16: In the Woods

- Go down!
She was awoken by the smell of the forest and that strange voice in her head.
A repeated murmur surrounded her, the whispering of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, the flowing of the water in the distance... yet she was amazed by the wild smell of that place, the moisture that lingered on her skin, that smell,powerful and never tamed.
- Where are the girls?
- You must go downstream.
She didn't remember anything. She rose slowly to her feet, still stunned, looking around. Those trees vaguely reminded her of the forests around Alfea, those in which the friendship between the Winx had cemented. Flora would have had the answer in a heartbeat, but she was obliged to stretch the ear and listen, in search of a trace, a clue, something that would explain that voice in the head.
In vain.
- Go down!
The trees were so numerous that she could not identify any landmarks beyond that forest. Hills? Mountains? Who could say... everything she saw, in every direction, were branches, trees and leaves. She could not rely on the view to orient himself.
- But...
There was water in the distance. Usually on the banks of the waterways there were settlements, and then...
- Water flows always descend downstream.
Musa smiled and listened carefully, isolating the various rustling in her mind to identify what interested her: the gentle sound of the flowing water. She took that direction.
How did she end up there? It certainly wasn't the kind of place she usually went to. She liked the crowded, noisy places, places like shopping malls where you could go from one music to another and there was no sign of that deafening quiet.
And the girls?
She felt their absence. Not that she could not live without them but having them always around generated... a sort of rhythm, something she felt the absence in a physical way. Like a silence.
- You must go down to the valley!
That voice was unbearable. Wasn't she already going down the valley? And what was so important there? She almost wanted to change direction, out of an impulse, then she suppressed it. There was certainly a reason if she was in that forest but she could not remember it.
The sound of water was getting closer but it was not the only one: a rhythmic rustle had joined it, a noise different from any other in that forest. Musa froze, thanking the Ethereal Fairies that Stella had given them clothes in neutral colours before leaving for...
The search for Hesperia!
The memories re-emerged one at a time: the inscriptions on the parchment, the cave, the disappearance of Tecna. Maybe that forest had something to do with the inscriptions? Perhaps one of the sketches depicted the place she was supposed to find?
The fairy had stopped while thinking and she had not realized that the mysterious noise had gotten closer.
- Go on to the valley, Musa... you will find the answers there!
The voice in her mind, this time, was accompanied by the same face that Griffin had shown them the day before: a strong woman with clear eyes and a determined expression. Hesperia.
The girl's footsteps became wary: Musa rested her feet on the ground carefully, avoiding any noise. That rustling she felt was surely someone's footsteps. What if they attacked her?
She crossed her wrists over her head on impulse, concentrating on the word «Butterflix» without speaking, but nothing happened. Perhaps it was necessary to say it out loud? She preferred not to take that risk and went on silently towards the sound of water.
In the distance, the wood seemed to thin out and a slice of the sky was prominently visible in a glimpse between a tree and the other. Maybe she had got to the river! She sped up the pace, impatient, and nearly tripped over a protruding root. She managed to maintain the balance but to do so she clung to a low branch, breaking it with a loud snapping and nulling any attempt to go unnoticed.
It was impossible for her to make up for that mistake: she chose the largest trunk in sight and leaned her back on it, ready to use her magic against any eventual aggressor.
When the footsteps approached and the mysterious intruder came out of the thicket, however, her heart stopped in her chest: before her, amid the trees, stood Riven.