"So what does this Queen of the Night look like?" The two of them walked along the edge of the river.

"I've never seen it." Gimlet confessed. "But I heard it's a flower that has white petals that glow under the moonlight and it's suppose to cure any illness. The old grandmother said just follow the river north and we should find it."

Eric looked above, at the hovering treetops, not seeing a speck of sky. "It's impossible to find north without the sky to guide us."

"I agree but I believe we'll find it." Gimlet glanced at Eric's clothes. It hadn't bothered him before due to the more important matters of escaping, but now the curiosity returned. Eric's trousers were blue made with a rough fabric similar to coarse cotton but more sturdier. His upper garments were odd. A black long sleeved shirt with a hood. His shoes were even odder. They weren't made of leather like the ones in town but in some smooth white material. Eric caught Gimlet observing his clothes. He grinned.

"They're called sneakers."

"Sneakers?" The word felt strange in Gimlet's mouth. "Do you use them for sneaking around?"

Eric laughed. "No, they just call it that. Where I come from, everyone wears them."

"How peculiar. Is your village near the forest like mine?"

"Um...I suppose you could say that. It's hard to find so not many people know about it."

"Then how did you end up here?"

"It was my fault. I strayed too far from the path and ended up lost. I think I can find my way back home once we get out of this forest. Something about the forest freaks me out. Like something is watching us, you know." Eric shook, rubbing his arms for warmth. "Is it just me or is it getting colder the more deeper we walk into the forest."

"We must be getting closer north."

Eventually they reached the end of the river. It was connected to a small lake. A waterfall stood silently against the moonlit night.

The sound of falling water rushed up to their ears. Following the narrow path leading to the waterfall, Gimlet saw a shallow cave. His heart pounding with hope, he almost rushed straight in but Eric roughly grabbed his arm.

Eric silently gestured for Gimlet to look into the cave carefully. Following Eric's advice, Gimlet paused and squinted his eyes. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, there was something inside the cave. A four legged serpent with scales and barbed claws curled up right before the cave entrance.

Gimlet nodded, relieved for Eric's timely warning.

Eric picked up a pebble from the ground. He threw it somewhere a bit off from the cave entrance. The serpent lifted its long neck at the sound a long forked tongue quickly appearing and disappearing into its mouth. Eric picked another pebble and threw it in the same direction. Slowly, the serpent walked toward the sound, leaving the entrance open.

Gimlet and Eric quickly ran inside. The cave was deeper than Gimlet initially thought. Torches along the stone wall illuminated the tunnel. Eventually, the path led to a cavern room filled with all manners of plants and flowers. In the middle of the room stood a fully grown tree reaching high up to the ceiling. Pretty white flowers hung from the branches.

"Is this the Queen of the Night you're looking for?" Eric asked.

"I think so. It's suppose to be a white flower that grows in dark humid places."

"Nothing more dark and humid than a cave. Grab one and let's get out of here before that thing comes back." Eric quipped.

Gimlet picked a few flowers, putting them safely inside a cloth bag he hid through the journey. He tied it with a piece of string, putting it over his shoulder to make sure it wouldn't fall off.

While Gimlet was busy, Eric looked around the room and spotted a bunch of bushes with bright red berries on it. His stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn't eaten for a long while. He picked some and popped them into his mouth. A burst of sweet juice filled his mouth.

"Don't eat that!" Looking startled, Gimlet threw the remaining berries off Eric's hand.

"What's the big deal? I felt hungry. It's not poison, is it?" Eric replied worriedly.

"These are called Feel Good berries. How many did you eat?"

"Maybe five or six. What's so bad about eating Feel Good berries?"

"They're aphrodisiacs." Gimlet replied bluntly. "It's a popular drug the apothecary sells in my town. A single berry is known to last an entire day. We need to leave right away and vomit those berries out of your system."

"Oh, I don't think you boys are going anywhere."

A woman appeared at the cave...