They spent another night in the woods and this time Deglan risked a fire. They both needed some hot food, so he boiled up a broth with some leeks and tubers he found during the day. It was bitter stuff but Blink put it down without a sign of distaste or approval and slept through the night. The next day brought them to an area of the forest covered in steep rolling hills. The trees marched up the leaf choked embankments and down again, forming deep valleys in the forest floor where thin creeks gurgled with dark water. It took Deglan the better part of the day to find a gate.

Toad Holm’s greatest defense was its difficulty in locating. There was no great wall or castle or main gate, the city was entirely underground, and though its tunnels sprawled for miles and miles, there were few entrances. Deglan had not been back to the ancestral home of his people for several centuries. In fact, he had vowed never to return, but the most earnest of vows make fools of the forsworn and so here he was, poking around the hills, looking for a way inside. Finally, he discovered a large fallen oak that made his ears itch. The great tree had toppled and its massive tangle of roots now faced Deglan as the tentacle laden maw of some beast. A large furrow was left in the ground where the tree once stood, filled with muddy rain water and forest debris. Deglan let go of Blink’s hand and left her standing on the edge of the depression. He skidded his way carefully down the side and sunk up to his waist in the muck when he reached the bottom of the bowl. He spent a long time inspecting the roots until he was sure. Reaching into his satchel he pulled out one of his bronze lancets and pierced the meat of his palm. Squeezing his hand into a tight fist, he let the blood fall into the water below.

“I am a rightful guardian of Earth. A chosen protector of the Molding Element. By rights gifted to my people by Magic, I bid you open. Mud for blood. Stone for bone. Soil for soul. Open.”

The water churned as the red droplets struck and the roots of the fallen tree stretched down, burying deep in the sodden soil of the bowl. Quickly the water drained as the dead tree drank deeply and soon the depression was no longer flooded. A great stone lay near the base of the bowl, just below the roots of the tree. Deglan reached up and helped Blink down as the stone slid open to reveal a damp tunnel, glowing with a soft blue light. Taking Blink by the hand, Deglan led them inside. The stone slid back into place and he breathed a sigh of relief. The forest was behind them and nothing could follow.