by Brindi Quinn
Darch, however, hadn’t yet released me.
“Your . . . mother,” he said, resting his chin on my shoulder. “That is interesting.”
Yeah and it probably means I’m crazy.
He was silent for several more seconds with his chin firmly in place, and I just stood there and exchanged wondering looks with Kantú and waited. Then, without warning, Darch pushed me away and gave a great clap.
“Well, I’m just glad you’re okay! Now just hold still a moment and let me-”
He reached out his pinky.
“No!” I slapped it away. I couldn’t afford to lose consciousness right now. “I have to see Nyte! Where is he?!”
“Eek!” Kantú started a cower on account of my vivacity.
“What?” I said, eyes widening. “What’s ‘eek’? Eeks are never good! Darch, where is he?!”
“Oh, nothing to worry about really, just . . .” Darch let his voice trail and lowered his eyes to the ground. It seemed, all of a sudden, that his shoes were interesting. More interesting than finishing his statement, at least.
“Just . . .” I coaxed him along with tight teeth.
He let out a reluctant sigh. “Just, he and Ardetto and Grotts and Rend went to find you. That’s all. No big deal, reall-”
“WHAT?!” I threw a frantic gasp behind me. “Out there?!”
‘No big deal’? This was a huge deal!
“Are you serious?!” I continued, beside myself. “Well . . . well, when did they leave?! They can’t go out there alone!”
“You shouldn’t have gone out there alone,” corrected Kantú.
Surprisingly, it served to put me in my place a little. It also served to usher in more guilt.
“Yeah, but I didn’t mean to!” I said. “I was sleepwalking or something! That was really stupid of them to just go out there with no plan!”
“Now, now,” said Darch, tapping his nose. “We didn’t say they didn’t have a plan. Hold on a sec.”
While I stood there, frustrated and panicking and feeling like screaming, he calmly closed his eyes and began to rub his temple.
“Kantú?” I mouthed. “What sort of plan do they have?!”
But before she could answer me, Darch, beaming, clapped again. “There!”
“There?! What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Calm down, Miss Nervous Pants.” Kantú gave my arm a shake. “Ardetto tagged Darch.”
“Ardette tagged . . . . . . . Oh! So he’s in there right now?” For some strange reason, I leaned forward in examination like I might be able to see the red of Ardette’s eyes through Darch’s.
“Yup! That’s right! And I just told him that we found you! So I’m sure they’ll be heading back any minute now! Isn’t that great?!”
Nope. It didn’t make me feel any better. Not even a little.
“But even if he can hear you, how are they supposed to find their way back?!” I was annoyed by the obvious loophole.
“Don’t worry, Aura.” Darch smiled. “First of all, Ardetto can follow my thoughts. If I keep calling to him, he’ll realize whether he’s getting closer to us or farther away, and he’ll be sure to find his way back.”
“So it’s just process of elimination!? The could be wandering around for days out there!”
“AND,” – Darch put up a hand – “second of all, they’ve got Nyte, remember? He found the geyser once using his super Elf hearing, so I’m sure he’ll be able to find it again! He and Rend are casting a barrier that’ll at least help push the mist back some. So please, please, please don’t worry, okay?”
“Darch . . . that’s an impossible request and you know it.”
However, this time, I did feel better. Just a little.
Kantú put an arm around my hip and lowered her voice. “So, what happened out there, Aura? Did you see a . . . you know.”
“A Feirgh? No. But I kind of think I was close to one.”
“Yup!” Darch nodded. “You sure were! I could hear one resonating from really far away. There souls are so loud, you see-”
“What?” shrieked Kantú. “Y-you did?! And you didn’t tell us!?”
“Naw. I didn’t want to worry you guys any more than you already were.”
“Darch . . .” I groaned a groan that was so alike the groans Ardette had often given him. Was he serious?
Darch, quick to move on, ignored the groan and, after inspecting me further, rapidly took on a new state of concern. “Hey, now, Aura,” he said, scolding. “You’ve to go to your tent.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you’re bleeding.”
“Huh?”
He pointed to my right knee.
He was right. I was bleeding. It wasn’t only the right knee, either. Both left and right were equally stained with trails of wet crimson. How had that-? Oh. Right. I’d been kneeling all that time on a rocky ground in my nightwear. What had I expected?
Kantú wrinkled her nose. She never had been one for blood. Nonetheless, she inched forward and peered at the wounds. “Awww, what happened?” she asked.
“We can’t let the Pure Heart’s blood be shed,” said Darch. “No, no, no, we certainly can’t!” And he was dancing around for no reason.
“Ugh. You’re sounding more like Scardo now, you know?”
“Oooh!” said Kantú. “That’s a good idea. Should I go get Scardo and Trib?”
“No!” My response was too harsh, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted Nyte. Only Nyte. “Not right now. Not yet.”
Darch gave me a wink. “Then there’s only one thing to be done!”
The pinky. That damned pinky was there again, and I was powerless against it.
~
The problem with Darch’s pinky was that whenever he used it on me, it always seemed like no time had passed at all. It was confusing to be somewhere one moment, grow drowsy, and wake up somewhere entirely different the next. Sure, I usually felt refreshed, but I was never sure just how much time I’d lost, and I never knew what I’d wake up to. This time I woke up to chaos. Utter chaos.
“I feared that the mist had certainly swallowed you, Miss Heart!” sputtered Scardo, squeezing my cheeks. He shot a glower in the direction of a very sheepish Darch. “Why did you wait until the others returned to tell me she was back?! Uhhh . . .” His short rant ended in a gurgled choking noise.
One of these days our mishaps were certain to kill the uptight man.
“Scardo, I’m fine. Really. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Geez, Aura! I know yer back safe an all, but HOLY SMOKES! What were ya thinkin’?!”
“Grotts . . .”
Yes, the small tent was swarming. I’d wanted Nyte, but what I’d gotten was a very frantic group of fawning guardians. In fact, it was only after Scardo and Grotts completed a much-too-long inspection – to determine if I was fully alive and intact – that I was even allowed into my Elf’s arms at all. However, as much I hated it, I patiently cooperated with the overreacting Yes’lechians because I knew that once released into Nyte’s care, I’d be free from drama. Or so I thought. Regrettably, though, he didn’t turn out to be much better than the rest of them.
“From this day forth I shall hold you in sleep so that you might not run off again!” vowed my captor. And his tone was serious. And he was holding me tightly. So tightly that my cheeks grew hot.
“Nyte! Don’t be saying things like that in front of other people.” How embarrassing!
“It is the truth! I will not allow you into dreamscape danger again!”
“Dreamscape danger?” I asked, looking past him to Kantú. “Does that even make sense?”
She shrugged.
“No. No it does not.” Ardette stepped from the shadows as slinkily as shadow itself.” Good to see that you’ve decided to return, pit. My, my, how kind of you. Especially after, you know, leaving without saying a word and then wandering back while we were out looking for you. That was quite a stunt you pulled.”
“Hey! It’s not
like I meant-”
“A real bother, you are. Did you know?”
“I told you, I’m sorry. I don’t know why-”
But he’d pushed Nyte away and wrapped his arms around me, muffling out the excuses.
“Mmarnette?”
“Shhhh.”
“Unhand her.” Nyte started for what would’ve been a very awkward removal process, but Ardette held up a finger.
“Easy there, Greeny. I just want a moment. Can you spare her for just a moment?” He curled his lip with deliberate mockery. “Oh wait. I forgot. She doesn’t belong to you, does she?”
I prepared myself for another stupid quarrel, but it was an action that was unnecessary because surprisingly, rather than scowl, Nyte almost looked understanding. That couldn’t be right, could it?
“Aura?” he asked, halting the removal, voice calm.
“Uh, it’s fine, I guess.”
He nodded and took a step back, but didn’t remove his eyes from us.
Ardette placed his hand on the rear of my head and pulled my face back into his chest. I felt bad, so I didn’t fight him, and there was something else. The embrace reminded me of that nightmare. Only now, in his arms, it didn’t seem that much like a nightmare. Was my heartbeat actually quickening? That couldn’t happen. I had to hurry and escape before it got any worse.
But before I could, and to make matters worse, he said so that only I could hear,
“Don’t do that again. I know that you aren’t ‘mine’, but for Creator’s sake – and for the sake of your boy, too, I suppose – you’ve got to be more careful or you’re going to bring about my end. And that’s all there is to it.”
You and Scardo both.
He added snidely, “It’s a matter of self-preservation, you see.”
“Mmfbfm.” I gave him an eye roll that no one could see.
“Ardetto . . . don’t you think that’s enough.”
“Ah, yes. The ever-meddling Magir interjects himself again.”
Nonetheless, Ardette released me. At last, my mouth was free from muffle.
“Ardette,” I said immediately, “what’s an aler’gim?”
That term had been in the dream, and I wanted to know what it meant . . . if it meant anything at all.
“Haven’t a clue.”
Luckily, there was someone else that did. Darch sprang forward excitedly.
“Why, Aura!” he sang. “Have you been reading up on me? Well, that’s just great!”
“Huh?”
“Aler’gim!” He was dancing again.
“Huh?!” I gasped. “It’s a real th-” But I stopped myself for fear of sounding suspicious. “I mean, you know what it is?”
“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I? It’s a Magir’s first life!”
I nearly choked. “F-first life?”
“Right-o!”
Then . . . . . . . it was just like it had been in the dream? I’d never heard that word before, though. I was sure of it. How had my subconscious known something like that? I didn’t have an explanation, and for some reason, the thought of that made me kind of queasy.
“Aura? What’s wrong?” Darch squinted at me, so I quickly fought to lift my sickened frown.
“Oh. Nothing. Really.”
I probably fooled no one, but nobody pressed the issue. There was awkward silence. That’s when I noticed how cold I was. Chilled, to be more exact. I looked down.
Oh. Great.
“Er- can you guys leave for a little bit? I’d like to . . . you know.” I gestured to my nightwear.
“Oh! Of course!” said Kantú. “Hey, pervy Irving boys! All of you get out of here right now!”
“What? Are you serious?” Ardette folded his arms, appearing to have no intention of moving. “And leave the little mist walker alone? My, my, being a little reckless, don’t you think?”
“Whatever, Ardette.”
I’d meant it to be serious, but at the comment, Scardo and Grotts burst out laughing. Everyone else just stared at me with varying degrees of confusion upon their faces.
“What?” I asked. “What’s the big deal?”
“Eh-he.” Grotts fought the laughter. “Just an interstin’ nickname ya’ve come up with, that’s all.”
“Nickname? What nickname?”
Nyte’s expression turned from confusion to one of concern.
“Aura,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder, “you just called him ‘Dragon’.”
“Dragon?” Now I was the one laughing. “What? Why would I?” I continued to chortle, but Darch and Grotts had since joined the others in silence. “What are you-?” They were all staring at me now.
What the heck?
It was unnerving, and it made my laughter stop. “No . . . I said, ‘Whatever, Ardette’.”
“No,” – Kantú shook her head – “Aura, you did just call him ‘Dragon’.”
I had? I’d called him ‘Dragon’? No . . . I was so certain I’d just said his name . . . Grotts was shaking his head, though. So were Scardo, Kantú, and Nyte. They were really all convinced I’d just said that? How was that possible?
I replayed the scene over in my head.
“My, my, being a little reckless, don’t you think?”
“Whatever, Dragon.”
No way! What was wrong with me?
“All right.” Kantú grabbed Grotts’ cloak in one hand and Darch’s in the other. “Everybody outside with Rend and Trib! Aura’s clearly not feeling well, so scoot along!”
“No. I’m feeling fine. I just . . . hm.”
“Eh . . .” Grotts waved a hand at me. “Don’ worry ‘bout it. The mist just foggied ya up, that’s all.”
“The mist?” Is that what’d sparked the comment? Any excuse was better than none. “Er, right. Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks, Grotts.”
Ardette still didn’t look like he was ready to go anywhere, but Darch wrenched himself free of Kantú in a dancing squirm and tugged Ardette’s sleeve. “Come with me. Now.”
“What? A little on-edge, are we?”
“Now . . . please.”
“I suppose since you offered such politeness . . .”
Darch was behaving forcefully? So suspicious! Always, those two were so incredibly suspicious. Come to think of it, I hadn’t noticed their reactions to mist-influenced comment. That was just great. Theirs were probably the only two that could’ve helped me understand the situation . . . No, that wasn’t true at all, was it? Theirs were probably the two that would’ve only confused me more.
Lost in helpless bewilderment, I waited for everyone else to clear the tent. Nyte was last to leave, and reluctantly he did go. I lied to persuade him that I was fine, all the while clinging to Grotts’ idea that the mist was responsible for the weird nickname I’d coined on Ardette. I even managed to half-convince myself that that whiteness was also responsible for the strange dream and my sudden unexplainable Magir vocabulary knowledge.
I’d hold tight to that. Until I could find a better explanation, I’d let the idea ground me.
After I had time to clear my head and get dressed, I joined the others at the fire. Darch and Ardette weren’t there, though. That was fine. I was frustrated with the pair of them. Scardo informed us that we’d be departing after one more meal. Thanks to me, we’d already spent more time than intended at that geyser’s side. As if I needed more things to feel guilty about.
At dinner, everyone was awkward. They all acted liked I’d suffered a head wound or something. I hated that. It made me uncomfortable, so I finished quickly and returned to my tent to pack my belongings.
I wasn’t trying to be sneaky or anything on the way back, but my footsteps were light – probably attributed to how woozy I felt. Whatever the cause, my unintentionally sneakiness allowed for a rare opportunity. Between two of the tents, I caught the end of a conversation. A peculiar conversation that did nothing to eliminate my confusion.
“ . . . like you’d try,” came the stifled voice that caught my inte
rest. It caught my interest because it was Ardette’s voice, and it was lacking all haughtiness.
“Do you remember what it was like, Ardetto? Watching her back then?” And that was Darch.
‘Watching her’? Of course something like would make me even more intrigued. My lagging steps increased their lagging.
“No, of course not,” responded Ardette, yawning. “Those memories aren’t mine.”
Apparently, the two of them were in the tent off to my left. The door flap was pulled back enough to allow for my eavesdropping, which was now very much intentional.
“You two share emotions, but not memories?” said Darch. “Well, that’s a raw deal.”
“Hmph. Like it was my choice.”
“That’s exactly it, Ardetto! None of it’s your choice! That’s the part that’s the hardest to bear.”
“Oh? Feeling sentimental, are you? Well, don’t. It’s not like I’ve made the situation better, after all. Do I feel guilty for it, though? Not at all. Simply put, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Yeah, and look where it’s gotten you. She’ll never be yours as long as he’s around – you do realize that, don’t you?” Darch sounded sad.
“Of course I realize it!” spat Ardette. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, by the way. Just a bundle of encouragement today, aren’t we, Darchy?”
“And once he’s gone?”
Ardette sighed. “She’ll be damaged. Beyond repair, I assume. What fun that’ll be.”
“So you intend to help her, then?” asked Darch. “With that impossible theory of ‘finding another way’?”
“What do you think?”
There was a pause and then a thud.
“Wow, Ardetto! You’re such a great friend!”
“Ugh! Get off of me, would you? I need some air.”
Some air?! I was frozen – in danger of being found out, but I didn’t know how to react. Ardette shared emotions with someone? With someone who’d been watching me, presumably? . . . . Wait, watching me? So could he mean . . . Sowpa? But how was something like that possible?! Ardette shared emotions with Sowpa – that was what my mind had concluded, but surely I’d misheard or misinterpreted or something!
Either way, I was beyond confused.
I took a step back, away from the tent, like it might undo what I’d just heard, and smacked into someone.
