Earlier, it had split into two streams, one of which exited the forest to the east, while the one they now followed flowed from the south. Not far to the west, the barrier wall ran parallel to this stream and provided a guiding boundary. At least they wouldn’t stray too far to that side. Trees towered over them all around, and thick brambles hugged the trunks and spread out in between. No obvious path appeared anywhere, so they had to forge a path of their own. Listening to the persistent chopping of blades against wood, Edison shook his head. They had opted to stay deeper in the woods to avoid detection, but at this rate they should have traveled closer to the eastern edge of the forest, where the undergrowth was thinner. Edison hacked with his sword at a low-hanging vine. When it dropped, a hefty snake fell with it and flopped to the ground. After lying stunned for a moment, it slithered into a cluster of low bushes. “I am not familiar with the varieties of serpents here,”
