Darin followed Ridahne back to the inn and had to admit that the warrior was right. If the ex-Eija had the money there would be no point in not using it. Darin silently made a promise to themselves to not over do in any regard. There was no point in wasting all of the money on useless things. That didn’t change the fact that if Darin could avoid playing the fiddle to afford fixing her boots she would leap at the chance. The human would o her level best to not look to purchase things that were not needed. It wouldn’t do to take advantage of her companion’s kindness after all. Darin couldn’t think much more in the way of organized thought. She had followed Ridahne to bed quickly and she was exhausted from being on the road for so long. The Elf was right. The bed was incredibly. It wasn’t quite as nice as her bed at home, but that wasn’t because of a difference in comfort. Both were overstuffed feather beds. Rather it was a difference of experience. This bed smelled clean and like the forest that surround the entire city. Her bed at home smelt like, well, it smelt like home. Though Darin didn’t have much time to be home sick yet again. She was comfortable and sleep soon overtook her. [i]Seed-Bearer. Seed-Bearer. Seed-Bearer![/i] Darin sat straight up in bed. There was a voice calling to her. No, that wasn’t right. It sounded like thousands upon thousands of voices calling to her. They didn’t sound … normal. She clung to her head with her eyes clenched shut as she tried desperately to think. The voices just got louder and louder as Darin struggled to know what was going on and who was calling her. She looked around desperately to see if she could spot something or someone speaking. She spotted Ridahne still asleep in her bed and the voices seemed to come from every direction. The volume increased. How had the warrior not heard the voices? Another voice called out in desperation, “The trees! Something’s wrong with the trees!” That voice was … Different. Darin didn’t know how. She just practically jumped out of bed to run to that voice’s source. It led her outside to where multiple inn guests and citizens of Litaelen were gathered. They were all looking up in practical horror while some pointed. One woman had dropped to the ground and was clutching a child close to her chest. Darin looked around the crowd in confusion for a moment before letting her gaze follow the pointed fingers. Slowly her head raised to see that the trees were bent in the oddest way. They bent in a circular pattern, leaning away from a central point. The result was that the night sky and its millions of stars were plainly visible from the ground. That wasn’t right. [i]See! SeeSeeSeeSee! See! For you! For you! For you! To feel like home! Home. Home. Home! Seed-Bearer. For you![/i] The voices that were coming from all around, that hadn’t stopped once, that only she could hear, that didn’t sound like people. Slowly Darin dropped her gaze from the sky to look around her as realization dawned on her. It was the trees of the forest of Lihaelen. They were speaking to her. They knew that she was The Seed-Bearer. With that knowledge it didn’t take Darin to realize that the inn that she had been sleeping in was the central point. They hadn’t moved at all. With wide eyes Darin reached up to tug at her hair. Why were they doing this for her? To make what feel like home? Did they not realize the undue stress they were causing their people? If the trees were truly trying to welcome her it was a nice gesture, but they were going about it all wrong. Darin wasn’t sure what to do. Acting mainly on instinct she stumbled over to the trees with her inn in it. She placed a hand on the trunk and closed her eyes to focus on the voices of the forest rather then the growing alarm of the crowd behind her. Remember what little manners she knew Darin did her best to speak back in an almost inaudible whisper, “Thank you. Thank you so much. Truly this is a gift. But you can stop now. It has to hurt, and you are worrying your people. You can stop.” [i]Welcome? Stay? Honored guest! Seed-Bearer! Stay![/i] Darin lips did curl upward slightly at their enthusiasm, “For a little while. I think I like it here the way it’s meant to be.” [i]Not forever! Guest! Seed-Bearer.[/i] Darin agreed, “There are other places to visit. But for now, I would like to see Lihaelen the way it is meant to be. And I need to be able to think.” Slowly the voices grew quieter as the trees unbent themselves to obscure the sky again. Darin opened her eyes as sighs of relief were heard across the forest. People were still tense and continued to remain tense until the trees were back to where they were supposed to be. Even them relaxing seemed to take a long time. Darin slowly dropped her hand back to her side. She didn’t think she had been seen. Everyone was too distracted by the trees to notice her. Ridahne might had though, but that was only because Ridahne might have some idea what was going on. The young human was wrong. Oliva Blackoak, aide to Councilperson Maylin Jerkins, had seen what had happened. Without hesitating she hurried to her employer’s residence. The councilperson would want to know about this in great detail. Then the forest spoke to everyone in Lihaelen using a magic Darin didn’t know or understand. “WELCOME! WELCOME TO DARIN! THE SEED-BEARER OF ASTRA!” Darin quickly stumbled away form the tree she had been standing by as she scanned the crowd for Ridahne. That was not good at all. She was willing to bet that trees had no ideas whatsoever about lying or subterfuge. The only hope Darin had was that she and Ridahne had not been the only ones to enter the city yesterday. That would be the conclusion that most everyone would come to; that The Seed-Bearer had come to the city yesterday and that the trees’ strange actions tonight were a way to welcome them. IF Darin and Ridhane were to only one to come to the city yesterday all suspicion would be on them. Who knew if anyone with the Red Hand or Mark’s crew, if they were two different groups, were here? Who know if there was anyone else here that wanted nothing but bad wished upon The Seed-Bearer or The Seed? Darin needed to find Ridahne. Her companion would know what to do.