by Gwynn White
Melachor reached into his cloak and pulled out a roll of cloth. Joshua and the others leant in and stared at the spherical orb Melachor revealed. Joshua nodded to Melachor, who wrapped the orb again and handed it over.
Joshua reached into his keeper bag and pulled out the mirror, also still wrapped in cloth. With the exchange complete, Melachor walked back into the woods and was gone.
10
The Romance Blossoms
“Are you sure that was wise?” Andrew said, turning to Joshua after Melachor was out of sight. “I mean, we don’t know whether this orb really works or even how to use it.”
Joshua tucked the orb into his keeper bag.
“Melachor was right. The mirror is useless to us now. Come on, let’s get moving. Galleon, how much longer to the River of Torrents?”
“Probably another couple of days travel from here. The sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll get there. Come on, Andrew and I will take point.”
Galleon and Andrew went on ahead with Joshua and Sarah picking up the rear. Joshua was pleased to see them enjoying each other’s company. They revelled in telling each other jokes and exchanging anecdotes about their different lives.
In contrast, Joshua and Sarah were very quiet. Joshua wanted to talk to Sarah but he was unsure of himself and didn’t know what to say. After several minutes of awkward silence, Sarah spoke.
“Um, where are you from?”
Joshua was happy he had a chance to talk to Sarah on his own but he was unsure of himself. Clearing his throat bought him some time but didn’t really know what he wanted to say. Mustering as much courage as he could, he forced himself to say something.
“Oh, um, well, I’m from a tribe over to the west,” he said, finally managing to stumble the words out. “That is, the, um, well, it’s the Morelle. I mean the Morelle tribe. I’m from the Morelle tribe.” Joshua was kicking himself inside for having fumbled such a basic answer to an equally basic question. Sarah looked at him with a kind smile.
“Morelle,” she slowly repeated. “I don’t think I’ve been there, but the name does sound familiar for some reason.”
“What about you? Where are you from? Originally, I mean,” Joshua asked.
“Oh, I’m from the Far North,” she said with a smile and another giggle. Each time she did this, Joshua’s face beamed and he felt butterflies in his stomach. He loved that infectious little giggle. It was so cute.
She was innocent and resourceful, not to mention her aiming skills surpassed Andrew’s. Beauty and skill; he’d never been so infatuated with anyone before and he was unsure how to react to these new and unfamiliar feelings.
“Have you ever heard of a place called Jemarrah?” she asked.
“Jemarrah? I know of it but I’ve never been there. I haven’t seen much of Forestium. In fact, this is the farthest I’ve ever been from home.”
“Really?” Joshua turned to her and their eyes met for the first time. They both looked ahead again, embarrassed. Then their eyes met again and both of them laughed at the same time.
The ice had broken between them. He had found his confidence and now felt he could talk to her more openly. As they walked, Joshua and Sarah told each other all about where they came from and the various adventures they had been on.
Joshua loved how Sarah laughed when he told her he originally wanted to be a Fixer. She told him she had been tinkering with things since she could crawl and always wanted to be a Fixer from as young as she could remember.
“It’s customary in my tribe for Fixers to leave the village at the age of decision. The idea is to go exploring and to learn new things.”
“You said you had been away for months. That’s a long time to be away from home.”
The two of them walked and talked for hours until the sun began casting long shadows.
“Let’s make camp,” Galleon suggested. “We’ve been walking for ages and I’ve got so many blisters, I’m practically walking on water. This clearing will do. We can stop here for the night.”
“I’ll find some Flame-bark,” Sarah suggested.
“Flame-bark?” Joshua asked. He had never heard of it before. But he didn’t care. Spending more time with Sarah made him feel warm inside, although he pretended to hide his enthusiasm.
“I’ll go with you,” he added. “I mean, if you want. I can help you carry it, if you want.”
Sarah smiled and nodded. “Come on then. Let’s see if we can find enough to keep the fire going all night.”
Galleon and Andrew looked at each other and smiled, then set about removing the leaf-litter from the ground in the centre of the clearing. Joshua and Sarah went off in search of fuel for the night-fire, leaving the two of them to chat to each other.
“Joshua seems quite committed to finding his father. How long have you known him?”
“Ever since I can remember. We’re practically brothers. He can be quite tenacious when he wants.”
“Really? How so?” Galleon raised his brow.
“Well, he once tried to convince some of the village Fixers they were using the wrong wood to build wheels with. It was a few years ago. He would have been about twelve at the time.”
“And were they?”
Andrew chuckled and shook his head.
“To prove his point, he found a piece of Ashfer wood and tried carving it into the shape of a wheel. He spent every waking hour on it night after night. Must have taken him a week before he was satisfied. When he finished, the Fixers attached the wheel to a cart and Joshua climbed on triumphantly.”
“What happened?”
“They pushed it down the path. The wheel struck a rock and promptly broke in two. Sent him and the cart into a muddy ditch. I nearly wet myself laughing.”
Galleon burst into laughter and said, “Some friend you are, Andrew.”
“Don’t fool yourself. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. He’s saved my life on more than one occasion.”
By the time Joshua returned with Sarah some time later, they were each sporting a huge armfull of what looked like regular pieces of dried bark.
Meanwhile, Galleon had managed to get a small flame going. Sarah took some of her pieces of Flame-bark and threw them onto the fire one at a time. As each piece landed in the flame it ignited in a flash and burned intensely with a crackling sound. By the time all the Flame-bark was in place the fire was roaring fiercely and putting out lots of heat. Andrew stood there with his brow raised and mouth open.
“How did you know about this Flame-bark?” he asked Sarah as he took a seat beside the fire and enjoyed the warmth. “I’ve never seen such a small fire put out so much heat.”
“Well, it was just a matter of experimenting with burning lots of different forest materials. I spent several days trying to see what worked best. Then I accidentally stumbled upon this particular type of bark. It was a few weeks ago when I was trying to figure out how to trap a Wood-boar. Wood-boars are attracted to heat, so I thought I’d see how to make better flames with more heat.”
Andrew nodded and pursed his lips.
Joshua could see his best friend was starting to come around where Sarah was concerned. Andrew’s initial misgivings and annoyances at her constant talking must be starting to give way to respect and admiration.
Joshua found himself wondering about how they were going to get across the River of Torrents. “You said something about Razorfins?” he asked Galleon.
“Hmmm,” Galleon replied. “Nasty creatures, they are; very good swimmers and very large teeth. It’s mating season, so the river will be full of them. A full-grown Razorfin would think nothing of ripping your arm or leg right off and coming back for seconds.”
Andrew gulped and raised his eyebrow. There was a long pause as Galleon’s words sunk in.
“Right, who’s hungry?” Sarah said, smacking her hands together.
“I’m starving, but maybe we might try something other than boiled Shrooms tonight?” Galleon pleaded. “Maybe one of you can catch a couple of Chirvels
?” he suggested, raising his eyebrows at Sarah.
“Come on then, Andrew. Let’s see if we can put your improved slingshot to good use.”
The two of them wandered off into the forest, leaving Joshua and Galleon sitting by the fire. After they were out of sight and out of earshot, Galleon got up and went to sit beside Joshua. He made himself comfortable and the pair sat there for a few minutes in silence enjoying the warmth of the crackling Flame-bark. Eventually, Galleon turned to Joshua and asked him about what he saw in the Mirror of Prophecy.
“It was Sarah, wasn’t it?” he whispered. “You saw Sarah in the mirror?”
Joshua looked at Galleon with surprise. “How could you possibly know that?”
“I didn’t. At least not until your reaction just confirmed it.”
Joshua’s shoulders sank and he let out a sigh.
“You really like her, don’t you? I can tell by the way you look at her. And do you know what? I’m pretty sure she likes you too.”
Joshua blushed. His instinct was to shrug it off and deny it but he knew it was true. Galleon seemed to have a sixth sense about things, and Joshua didn’t see any merit in pretending anymore.
Joshua paused for a moment before answering. “She was crying. I could see she was very upset. I mean really very upset, as if someone had died or something.” He looked down at the ground and a tear started to well in his eye. “What does it mean? Why would she be so upset like that?”
“Well, I suppose you could ask the Oracle when we get to the Valley of Moross?”
Joshua pondered this. He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. At some point in the future Sarah would be deeply upset, and he’d rather not dwell on it. He also wondered whether he would be doing the right thing by telling her what he had seen. Besides, he was hoping the Oracle would help him find the truth about his dream and whether it was indeed his father he saw in great suffering. He wasn’t even sure the Oracle would give him even that much information, let alone provide him with answers about Sarah’s future.
“If you knew you were going to suffer in the future, would you want to know? What possible good could come from me telling Sarah what I saw?”
Galleon pondered this for a moment and said, “You’re probably right. But I still think you should tell her about how you feel about her.”
“How he feels about who?” Andrew said as he came walking back towards the fire with Sarah not far behind him. Joshua and Galleon stood up.
“Nothing. So, what’s for dinner?”
“Delicious boiled Shrooms, of course,” Sarah said laughing. She dropped the heap of Shrooms she was carrying onto the ground next to the fire. “Andrew nearly bagged a Chirvel.”
“It wasn’t my fault.” Andrew quickly defended himself. “It is dark after all.” They all laughed.
“Better practice your aim a bit more, Andrew,” Galleon said with a chuckle, “unless you want to live off boiled Shrooms for the rest of the journey, that is.”
They all settled in for the night. After boiling the Shrooms, Sarah collected a few other ingredients in the woods around the camp to spice up the food. Even Andrew commented on how much he liked this new recipe, and they all tucked in.
As the evening wore on everyone grew tired. The soothing humming sound of Dengles grew louder and this, along with the crackling of the Flame-bark on the fire, was making everyone drowsy. They each found a spot near the fire to lie down and got comfortable for the night.
Joshua cleared a spot next to Sarah and the two of them found comfort lying beside each other. As Sarah was just falling asleep, her arm fell next to Joshua’s and their hands brushed against each other. Joshua felt a contented glow inside. Very gently, he extended his hand into Sarah’s and they held hands. Joshua caught a smile spreading across Sarah’s face as the two of them drifted off to sleep.
When Joshua awoke the following morning, he opened his eyes and found himself still lying next to Sarah with his arm clutched against her chest. Their hands were still entwined. Her gentle breathing and body warmth was soothing. Tenderly, he reached over and pushed her hair to one side to reveal the most beautiful face he’d ever seen.
Deciding to get up, he tried removing his hand. She inhaled deeply and Joshua froze for a second, but she settled again. Very carefully, he withdrew his arm, stood up and looked around.
Most of the Flame-bark had died down to coals and the early morning mist hung in the air. Chirvels were scurrying around nibbling at the scraps left over from last night’s meal. There was a gentle rusting of leaves as the wind swayed the treetop canopy above them.
Andrew was on the far side of the fire and Galleon was curled up next to him in a ball, snoring away.
Sarah roused and opened her eyes. She stretched her arms, looked up at Joshua and smiled.
“Good morning,” she whispered.
“Hi,” he replied softly, smiling down at her. “Did you sleep well?”
Sarah smiled and nodded. He offered his hand to help her up. She took it and got to her feet. The two of them stood there in the still morning air, face to face, still clutching each other’s hands.
Joshua’s heart raced as they stared at each other. Neither of them spoke, but they both smiled. Joshua felt the same butterfly sensation welling in his stomach again. It happened each time their eyes met or whenever he got close to her.
Sarah gently tightened her grip on his hand. Mesmerised, he moved his head forward just a little, still gazing into her deep blue eyes. She moved her head closer in response. Full of expectation, they leaned towards each other.
“Hey, what’s for breakfast?” Andrew blurted out, giving a loud yawn from the other side of the fire. Sarah released Joshua’s hand and the two of them broke eye contact and backed away from each other.
Sarah walked around the fire and busied herself collecting some twigs and throwing them onto the dying coals, which burst into flames. Joshua’s heart was still racing. He felt embarrassed and looked around to find something to occupy himself. Noticing Galleon was still snoring, he decided this would be an appropriate distraction and went over to nudge him.
The slumbering Imp woke with a shock and looked around before taking in the fact it was Joshua standing over him. Relaxing, he pushed himself to his feet, yawned and stretched.
“Right then, we’ve got a good day’s travel ahead of us if we’re to reach the River of Torrents before dark, so we’d better make an early start. We can find something to eat along the way.”
Sarah collected their things, and Andrew stamped out the fire. They set off in the direction of the rising sun. Once more, Andrew and Galleon walked ahead. They told each other jokes and, once again, Joshua and Sarah were quiet. After an hour, Sarah was the first to break the silence.
“You really loved your father, didn’t you, Joshua?” she said in a tender voice, casting him a sideways glance. Joshua looked at her, puzzled.
“Why do you say that?” He hadn’t yet told Sarah the reason he was making his way to the Valley of Moross was to seek guidance from the Oracle about his father.
“Well…it’s just…”
“Go on,” Joshua asked, smiling, “just…what?”
“Well, you talk in your sleep,” Sarah giggled. It gave him that same warm sensation inside again and he smiled. “What happened to him?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Joshua replied, shaking his head after a long pause. “He left when I was very young. I saw him recently in a dream. Well, at least I think it was him. The person I saw was in great pain. So much pain.” Joshua stared into nothingness, trying to understand the meaning of it all. “The reason we’re going to the Valley of Moross is because my village Elder told me to seek the advice of the Oracle there.”
Sarah nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“What about you? What are your parents like?” Joshua asked, snapping himself back to reality.
“Oh, well, I never actually knew my mother. She died when I was very young. Dad’s a Warrior.” She ro
lled her eyes and smiled. “Well, at least he used to be a Warrior when I was younger, I mean. He’s the village Elder now. Fortunately, there haven’t been any wars with other tribes for many years. It’s so much better now that Forestium is a peaceful place, don’t you think?”
Joshua smiled and nodded.
“It was horrible whenever he went off to battle; I used to hate it. I’d often cry myself to sleep when he was away.” She looked at the ground and shook her head slowly. “I used to worry he wouldn’t come back.”
“Sounds like you really love your father too.”
“Hmm, very much so. I can understand how you feel about wanting to know what happened to your father. In some ways, you remind me of my father.”
Joshua looked at her again and asked, “Really? In what way?”
“Well, you’re single-minded, determined and strong, for one thing, but at the same time, you’re very tender and sweet.” She giggled again. This time it was a more relaxed giggle.
Sarah looked Joshua in the eye and said. “I really love my father.”
Joshua nodded and smiled.
“Of course, you’re also very different from him in many ways too. For one thing…”
“Yes?” He cast her another sideways glance.
“You’re also…well…very cute.”
The two of them stopped walking and looked at each other again. Joshua sensed that warm feeling inside his stomach and his heart raced. Everything about Sarah was intoxicating. He loved the way she smiled and looked him in the eye. She was beautiful, resourceful, intelligent and tender.
Reaching up, he gently moved a few strands of her hair from her eyes. As he moved the hair aside, his hand caressed her cheek and she smiled. Her eyes widened, and Joshua began losing himself in the moment. They slowly moved closer. Everything around them faded, and Joshua felt his insides tumbling with anticipation as they closed their eyes.
“Hey, look! I can see the river” Andrew shouted at them from ahead. “Oh, um, never mind,” he said, turning back again, pretending he did not notice the two of them were very likely on the verge of kissing.
