isPc
isPad
isPhone
To Scale the Emerald Mountain (The Willowbane Saga #1) 5. CHAPTER FIVE 11%
Library Sign in

5. CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

T he fire burned out overnight, barely a smoldering ember remaining.

Looking around, I search for Locane but don’t see him. A blanket from my waist down catches my eye. A smile pulls at my lips, but I tamp it down immediately, imagining the scowl that probably covered Locane’s face while he covered me. I wonder if he finally left me for a lost cause. It appears he has. I consider the idea of continuing on without the glare of that man attached to me. The thought of going back to silence, rather than enduring his coarse comments, leaves me conflicted. I’m almost relieved, but beyond that small sliver of relief is a crippling fear.

Fear of being alone again.

I’m wholly unsure of what to think of this strange person who seemingly appeared out of thin air—at a very convenient time. He insists on helping me, even though his words and general demeanor suggest that it’s the last thing he wants to be doing. Despite his insistence that we don’t know each other, I can’t help the creeping sense of familiarity since we have been around each other.

Familiar .

Yes, that is the word I’ve been unable to pinpoint. The more I consider the memory that came to me as a dream last night, the more I think that Locane’s aura almost matches the calming presence that I felt in that memory. An aura that I’ve only now noticed I can see.

Is that ability another facet of magic that I may hold?

And with that thought, I know that Locane hasn’t left. My eyes roam, trying to pinpoint the direction of the gentle tug that pulls deep within me. Another thing that is familiar. I have felt that same tug many times—including during my impossible escape. Sensing Locane coming between a copse of trees, I turn my head in that direction.

Something isn’t right.

Over the last day, it’s like I’ve been waking from a lucid dream. I was wandering aimlessly before, with little questions or concerns and easily giving up on trying to dig for memories of who I am. I just kept moving in a direction that felt right. I know deeply within me that the memory of my Nana is real and true, and there is suddenly fire and fury in my blood.

My eyes trail on Locane as he strolls back into the small clearing without a care in the world. I’m on him in a heartbeat, hammering the heel of my palm in his chest.

“Who are you?” Another smack of my palm. Locane gives me an infuriating smile and says nothing. “We know each other. I can feel it,” I snarl in his face. Nothing. This time, my palm connects with his cheek with a satisfying sting. “Tell me!”

“I already told you. We don’t know each other. I’ve no idea what is giving you that idea, but I can assure you, we have never met before I rescued you.”

Lies.

“And how did you come to be in these woods just as I needed rescuing? ”

He sighs with clear irritation. “As I’ve already said, Ellya, I was traveling on my way home when I heard you and decided to help. Simple as that. Whatever issues you’ve got going on with all this,” Locane gestures animatedly towards my head, “Has nothing to do with me. And I am regretting my decision to help you with each passing minute that I am around you.” He crosses his arms and gives me that blank cruel face.

“Then fucking leave! I don’t want your help!” I’m shaking now.

“My home is not far from here. We will go there, I will provide you with what you need, and you can go on your merry aimless way.”

Peering down at my dirty nightgown and bare feet, I swallow thickly, my sudden fire bleeding away. Though I am reluctant to admit I need help, I finally answer through my teeth, “Fine.”

“Fine,” Locane fires back. “And stop hitting me.”

“Stop needing to be hit.”

I want to hit him now.

“Yes, how dare I try to rouse you from a vision that had you seizing, or return from relieving myself. You’re right, I clearly deserved it,” he spits at me sarcastically.

My nose starts to bleed again, and he rolls his eyes, producing another small cloth for me to wipe it.

“I couldn’t help it with the vision. And just now, it was the combination of your obvious lies and your attitude towards me.”

Locane laughs and turns away.

I’m still silently fuming as we eat a small breakfast and head out for the day. Locane keeps a brutal pace. I’m full of fire and an infinitesimal bit more sure of myself today. The memory I had of Nana last night was a balm to my chafed soul; the memory coming to me is like an anchor rooting me amidst this endless sea of uncertainty.

My mind keeps revisiting that precious piece of myself, but the memory is thick. Going through it and trying to take in the details is like trying to trudge through mud, each step heavier than the last. But the more obvious points are vivid, and I’m finding a foundation of self.

There is at least one loving family member for me, in the form of a grandmother. Is Nana still out there? Is she searching for me? The idea of that makes my heart swell. A face splitting grin dominates my features at the same time my resolve solidifies from this small piece of knowing who I am; and that person is not weak or defenseless.

Locane doesn’t miss the lift in my mood and demeanor. “What? Why are you smiling like that?” he demands with a scowl.

“I’m happy. Most people smile when they’re happy. You should try it sometime.” I offer him a dazzling smile.

“I smile plenty when there is a reason to. I’m just curious what could have possibly changed your mood so drastically.”

“Oh, I’m just recalling a memory I had last night that came to me in a dream.” He cuts me a glare that says he’s sorry he asked. I throw my head back and laugh. “No, not like that! Apparently I have a doting grandmother who taught me all she knows.”

“A grandmother?”

“Yes. Nana. I look a lot like her. It seems she is the one who taught me to fight.” My smile is so wide, my cheeks ache. Locane gives me a skeptical glare. I’m convinced he doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘joy’ with the way he’s inspecting me like some foreign creature.

“You are certain this dream is a memory? ”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?” He’s stopped walking and is standing with his arms crossed, feet shoulder width apart. A defensive stance.

“I just know.” There is more conviction to my voice with that sentence than anything I’ve said to him yet. Locane scans my face, and whatever he sees must convince him, because next he’s asking me more questions.

“What happened in this dream?”

“It was a training session with Taiik, overseen by Nana. I was twelve, and it was the first time I landed a blow. I was reliving that joy all over again.” I start walking again, not wanting to waste the burst of energy standing around being glared at by this infuriating man.

“Who is Taiik?”

“The Bokhaiish staff master Nana hired to train me,” I tell him impatiently.

Locane surprises me with a scoff dripping with disdain. “Of course, your weapon of choice is a staff.”

“Yes, it is,” I spit harshly. “Because Nana herself trained in Bokhaii with many renowned masters and wanted to pass that on to me. She’s a legend.”

“If she’s so legendary in the art, why did she hire someone else to train you?” he asks me coldly. “Couldn’t bother to make the time herself?”

His words are an icy punch to my heart.

“Of course not. She was waiting to be hands on in my training. I’m not sure if we ever got to that.” I gnaw my lip, the rush I felt moments ago dying down with the sudden need to know more, to remember more .

Did Nana ever make the time to personally train with me?

“Do you know why she was waiting? I can’t imagine it being a reasonable cost to send for a Bokhaiish staff master to come to Brhadir just to train a young girl.”

“She wanted me to start with beginner’s lessons.”

“Right,” Locane drawls skeptically. He’s stopped walking and is watching me with cold amusement.

Pushing past him, he stops me with a gentle hand on my arm. I look into his brown eyes, his coldness dropping and morphing into something different. This level of focus from him is unnerving. I simultaneously want to slap him in the face and push deeper into his touch.

I hate it.

“What?” I breathe when the intensity of the silent interaction becomes too much to bear.

He says nothing for another few agonizing seconds before releasing me, turning on his heel and continuing to trek on. “We’ve been awake for hours. Why didn’t you tell me?”

I scoff at his air of entitlement. “Why would I?”

“You keep asking me who I am. If you expect me to tell you, I’d think you’d tell me any little bit about yourself that you can. I must admit, I am shocked that you have, at some point, learned to fight with a staff. I’d like to see what you’ve got. If anything.”

Striding quickly to Locane’s side, I glare at him. “See? Was that last part really necessary? I do nothing and you’re just rude to me for no fucking reason.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a filthy mouth?” he asks, deflecting.

“I’d imagine so.”

“It’s not becoming of a lady. ”

I laugh hard. “I am no lady.”

Locane gives me a pointed look, slapping away a buzzing mosquito. “Your grandmother was able to secure you a Bokhaiish staff master to train. I’d say you are certainly someone.”

“And I’d say you know more than you are telling me, Locane.”

“I’ve already told you, I don’t. We will part ways soon.”

And soon cannot come soon enough.

I’ve felt like I’ve been holding my breath ever since Locane fell into my life, and I need to fill my lungs. Yet, despite my apprehension, and mentally wanting to get as far away from him as possible, I continue to feel that familiar tug and struggle to ignore it. I’m convinced it’s somehow connected to him.

I don’t give him a response, and we continue on for the rest of the day in silence.

We stop for the night in a small cave that Locane did a quick inspection of and deemed safe. We eat a dinner identical to the one the night before as a fierce thunderstorm rages outside.

Another day before we reach his house, I remind myself as the weariness from the day’s travel sets in.

In all the time I was on the move, I don’t remember being this exhausted, this sore. The thought of sleep lures me to a lying position on the rocky cave floor—hard and unforgiving.

Sleep has nearly taken me when Locane clears his throat. “If you’d like, I have tools at home that I could craft you a staff with.” His voice is gentle, almost kind.

My breath catches in my throat. My heart rate increases speed. “I’d really appreciate that. ”

“Very well. I’d like to see what your Nana has taught you.”

My grin from earlier has returned. I’m anxious to see what she has taught me as well, but I keep my excitement guarded, not wanting to give him a reason to step back from dropping his abrasive attitude.

Locane offered to make me a weapon himself. Maybe he thinks it will help me rediscover myself. Maybe he thinks it will help me protect myself when we part ways. Maybe it’s mostly selfish, just for him to see first hand what I have learned. If my memory of Nana serves correctly, my training was a rare setting that not many people outside of Bokhaii get to experience.

Whatever his motivation, maybe he isn’t so bad after all.

Chapter List
Display Options
Background
Size
A-