Chapter 8: In the Dark Again (Or Is It Still?...)
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  Sascha found herself leaving Thamasa barely an hour after she'd gotten
there. It was nearly dark when she and Akfek left, but she didn't mind.
Travelling with him, she'd pretty much gotten used to being out at night. She
wondered, though, what he had learned to make him want to leave so soon. When
he had returned to the inn, he had seemed excited about something, but, as
usual, he wouldn't tell her what. 'And just when I thought I was getting
somewhere,' she reflected. 'Well, it must've been important, whatever it was,
because he didn't even give me time to eat!' Her thoughts turned wistfully to
the piece of meat she'd seen on the fire back at the inn.

                                *  -  *  -  *

   Later, when the stars emerged, Sascha looked up at them, and tried to guess
their direction of travel. From what she could recall from her school days,
Akfek was leading them roughly west. But to where? She squinted into the dim
distance, trying to see what was ahead. What was that? A forest? Yes, she
could make out the trees. Now, what could be in there that was so interesting?
Whatever it was, she had a strong suspicion that it had something to do with
that strange, large-footed creature she had seen in the inn. She smiled
slightly upon recalling how Akfek had fooled it with that coin trick. He
truly had a genius for deception! 'Stick with him, Sascha,' she told herself,
looking briefly at the tall white-haired man walking ahead of her, 'and you'll
never be bored again...'
  Sascha's thoughts returned to the matter at hand.
  "Are we going to that forest?" she asked her companion.
  Akfek thought for a moment, then decided it would be useless to deceive her
about something so trivial. "Yes. I believe we will find what we are looking
for in there."
  "And just what _are_ we looking for?" inquired Sascha, ever curious.
  Akfek smiled, ever so slightly. He had seen _that_ one coming. "Patience,
patience, Sascha!" he answered. "Curiosity killed the cat, and all that sort
of thing. You'll find out very soon; trust me."
  'Oh well,' she thought, 'it was worth a try.' Actually, she didn't really
mind. Whatever Akfek had planned, she knew she was in for one heck of an
adventure. 'Imagine if the people back in Kohlingen could see me now!' she
mused. There were many back home, including her own family, who had been,
well, less than supportive. 'I'll show them!' she vowed silently, 'and
soon...' Sascha's thoughts turned to other things as she looked up at the
moon, and yawned. She realized she hadn't slept in quite some time.
  "I'm tired," she said. "Are we stopping soon?"
  "Not tonight, I'm afraid," answered Akfek. "There's too much to be done. You
really should condition yourself to sleep less on this journey. Otherwise, too
many hours are lost to the darkness. My brother never slept at all..." his
voice trailed off.
  "Well, _he_ must've been a healthy, well-adjusted person," Sascha retorted.
Akfek said nothing, but was mentally kicking himself for having said too much.
Fortunately, Sascha didn't seem to think anything of it.
  From then on, Akfek kept a brisk pace, and towards midnight, they reached
the edge of the wood. As they approached, he stopped abruptly. "Yessss," he
said softly, "it's here... I can feel it..."
  "What? What is it?" asked Sascha. "I don't -" But then she felt it, too. A
strange force, very powerful, coming from deep inside the forest. 'This must
be what Akfek is searching for,' she thought. What could it be? But then she
saw that he was heading into the forest.
  "There is no time to lose, Sascha," he called back. Without hesitation, she
followed him into the darkness.