(Do vote for Cassandra for the Voting Event. Thanku)
Siroos took a small sip of the hot soup while Razial spoke up.
"This has to be confidential, Tamkil. I came to you because I trust you, but my visit and what we will discuss should remain between the three of us."
Tamkil slowly nodded his head understanding that the situation was dire.
"It won’t leak from my side, Razial. You have nothing to worry about."
The commander took a slurping gulp of the warm brownish soup and took a tentative glance at his partner. Siroos closed his eyes and gave one affirmative nod.
Razial turned back towards Tamkil and asked.
"What do you know about The Grimhollow? I know you once visited it looking for mythical plants and creatures?"
Tamkil’s eyes widened from fear as he gulped making his Adam’s apple bob. The little man almost scurried away from them.
"That’s a forsaken place. We were a party of five and only I was able to make it out of there alive. And that too barely. Why do you ask?"
His voice shook terribly as he spoke but none of the men on the couch were deterred, they already knew that place was dangerous.
"We are looking for something. A tree to be precise and thought perhaps you had gotten a glimpse during your travel?" Razial answered, his face felt warm from the steam emitting from the bowl. He brought it close and took another slow sip, careful to not burn his tongue. The fire slowly crackled in its place.
Siroos silently observed the small man and his bodily postures. The fear had crawled onto his face and smugly rested.
"What kind of tree? There are so many of them there. The one from which snake-like creatures hang and attack whoever dares pass underneath it. Or there is one which has fruits which shine like rubies and sing like the sweet maidens, calling anyone to itself only for its branches to tear apart whoever dares come near." Tamkil shivered as if stuck in a bad memory.
"That’s disheartening and we are hoping it’s nothing like that," Siroos sympathetically spoke to the smaller man. He slowly nodded for them to continue.
"Here is what we are looking for. It’s called a Tree of Hope". Siroos took out the drawing he had made earlier of the tree and handed it over to Tamkil.
He quietly accepted the black cloth and spread it on the rug covered floor beside him. Straightening it out.
He was stunned to see how beautiful the drawing and tree were. Like a page out of some fairytale. It seemed so different from the usual chaotic trees and plants he had seen there.
He couldn’t help but trace his small but thick fingers studded with huge stoned rings on the cloth.
"Gorgeous, it seems so heavenly. Where did you see this?" Tamkil finally tore away his eyes from the magnificent tree and glanced back in the duo’s direction, holding questions.
"It came to us in a vision. We need to get there, a lot of lives depend on it," Siroos answered, letting his back relax against the couch.
"Hmm!" Tamkil scratched his thick chin which had tiny hair poking out on it. "I didn’t see any such trees there but the colour of the sky and these birds. They look familiar. The skies there have a pinkish-reddish hue to them. And I saw a similar bird there. It had a red beak and burning orange eyes and body. Reminded me of a phoenix," Tamkil concluded.
"Then I guess we will need to go deep into the heart of those lands to find it," the commander spoke, placing the empty bowl on the wooden table beside him.
"This is the place, Razial. I am sure of it now. Phoenix can only dwell there." Siroos added, finishing his bowl as well.
Tamkil’s lips had flattened.
"I know it’s none of my business but I wouldn’t go there again. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, back in the day. But now I try to dissuade people from making this grave mistake."
Siroos leaned back and crossed his buffed arms over his hard chest.
"It’s mandatory for us to, we can’t back down. Any advice you can offer us related to the place?"
Seeing their minds made up and determination so clear sneaking back at him from their faces. Tamkil spoke heavily.
"Have someone along with very powerful magic. I know Razial you have unique ice abilities. They will be tested because there can be places where your magic won’t even work. Be very vigilant and don’t trust anything. The prettier something appears the more poisonous or treacherous it will be. There are also hallucinations causing flowers, beware of them. They might look pretty but they are evil."
Tamkil paused to take a breather. His wise face was riddled with worries, his forehead heavily creased.
Both men quietly listened to him.
"And there are vile creatures there. Creatures you can’t even imagine in your worst nightmares. Creatures with tentacles, creatures with venom so strong that you won’t be able to blink before it would consume you. So be very careful."
He concluded, while getting up.
"I have something, one second."
They watched him disappear into his room.
"Not gloomy at all," Siroos said dryly, placing his index finger and thumb on his eyes and rubbing them.
"Yeah! But we were already expecting something like that."
Tamkil soon returned with a very tiny glass bottle which was shut with a corkscrew. It had a chain attached to the cork in a way that it could be worn like a necklace. Inside was a single white hair thick as a needle.
"Here, this contains the hair of a unicorn. Whenever someone with malicious intent will be near, this will glow red. Keep it around your neck and visible at all times."
He handed it to Razial.
"Appreciated! Man." The commander graciously accepted it before placing it into his pouch.
"It’s also rumoured that one of the gates of the Underworld is located inside the Grimhollow. That the Cerberus often roams out looking for prey and that some wandering spirits escape too. I don’t know how much of that is true but I would be cautious. If one gets stuck in a place like the Underworld, there is no escape," Tamkil ominously said.
Siroos knew that Valkyries dwelled in the Underworld and they had visited him earlier with threats. He wondered if they would be crossing paths again.
"We will be. Thank you for having us, Tamkil but we need to go." Siroos stood up and shook hands with the small man by bending down.
"Have safe travels, may you find what you are looking for," Tamkil answered and turned to his friend as well.
"So the kingdom will be without their commander for a while now?"
Razial let out a bitter laugh and answered.
"I think it will be just fine. We should get going, the time is of the essence."
Bidding farewell to Tamkil, both men left his cottage after donning their warm clothes.
Climbing on their steeds, they galloped back towards the borders where Aiko had left them. Hoping to make it there by the sunrise as they had set up the time with her so she could portal them back.