One Realm Beyond by Donita K. Paul Page A

Ahma said he was cocky and didn’t know how much he didn’t know. She was right. As usual.
    He took a large swallow from his canteen, then dug in his knapsack to find the box containing ointment and a small roll of linen strip for his sore foot. Odem had impressed him with the need to keep his feet in good shape. The blister had burst, so Cantor applied the ointment and secured the wad of linen to protect the sore. Within a few minutes, he shouldered the bag and resumed his trek across Effram.
    The road took on a bit of an incline, making his hike a trifle more arduous. But this was nothing compared to the climb from the village to Ahma’s cabin. He puzzled over the type of tree that made up the bulk of the forest ahead. As he came closer he recognized the ladder elm, a tree he had seen only in books Odem had brought for his education. Cantor laughed out loud. He excelled in tree-climbing, and that ladder elms would be no challenge didn’t negate the fact that he had wanted to climb one from the very first time he’d seen a picture.
    Cantor forgot his sore heel, the heat, and the late afternoon dragging on his energy. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he trotted the last hundred yards. He dropped his knapsack on the ground and scaled the side of the tree.
    The ladder elm’s roots growing closest to the surface turned upward and wrapped around the trunk of the tree. These roots looked more like vines. They crisscrossed each other, interweaving to make a latticework design of a thick leafless covering. Over the years, the vines melded with the bark of the tree, and the trunk appeared to have a zigzagging ladder network.
    Cantor climbed the root-vines to the lowest branches, which grew a full twenty feet above the ground. He settled himself on the first bough and scrutinized the horizon.
    Peering down the dirt road, he spotted the many crops, pastures, and untended fields that he had passed. He squinted to bring into focus the convenient boulder where he’d stopped. It should have been just after the small peach orchard. He could see the stand of twenty or so peach trees, but the rock next to the road had vanished.
    Either the rounded boulder had become invisible or it had walked off. Of course, the rock must have been a shape-shifting dragon. Cantor laughed at himself for missing the opportunity to become acquainted with another dragon. But if the beast had shunned him, it wouldn’t have made a good constant.
    A disturbance off to the east caught his eye. He watched for a moment before deciding the dark mass was a group of horses with riders, traveling without regard to the fields they trampled. Hooves pounded crops into the ground. Fences went down ahead of them as foreriders swung battering rails against the wood, smashing the supports. Cattle scattered.
    Cantor scowled. If the men rode single file, their passing would leave less damage. If Tifra’s stories were any indication, these must be the King’s Guard. Soon they would reachthe road. Would they turn in Cantor’s direction or continue across country, ignoring the wide dirt path? Cantor decided he did not want to waste time conversing with the captain of these men. An explanation of his journey might not sit well with these arrogant ruffians.
    Glancing down, he saw his knapsack in plain sight. That would never do. He scrambled down the tree, grabbed his belongings, and ran farther into the forest. Hopefully, he hadn’t been seen. Where the trees grew thicker, he once again scaled a ladder elm. In his new perch, he had to lean away from the trunk to have a better view of the road. The unpleasant men threatening his peaceful walk through Effram still rode across some poor farmer’s newly sprouted field of grain.
    Settling back for a long stay if needed, he strapped his knapsack to another limb. The squadron of men continued until they came to the road. One man got down and examined the dirt. He pointed toward the ladder elm forest, then remounted, and