BOOK ONE: Enchantments Veil ~ Chapter One continued…

Here at the fringe of the city that had over the decades enveloped Greenhaven, beneath the whispering leaves, Jodee’s cabin stood as a solitary sentinel on the shores of a lake that mirrored the sky’s burgeoning light.

Around her, the forest hummed with a quiet intensity, its heart beating in sync with the natural world yet thrumming with undercurrents of something older, something mystical.

” Who…”

Thomas jumping on her lap startled her awake.

As her memories tumbled away, the weight of the past lifted from her shoulders. With the misty morning air, she released the weight of it. It was as though the fog itself enveloped her, wrapping her in a cocoon of peace of mind.

The voice, now a distant echo in her mind, dissipated into the surrounding tranquillity, leaving only the subtle rustling of the awakening world.

Shivering, absorbed by the gentle embrace of the mist, washing away the shadows that once held her captive.

As Jodee let the serenity of the morning wash over her, elsewhere in Greenhaven, an unusual assortment of individuals gathered, drawn by the enigmatic pulse of this place.

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In the delicate dawn, the light streamed through the ancient boughs of a secret grove that lay at the heart of Greenhaven, casting long shadows that danced like spirits upon the earth.

Moss-covered stones glowed faintly with ethereal light, and mist curled around the roots of trees like spectral fingers. The air was thick with the musk of decay and rebirth—of leaves rotting and seeds sprouting, life and death, perpetually weaving and spiralling forward, now weighted with a mysterious pull, a weight, an imbalance.

Their paths converged near the very dell where Randall had once danced, driven mad by the visions the doorway invoked. The place felt charged, the air vibrating with the echo of his wild, tragic revelry. Here, the forest seemed to breathe most heavily, weighed down by the sorrow of lost spirits and the burden of its untold secrets.

As the group gathered, drawn together by fate or by the forest’s unseen hand, they felt the palpable urgency. The shadows grew longer as the sun climbed, the light filtering through the trees in golden beams illuminating the dell in an otherworldly glow. It was as if the scene was set for revelation, for the unearthing of truths buried deep within the soil of Greenhaven, and stretching beyond.

The ancient trees stood like silent sentinels, whispering tales of times long past and harbouring the wisdom of centuries within their gnarled, moss-covered trunks. The very ground seemed to thrum with energy as if the earth itself yearned to disclose the secrets it had safeguarded for eons.

This convergence of destinies, amidst the haunting backdrop of nature’s quiet lament, hinted at a profound and transformative journey awaiting those who dared to tread the path of forgotten legends.

In this hallowed dell, the veil between the realms of the seen and unseen was thin, beckoning… them.

Eirian felt the sinister shifts in the air, the ancients whispered to him, began to resonate, to hum. A sorrow woven in song beckoned him.

Madadh, her wolfish nature sensing the shift, followed the trails of uneasy wildlife and emerged from the mists just after Eirians arrival. She listened intently to the pulse-quickening, her Canid nature acutely attuned to the depth of the forest’s rhythms. The ancient trees whispered secrets.

Anthor, buried in lore and ancient things, traced the arcane symbols emerging in strange places, from dark groves to back alleyways. Every line and curve, to him, whispered secrets of forgotten things, leaving him unsettled.

He stepped from the mist, acknowledging the presence of the duo before him with a solemn nod, confident steps carried him through the serene setting, bathed in the gentle morning light that filtered through the foliage, casting enchanting patterns on the damp ground.

The mist swirled around them, leaving the air filled with unanswered questions. The atmosphere crackled with anticipation as the trio stood in the ancient grove, seemingly bound by invisible ties that transcended time and space.

… “we three… again”?

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NEXT ~~~ Chapter Two

{** PLEASE NOTE ** as this is a work in progress, the, um, progress may be slow. My promise to you, dear reader, is as more of this tale is revealed to me, I shall reveal it to you. }