They reach the Hamadryad’s prison

Lux wonders if she could feel more ridiculous than she does trekking through the misty, mysterious fey woods with Minn tucked contentedly into her cleavage. The possibility that this whole saga is an elaborate prank being played on her by the fey-folk does not escape her mind. At least the flickering sprite-light is contained pretty well this way, and between that and her more cautious pace, she’s able to avoid wandering into any more traps or ambushes.

At the same time, the change in the atmosphere of the forest continues as they make their steady way through thickets and clearings – and not much for the better. Everything feels colder here, less lively; there are more dead trees, more rotten stumps, more grey, cracked earth. The fog closes in more than ever; enclosing, stifling sounds. Lux finds herself missing the birds whose mocking song once irritated her. Nothing sings in this part of the woods. The creak of dead wood and the eerie whistling of the wind form the unwelcome chorus to her journey now.

Finally, as she climbs to the top of a small hill, the mist parts enough to reveal a large shape in the gloom ahead. A tight tangle of thorny vines forming a dense hedge, or…a palisade? A wall, of sorts, too high to see over even from her vantage on the hill. Just the sight of it makes Lux’s stomach tighten.

“All right,” she says, “out. What is this?”

Minn is clearly **** to move, but with a bit of coaxing finally clambers up out of the safe warm confines and takes flight once again, shining a muted blue colour. “This is it. This is where the King put his Queen to think about what she did.”

“Which was…?”

“Hell if I know. Talked back to him, probably.”

Peering ahead, Lux cannot make out the full size of this unsettling structure. The fog and the trees obscure its corners, if it even has any. Looking down from the slope, however, she can make the vines bend up to form a crooked arch – a way in, perhaps. It’s far from inviting.

“Willow said something about guards,” she says. “Do you know what’s in there?”

“In there?” Minn shrugs. “Dunno, I’ve never been inside. I’m not crazy.”

“Great.” Lux sighs. “Well, apparently I am crazy. You can wait here.”

“What? No way.” Minn bobs indignantly. “I’m not missing what happens now.”

“Fine, if you say so.” Keeping a tight hold on the little lance, Lux begins making her way carefully down the slope towards the waiting entrance, with Minn hovering at her side. That knot in her stomach continues to tighten the closer she gets to the archway. All she can see beyond it is a narrow passageway of gnarled brambles, which soon twists out of sight. She’s tempted to cloak herself with her invisibility spell for whatever safety that might grant – but for anything designed to guard against the fey, of all creatures, such a gambit seems unlikely to achieve much, apart from to dispense with any possibility of parlay.

“…Lux?” Minn’s voice, quieter and more hesitant than usual, breaks Lux’s train of thought.

Lux grits her teeth. “Yes?”

“I’m glad we’re friends.”

“Gods.” Lux shakes her head. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Weapon in hand, not knowing what dangers to expect, she approaches the archway.