It turned out that Hermelgora had managed to carry the boys most of the way through the desert. Michael and Lucas had left the new oasis and had begun to clear their way past the desert of Surrenderland on the next day.
By the fifth day of their journey, the desert had not transformed into plains instead knee high grasses had sprung up and soon the boys found themselves entering a huge forest. The trees of the forest had a rich red bark and their foliage was what seemed hundreds of feet in the air. It took Lucas nearly thirty steps to circumvent a single tree.
The forest had a clean smell; it was the smell of new spring. At the very start of the forest Michael made a camp because he wanted time to consider the best entry point. The boys could no longer see the North Star but the direction felt ingrained into their very beings.
“Well there is no use wasting time” Michael said to his brother. They broke camp after a light breakfast of mana and spring water. “Should we go around the forest or just go right through?” Michael asked Lucas. Instead of answering, Lucas began to walk slowly along the right side of the forest and Michael had no better choice to make so he followed his little brother.
About three hours later Lucas’s intuition paid off as a road appeared leading through the forest. The ground was well worn and the road was a good fifteen feet across. The road felt safe and it lead deep into the thicket. The brothers began the journey through the forest of Surrenderland.
In the distance down the road Michael could see a large plant of some sort. It looked kind of like a light brown giant porcupine. As they came closer Michael began to suspect it was not a plant at all. He could see gentle movement in the massive quills like a breathing pattern.
Before he could warn his brother and move into the forest a voice purred “That would be a terrible mistake” turning around in confusion Michael looked for the owner of the voice but found none. “Terribly rude to ignore a conversationalist, I am giving serious consideration to eating you both for such a slight” the voice threatened.
Lucas wailed and hung onto his pants leg as Michael gathered his bravery and said “Forgive me but I cannot seem to see you”.
Of a sudden the giant quill beast stood above them and laughing said “See me now boy?”
Its mouth was slobbering in anticipation of its tender meal. At once the beast launched itself at the brothers with gaping maw wide and razor sharp teeth promising doom. Quite unexpectedly Lucas took the clay jar and flung it into the beast’s mouth. While the beast began chewing on the tiny vessel the boys ran past it with all their might.
The rest of that day the boys ran along the road too scared to look back or to stop. It turns out they needn’t have worried so the beast had died of a full stomach because the clay jar held an endless supply of mana! By nightfall the two boys found the end of the forest and fell down on the road fast asleep.
It was the death of the beast that drew the feral hyenas from the depths of the forest. They ate their fill of the dead beast and then began to follow the kid’s tracks upon the road. Their cackling laughs woke the lads near sunrise and the boys began their desperate flight in earnest.
Ahead the North Star shone once more and as the road disappeared soft marsh grasses took its place. Slowly the North Star took shape. A lake appeared to the boys left side and the lake reflected images as clear as a mirror but there was no time to gaze upon it. As the boys ran themselves to near exhaustion the form of a tower began to appear before them. The North Star was a beacon of light that shone from the very top window in the tower!
Lucas began to slow Michael down; they would not make it in time! Even now the pack of Hyena’s was nearly upon them. In desperation Michael turned and flung his rod at them and he was struck motionless in wonder at what he saw. The rod when it touched the ground became a three headed snake and it gorged upon the Hyena pack. With the last Hyena dead the snake made its bloated way to the mirror lake to quench its thirst.
Michael turned and took Lucas’ hand. Slowly the boys came to the entrance of the tower. Too exhausted to even think about trying to enter the tower that day the boys made a simple camp and fell asleep. Upon the morrow, the seventh day of their journey these lads twain would find no rest.
