Re: The Water Garden
Liloo the water sprite finds a good, high vantage point with a view of the beloved Water Garden.
Salen and Karel have already seen it, from a slightly more distant point of view, but now they have a better look.
It is a patchwork of ponds in very regular shapes- rectangles, long and short, meeting and connecting and dividing. Likewise, the squared off ponds create very straight, square islands, connected by little bridges. A couple of small structures can be seen, and several gazebos.
Surrounding the whole, which is square in shape, is a hedge, a very thick, tall hedge.
"I see Dew Thorn," Spica says. "Oft planted by the Elves to protect villages. Where the Huns conquer, or try to, they destroy such things. It is still here?"
"I told you, not Huns," Liloo says. "A she troll. Dark Spirits, which she has conjured. She's taken control of the hedge, and it is our prison."
"Yet you escaped," Spica says.
"We caught the attention of an Owl, one night, and it was strong enough to carry me away. The Owl did not survive, though. They were watching, and struck it with some dark magic. It did get me out, though. I imagine the dark ones were in an ill mood over that."
Theoderic overhears. "It also means, they expect a rescue," he says. "Of course, you'd go right to the Elves, tell them what happened."
He looks at Aelasuria. Hadn't she been worried about traps set for heroes?
Then he looks back at the water sprite. "If Spica says you are honest, then you are honest. But you might still be bait, and this still might be a trap."