A/N: Thanks to Sylvidoll and AnneMouse for their efforts, and again to my buddy mike! I hope everyone enjoys this next installment; it's twice as long as the last chapter on complete accident. Let me know what you all think in the comments!
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Camp was broken shortly after the sun crested the horizon. With Denza's aid, Cassidy constructed a frame from sturdy branches and strips of tanned leather cut from the hide armor Cassidy had worn the day before. Shawn had to stand still while the girls loaded the chest full of gold and a makeshift satchel of the armor commandeered from Cadder's crew onto the frame that they had subsequently strapped to his back like a pack mule. Cassidy smirked and offered him one of their last remaining carrots to which Shawn offered to kindly shove up her shapely posterior.
Shawn's body was put to the test as he slogged through the wilderness effectively carrying an adolescent cow on his back. By the time noon rolled around the downhill terrain had begun to even out and the battle with his own center of gravity was easing up. When they stopped for lunch he gratefully unloaded his burden and was finally able to stretch out the aching muscles in his legs and back. His woolen shirt was already saturated with sweat and stuck to his body like a second skin.
"I don't suppose there is any easier mode of transport for all of this crap? Like a sled or a cart?" Shawn asked hopefully of his guide.
Denza glanced over her shoulder and gave him an incredulous look, "Is that a serious question?"
"Uh, yes?" replied Shawn uncertaintly.
The Elf rolled her eyes, "Unless you have the skill set to produce a cart by some means, then no. A travois would be too cumbersome and difficult to maneuver down these slopes and the forest up ahead is too dense, so it would get caught frequently. It would only slow us down."
"Perfect," Shawn grunted.
"Come on, Shawn! You're such a big, strong man. Surely one little backpack isn't too much for you?" Cassidy teased from her position ahead of them.
"Little?!" Shawn exclaimed. "Are you blind, Cass?"
Cassidy gave a theatrical sigh and stopped. She turned to Denza with sad eyes and said, "Denza, it looks like we are asking too much of this delicate little flower."
Denza arched an eyebrow, "I agree. We cannot let this daffodil wither."
"You can both go kick rocks," Shawn growled.
All too soon, their break was over. Shawn found the remainder of the trip to be easier now that he only had to deal with the occasional obstacle blocking the path that he had to clamber over instead of losing his footing on the rocky forested slopes. Denza was right, a cart or a sled would have just slowed them down. The scenery changed little, and with no real trails to follow, Shawn quickly lost himself in the natural maze. The sun began to set by the time Cassidy called them to a halt at the edge of the trees just before the forest opened up around a sizeable lake and its rocky shore.
"This is our stop," Cassidy informed them. She pulled out her grimoire and studied the pages for a long moment before looking up. "I need to create a doorway into a place called 'Shadegrove'. It's the home of the acting Wise Witch, where Tricha and her predecessors lived. Apparently it will belong to me once I have been deemed worthy."
"Deemed worthy by whom?" Denza asked.
Cassidy held the book up, "The grimoire. It holds all of the combined knowledge of the previous witches. I guess once I've filled enough of its pages it will let me know how to enter, right now all I'm doing is basically knocking on the front door."
"How does a book decide all of that?" Shawn arched an eyebrow inquisitively.
Cassidy shrugged her shoulders, "No idea. The only thing it shows me now are the directions to make a temporary door so I can make good on our promise to Tricha, and a spell to summon my guide, whatever that is."
Denza shook her head, "This is why I trained as a hunter. Magic is far too obtuse for me."
Cassidy shut the grimoire with an audible thump and stowed it away. She turned her attention to the space between the two trees that flanked the border between the shore and the forest and walked forward with an upraised hand. Shawn was surprised when she met a seemingly solid force. She slid her hand around in a circle, pausing to make a knocking gesture at certain points that produced barely audible sounds akin to knuckles on wood. After the first rotation, she reversed the movement and then again once more. With each gesture there was a gradually louder knock until Cassidy's hand drifted to the middle of the circle and pushed her hand forward with a final heavy thunk like the pins of a heavy mechanical lock falling into place.
He felt an odd sensation like very subtle pulsation across his skin that made his eyes flutter. The pulsing grew stronger as the space around them started to distort into a corridor of muddled browns and greens, like an abstract painting of the forest around them. Cassidy's hand rested on an opaque door. A circular dial at the heart of the door was ringed with black arcane runes that stood out in stark contrast to the hazey distortion around them. The door swung inwards at Cassidy's gesture to reveal sandy beach and a lake that stretched off into the distance.
Shawn felt his ears pop when they stepped through the doorway. The air was cooler than the muggy humid forest they had been hiking through. A soft breeze drifted across the sapphire blue waters lapping gently at the shore. Cassidy walked behind Shawn and began fiddling with the straps holding their belongings together and came away with the silk bag that held Tricha's bones. Without speaking, she walked briskly towards the water and began wading in. To their collective astonishment, Cassidy's feet never sank beneath the surface. She continued forward for about ten minutes before she stopped. Shawn could only make out Cassidy as a small figure in the distance when the water began to bubble and rise up, solidifying to form a structure that looked like stairs with a raised dais at the top.
Cassidy gently put the silk pouch into the dais and slowly backed away. With each step the solid water structure flowed back into the lake leaving the surface pristeen and without any ripples. Shawn and Denza waited for Cassidy who returned looking perplexed.
"That was quite something," Shawn said as he stared out over the sapphire water that was now Tricha's final resting place.
"Yeah. The lake seemed happy to finally have her home after so long. Something was in the lake, and it thanked me. It said I was taking my first steps down the path," Cassidy furrowed her brow.
"The lake talked to you?" Denza warrily followed Shawn's gaze. Her eyes scanned the lazy tide for any sign of movement. She was poised like a deer ready to bolt at any sign of danger.
Cassidy shook her head, "No, something lives in the lake. It watches over the remains of the previous witches. I only felt it for a moment when I put Tricha's bones in the water, which by the way was pretty awesome, then was gone as soon as the pouch sank out of view."
"Well, I hope Tricha is able to sleep peacefully now," Shawn nodded to the lake in respect. After a quiet moment he turned and walked back through the doorway between the trees.
Cassidy looked back with a wistful expression, "I don't know why, but I feel sad leaving. It's like i'm leaving home and I don't know when I'll be coming back."
Shawn pulled her against his side, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder as they watched the door seal behind them and wink out of existence, leaving them looking at a vastly smaller body of water, "We'll be back, Cass. You said it yourself, it's yours once you are ready."
Cassidy smiled sadly, "We just don't know how long it will take. It's weird because I don't even know why I feel like this."
