Impatient to meet whatever lay ahead, Evaine flung back the blanket and rose to awaken the others. Gamaliel soon returned with two pheasants and turned them over to Andoralson.

The meal cheered them a little, and Miltiades, experienced at inspiring troops before a battle, again offered words of encouragement.

"All of you are expecting the worst. You are defeated before the battle even begins. Lighten your mental loads and your bodies will also be lighter. A man who is weighted down in battle is an easy target, like a wounded animal."

No one discounted the wisdom of his words. By the time they had mounted up, all were feeling considerably lighter and more fully prepared to face their nameless foe.

The journey through the forest was easy. Ren and the druids took turns leading the way, and they always seemed able to find animal trails or at least the lightest brush to push through. As the morning wore on and the companions approached the evil cloud, the nature of the forest changed for the worst. Talenthia noticed it first. Slumping over in her saddle, she was overcome by waves of unhealthy energy. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Andoralson, can't you feel the forest suffering from evil? The blessings of nature are in danger. These trees are in pain." Talenthia wept, feeling the presence of evil forcing itself into the hearts and souls of the trees.

Ren called a halt.

"Notice the birds, Ren," Andoralson said soberly. "Crows and ravens, but no robins, sparrows, or finches. This has become a forest of evil."

Talenthia held back her tears long enough to speak. "What has the power to corrupt a forest this way?"

Andoralson tried to comfort her. "I don't know, Cousin-I just don't know. But we must press on."

Talenthia held back her sobs, dismounted, and cast a spell of detection magic all around.

"Talenthia, we have to move on," Ren said gently. She ignored the ranger until the spell was complete, then spoke with new determination.

"You all go on, due north. The center of evil is there. I'll catch up. Don't argue-and don't worry about me. Perhaps I can do some good here while you carry on."

The group tried to convince her to accompany them, but Talenthia sat in the grass as if she was rooted there.

Finally, the others mounted up and moved on.

The shadowy forest closed in around them. Huge, ancient oak trees rose high into the cloudy sky, but instead of proudly guarding the forest, they were weakened by strangling red vines that looked like blood-filled veins twisting along trunks and branches. The forest floor became increasingly buried in fungi of all types. Clouds of damp spores rose with every step of a horse's hoof. The companions wrapped rags around their mouths and noses to keep from breathing the fumes. Evaine fashioned a muzzle over Gamaliel's sensitive nose.

They emerged into a small clearing. Toppled stones, dark and smooth and as tall as a man, lay scattered in a vague circle.

"By the gods, what have they done?" Andoralson shouted in horror. Leaping off his horse, he rushed to the stones, knelt on the bare earth, and gently caressed one of the larger stones. "This was the grove of a druid. Miltiades, please help me raise these stones again. Ren, take Evaine and Gamaliel and ride ahead. I'll only be a few moments and then we'll follow. I can't leave until this is set right."

Ren wasn't about to split the group up any further. "Druid, we can't wait. We have to keep moving if we're going to combat this evil, the thing at the very heart of all this destruction."

"No, Ren, you and Evaine go on. I can't leave until I correct what has been defiled. Such desecration must be cured or this part of the forest could be forever cursed. Please, let me do this!"

All could see the anguish overcoming Andoralson. Miltiades volunteered to stay with the druid and watch over him as he prepared his rites. The ranger looked at Evaine, then nodded. Against his better judgment, he turned his horse to the north.

They rode for only a few minutes before Ren's rage overcame him. "Damn! I feel like this evil is doing its best to split us up and stop us! Is that possible, Evaine?"

The sorceress sighed. "That's what evil does, Ren. It breaks up friendships, it tears apart lovers, it turns sister against brother. It can do so in the subtlest of ways. It needn't come in the form of serpents or evil armies. It can come as greed and jealousy. We must be careful not to let it influence us."

Talenthia was still filled with the pain of the forest. She walked to a small rise encircled by tired, dying oaks. "My god, great Sylvanus, this forest is passing away. There is so much hurt, so much pain." She fell to her knees. The tears poured down her face, for the pain of the forest cut to her very soul.

"What can I do? Compassionate Sylvanus, what can I, your humble servant, do?" Talenthia rocked back and forth on her knees, repeating her plea. Her hands clawed at the earth, scratched at the dead grass and soil. "This is not right! This is death encroaching on life. By Sylvanus's might, I will not let death triumph!" The druid screamed into the empty forest, her pain turning to anger.

Smashing the ground with her fingers, Talenthia clawed deep into the earth. The black soil was richer here. A ray of hope glimmered in her thoughts. The evil had not penetrated the lifeblood of the woods. She closed her eyes and prayed, giving up her soul to the forest. Talenthia willingly freed her life essence. Her only thought was to capture the life that was being sucked out of the land and return it to the forest.

The woods around her, the repressed children of nature, responded.

A silent, intangible wave emanated from the kneeling druid. As it radiated outward, the grass, undergrowth, and trees rustled as they were touched by the healing rays. The blood-red, choking vines shriveled away, and the vegetation absorbed the moisture it so desperately needed. Grass and trees turned a vibrant green, wilted buds flowered and bloomed on the newly freed plants. The fresh scent of moist earth and sweet blossoms filled the air. Talenthia emanated a healthy energy that allowed the forest to thrive again.

The druid weakened, but her mind was in ecstasy as she surrendered her essence for what she loved best.

Branches rustled noisily as new sap flowed. Freed of their evil bonds, the trees creaked a song of gratitude. The crusty fungus that coated trunks and branches flaked away and dissolved. The songs of crickets and junebugs arose from the underbrush.

Talenthia still knelt, pouring every ounce of energy into her healing. A white mist arose ahead of her, then took the shape of a graceful unicorn. "Daughter, you have done enough. You must stop." The unicorn's message silently reached Talenthia's weary mind.

For the first time, the druid looked up to witness the transformation she had commanded. As far as she could see, the glade around her was verdant and lush. An evil darkness still permeated the area beyond her healing, but the forest was not entirely lost. It might still be saved.

"Silvanus, my god, my spiritual father, I thank you for the power you have given me. Will this transformation endure?"

"No, my daughter. In a few weeks, the evil will seep back into the haven you have created. I can do nothing to prevent that. But you have been given a quest that you must pursue. You cannot give any more of yourself and still hope to complete your mission."

"Woodland father, this forest suffers so."

"Yes, my child. But you cannot gather enough energy to cure it permanently. The evil that taints it is too great."

"If I remain here, father, will this land, the land I gladly sacrifice myself for, remain healthy and fertile?"

"No mortal has the power to maintain the forest against the evil that would destroy it. If you remain here, this island in the woods will remain healthy. Your energy will be drained from you and you will die along with the forest." The unicorn met her gaze with wise, sad eyes. "Only if I allow you to transcend death and assume the guardian form can you hope to cure these woods. In doing so, you would be abandoning your quest."