Chapter 3

        We stood by the sign post. The sun was now above the trees and slowly approaching its highest point in the sky. I looked at James, his face was pale and his jaw set.

        "Common James. We're going to do this, and everything will be fine." I grabbed his arm and started to pull him into the woods. He shook his head and remained there, his feet firmly planted in the ground.

        "I-" He could barely speak, "I don't think I can be a Nyrom." He looked past me, into the trees.

        "Let's just try, ok? Please James, they need us, and they wanted us, we need to at least show ourselves." Color started coming back into James' face. 

        "You're right, they chose US. They chose two HUMANS to be their Nyrom and Nyroma. They  must've really liked us." He took a step forward, me still pulling gently on his arm. I smiled and looked into his eyes. They were green, glittering with flecks of gold.

        "Exactly!" I turned around and stepped into the wood.

        The sun shone through the trees illuminating the path that we would be following. Last night when I had come I had had to guess that I was on the path. I could now clearly see the golden earth below my feet that was lit by the harsh yellow rays of the late morning sun. 

        I glanced over my shoulder to be sure that James was following me. He had a smile on his face and he was looking around the wood as if he had never seen it before.

        "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I returned my attention to the path ahead of me, walking on, towards the tree that was impossible to see from here.

        "It's not just beautiful, Dezzy. It's like I have never really looked at the woods. The trees are dancing, their leaves waving, all greeting us gladly. The flowers are gleaming, they seem to get brighter as we stepped into the trees. The silent nature isn't silent anymore. It isn't even quiet. Dezzy, the wood knows we're here, and it looks hopeful." I kept walking, a small smile sneaking across my face. 

        "I know, James. I noticed the dancing trees last night." He followed me, still in awe about how the wood seemed to finally be alive. We walked down the path. It wasn't even the slightest bit over grown. I could see my foot steps from last night. They seemed to be lost, like they didn't know which way to go, but then seeing our foot prints from now, they had a purpose. A place they were going.

        Trees seemed to part as we approached, bending and weaving their branches into archways. The flowers looked at us, watching us walk past, glowing. I felt powerful, the love for the wood already coursing through my veins. 

        I could see the tree with the light ahead of us. The light was there, though barely visible. We approached the tree, the quakes in the roots were full on, powerful, but they slowed. The faceless tree seemed to look at us before leaning into a half-hearted bow. Gently and gracefully we bowed back, keeping our heads high, giving the tree permission to continue its work.

        "We would like to talk to you." I said it without even looking at James. He seemed surprised, and grasped my arm with his hand. I turned and looked at him. "I just want to ask a few questions."

        He took a deep breath, glanced over my shoulder at the tree, then replied exasperatedly, "Ok, but no interrogation. Just, gentle questions." I nodded my head and turned back around.        

        "Last night, you said that the Dryolians were my people. They are actually ours,” I pointed to James and myself, “correct?” I tried to make it seem as if I was only curious.

        “Yes, Danielle, that is correct.” The tree spoke in a mystical voice. It was light and airy, but the words seemed to be rough, impatient, and slightly irate. 

        “I thank you for telling me that I was Nyroma. May I ask your name?” I tried to lighten the conversation, sensing the tone in the her voice.

        “I am known as Teraesia, but please call me Tera.” The irateness in her voice seemed to have been swept away by the simple, yet polite, question I had asked. 

        “Thank you so much, Tera, for your help. I would like to ask a couple more things.”         “Anything I can do to help.” She sounded patient, and she was obviously trying to respect me by answering the questions. 

        “Would you help us get to the other world?” It wasn't an easy task, I knew that, but there was no other way, that we had found, to get to the other world.

        “Danielle, I can help you only on one condition. You have to realize that if you go through a second time to the land of the Dryads that you may not come back.” She was serious, the faceless wood was set.

        “James, are we sure we want to risk that? Time stands still for us on this side of the door, so as soon as we leave, time waits, and we can come back if possible at anytime. But, it may not be possible. Can we just leave like that?” I was scared, Everything I loved was here. 

        “Dezzy, we have to take the risk. We have to help the people that made us their rulers.” He too was set, I seemed to be the only one that hadn't set my mind on something. 

        “Ok, Tera, we realize that there is a risk, and that we may never return, but we would still like to pass through the doorway.”

        “As you wish.” She spread her roots, revealing a small window. The barely visible light moved closer to the window. Showing the simmering surface that we would soon break through if we were to arrive on the other side.

        “Tera, there is one last thing. If there is any danger here, in the wood, for you or any of the others, would you send the messenger?”

        “As I do not have the messenger, I cannot do that.” I felt a rush of joy as I realized that I still had the messenger from last time.

        “I have it,” I took the necklace off of my neck, and looked into it. I could see the preserved powder that it held. Carefully removing the top of the hollow ruby, I took a pinch of the powder and threw it into the air. “Send the messenger if anything goes wrong and we have to return straight away.” I replaced the cap of the hollow ruby and put the protective powder back around my neck. 

        The protection that this ruby necklace held only worked until the powder was gone. As the powder was never taken out, except for messages and healing, it was supposed to last forever, or at least my entire life. I could feel the warmth that the ruby instilled in me return to normal, as the ruby rested gently between my breasts. 

        “If it is necessary, I will send the messenger to retrieve you. Is there anything else I can help with?” She sounded so proud to have been given her simple jobs, but she knew how important they were to us, and our safety. 

        “Not at the moment Tera. Thank you, and I hope to see you once again. Good bye for now.” I stopped watching the unchanging bark upon the tree that was Teraesia and started towards the shimmering window. 

        I gestured for James to go first, and as he broke the surface he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the window into the other world with him.

Author's Note

Let me know if there is any spelling or grammar mistakes. Thanks, hope you enjoyed it =)