Purchase and Information Gathering (Chapter 2)

The next morning, I began to head towards the nearest village, which I guessed was the one to the east of the pond. If I remembered my geography right, the village should be right....there.
The small village bustled with people and vendors. There was happiness in the air and everyone smiled. Welcomes rang around me as I walked into the main road. It seemed that the description of me had not reached so far north, for no one cried out in surprise or anger.
“Why’s everyone so happy?” I asked a vendor as I looked at some of the hand-made jewelry at his stall.
“You haven’t heard?” His voice was filled with great shock.
“No...” I said, feeling slightly embarassed.
“I suppose that’s what happens when you travel in the great woods for too long. The di Zuce is dead!”
“Oh. Well, that’s great!” I forced a happy smile on my face as I watched the man do a happy dance behind his stall. I lowered my head to look at his merchandice again, when a small necklace caught my eye.
“How much is this?” I asked quietly, picking up the simple piece of jewelry.
“That? Oh, that’s three chais.”
“What? Why is it so cheap?” Most necklaces, even the cheap ones, usually cost around 8 chais.
“No one wants it. You’re the first.” I stared at the necklace. Sure, it was only a simple lyre pendant on a leather string, but the carving of the lyre was intricate and well made.
“I’ll take it.” I fished around in my cape before I found the small pouch that held my coins. The man’s eyes seemed to nearly pop out of his head when I told him that. I wonder what was so special about that necklace anyways...
Whatever the case, I bought it and stuck it in one of the numerous pockets in my cape. If I ever saw Fala again-no, when I saw Fala again- I would give her the necklace as a gift.
I wandered around the village for a while, trying to let the contagious happiness of the people infect me, but...I just couldn’t be happy. I’d never felt this way about a person until now. All I could think of was Fala with her silky brown hair and her golden eyes.
Shaking my head, I pushed the memories of Fala to one side of my head and began questioning the villagers if they knew someone who could transport people through time. The only pieces of information were rumors and legends of people who had already died a long time ago. I guessed that gifts similar to Khanna's rarely showed up in the human population. It made sense though, because if many people had this gift, the whole past, present, and future would be completely messed up.
Finally, I managed to learn of a person who lived in the mountains only a couple hours from here. No one really knew much about this person, but it was said that he could move through time. They said that he had been born many years ago, but still looked as young as he had when he was 30. Some claimed that he had horns growing out of his head, and some said that he had spines coming out of his back. Whatever the case, this was the only relatively solid information I had, compared to the other bits of information I had gotten.
Gratefully, I thanked all the people who had tried to give me information and left the noisy village for the silent woods. When I reached the closest tree, I sat down underneath its shade and thought about what to do.
The mountain range loomed in the distance in the direction I was facing. If I were to travel there, I would have to make it past the fast flowing river and the thick forest behind it. That particular forest was more dangerous than most, for it was completely dark, even in the brightest of days. Because of that, there was little plant life and only a few edible species of animal. There were also several species of small poisonous lizards that would attack if you stepped on them. There were only a few of them, but they moved quickly and if they just happened run under your foot as you were putting it down, they would either be killed or become very angry. If they were killed, the nearby lizards of the same species would attack because you would be considered a threat. If they became angry, then they would attack you by themselves. Either way, you would be attacked.
The forest was my main concern, because most people who went in never came out again. The few that did come out were usually poisoned and died within a couple days. Also, I could levitate myself over the river, but the forest was too vast for me to levitate the whole way. If I were to try and make it the whole way there levitating, I would most likely tire myself out after the first couple of hours and not be able to really move for a day. The only compromise was to levitate for a short while, rest, and then levitate some more. It was painstaking but if I wanted to ensure my safety, this was the best way. Coming out of there alive was a top priority.
I had another option as well. I could go around the forest instead and to the other side of the mountain. It would be easier going around but would take more time. I could only carry a limited amount of supplies with me so I had to plan this carefully. If I was to go through the forest, I would have to levitate almost the whole way except for short breaks. If I was to go around the forest, I would have to carry a large amount of supplies, which would further slow me down.
I thought about it for a long time, until I realized that the sky had become dark already. I decided that I would sleep on it and then choose in the morning.