The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 9
Prea’s back was being forced against the rough bark of a tree. A young man was pressed up against her front, immobilizing her and his hand was covering her mouth, effectively silencing her. She panicked and struggled against his hold, glaring up at the man’s face, into eyes the dark blue of the night sky, waiting for him to release her. He appeared to be listening for something or someone else.
“Please forgive me. I don’t mean you any harm. We need to get out of here,” the man said, loosening his hand on her mouth.
“Get…” Prea tried to scream before her mouth was covered again.
“Please don’t yell. There are men following you. I heard them talking at the inn in Ashton. We have to get away from the road,” he explained quickly.
So far, he hadn’t hurt her or done anything inappropriate. And there was sincerity in his eyes. He was listening again and this time they both heard the faint clip of hooves against ground in the distance. He turned his eyes back to her and Prea nodded silently as her heartbeat began to race in time with the echoes of the enemy horses. He released her, grabbed her hand and they immediately started moving. “Quietly, quietly.”
He moved swiftly and efficiently through the brush and trees. The man’s lengthy stride made it hard for Prea to keep up, despite him holding her hand. They moved almost silently through the forest for a few minutes before they began to slow. Eventually the two came to a stop, the road nowhere to be seen from their position and the stranger released Prea’s hand.
She studied the young man beside her; he was tall with wavy bronze hair, angular features cut into his face save for a softness around his eyes and mouth. She stared at him silently, waiting expectantly for an explanation for his sudden and drastic interference in her life.
He turned back to Prea, facing her. After a moment of studying her in return, the man began to speak quietly. “I meant everything I said before. I was staying at the inn in Ashton as well, and after you left I overheard some men. They were talking about a girl traveling alone…about following her…catching her…and…” He looked away.
“I don’t understand,” Prea said confused. Kael looked at her pointedly. “Oh…you mean…they were…they were going to have their way with me.” She shivered from the memory of Almer’s unwanted touch the night before.
“Yes. I was leaving at the time myself and I know the area. I thought I could get ahead of them through the woods and reach you first. I wasn’t going to let them hurt you when there was something I could do about it.” He paused. “I’m Kael, by the way. Kael Farron,” he said, holding his hand out towards Prea.
She was no longer frightened, but grateful for his assistance. She didn’t feel any ill will coming from him, quite the opposite; she felt something, maybe safe again. All Prea knew was she could trust this Kael Farron.
“I’m Prea Reed,” she said, grasping his outstretched hand.
Kael and Prea waited where they were in companionable silence. They were safely away from the road, but that was also the problem. Given it was out of their line of sight, they were unaware of whether or not the men had passed by yet. For Kael, it might not have been a problem, but Prea didn’t know how to find her way without the road.
Kael broke the quiet. “So Prea, where are you headed?”
“I’m going north towards Rodor, ideally through Colter. But I don’t know my way except for the road,” she said by way of explanation.
“Even if you knew the way, I’m not sure you should be traveling alone. I’m heading that way myself. I can get you to Colter and I can do it through the woods, if you’d like?” he offered.
Her friends would probably think she was crazy, but Prea knew that Kael could get her to Colter. And safely. “That would be great. Thanks.”
Kael steered them deeper into the woods in what Prea could only assume was a northerly direction. They were situated on the left side of the road which cut across the center of Alder. West of the road, the land rose first in hills then to mountains toward the center of Valtera. East of the road, the forest was virtually flat all the way to the coast. As long as they remained at the base of the hills, they could follow that line all the way to Colter, theoretically at least.
They traveled for a while in silence with Kael leading the way while Prea lagged behind, the uneven terrain causing her problems. It wasn’t exactly awkward, but it wasn’t comfortable either. It seemed they both were waiting for the other to start the conversation.
Kael finally spoke. “So Prea, what has you journeying to Colter?”
“Uh.” What should she say? How much should she tell? “I have business in Rodor that I need to attend to,” Prea answered vaguely.
He looked back at her for a second. “Really? What kind of business?”
“Personal,” she said simply. She had already spent quite a lot of time arguing with her friends about what she was doing, she didn’t want to do it with strangers. Plus, it was her business and hers alone. No one else’s. And he had yet to earn any other information.
“All right. Don’t tell me,” he said unconcerned. “Where did you start out from?”
“Uh, Beech. It’s right on the Bay of Aldin.”
“That’s far. How long have you been on the road?”
“About a fortnight.”
“That long on your own?” Kael wondered, surprised.
“Yes.” Prea was done answering questions. “Why were you in Ashton?”
“Same as you,” he answered and couldn’t help but note she had shifted the focus of the conversation. “I’ve been in Alder for a while. There aren’t many towns on the inland crossroad. I wanted a warm place to sleep in a nice bed.”
“Understandable. Do you normally travel by yourself?”
“Yes. Most of the time on the unbeaten trail. I like spending time in the woods.”
“So do I.”
The conversation subsided and silence resumed, staying for hours. His initial curiosity seemed to be satisfied given how much she was willing to reveal. Kael appeared to be a quiet man and he was used to being alone.
“Why are you helping me?” Prea asked out of the blue, causing Kael to stop and turn. “Most people wouldn’t. Why are you?”
“Why are you trusting me?” Kael countered.
“I asked you first,” Prea said childishly.
“They’re equally intriguing questions.”
“Well, aren’t you stubborn.”
“So are you,” Kael argued and they squared off, arms crossed in the middle of the woods.
Prea sighed. “You didn’t—don’t feel like a threat. I follow my instincts and intuition; they’ve rarely steered me wrong,” she said, looking him straight in the eye. There was more to it than that, but she wasn’t going to reveal it all. “Your turn.”
It took him a minute to respond as he scrutinized her face. “There’s something about you. Don’t ask me what it is; I don’t know.” Kael looked away, trying to find the right words. “Maybe it’s honor or duty. Maybe it’s something more. You were headed in the same direction as me and I could help. I don’t know what else to say,” he finished with a shrug.
When she said nothing else, he turned and resumed walking. They traveled in silence for the rest of the day until the sky signaled night was on the horizon.
“We should stop now,” Kael suggested. “We won’t be able to see much longer before night falls.”
“Let’s make camp then,” Prea said, nodding in agreement and glancing around. This was as good a place as any, she supposed. They put their packs down, and both instinctively began gathering wood for a fire.
The weather was warming up, but the nights were still on the chilly side so the fire would provide welcome light and warmth in the darkness. The brush was thick underfoot and the canopy overhead would protect them if it happened to rain.
Prea had become more capable in the time she had been traveling, but it wasn’t exactly based on normal skills and abilities. She had honed her additional sense of feeling energy so it would be easier to make a fire. After paying strict attention, and much trial and error, she had discovered a difference between the wood that was likely to burn and the wood that was not.
There was energy in all things in nature, not just the living. Prea had realized that if the energy she felt was deep inside, a flame was less likely to ignite quickly. On the other hand, if the energy she sensed was closer to the surface, the easier it was to light. She supposed it had to do with a transference of energy as there was an element of fire in everything and fire itself was energy.
Prea focused on the task at hand and didn’t see Kael watching her gather or discard various pieces of firewood and kindling. He stopped.
“What are you doing?” Kael asked.
Prea paused and looked up at him, confused. “Collecting wood for the fire.”
“I know that. Why do you only keep some and put others back?”
She looked down at the wood in her hands and then glanced at the piece she had put back near her feet. It took a minute before she saw her actions as he probably did, odd and illogical. “The ones I put back aren’t good for a fire. They won’t light as well.”
“How do you know?” If he hadn’t been curious before, he was now.
“Uh,” Prea started. She didn’t know how to explain what she felt. Everyone in Beech knew her family’s beliefs about nature, most having had Isa as a teacher. But her family had never discussed particulars with anyone else. Not even Beda and Dal. More often than not, it was just a feeling and not one that could be easily expressed. “I just do.”
“Really?” he wondered incredulously. “You just know?”
She didn’t want to have this conversation. “Do you want help or not?” she snapped.
“Usually things are quicker if I do them myself,” he said, eyes narrowed. “But I guess you can help.”
Once they had gathered a good amount of kindling, Kael started the fire. Prea sat down on the brush, resting her back against a tree as she watched his graceful hands work, quickly catching a spark. He was skilled in nature and the elements, that was clear. He fiddled with the fire for a few minutes before sitting back against a tree himself.
Prea watched the flames, fascinated by the changing colors and how they danced atop the wood. The soft light and warmth pulled her in, lulling her into a kind of trance. The fire radiated power in this small makeshift campsite of theirs. In that power, Prea could see the stone, she could feel it in the heat of the flames. Her heart somehow filled with the stone’s immense energy, the eternal love between Ciro and Aylin. The fire and its power threatened to engulf her, here in the woods.
She wasn’t prepared for this, for these feelings, the ones that reminded her of those she lost. And with the power and love, came the sadness and despair. Prea had been on a mission, focusing on the task at hand, pushing down her feelings and now they were coming back with the force of a strong current.
Something touched her arm, breaking her trance. Her cheeks were wet with tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. Prea raised her gaze from the fire, surprised to find Kael’s concerned eyes looking back at her. She looked down and saw his hand resting lightly on her arm. At her glance, Kael removed his hand and shifted back as he sat down.
“Are you all right?” Kael asked. “You were watching the fire for a while and then you just started crying out of nowhere.”
Prea wiped her cheeks dry. Looking away she responded, “I’m fine, it’s nothing.”
When her gaze finally returned to the man sitting across from her, she still saw concern as he waited for her to elaborate. Kael didn’t look like he was going to accept her answer, but what was she supposed to tell him? That she was on a quest to find a magical stone that no one thought existed? Or that she had felt the stone’s ancient power in the fire? Or that she could sense the eternal love shared between Aylin and Ciro? And that she had been overwhelmed by the reminder of her own love and loss? Would he even believe any of that? She didn’t know what to tell him; she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to say about her family or her past.
Prea decided to be as diplomatic as possible. “I just got overwhelmed, is all,” she said lamely, raising her eyes to meet Kael’s, silently pleading for him to just leave it be. After a long moment, Kael reluctantly accepted her words and left it alone.
Prea gathered some wood later on to make sure they were well stocked for the night, then settled down, attempting to make herself as comfortable as possible on the ground. She lay down, curled away from Kael in the increasing darkness, feeling the heat of the fire against her back. She didn’t know how long she lay there with her eyes closed before sleep came for her.
* * *
Kael sat across the fire, up against his own tree, watching his new companion fall asleep. He couldn’t fathom what a young woman was doing traveling alone, especially through the woods. He felt an unusual urge to protect this girl, this young woman he had only just met. It was an odd feeling that he didn’t understand, but he was curious.
He heard a small sound and Kael sat up straight, listening close. His heart sank when he realized that Prea was crying softly in her sleep. Before he could sit back again, he heard one word escape Prea’s lips. Leal.
* * *
Alvie walked home from the infirmary in the darkness after a long day at work. She avoided spending time at home because the house still felt off, even though Beda was living in Prea’s room. And it would feel that way until Carr and Prea were back home.
Tonight, though, Beda was having dinner with her parents and the house would be empty once again. Alvie thought she was mistaken when she saw light glowing from inside and found the door was unlocked. Walking through the house, she made her way to the kitchen, dumping her stuff along the way. When she reached the kitchen doorway, she stopped.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, making Dal turn away from the counter.
“Thought you could use some company,” he answered, returning to his dinner preparations at the counter. “Beda mentioned you’d be alone.”
“So you’re making me dinner?” she asked suspiciously.
“Yes.”
“Why?” This didn’t make any sense to her.
“I need a reason?”
“Prea already got Beda to stay here and I’m sure she made you promise to check in on me, but you don’t need to cook for me. You have your own life.”
“Yes, I promised Prea I would check in on you. But, believe it or not, this isn’t just for your benefit. I like spending time with you.”
“You do?”
“Is it that surprising?” Dal asked seriously.
“I just always thought you were nice to me because of Prea. Or talked to me because she asked you to.”
“Most of the time she did. But that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.”
“Okay,” she replied, though she was unsure. This whole conversation made her unsteady.
“How’s Carr doing?” Dal asked.
“No change,” Alvie answered, sitting down at the table.
“Prea will come through. Have faith.” Dal brought two bowls of soup over to the table, setting one down in front of Alvie and he sat across from her. “It’s not much.”
She smiled and met his calm grey eyes. “It’s wonderful. Thank you.”
* * *
Prea was comfortable, warm and happy; she didn’t want to open her eyes, not yet. Everything was perfect right now, but she turned over anyway and opened her eyes. There he was, lying next to her in bed. Her heart leapt at the sight of his profile, his hand resting on his chest. He looked so peaceful and young in sleep, his chestnut hair splayed across his forehead, his eyelashes catching the light from the sun coming through the window. She could see his eyes moving back and forth under his lids; he must be dreaming something wonderful, Prea thought. She just lay there, watching him sleep, loving him with all her heart.
When she couldn’t take it anymore, Prea raised her arm and brushed her fingers lightly over his skin, tickling him. His lips spread slowly into a grin as he brought his other hand down on top of Prea’s, holding it tight. He moved his head to the side, towards her, finally opening his beautiful hazel eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. Leal. His smile widened.
“Good morning, Sweet Pea.”
She couldn’t remember being happier. “Good morning yourself, handsome.”
“Come here,” Leal said as he grabbed Prea around the waist and pulled her towards him. He looked straight into her eyes, into her heart and soul for what seemed like forever.
“I love you,” he said eventually with more vehemence than she had ever heard.
“I love you, too,” Prea responded with passionate certainty. “I will always love you.”
Leal leaned in slowly, pausing at the last second before brushing his lips lightly against Prea’s. It was a kiss of good morning, of love and of home. He pulled back slightly, and everything was perfect; being there with Leal was perfect.
A loud clap of thunder pierced the sky and suddenly they were surrounded by sea water, the waves rising around them. The bed tipped and Leal slid into the ocean as Prea reached for him, panic rising in her chest. She stretched, grasping for his arm, but there was nothing she could do. It was as if he was being pulled under, away from her. The fear in his eyes was a dagger to her heart and it was the last thing she saw as his open mouth sucked in his last watery breath. All Prea could do was scream.
