beyond the door by it and was knocked unconscious. When I awoke it was to the sound of yelling. I sat up and looked around and I saw two trees standing next to what appeared to be a decrepit hut. I stood up and began to walk over to the hut to see if anyone had been living there. As I approached the hut I was distracted by the trees next to the hut. The color of the trees looked faded which showed the age of the glass that they were made of. I continued past the trees and walked into the hut to see if anyone had lived there recently. Once I had entered the hut I heard whispers and being curious I followed the sound back out of the hut. When I exited the hut I heard the whispers coming from the direction of the trees. I cautiously walked over to the trees and as I moved closer the word became more audible. However even as I was inches from the trees I could barely hear the whispers. I then began to look around the trees in case there was someone behind the trees. I walked around the trees only to find nothing. I went back to the front of the hut only to hear the whispers cease. As I turned toward the crimson and amber tree, the crimson tree, spoke in a clear cordial tone.

The crimson tree asked,"What is your name, young child of man"?

I was shocked that a tree spoke but still responded by saying,"Kaor, The Draconic Prince of Sharnem".

"Ooooo he thinks he's someone important", chided the amber tree.

I resisted the urge to shatter the amber tree. The crimson tree apologized for the amber tree's quip.

"Where is Sharnem, Kaor?"asked the crimson tree.

"It is around three thousand leagues South East of Tasanmi", I responded in a calm tone.

"Ah, so it is around one thousand leagues South of Kotosyn", said the crimson tree in response to my statement.

"That's correct", I responded, slightly shocked that the tree knew the geography of Risaga.

"If I remember right, the people of Sharnem despise outsiders and only leave Sharnem if they are exiled. So if you are so important why are you not on Sharnem '' asked the crimson tree.

"You are right but Darcon, The Dragon King and Current Spirit of Darkness, made an exception because my squad and someone I loved were killed by a betrayal. The main reason was because I had saved Castros, The Spirit of Vengeance, and Darcon's life when I killed Zelphar, The Betrayer '' I explained to the trees.

"I see—" said the crimson tree.

"So you lost someone and are roaming the world because a dragon owes you his life. What was the name of the person you loved" asked the amber tree.

"Her name was Enho" I said while pulling the locket out of my shirt to open it and show them what she looked like.

"She has such beautiful amber eyes like sunlight shining through the leaves of one of the few amber trees here in the Audine" said the amber tree.

"She does and I actually made this for her out of a rock from her home" I said in a sorrowful tone.

"I could teach you how to use glass magic despite how incredibly forbidden it was when I was still human," the amber tree explained.

I don't remember how many days I spent with the trees. Eventually I had learned and perfected the glass magic. Before I used it to dissolve the glass that blocked the cave entrance the trees asked me to reseal the cave and the amber tree said to take care of the glass worm's offspring. Before I turned I saw a ray of sunlight come down from the ceiling and shine through the amber and crimson tree's branches. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It reminded me of the sunsets I had watched from that spire with you, Enho. Once I exited the cave I did as the trees asked and I resealed the cave that they lived in.