„Good.“ Valydor nodded curtly as Lanvira let him know that she didn’t have any questions. His gaze lingered on the young woman a while longer, and then he turned around and walked out of the house, the various members of the Nepenthes Web in tow. He didn’t talk a lot as they made their way across the thick ropes that were the streets of Kalinor and towards the Woven Gate. He mostly answered with „yes“ or „no“.
At the Woven Gate, he exchanged a few words with the guards. One of them turned to Lanvira and wished her good luck – apparently Valydor had informed him why they were leaving the city – and then they were already moving through empty caves and tunnels, closer and closer to the surface. After about twenty minutes Lanvira could see light in the distance, and the air smelled different as well. It was fresher, cooler, and there was the hint of a breeze.
„We are almost there“, Valydor explained. A few more metres, and the group of Symenestra were climbing through a hole in the ground and found themselves in a small hill. It was still morning. There was a thick layer of mist, half covering the forest beneath the hill. It was colder than it had been in Kalinor where the seasons never changed and the temperature was almost constant throughout the year.
Lanvira’s brothers looked at the scenery around them open mouthed. They hadn’t been on the surface very often and stared at the grass and the trees. Somewhere a bird sang. Their parents were mostly unaffected by the sight in front of them, but waited for Lanvira to make her way out of the hole and join them.
„Come here, Lanvira“, Valydor said. „We have a few moments before we walk down that hill. Where do you think is north?“ He gave her just a moment to answer before he asked another question. „What do you think is most important when going on a hunt? How do you ensure that your prey doesn’t run away before you ever get the chance to lay eyes on it?“
At the Woven Gate, he exchanged a few words with the guards. One of them turned to Lanvira and wished her good luck – apparently Valydor had informed him why they were leaving the city – and then they were already moving through empty caves and tunnels, closer and closer to the surface. After about twenty minutes Lanvira could see light in the distance, and the air smelled different as well. It was fresher, cooler, and there was the hint of a breeze.
„We are almost there“, Valydor explained. A few more metres, and the group of Symenestra were climbing through a hole in the ground and found themselves in a small hill. It was still morning. There was a thick layer of mist, half covering the forest beneath the hill. It was colder than it had been in Kalinor where the seasons never changed and the temperature was almost constant throughout the year.
Lanvira’s brothers looked at the scenery around them open mouthed. They hadn’t been on the surface very often and stared at the grass and the trees. Somewhere a bird sang. Their parents were mostly unaffected by the sight in front of them, but waited for Lanvira to make her way out of the hole and join them.
„Come here, Lanvira“, Valydor said. „We have a few moments before we walk down that hill. Where do you think is north?“ He gave her just a moment to answer before he asked another question. „What do you think is most important when going on a hunt? How do you ensure that your prey doesn’t run away before you ever get the chance to lay eyes on it?“