Page 165 of Into the Isle

Arne seemed in no hurry. Once we reached the bottom of the stony hill, we crept into Helgas Wood until we made our way past the outskirts of Isleton.

I could hear villagers chopping wood, yelling, starting fires—doing the morning chores to keep the small town running. No one saw us shuffle past and make our way into the thicker trees of Delaveer Forest.

Our journey slowed to a snail’s pace in the forest. There were too many gnarled roots and too much pesky undergrowth and thick vegetation for me to go fast in my current state.

It felt good to have nature on my back, the sun starting to bask me in warmth every time I passed under a canopy and caught it along my neck.

We traveled for at least another hour. When I started to get hungry, Arne reached into a small pack he had and pulled out some hard tack for me to chew.

We went further west than I’d ever been, passing by beautiful countryside, meadows, and glades trapped within Delaveer Forest. All around us, the woodlands teemed with life. I spotted a few squirrels, deer, even some monkeys and treetop critters.

Eventually, the forest began to thin out. The dense trees grew some separation, until there was something of a small pathway we could take to continue moving west.

The dirt became darker underfoot, and sludgier. Wrinkling my nose, I smelled the sharp scents of sulfur and peat. The leafy oaks and piney trees gave way to deciduous willows and long-limbed sallows.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Making our way into Niflbog,” Arne said. “Don’t mind the smell.”

Ah. “Bog seer” makes more sense now, like he said it would.

I figured we were drawing close to our destination. Nervous anticipation swept through me.

The Niflbog was a huge moor that stretched as far as I could see. In some places, it gurgled with black bubbles. The path along the marsh went in and out, and at times I lost it as it receded beneath the surface of the peat bog.

Arne splayed his hand out as we walked. I held his arm because he seemed to know where to step. “If you’re wondering where Vikingrune Academy gets its iron and the materials to make its weapons, wonder no more.”

I hadn’t been, but it was an interesting factoid nonetheless. I was too caught up in my own thoughts to listen to him. We’d been traveling for hours, from night to day, and Arne had given me the ability to see much of the Isle I’d never laid eyes on before.

It was a fascinating place, with woodlands giving way to mountains giving way to meadows and swamps. All types of terrain seemed to inhabit this strange island.

Even in the distance, north, I could see huge peaks shadowed in the sky, thrust to the heavens. The mountains up there looked like they dwarfed the one where Vikingrune Academy stood. At their feet, before the base of the range, the Niflbog gave way to a vast grassland. I could only see these things when we stood atop a small knoll in the swamp, for Arne to look out.

He noticed where my gaze had gone. “The Selfsky Plains. Beyond those, the Telvos Mountains. Truly a beautiful sight, isn’t it?”

I smiled and nodded. “It is. I’d love to adventure there some day.”

“Yes. Some day, little fox.” He winked at me and skittered down the knoll. “For now, we’re getting close.”

Trapped underneath a small cliffside, where the bog met the brambles, a small cave awaited us in the middle of the Niflbog moor.

My anticipation turned giddy. I was eager to meet this shaman Arne spoke of.

When we reached the mouth of the cave, I realized it went deeper than it looked from far away.

Arne stopped and gestured me forward with a sweeping arm. “In there. That’s where you’ll find Elayina, little fox.”

My brow jumped. “You’re not going with me?”

He shook his head sternly. “I am not permitted. The witch only speaks with those she chooses to speak with, and certainly never more than one person at a time.” He pointed down at his feet, with inch-deep sludge caking his boots. “Hence, I stay here.”

My furrowed brow deepened. “So she knows I am coming? How else do you know she wants to speak with me?”

“I don’t.”

Panic set off inside me. “You mean this whole trek was on a hunch?!”

He winked that aggravating smirk at me again. “My gut instinct is rarely wrong, lass. Let’s see what she says, yeah?”

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