CHAPTER 63
RESTLESS
The next day, Kiethara found herself staring at the pile of miscellaneous objects and weapons on the forest floor, basking in the irony of it.
Navadar and Camella were hunting. Kiethara had rolled her eyes when Camella had informed her that the two of them would be collecting dinner together. Their bickering would most likely scare the wildlife away before they could catch it.
So Kiethara was quite alone for the moment, the serene silence reminding her of old times. Especially this pile, collected besides her hammock. A year ago, give or take a few weeks, she had once owned a very similar pile. One made of a blanket, woven baskets, a locket…She fingered the locket around her neck now. It was the only thing, besides her, that had endured.
But while the old was long gone, the new was present and fresh before her. It had once been so new to her—the fighting, the weapons, the strangers from another world…Look at her now! Designing flimsy battle strategies that were all centered on the pile of odd-ended weapons she now owned.
This morning she had begun to put her plans in motion—they really had no time to waste—by making potions. She had hiked Camella’s pot to a river as soon as the sun had risen. She was not sure how to make the potion in a pot instead of a bottle, so she had just dumped her existing potion into the pot and continued remaking it inside her bottle. The process had taken a while, but it had given her the results she had wanted. Under her hammock sat the pot, with the rope soaking inside it.
Would it be enough?
She had asked herself that question all night. Thinking it through, she still figured they had the upper hand. As far as she knew, Gandador had the ability to bring two people with him: Sinsenta and Tryke. If that happened, there would three men who all had legitimate training in magic against three others, two of whom had really no measurable power. Sure, Camella could use magic, but she didn’t know that much. It wasn’t enough.
Dredging up some optimism, Kiethara tried to consider something positive. Perhaps all three of them would not come. Gandador, like the last time, might decide to come alone.
Somehow in the pit of her stomach she knew that was very unlikely.
Gandador had been gone for a long time. Longer, in fact, then he had ever been away before. She did not figure herself lucky enough to have him die outside the forest, and that only left one option: he was busy planning an assault of his own.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a subtle warning from her connection, which she kept present in the front of her mind now at all times. It was a faint thing, but it still managed to prick at her connection as it approached from the south side of her clearing.
Kiethara spun on her heel and turned invisible, easing herself behind one of the two trees that supported her hammock so the belts tied around her waist would be hidden. She held her breath cautiously, waiting. A twig snapped.
And then Markii emerged from the trees, his slow and cautious pace easing her panic. Nothing about him had changed. His midnight hair fell a little longer, perhaps, but his gray eyes continued to roam the surrounding area. His body was tense, weapon drawn, and his expression was devoid of any emotion.
The true step of a wary warrior.
Kiethara let out a breath of relief as she turned visible. She stepped out from behind the tree.
“Markii!” she smiled.
She had expected him to jump, as everyone did with her sudden appearances, but his eyes simply focused on her for a brief moment before they continued their restless roaming.
Although she would never admit it to anyone, Markii intimidated her.
He nodded in her direction as he walked forward, pausing a couple of feet away.
Kiethara looked at his harsh features, trying to distinguish something to tell her a bit about him. Was he all right? Was his tribe all right? Also, the most pressing question of all…
“How has the forest fared?” he asked suddenly, surprising her. Her mind whirled as she thought backwards to his last visit.
“Well enough,” she said, unsure if he needed to know about Aaron. Or maybe unwilling was a better way to describe it.
He nodded again.
“Markii,” she finally said, unable to bear the silence and suspense any longer. “Please, tell me…did Durga…?”
He finally looked directly at her. There was no change to his expression or his manner when he spoke.
“Yes.”
Kiethara inhaled sharply. Her gut plunged in a horrible sensation, a familiar sensation, one that she had no desire to relive. Of course, the feeling was only a mere echo of what Aaron’s loss had caused her.
Perhaps that was why it was so easy to bear this time.
So instead of letting her emotions take over her, instead of mourning and grieving for a loss that could not have been helped, Kiethara swallowed back the lump in her throat. She blinked rapidly for a moment, clearing the tears from her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she finally managed to say. “I pray she went peacefully.”
“So she did,” he confirmed. “She died simply from living too long. There was no disease, no infliction, no painful wound…she was strong till the end, too. She went in the middle of a rant.”
Although his features were as hard as ever, she could have sworn that the last statement held a smile.
“A blessing in these times.”
He did not say anything to that. His eyes roamed over the clearing again.
“You seem to have much more here,” he pointed out bluntly.
“Yes,” she admitted. “Although I appreciate your visit, you’ve come at a tough time.”
“Is the forest endangered?” he asked abruptly.
Kiethara debated quickly inside her head. She did not want to weigh him down with her situation, especially after the death of Durga. But for some reason, she felt as though she could not lie to him. Maybe it was those unrelenting features, or maybe it was his sharp gaze. Whatever the reason, she felt compelled to tell him. Durga and he had always been concerned about the forest’s welfare.
“I wouldn’t exactly phrase it like that,” she hedged. “Essentially, though, we think so.”
“My friends Camella and Navadar are here with me now,” she explained. “They’re from Redawn, and Gandador has effected them both, so when they found out I was preparing to fight and end him, they decided to stick around.”
Markii was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.
“Gandador has effected my tribe as well,” he said in a slightly huskier voice. His remote expression became more intense by a degree.
“I know,” Kiethara whispered in response. “I’ll end it, I swear.”
“I believe you,” he said. He did not say it as encouragement, or as though he was soothing her worries. He said it as a simple, blunt fact.
Kiethara bit her lip, unsure of what else to say. Durga was not here to fill the silence that Markii’s presence always caused. Nor was there an adversary for the two of them to fight. Although there very easily could be.
“You’re certain Gandador is coming?” Markii asked suddenly.
“No,” she admitted. “But I’m fairly convinced. If he follows his old patterns, if you could call them that, he’ll come to attack or send someone to very soon.”
“What if he doesn’t come and someone else does?”
“Well, I’m still going to take care of them,” she said grimly. “However, I think he will come. This is the longest he’s gone without attacking. He’s either preoccupied, or busy planning something big for the forest.”
“How long has he been gone?”
Kiethara sighed as she tried to think it over. The forest was changeless. Time was hard to tell. “At least a month.”
“A month is a long time to formulate a plan,” Markii pointed out.
Kiethara swallowed. “I know.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Of course,” Kiethara sniffed, proud. “At least, we’re working on it.”
He j
ust looked at her.
“It’s difficult,” she explained. “We don’t have any solid information, only a couple of estimations and a few theories. We don’t know when, or how many, or anything else, for that matter. I don’t even know what Gandador’s trying to do to me anymore!”
Markii raised an eyebrow.
She put a hand over her eyes. “It’s a long, painful story.”
“It seems like, no mater what occurs, you could use some assistance,” he observed calmly. Kiethara looked up at him, surprised.
“You said there are already others here,” he explained evenly. “I can stay here as well to help you prepare. I can help the fight.”
Kiethara’s mouth fell open. Was he really offering what she thought? What was going on with him? Not only has he spoken more in this one conversation than all their other conversations combined, but he was asking her to stay in the forest. She could not even picture it in her head.
“What about your tribe?” she asked.
“If you’re right, the trouble will be here, not with them,” he said.
“Fair point,” she breathed, still amazed at his offer. “Are you sure you want to stay here, though? It’s going to be dangerous, and it’s going to be hard.”
Don’t worry,” he told her. “I understand what it entitles.”
He was the first one to admit it.
“It just seems…” she struggled to find the right words. “There’s a lot of magic here. I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”
“I have to,” he interrupted bluntly. “But not because of you. Before Durga passed, she made me promise that I would help you and the forest in any way I could.”
“You’ve already assisted the forest exponentially,” she reminded him.
“I know what I’ve done,” he told her flatly, almost rudely. “And I know what I’m going to do.”
Kiethara bit her lip, afraid that she had angered him. It was so hard to tell though, for his features and his tone never changed.
“If that is really what you want, then you are welcome here,” she said.
He nodded. She took that as his expression of gratitude for her acceptance. If she wasn’t so intimidated by him, she would be rather angry at his blunt reasoning.
“If you’re staying here,” she continued. “Which I suppose you are, then I’ll need to bring you up to speed on what we have so far. Suggestions or any ideas are welcome, please.
“Yesterday, we started—”
Kiethara was interrupted as Camella and Navadar entered her clearing, both pausing in surprise as they spotted Markii. Camella’s expression alighted with open wonder and interest. Navadar’s expression, however, turned stony after his initial recognition.
“Navadar! Camella!” Kiethara called. “You are finished hunting?”
“Not exactly,” Camella said, trailing off. Her mouth was wide.
Navadar did not answer. Instead, he quickly walked towards her and fastened his arm around her waist.
Kiethara reddened, not knowing how to respond to his gesture. He unobtrusively positioned himself so that he was somewhat in between her and Markii, whose expression still had not changed. Kiethara shot Camella an alarmed glance, hoping she would understand. Camella, thank goodness, always caught on quickly.
“Who’s this?” Camella asked, strategically placing herself so it seemed they were all standing in a circle.
“This is Markii,” Kiethara introduced, somewhat awkwardly. Markii quickly examined each of them before his eyes continued their restless journey. He made no comment on his introduction.
“Markii,” she repeated cheerfully. “It’s nice to meet you!”
He nodded.
Kiethara looked up at Navadar’s stony face nervously. “Markii is a friend of mine…and he’s offered to stay here and help us.”
“He did?” Navadar asked, finally speaking.
“Yes.”
“Wonderful!” Camella clapped, making Kiethara jump. “The more help, the better. We should explain to him our plans, should we not?”
“That’s just what was doing before you came. What happened to hunting?”
“Oh, the deer got away,” Camella said dismissively. “I don’t think we’ll be able to catch anything before dinner time. We might have time to catch some fish, though.”
Kiethara did some very quick thinking. She desperately needed to talk to Camella alone, but that meant leaving Markii and Navadar alone. She quickly banished that idea from her head. On the other hand, she needed to speak to Navadar alone, for his chiseled features were almost as hard as Markii’s were.
“Why don’t Navadar and I go figure out a meal, while you and Markii set up here? Maybe you could find a place for him to sleep, to…” Kiethara prayed silently that Camella would know to keep him far, far away from where Navadar slept.
“Perfect,” she grinned. Kiethara unhooked herself from Navadar’s arm, but she grabbed his hand and began pulling him out of the clearing. Before they entered the trees, she shot Camella a look she hoped could explain the situation. Camella flashed an understanding wink and relief flooded through Kiethara. She did not know what she would do without her friend.
As soon as the two of them had walked a reasonable distance Kiethara stopped their pace.
“Navadar.”
He turned to look at her, his eyebrows meshed over his green eyes. She crossed her arms.
“Listen, Navadar—”
“I don’t like it,” he said flatly.
“Well, I can see that. There’s no reason for you not to, though.”
“There’s every reason not to like it!”
“Explain them to me, then,” she said angrily. “Because I can’t find any for the life of me!”
“Well, I mean, just look at him!” he began wildly. “He’s more stone than he is human! It just doesn’t feel right, having him here. I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t trust him with what?” she asked coolly.
That threw him for a moment. Perhaps it was the way she had asked the question; she wanted specifics. She felt a thrill of smugness as she watched Navadar struggle to conjure them.
“I don’t trust him with the fight,” he finally decided. “It seems like he’ll turn on us at any moment. He’s probably working for Gandador, or being enchanted by him!”
Kiethara snorted. She had given him that idea when she had tried to explain why Aaron had not trusted him. “Markii doesn’t use magic, either. He’s just as immune to that as you are.”
“He could still betray us!”
“I’ve fought by his side before,” she reminded him. “He killed Swallin for me. He helped protect the forest. Just as you have.”
“He’s only fought Swallin. Camella and I have both dealt with Gandador. This Markii has no idea what’s he in for,” Navadar said hotly.
“All right, this is getting ridiculous,” Kiethara interrupted. “Markii is perfectly capable for this fight. He’s proven his loyalty, just as I thought I have proven mine.”
“What does that mean?” Navadar blinked, confused.
“Navadar, don’t pretend. I know what this is about. I’m hurt that you have such little faith in me! You are the only man in my life, and I’m not about to change that.”
Navadar scowled and reddened, but he did not back down. “It’s not you I don’t trust, it’s him.”
“Well, I do,” she said with a tone that rang with finality. “And if you trust my judgment, so should you.”
He looked as though he was going to continue arguing, but instead he seemed to swallow his words. He exhaled and nodded.
“Thank you,” she exhaled, relaxing. “Now work your magic and do that horrid act of catching dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t kill squirrels.”
“Neither do I. You can’t eat squirrels, Kiethara.”
She sighed and dropped herself to the grass, closing her eyes. “Thank goodne
ss for that, then.”
Navadar chuckled and knelt down next to her.
“You look tired,” he murmured, brushing her hair from her face.
“Mm,” she agreed, turning her head towards him. “We still have a lot of work to do.”
“Perhaps,” he said, tracing her thin lips with his fingers. “But we’ll get it done, Kiethara, I promise. You need not stress yourself out about it. You’re not alone.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind as I look to the skies, waiting for Gandador’s fire balls to rain down on our heads,” she mumbled.
“Haven’t we talked about you and this bleak attitude of yours before? Where’s the bright optimism I taught you?” he asked.
She laughed, remembering the conversation they had had so long ago, after the fire.
“That’s better. Now, let me go get us some dinner.”
“All right.”
He left her there, lying on the forest floor. She looked up at the canopy above her, unable to diminish the uneasy, restless feeling she had in her chest. A list of priorities ran through her head, seeming more looming after every passing second. She felt it in her chest; Gandador’s attack was lurking in the immense shadows.
She would not get any rest until this was over.
Whether that rest would be eternal or not, she did not know.