As they left the Wicket Gate behind, a wall rose alongside the Narrow Way, fencing it in. From the other side, branches heavy with fruit reached over the top, growing from fruit trees in a garden just beyond the wall.
Seeker paused beside the wall to study the small, round fruit, their pale skins slightly lustrous. His finger hovered just short of touching one. “I recognize these.”
“I wouldn’t eat those,” Companion said. “Not unless you’re looking for a bad stomachache.” He pointed toward the looming ruins of Beelzebub’s Castle, dark and imposing beyond the wall. “It’s his garden. Or at least it was.”
“In the Valley of Destruction, there’s a tree beside a river.” He held up his staff. “I cut this from its branches. The fruit is the same. But the tree is larger and older. Much older. Ancient.”
Companion looked at the trees as if seeing them for the first time. “Lignum Scientiae,” he said. Then he grinned. “That’s a fancy word for ‘Tree of Knowledge.’ I’ve never seen it myself. Mine comes from the Lignum Vitae.” He held out his staff.
“Tree of Knowledge?” Seeker ran his fingers along the rough, gnarled wood of the staff in his hands. “But why would Beelzebub…”
Companion shrugged. “It’s not evil, you know. Just… dangerous. Eat a bite and you’ll be fine. Eat a few and you won’t feel so good. More than that, well… the effects can be pretty bad.”
“Well, let’s not find out. I’d hate for you to have to carry me the rest of the way.” He laughed, turned, and continued down the Narrow Way.
