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way. Lightly, she tapped the side of his neck, encouraging him to leave. She waited as the horse turned and trotted off before heading down the ravine.
    Making her descent down the slippery slope of the river bed, Ella used the fallen logs and rocks to cross until she reached the shoreline. On the other side of the river was a wall of stone that stood no higher than her hip. Crouched down behind a wall, she hid. Lifting her head, she peeked over the wall. Ella had to be patient to cross the ruins.
    At the far end of the wall near the gate, she could see Baudi, the gatekeeper. Baudi was as large and husky as a giant. His tattered wings showed signs of wear, and would be useless in flight. After years as a warrior, he had been demoted to gate guard when he could no longer fight in the Queen’s army.
    In order to pass through Lochmoor, she needed to walk through the ruins, cross the gate on the other side, and pass the Great Tree. Whatever was on the other side of the Great Tree was unknown to her. Ella had never crossed that far into the forbidden territory before and was unsure what to expect, but it was too late to turn back now.
    When Baudi wasn’t looking, Ella crept past each grave and ruin. She walked as softly as she could to avoid Baudi from hearing or seeing her. With his magical staff, the gatekeeper blocked the pathway between her and the entrance to the gate.
    As Baudi stood motionless, Ella knew that sneaking past him was not going to be an easy feat. Hiding behind a shrub with large, green, fern-like leaves, Ella watched and waited as Baudi conversed with one of the other guards. Ella looked between them and the unoccupied gate. Her eyes darted back and forth for a moment until she made the decision to run.
    At full speed, she leapt over the bush and raced through the black rusted-iron gate, her pulse beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wing.
    “Stop! You must not cross the gate! Come back! There are dangers and consequences; you don’t understand!” Baudi yelled out, though Ella chose to ignore his warnings.
    Far into the labyrinth of trails and trees, Ella could no longer hear the desperate warnings. The woods around her were silent other than a slight howl from the wind as it blew above the trees. Their branches gently swayed in the light breeze, dropping the last of their leaves onto the ground. Like the roots of a tree, the path broke off into several directions. One which would take her back to her own lands, one that would lead to the Great Tree, and the other onward to Greylyn.
    Biting her bottom lip, Ella looked down each path. Using her best judgment, she guessed that the unbeaten path was the one she needed. Not many traveled between Andor and the other kingdoms. Clutching at the black leather satchel tied to her belt, she opened the bag and emptied seven small rune stones into the palm of her hand. Each blackened stone held a whisper of fate. Individually, the stones meant nothing, but together they could unlock hidden secrets or guide the Seer on their quest. Etched on each stone was a series of lines and curves, an ancient language only few mortals could understand. Their silent wisdom was unfathomable to those who knew not how to read them, but they were never wrong.
    The stones led her down a winding path. Ella could see sparks of light twinkling ahead as she neared the end of the path. The path she followed did not take her where she had intended to go. Instead of approaching the long road to Greylyn, she found herself at the base of the enchanted tree. Ella stood in awe of the tree’s massive size and girth, but it wasn’t the magnitude of its size that she found astounding. It was a sparkling golden ring of light that circled the tree. Like gentle ocean waves, the light swayed up and down in a harmonious pattern. The ring was made up of tiny sparkling lights, like burning fireflies dancing around the trunk . Why had the stones led me here? I was meant to go to Greylyn.
    As Ella began to