CITY OF THE GODS: FORGOTTEN (56 page)

While the trading went on, Aavi looked for Ptelea’s glow. She could see it, but it was different from the others she had seen. There was purity in the warm yellow glow. Aavi saw none of the usual swirls and flecks. All the hamadryads seemed completely at peace. Aavi decided they must live a wonderful life in their trees.

Samda began to pick up the boxes and load them in the cart, and it seemed for a moment that Jamir had forgotten about his passengers. Ptelea had to turn back when he called out to her.

“One last thing. These two need transport inland. Can you help them, Ptelea?”

“We just need to get to the next village to the west,” D’Molay said.

Ptelea approached D’Molay and Aavi, looking them over. She smiled at Aavi, “You are like pure spring water.” Turning to D’Molay the hamadryad reached out and gently touched his face. Her large eyes widened as she evaluated what she had sensed. “You flee from danger yet journey towards it as well. Are you certain you wish to continue your journey?”

D’Molay nodded solemnly. “We must.
 
I have gold. We merely need horses or some other mode of travel.”

Ptelea confirmed what he had already suspected. “We have no use for gold. It does not help our plants. However, I am sure we can make some arrangement. I welcome you to our enclave. We will sit under the great circle to discuss the details.”

Jamir climbed back up the rope ladder, turning to look back at them. “I wish you Shiva’s blessing on the rest of your journey.”

“Thank you, Jamir.” D’Molay said with a wave.

“It was wonderful to ride on an elephant,” Aavi added. She hurried over to Tondum, reaching out to stroke her trunk. “Thank you for the ride, Tondum,” Aavi said softly. The great creature’s trunk brushed against the girl in appreciation.

“All is ready back here, Father,” Samda called from the back of the cart.

“Then we go. Theek Hai!” Tondum started to lumber forward, heading down the road toward a spot where there was enough room for Jamir to turn the elephant around and head back to Dioscrias.
 

D’Molay and Aavi followed Ptelea across the grassy field to the stand of trees which stood very tall and widely spaced. The branches on each connected to its neighbors by thick strands of vines. Ahead of them, Ptelea’s seven hamadryad sisters carried the crates they had collected from Jamir. Aavi gasped as she watched them place the boxes in front of the trees before walking right into the trees themselves.

“How do they do that?” she asked.

“We are one with the tree. It is our body and we are its spirit. I cannot explain it more than that,” Ptelea said as they stopped in front of an elm. “This is my bond tree. Is it not an exquisite thing of beauty?” She gazed upon it as though it was a lover or a beloved child. She pointed to the other trees. “Come forth, sisters. Aigeiros, she is the Poplar. Karya is the Walnut, Balanos the Oak, Morea is the Mulberry, Ampelos is she of Vines, Syke the Fig and Kraneia is she of the Dogwood tree.”
 
As Ptelea called their name, each hamadryad re-emerged from her respective tree or brush.

Ampelos emerged last from her huge plume of vines. “Please sister, tell the man to put his metal weapons outside our circle. He might cut one of my vines.”

A guilty and somewhat nervous look passed across Ptelea’s face. “Please, if you could place those arrows and your dagger beyond our enclave circle. I hope you understand my sister’s concern.”

D’Molay’s hand instinctively moved to his dagger and rested on the hilt, but as he looked around at all the hanging vines and branches he could see why they might worry. “I’ll feel naked without them, but very well.”
 
He turned and walked back the way he had come, removing his quiver and bow and placing them on the ground just past the trunk of a great oak tree. He reached for his belt and untied his knife sheath.
 
Hesitating, he asked, “I will get these back?”
 

Ptelea smiled as she clapped her hands two times. “They will be guarded while they are separated from you.”
 
In response to her claps, two foxes appeared from behind the dogwood tree, and curled themselves up by his weapons.

“Are those the guards?” Aavi asked D’Molay as she admired the two creatures.

“Better than no guards at all,” answered D’Molay with more than a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

“Your things will be safe,” Ptelea insisted. “Now come.” Ptelea turned and walked towards her large elm tree. Around her feet, the grass and roots of the elm seemed to shudder and move apart. Turning her head, she looked back over her shoulder at D’Molay and Aavi. “This way.” Then she stepped down into the opening and descended.

Aavi looked at D’Molay, unsure. “She’s going into the ground.
 
What do we do?”
    

 
“We follow.”
 
For some strange reason, D’Molay felt safe for the first time in days.
 
He wasn’t sure if it was his instinct or some calming magic that the hamadryads generated within the stand of trees, but it was a nice change from the fear and dread he had been feeling since Aavi had disappeared from Buddha’s Retreat. The two of them stood over the hole at the base of the elm.
 
Looking into it, they saw Ptelea walking down a spiral staircase made of entwined roots. In silence, they followed her down the stairs and into the darkness. As they descended, D’Molay noticed a faint pale blue glow on the walls of rich dirt and roots. As they passed, he reached out and brushed his hand against it. It felt like moss, fuzzy and spongy.

“Ptelea, what is this?”

“Star moss. We cultivate it here so that we may have light. This moss can be found in a few of the caves near Mount Olympus if you know where to look. One of our sister dryads from the grottos there had some sent to us as a gift,” Ptelea said with a touch of pride.

After spiraling down for about a hundred feet, the root-grown staircase finally opened into a large, round chamber formed of more long roots and packed earth. D’Molay and Aavi were awed by its natural splendor. It was like being inside a giant hollow ball grown inside the earth, rather than built in the ways of men. On the curved ceiling was a large mass of the glowing moss which lit the chamber with a pale blue luminescence. On the walls near the floor were many throne-like indentations. Several dryads were already comfortably seated and seemed to be waiting for something. Across the middle of the chamber floor clear spring water flowed in a rock-filled stream. It led to a pool at the end of the chamber, beyond which the water continued on through the wall. Over the stream were several small bridges.
   

“I’ve never seen anything like it! Is this where you live?” Aavi said with a tone of wonder and amazement in her voice.
 
She walked around the chamber, touching the root walls and taking it all in while Ptelea followed Aavi around the room with her eyes.
 

“This is where we meet and enjoy each others’ company or discuss important matters, but we each live within our bond tree. It is difficult to explain to outsiders,” she finished, as Aavi continued to look in wonder at the chamber. The rest of the dryads appeared out of the walls and seated themselves.

While it was beautiful in an other-worldly sort of way, D’Molay suddenly felt a touch of panic realizing that he and Aavi would have little chance of escaping this chamber should this turn out to be some elaborate trap. He could see no way out; he had given up his weapons. He felt a fool for allowing them to be led here.

“We are all gathered. Let us begin,” Ptelea said, as the hamadryad called Syke sat down.
 
“Please be seated if you prefer,” she added to D’Molay and Aavi.

“I’ll just stand, if that’s alright.” D’Molay stood warily with his arms folded and his feet firmly planted on the floor. Aavi walked back to him to sit cross-legged near his feet, very close to her protector and friend.
 

“Tell these humans why have you brought them, sister, so we may get back to our groves,” Syke said impatiently.

“Of course. It is time to agree on what the travelers will grant us for our help,” Ptelea said. Ptelea looked around the chamber at her sisters, then directly at D’Molay. “We need a scrying seed taken to our sisters in the west. It will allow us to see and talk to each other at a great distance, which is helpful as we cannot leave our groves. If you will carry the scrying seed to them, we will see to it that you have transport to your next destination.”
  

Before anything else could be said, Aigeiros, of the poplar tree, objected. “I am not certain he should be the one to carry the seed. He is just a man. How can he be trusted to deliver it?
 
Why must we involve this outsider?”

“I saw into his mind when we met. D’Molay is skilled at delivering items of value. He does this for the gods in the City all the time. He can be trusted far more than any of the local deities we know. They would be too tempted to take the scrying seed and use it for themselves or even sell it. We lost the pair we sent out last time.
 
I feel the Fates have brought him to us, sisters.”

“What of his female? Did you check her too, or just bring her into our inner sanctum without making sure she is not a danger to us?” Aigeiros demanded, gesturing to Aavi.

“She seemed safe, so I failed to do so, sister.
 
You are right to chastise me.” Lowering her head, Ptelea looked as if she had transgressed some unspoken law.

“You can look into my mind, if it will help. Please, go ahead,” Aavi suddenly responded as she stood up.

“I’ll read her,” Aigeiros said firmly as she walked over to Aavi. D’Molay got the distinct impression that Aigeiros did not entirely trust Ptelea.
 

 
        
Aigeiros faced Aavi and touched her temples. “Unusual. There is no clutter in your mind. You have recently been through something terrible. It almost killed you.” Aigeiros was quiet for a moment before removing her hands. “She is more than she seems, almost like one of us in some ways.”
 
She looked at Aavi eye to eye. “There is something dangerous about you, but I believe you would do whatever you could to complete a task once you had made a promise.”
 

“All of that is true, but I don’t think I’m dangerous. Did you see my soul?”
 
Aavi asked her hopefully.

“No,” Ptelea explained. “We are only able to see the thoughts on the edges of your mind, like one might see the waves and ripples on a lake. But that is enough to know if you have good or ill intentions. Are you satisfied, Aigeiros?” The other hamadryad nodded and sat down again.

“Then what is your answer? Are you willing to carry the scrying seed for us? You may have a respite from your travels, food for the journey, and two strong stags to carry you anywhere you need in the Olympian Realm. What say you?”

“I do have a few questions before I can give you an answer. How big is this seed and where must I take it?”
 
D’Molay asked.

Ptelea cupped her hands to indicate the seed was the size of a small loaf of bread. “You will take it to the tree ring in the west on the sixth hill of legend. They are one league north of the Outpost of Hermes.

D’Molay tried to gauge where that might be in relationship to the Fortress of Ares.
 
Though he wasn’t completely certain, he thought the seven hills were roughly between here and the Fortress, in the general direction they were already planning to go. He pulled out the map he had brought and unfolded it. “Can you show me where they are on this?”

Ptelea took the parchment and gazed at it. “Yes. Near here,” she confirmed, pointing at a spot near the Seven Hills.

“Very well, we can do such a task for you. We accept your offer, assuming Aavi agrees, of course.”
 
He smiled at her.

“Oh yes, I accept too,” Aavi replied earnestly.
 

 
“Then it is agreed upon. You can stay here and rest until the morning.
 
We will have the scrying seed and the stags ready for you then,” Ptelea said.