The Third Apprentice by Lana Axe

a bear,” Zamna said with a hiss.
    Taren’s eyes went
wide as he sucked in a breath. “There are bears in these woods?” He had never
encountered one, and he had no desire to do so.
    “I’m not sure,”
Zamna said dismissively. “I’ve never actually traveled this far.”
    Taren admired his
honesty but wished the La’kertan had lied instead. It would be more comforting
to think his companion was familiar with these woods.
    Stepping inside the
trees, he looked around, half-expecting to see the stone beast. This seemed
like a perfect environment for him. Taren put the thought away. This forest was
far different from The Barrens. Many wild plants grew here, and the trees were
tall but less than half the height of the massive trees growing near his
master’s home. Here the land was wild and untamed. Vines grew long, wrapping
themselves around tree trunks as they ascended toward the sky. Wide ferns
littered the ground, pushing their way between massive root systems. The air
was still, due to densely packed trees blocking out the vast majority of the
wind.
    Moving through the
thick brush, Taren’s eyes fell on many different species of plants that he
recognized. When he caught sight of ripe blackcurrant, he had to alter course
to gather some of its berries.
    “Where are you
going?” Zamna asked as Taren darted off to the left.
    “Blackcurrant,” he
replied, as if his companion should already know. Quickly, he plucked at the
plump, dark berries. He placed one in his mouth and sucked on it for a moment
before chewing. “Mmm,” he said, extending a handful to Zamna.
    “We should be
moving on,” Zamna said, not taking the berries.
    Taren shrugged.
“Suit yourself.” Opening his pack, he added them to the paper envelope that
still contained plenty of dried fruit. “I’ll pick enough for both of us, just
in case.” He continued to pluck berries from the bush. “You know these roots
make good medicine. Mostly for female ailments though.”
    Zamna stood with
his hands on his hips, waiting for Taren to finish collecting the fruit. “Hurry
up,” he said. Though he knew they needed to collect edibles along the way, he
didn’t want to remain too long in the same place. This forest made him uneasy,
but he could not explain why. Perhaps it was simply that he hadn’t been here
before, and he wasn’t sure what creatures they might encounter. He found
himself glancing in all directions as he walked, trying to observe every bit of
his surroundings. With a little luck, nothing would take him by surprise.
    “All done,” Taren
said, rubbing his hands together. The bush had been picked clean, and his lips
were stained with purple juice.
    Rolling his eyes,
Zamna gestured for the mage to follow him. They continued slowly, avoiding the
thick underbrush. Taren occasionally wandered off to inspect the local flora.
Some of them he did not recognize, and he wished he had his books with him so
he could determine exactly what they were. Some of these might be hard-to-find
medicines, and he may never pass this way again after returning to Ky’sall.
    Finally, night fell
over the forest, but the moon shone so brightly in the sky that they decided to
walk a little farther before calling it a night. Zamna hoped the forest
wouldn’t prove too expansive, but after three hours of walking in the evening,
he resigned himself to spending the night within the woods. Perhaps tomorrow
they would find their way out.
    “We might as well
turn in,” Zamna said, throwing down his pack near a tree.
    “Should we build a
fire?” Taren asked, already gathering fallen timber.
    Zamna nodded and
crossed his arms. He stretched his back and stared up at the stars. They
twinkled silver against a deep-blue background, lending their light to the
ground below. A howl broke through the air, jolting him back to reality.
    “Wolves?” Taren
asked.
    “Probably,” Zamna
replied. “I guess we should take turns sleeping. The fire won’t keep them away,
and