Tension hung stagnant in the air.
Claire had been in a bad mood since the night before and her eyes were puffy once again. Crying and no sleep took their toll on her body. She felt tired and ragged.
The sun was low in the sky. They had walked all day through the seemingly endless forest. She had hoped for a change in scenery. Instead, all she got were the same old trees.
Aeron tried to lighten the mood by telling some more of his stories. This time they focused on his adventures in the forest patrol. Claire half listened and nodded along dutifully to the tales. Farron remained several steps ahead of them as usual, quiet as ever.
She wondered when they would reach Lendon. A bath would be nice, a soft bed glorious. Although not a princess, she’d grown tired of sleeping on the hard ground. It made the bones ache and the joints stiff. She felt older than frail Mrs. Wilfred, her neighbor who was still alive and kicking after seventy five years. If there was ever proof that magic still existed, then she was it. That is, if she’d gotten away that night.
The soil had slowly turned thin and rocky over the course of the day. Gray boulders sprang up from the earth between the trees, giving a little bit of variety to the scenery.
The seemingly boundless forest finally ended late in the afternoon, giving way just before a sheer drop. Farron stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing out at an expansive valley below as he waited for Claire and Aeron to catch up.
Claire gaped as she stepped out from the forest. Now this was more like it.
The sky burned with shades of orange, red, and yellow. Clouds spread through the sky, ablaze with the vibrant hues of the setting sun. The valley below was golden. The fields of tall grass and crops swayed in waves, starting at one end and sweeping down to the other in a mesmerizing pattern. Mountains stood across from them, their imposing stature silhouetted against the colorful sky.
It looked like a painting. She’d never seen anything like it before. But Claire made sure she stood well back from the edge of the cliff as she took it all in.
Farron pointed down into the valley. “There’s Lendon.”
She stepped slowly toward the edge and craned her neck to look where he pointed. Tiny dots of light glimmered deep down in the valley, behind immense walls of dark gray stone. The city already looked inviting. And a little bit intimidating.
“We will camp here for tonight,” Aeron pronounced.
Disappointment dulled her excitement. They were so close. “Why stop here?”
Aeron sat down on a large boulder by the edge of the trees. “Climbing down the side of a cliff gets tricky in the dark.”
She glanced back at the cliff and hoped he was joking.
“Besides, we need to come up with some sort of story or cover. Two elves strolling into town in the middle of the night would be a little suspicious.”
“He’s right,” Farron said, though he didn’t seem happy about the admission.
They set up camp a little ways into the forest so the fire didn’t attract any unwanted attention.
After dinner, Claire wandered through the dark forest to the cliff side overlooking the valley. She stepped carefully through the trees in fear of falling blindly over the edge. When she reached the clearing where the trees stopped and the valley began, she climbed up onto the boulder Aeron had sat on earlier.
The night sky was crisp and clear, the moon’s bright glow illuminating the valley with a silvery light. Millions of stars peeked out from behind scattered clouds and a cool breeze raised goose bumps down her arms.
She sat silent on the boulder as she stared out at the valley, and let her mind wander. Her body was too tired and worn out to train with Aeron, lacking the spirit and energy for fighting. He seemed a little disappointed when she’d declined.
She looked down at Lendon. It glittered like a new set of crystal wine glasses deep in the valley. Claire closed her eyes and made a wish: that she would find her mother in that town or at least some sort of clue. Although none of her wishes have ever come true, she hoped this was the one that stuck. The survivors had to go somewhere.
After a few moments Claire opened her eyes and gasped.
Farron leaned back against the edge of the boulder, his back bare of the weaponry he usually carried.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” Her voice was breathy. She laid back on the rock and clutched at her chest, waiting for her heart to slow its furious beating.
“I didn’t want to interrupt.” He looked back at her over his shoulder.
Her hand squeezed the bridge of her nose. “What do you want?”
He took a deep breath and released it. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to act like that the other day. I know you’ve been through a lot—”
“Stop.” She sat up, holding her hand up in front of her. “I’m trying not to think about it; I’ll break down if I do. I didn’t inherit Mother’s strong spirit, I’m afraid.”
He waited quietly.
“Aeron was right,” she began, “I can’t change the past. There’s nothing I can do about it now, no matter how much I cry. I can only change what I can do now.” She made a fist in the air with her right hand. “And if that means traveling with a pervert and an elf with an attitude, then so be it.”
Farron climbed up onto the rock next to her. “I’m not as mean as you might think.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Claire took a deep breath and released it slowly, letting some of the tautness ease from her body. The elf was different from before. The cocky pretense was gone, replaced by a calmer air.
They sat in silence for a while. Claire looked up at the night sky again, trying to find the star she’d made a wish on. Legends say that if the star went out, then the wish would come true. She’d stopped believing the tale when she was still a small child, but now, she was willing to try anything, no matter how silly it seemed, to get her old life back. It’d only been just over a week since that dreadful night. Somehow, it felt like ages. Her hopes were dashed when she spotted her star, still bright and glowing. It wasn’t too hard to find, the third brightest from the horizon.
A deep sigh escaped her. There was a reason she stopped believing in those legends.
“I just feel so lost,” she said, breaking the silence. She had to glance over to make sure he was still there. “All my life she’s been there by my side. And now she’s gone. Now I have to choose my own path. It’s a little overwhelming. And scary.” She wasn’t sure why she was telling him all of this. Maybe she just needed someone to talk to, and he’d just so happened to be the closest around. Or maybe it was because there was a calmness to him— unexpected, but entirely welcome— that made it easier to talk to him. “It may have not been much of a life, but I was... happy.” She straightened up and smiled to try and hide her growing embarrassment. “I must sound so silly.”
“Not really,” he said. “Some would give up everything for a peaceful life.”
She mulled that one over, somewhat surprised at his words. She knew she would, not that she had much to give up these days.
“May I?” He held his hand out, the black gloves gone.
It took her a second to realize what he was asking for. She held her right hand out, the intricate mark dark against her skin in the low light. “Be my guest,” she replied, imitating the way he said the words the day before.
He took her arm gently, but his hands avoided the mark. “It’s strange.” His eyes had the same faraway look from the day before.
“What is?” she asked.
“That a magical mark would show up on a human.”
“But, I thought humans could use magic too.”
“They could, but not naturally. They only obtained the use of magic through special objects, talismans, things of that sort.”
“Really?” She looked down at the mark, her brow furrowing in confusion. Aeron forgot to mention that part. If that was the case, then it really was strange that it had appeared on her.
“D
oes it hurt?” His hand hovered over her arm just above the skin.
“No, not now at least.”
He brought a finger down and traced the design, his touch as light as a feather. Claire gasped lightly and he quickly jerked his hand away. She laughed. She couldn’t believe she actually got him. Revenge certainly was sweet.
“Why would a magical mark show up on me of all people? Or at all for that matter?” Her voice had a twinge of amusement to it. This whole magic and war thing was new to her and she had a hard time wrapping her mind around it.
“I do not know.” He didn’t seem as amused as she was. “That’s what we’re going to find out.” He dug a long strip of cloth out of his pocket, took her arm again and started to wrap it around her hand.
“What are you doing? It doesn’t really hurt, you know.”
“It’s probably best if we keep this hidden for the time being. We’ll be suspicious enough the way it is,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“What that fool said before was true, although he left out an important fact.” He tied the ends of the cloth together in a bow just before her elbow.
“Like what?”
“Humans weren’t just jealous of the fact that the elves could use magic. They were tired of the way they were treated. Most humans were second-class citizens, used and looked down on. The Great War is often called The Revolution.”
Claire’s mouth dropped open. Aeron had left that part out as well. “Why didn’t he add that to his little story?”
“He probably didn’t want you to hate him… us.”
She sighed. “I don’t. It’s not like you’ve hurt me. Not yet, at least.” She looked down at her newly bandaged arm. “Do you think Mother knew?” The thought had bothered her for a while now. Why else would she send her into the forest alone that night?
“It’s possible.” He looked up at her, then glanced away. “It’s also possible that she just wanted you to survive at any cost. Who knows?” He shrugged. “You can ask her yourself when you find her.”
The corners of her mouth tugged. She was surprised at his uplifting words. She played with her mother’s bracelet on her left arm, running her fingers over the worn silver. “Why did you come with us?”
He looked down. “Curiosity,” he said, “and maybe a sense of duty. I feel somewhat responsible for getting you into this mess.”
“How very noble of you.” Claire laid back down on the boulder and stared up at the night sky. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? It’s not much of a secret if you don’t really know anything yourself.”
“I told you there’s not much to tell. Even I don’t know all the details. I’m just the hired help to keep that fool out of trouble.”
“Why do you hate Aeron?”
“I don’t hate him. He just drives me crazy. Can you believe he’s my superior?”
The thought amused her. Their personalities were at the opposite ends of the spectrum. “You should try to get along at least, or else this trip will seem even longer.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He dismissed her remark with a shrug.
Claire closed her eyes. The hard rock beneath her was unpleasant but she was too tired to care. Tomorrow they would be in Lendon and one step closer to finding her mother.
She peeked one last time to check if Farron was still there. The elf remained silent next to her as he stared out across the valley. He looked deep in thought.
She wondered if he told her everything, but had the feeling that he hadn’t.
She closed her eyes again and curled up on her side, using her arm as a pillow.
Maybe he wasn’t so mean after all. Everyone must have their bad days. Even elves.