Leth Deriel, home to me for most of my life, is a unique city. Its splendors are often overlooked by those that travel the city. The massive trees that make up much of the town seem to watch over everything. Silent sentinels that keep everything in hushed tones and shadowed comfort. It’s in these very trees that I grew. Watching quietly, like the trees themselves.

I did little as a youth. Mainly helping the local people with their chores or cleaning the occasional litter left by people who don’t appreciate the natural beauty of the forest. I remember the smile of the street vendor when I would bring her the chestnuts I would find. Huyelm, owner of the bowyer’s shop, would give me a copper or two for the sticks and limbs I would bring him to make his wares. Arthianna, the local empath, would always be there to heal my wounds and lift my spirit when things got rough. Every resident of the town was like family to me. Only family I had really.

Ah but the Warden. She struck my fancy and my heart the most. I would watch her, silent and beautiful, as she would patrol the town. I admired her grace. The speed and efficiency of her movements would steal my breath each time she was called to action. I never spoke to her, just watched from afar for hours as she would go about her tasks. Something about her, her aura perhaps, tugged at my heart strings and left me to wander how one becomes so - enchanting.

The years passed quickly. It’s all a blur to me really. Somehow, my life seemed strange. Tangible yet empty, like a fog. I knew there was an answer I must find, but the question eluded me. I would sit and stare blankly at images in my mind that just wouldn’t come into focus. Listen intently to the voices that spoke volumes in no discernable words. Being lost isn’t always a matter of geography.

Dawn, birth of a new day. I spent this one as I did many, staring at the changing colors of the eastern horizon. I found comfort in the gentle dance of light. The subtle echo of newness that reverberates through the forest at dawn seems to cleans the soul. As I sat beneath a large alder tree inhaling the crisp morning air of fall, a gentle touch on my shoulder and a whispered “Myst.” startled me from my reverie.

I hadn’t heard her approach, but there she stood. In complete awe, I stared into the eyes of the Warden for the first time. The confidence and ability that shined in her eyes was an amplified reflection of the grace in her movements. I couldn’t speak, no greeting or sound could escape with the breath caught in my chest. “You have been lost long enough my young friend” she said in soft tones. Her smile lightened my anxiety somewhat. “It is time for you to find what is calling you. I have watched and seen your turmoil.” I was stunned. She had noticed? “You must head north, to The Crossing.” My heart soared, a new beginning. “There, on the outskirts of town you must find Kalika. She will guide you” I didn’t have time to react as she deposited some coins into my pocket. “Repay this to the principality when you are able, it will help you get started.” I glanced at the coin in my pocket as she spoke. By the time I looked back to her she was gone. As silently and efficiently as she had arrived, she had left.

I stood in shock for a moment, replaying the encounter in my mind. Yes, this was a start, and it felt right to me for some reason. Without a word, and as silently as I was able, I made my way from Leth Deriel to The Crossing. Where the answer, to whatever the question is, began to reveal itself to me.