For the benefit of those who had never ventured into the forest, Belloc said, "Here we shall enter the easternmost edge of the Black Wood. Keep your eyes and ears open. There are rock-gnomes about, and we may come across something much more dangerous. Don't hesitate to speak up if you notice anything out of the ordinary."
"Ah," said Brogan to Anest, "so you have caught a few of those vermin sneaking about."
"A few," Anest replied in an unreadable tone of voice.
Many of the soldiers were apprehensive about taking this shorter route through the Black Wood, and would have preferred taking the longer way, travelling due south to the White River, then east along the river's edge until they reached the Bridge Fortress. Many of them believed the tales told of the Black Wood; tales where people would enter the forest, and never be seen or heard from again. But their confidence in Brogan and Belloc was such that they were able to direct their attentions to any possible threat other than the forest, for the most part.
Entering the forest was like stepping into night. Cold mists hung in the branches and clung to the light undergrowth. The stiff breeze made the forest feel lonely and remote, like some great subterranean cavern newly stumbled upon that had never known living things and begrudged their presence; though it was raining heavily high above them, only the occasional drop of water reached the forest floor.