***
Harmony woke with a start. She fully expected to open her eyes and find herself back in the ambulance. Drat! No such luck. The unrestrained décor of the lion’s innards was unchanged save for the sun’s glow. The warm, yellow hue of morning radiated through the lion’s flank to light the chamber in a rather pleasant manner.
She yawned and sat up; astonished such a restful sleep claimed her. It had been years since she felt this refreshed and alert. She climbed down from the bed and dressed quickly.
On the round table she found a bowl of fresh fruits and a jug of an amber liquid. The pitcher’s contents possessed a consistency of thin honey. Harmony dipped her finger into the flask and tasted the amber-gloop. Quite frankly, it was delicious. The liquid’s flavour was sweet and rich; a fruity blend of mango and apple. The tangy-tincture tickled her tongue as it tumbled into her tummy.
Licking her lips she quickly poured a greedy-serving into the waiting cup and gulped it down. The juice slid down her throat and at once she felt warmed from within, exhilarated, nourished and thirsty for more.
Harmony quickly checked the room to confirm she was alone. No one was watching. She hastily poured a second cup and then turned her attention to the bowl of fruit. Most of the produce looked inedible; a garish mixture of alien textures and colours.
Amongst the pile she spotted several red apples which sported large, white spots. The crimson fruit reminded her of a highly-poisonous mushroom fairies like to sit upon. As such she made a point to avoid them.
Continuing her search for breakfast she picked through a bunch of orange-coloured grapes and entirely avoided a punnet of shiny, black spheres. The dark pearls looked like toe-sized caviar. She grimaced at the thought of them popping on her tongue. Her belly rumbled as she fondled her way through the bowl looking for something she felt able to eat. The unusual and often gaudy colours acted as a natural warning sign.
Finally she lifted what she believed to be a purple banana. Once peeled the fruit tasted similar to strawberry yet offered the texture of a ripe pear. She munched her chosen feast and named the fruit a Banberry. She washed the banberry down with more of the amber juice.
By the time she finished eating she felt full and content. With her belly satisfied and her mind ever-inquisitive Harmony began to investigate the lion-chamber some more.
Unfortunately after searching the entire room from top to bottom she had found nothing of interest; not a scrap of a clue or route of escape. A little defeated she sank back onto the cushioned seats. If there was no way to get out then she would have to make the monster set her free. She would have to outsmart him.
“Hey! Lion, creature, thing!” Harmony shouted. “I need to use the bathroom! I’m bursting!”
This was not true. However, she had found no such facilities when she searched. With shrewdness she guessed the only remedy to this would be her stepping outside.
There was no response. She was about to shout again when the rocking of the monster stopped. At the end of the room, near to where she had entered, the wall began to part. The branches which formed the wall slid away to reveal a spiral staircase. The concealed flight twisted up and out of sight. In all honesty she was amazed her ruse had actually worked. If this passage led outside she would make a run for it as soon as the opportunity arose. She donned the red cloak and exited the chamber; eagerly climbing the stairs.
After only a few turns and a short climb she was faced with a trapdoor. The lid was heavy and unyielding to her shoulder. She pushed against it with all her strength. Finally the hatch gave way and creaked open. Bright light flooded the twisted stairs. Blinded by the intense glare Harmony shielded her eyes. Her vision may have been obscured but she was certain of one thing... she was outside.
The breeze was filled with a sweet scent, a floral-perfume which wafted around her and teased at her senses. She could hear the drone of buzzing insects and the song of foreign birds. Together they formed a musical din the like of which Harmony had never heard before. The harmonious tune unified with the heat of the sun and from their conjoining a perfect day urged her to witness its majesty.
The light paled and slowly her vision returned. She blinked as she regained her sight. Much to her surprise she was standing on the steps of a throne. The regal-seat was perched on top of the lion's head like a crown. His autumnal, leafy mane framed the chair and the steps. The throne was sight enough to be impressed but she only looked upon it for a few second before distraction insisted her gaze wander. Beyond the throne the sight of the forest stole her breath away.
Gigantic trees, as tall as skyscrapers, clad in silver bark, were capped with enormous plumes of lilac leaves. The towering vegetation dwarfed her and the lion. Growing on the trunk of each tree were colossal shelves of luminous, blue fungus. The fungoid plateaus were easily large enough to accommodate the lion several times over.
Flocks of brightly coloured birds flew across the patches of sky visible through the epic canopy. Vividly glowing insects, some of which were the size of a horse, flitted around the forest floor. It was on the ground where an endless ocean of shimmering wild-flowers blanketed the undulating hills between tree roots.
Harmony considered her perspective. In this forest her height was comparable to an ant in the real-world. It was an eye-opening vantage; both humbling and inspiring.
“Did you sleep well, little witch?” the lion asked. He was seemingly unfazed with the world around him.
His words startled Harmony. Her mind was so engrossed in the stunning vista that she had quite forgotten where she was standing.
“I slept well thanks. And please don’t call me a witch. You’re being quite rude actually.”
“But you are a witch,” he remarked.
“Clearly I’m not. I’m a just a normal girl.”
“What should I call you?”
“You could try using my name. Harmony Ryder.”
The lion laughed softly. “With a name like that I find it hard to believe you’re a normal girl.”
“Where exactly are we?” she asked, opting to ignore his comment. She looked up toward the canopy again.
“This is The Aurora Forest,” he informed.
“Nice name but what I meant to say was, where on Earth am I?”
“You speak of the realm you journeyed from? The home of the mundaine?”
“Realm? No I’m talking about Earth. You know, the real-world. And for the record it’s hardly mundane,” she retorted.
“No offence was meant, little witch. Mundaine is a word our kind call the lesser beings.” He paused and sniffed the air before continuing. “Those creatures without magic are The Mundaine. Conversely, those born with magic are named The Mordinary.”
“Well then I’m mundaine. I’m definitely not a witch. I can’t do magic. I can’t even shuffle a pack of cards properly.”
“For the present moment you may believe yourself to be a daughter of Eve. But all things must change. There is magic within you, Harmony Ryder. The first task we face is summoning it forth,” the lion revealed.
Harmony decided to change the subject away from her, magic or Nova. She did not like his tone. Was he mocking her? He was acting as if he knew secrets about her. She thought it best not to mention the painting above the bed. No doubt revealing she had dreamt of the woman would only complicate the situation further.
“I’ve told you my name,” she pointed out. “What's yours?”
“I am, Leoracle. The Great Tree-Lion. The warden of Whisper.”
“Well. It’s nice to meet you, Leoracle. Now that we’ve been introduced we should get down to business,” she added in a matter of fact tone. “Firstly, are you going to kill me?”
“No. I intend to save you.”
“Save me? Well, it feels a lot like kidnapping, but we can come back to that one. Secondly, what are you?” she asked.
As she waited for his resp
onse she climbed the steps and sat upon the tree-stump throne. At once Harmony felt a surge of authority, a deep sense of power, entitlement and belonging. For the first time in her life she felt complete. His words pulled her back into the present.
“I am a familiar. An escort to a great and powerful witch,” he replied proudly.
The conversation was getting too close to Nova again for Harmony's liking. She ignored the burning questions she wanted to ask and, once again, diverted the topic back towards him.
“Are you really made of trees?” she began. Then, with a little thought, she added. “I do hope I’m not being rude.”
“You are a strange girl,” Leoracle laughed. “You are so full of questions. I wonder, do you know as much about yourself as you ask of others to reveal?”
“I'm sorry. I... What did you mean by that?” she queried suspiciously. His voice had that mocking tone again.
Leoracle did not answer. He stopped walking and stared straight ahead into the dense foliage. Harmony looked in the same direction and attempted to see what had snagged his attention.
“What's wrong?” she asked in a whisper. She felt that a hushed tone was appropriate given his alertness.
“I can smell the stench of howler,” Leoracle responded in a low growl.
“What's a howler?”
“The wolf who followed you through The Webway was a howler. He is a creature of darkness. A living nightmare...” he answered, pricking up his ears.
“Oh. Is that all? I thought it was something serious,” Harmony shrugged. “I’m sure you can handle one of them.”
“Yes. One I can handle, but not an entire pack.” His warning arrived as seven black shapes came into view.
“Can you outrun them?” she whispered. Her innards squirmed as fear took hold. The wolves howled and snarled. Red eyes shone and as they brandished their venomous, yellow fangs.
“Let us hope so...”