[Aylwen Dreamsong]

In her heart Jesslyn knew she had gotten nowhere and that her efforts to find Cartil were fruitless. Still, she pushed herself onward through the trees past branches and leaves and boulders. Jesslyn didn't want to go back, and be fated to never know what had happened to her brother. Knowing the truth of what happened, no matter how terrible or gruesome, was better than never knowing at all and being left to wonder. But what would her family say? They'd know. Somehow, Jesslyn had a horrible feeling that her family would somehow know if Jesslyn had stood by and done nothing.

Distracted and lost in her own thoughts, Jesslyn vaguely recalled stumbling over a fallen tree trunk and hitting the mud face first. She sat up slowly, gruabbing and hugging her muddied knees tightly. Jesslyn hurt all over, but she didn't want to stop looking for Cartil until she had found him.

Jesslyn!

Jesslyn whipped around, letting go of her knees and sprawling out in front of the tree trunk. Now she was hearing things! It was too close by to be a real person! Jesslyn began to despair, wondering why everything had begun to go wrong and why it was all happening to her. Part of her was screaming at the other, yelling that self-pity and such feelings were useles. The other part of her was hollering back that nothing was fair and that she deserved a chance to sulk.

"'Jesslyn please do not do this! I'll explain all to you if you let me catch up to you!"

This time the voice was closer, and it wasn't surreal or imagined as the other one had seemed. Jesslyn screamed weakly, and scrambled up from her spot and began to run again through the trees. She could barely see through her blurred vision, and soon rammed into the base of a strong-standing tree.

"Ouch..." Jesslyn wailed, rubbing her forehead and trying to pick herself up from the ground. It was no use. Whoever or whatever was calling her name would catch up no matter what, and Jesslyn was weaponless thanks to the nursemaids at the healing house. It was no use running anymore. "This just isn't my day."

Jesslyn barely heard the footsteps of a running Laurel as she came bounding towards Jesslyn. All she could comprehend of Laurel's approach was the pounding in her forehead that came as a result of Laurel's footsteps.

"Where's Cartil? He's dead, isn't he? You would've told me if he were just injured, and he would have been there for me if he had been alright. You don't have to hide anything! Just tell me he's dead!" Jesslyn mumbled weakly in a high-pitched voice that emitted since Jesslyn could barely suppress the sound of her sobbing. Jesslyn didn't want to yell at Laurel, so she bit her lip and waited for an answer.