Chapter 22: Alnoc Forest

Lankko washed his muddied face in the shallows and wondered if it was true what the old women of Alnoc said about the mud's beneficial properties. He rubbed his face, concentrating in the areas under his eyes and the corners of his mouth and asked himself, 'Can mud really lift your mood in the direst of situations?' Seeing his reflection on the water, he shrugged and proceeded to wash his body.

As Lankko washed himself calmly, Enzir peeled off his clothes that had all been covered with mud when he climbed up the banks of the river. He dipped his clothes repeatedly in the water and waited until the currents of the river washed off the mud. He then hung his clothes to dry and proceeded to wash off the mud off his hair and face.

When the two men had finished and their clothes had sufficiently dried under the sun, they sat under the shade and rested. Enzir's sword lay on the grass with his sash while Lankko's small bott