by Kyle West
I was wondering if we had been too quick to tell Isa everything – not out of lack of trust, but for her own safety. If Valance and Shara actually did have a way to know that we weren’t following their rules, then we might have just put Isa in danger.
But then again, we were hundreds of miles away from Colonia. There was no way they could ever find out unless they could read our minds from a distance, somehow, which I highly doubted they could. Maybe Aether gave the Hunters abilities similar to the Elekai, but to imagine that they could read thoughts across such distances was beyond the abilities of even the strongest Elekai.
It got quiet after that. Just being here in Northold with Isa was surreal. The last place I expected to find a friend was far away from home, which made finding her seem all the more miraculous. That was something I couldn’t really put into words. I’ve always been more action-oriented, and finding the words to express my gratefulness was always a hard thing for me to do, especially when words didn’t seem to do my feelings justice.
That was why what I said seemed so inconsequential in the face of how I actually felt. “I’m glad you’re here, Isa.”
She smiled. “Maybe there was a reason for me coming home…one which wasn’t clear to me until now. My mother has been telling me to try and find it, and for a while I thought she was wrong. Well, maybe this is the reason. Maybe I was sent home to help you.”
It was a remarkable coincidence, and I couldn’t fault Isa for thinking that was the case. For all we knew, maybe it was the case.
Even if so much was going wrong, at least there were still glimmers of hope.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
WE STAYED IN THE GROVE for a while. Isaru took a nap while Isa and I talked some more – about things that didn’t necessarily have to do with our journey. Most of all, she wanted to know if Isaru still felt anything for her, and I carefully told her that there was no reason to believe he didn’t feel the same way. Though she didn’t say it, I felt as if she was worried something might have happened between him and me, but I assured her nothing had. For some reason, I didn’t see Isaru in that way and he didn’t see me in that way, and every time the thought crossed my mind, it seemed ridiculous to even imagine it.
Isa was a bit placated, but now that she knew what Isaru and I had gone through, she was interested in what we were doing next.
“The truth is…” I began, “I don’t know. Isaru mentioned going through something called the Withering Waste, so I suppose that’s next.”
Isa nodded. “It’s past what’s left of the Northwood, starting perhaps fifty miles east. The Pilgrimage Road leads out that far before it’s lost to the Waste. Afterward, though, there is nothing. Just swamp and drylands, interchanging at random intervals.”
“It’s hard to imagine such a thing,” I said.
“The entire area is a battleground between the Xenofold and the Northern Reversion,” Isa said. “The land can’t decide what it wants to be. And it is very dangerous. There are reports of monsters in that direction, but obviously, few ever go out that far. But there are stories.”
“Is there another way?”
“Yes, but there probably isn’t time for it. And Isaru’s chances of being recognized are much higher. That path goes south on the road until Laston, then east through Mongar and the Red Mountains, then north until the Plains of Decay. A good three to four times longer, and that way is dangerous, too. If there were time, I’d recommend you do that. It’s…a difficult situation, with your parents. I don’t know what I’d do, but I know you, Shanti. You’ll take whatever risks you can to set them free.”
She was right about that. My failure at saving them still stung. It kept me up at night when my exhaustion wasn’t enough to make me fall asleep. I was determined to save them, no matter the danger to myself…or even Isaru, as selfish as that was. Although, Isaru had his own reasons for wanting to find Hyperborea. Despite what Hunter Valance had said, he wanted to get his hands on the Prophecy and discover its contents.
“How long do you plan to stay here?” Isa asked. “I would offer you my home, but my mother wouldn’t be able to keep quiet about Isaru.”
“Even using an assumed name?”
“She has a way of figuring things out,” Isa said. “She has even talked about what she would do if Isaru ever came to Northold. Lots of other people have had similar conversations, because the reward of finding him is high.”
“A lot of people believe he might not be imprisoned, then,” I said.
“Most do. But people are open to other possibilities, especially when it is known that the Covenant denies having him.”
“We can’t stay here much longer, then,” I said. “Enough time to resupply, but we will probably be camping in the woods tonight.”
“What exactly do you need?” Isa asked.
“Food, mostly. I shot a deer not long ago, but we need something besides venison. Things to wrap our food in so that it lasts longer…I’m worried about the meat going bad. We could use potatoes, spices, new boots, a change of clothes, heavier cloaks…”
The list just went on and on. Isa said she could supply the food, which was most important, but anything more and her mother would start asking questions. Isa’s father was apparently well-off, but that didn’t mean she could buy us everything we needed.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said.
She looked at me, her blue eyes worried.
“We’ll be fine,” I said. “That food will see us all the way to Ragnarok Crater.”
“If you don’t die on the way,” Isa said. “I know it’s my job to convince you to not do it, but I’ve tried that once before. This is beyond me, but there are still things within my control. I’ll start by getting that food.”
She hugged me, and I could only hope the stink of the crawler’s guts was mostly gone. Isa left through the trees, leaving me standing alone in the trees.
I returned to find Isaru still asleep, and I lay face up on the ground, staring at the blue sky between the trees. Here in the grove, it was as if we were still in the forest. I could hear no sounds of the city, nor could I see far enough through the trees. The grove was surprisingly large for a city of this size, and it would serve as a good hiding place so long as no one decided to go off the marked trails.
“We have to leave,” Isaru said, breaking me from my thoughts. “If my father finds me…”
“I talked to Isa. She’s getting us some food and whatever else she can find. After that…we’ll be off.”
He nodded. It was as well as either of us could hope.
“She isn’t…angry, is she?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so.”
“This is the second time we’re leaving her behind,” he said. “She was angry about it last time. Strange that she isn’t now.”
“She seemed…resigned to it. As if there was nothing she could say or do to stop us.”
“I see.” There was a moment of silence. “I had expected her to put up more of a fight.”
“You seem disappointed about that.”
“I’m not,” Isaru said. “I would like to speak to her, before we go. To…thank her.”
To thank her and other things, I was sure, but I didn’t mention the fact. I thought about telling Isaru that she liked him, but I wouldn’t be telling him anything he didn’t already know. He seemed to be far off, and when Isaru was like that, it was usually best to leave him to his thoughts.
So, I caught what sleep I could, and when I awoke, the grove was dimmer, cooler, and the sun completely gone. From the shade of the trees, dusk was an hour or two away.
A sudden tromping through the underbrush snapped me to attention. I looked up to see Isa carrying a pack so heavy that it was a wonder she could carry it at all. She dropped it to the ground, breathing heavily, but within a moment she had caught her breath. It was then that I noticed she was dressed differently, in well-worn boots, pants, a loose wool shirt and heavy cloak, coupled with a short bow and a qu
iver of arrows at her side.
I knew exactly then why she had been so complacent to let us go.
This time, she planned to come with us.
* * *
She looked at us eagerly, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of a puppy ready to go on a walk. She had no idea what she was signing up for.
“No,” I said, feeling protective of her. “Absolutely not.”
As if I hadn’t said anything at all, she spoke. “It’s potatoes, mostly, and some onion, because that was all I could find this late at market. Flour, too, so we can make biscuits. I was able to take a couple of my father’s older cloaks which are more suited to the north. It’s spring, but by the time you hit the Red Mountains, you’ll forget that fact. He won’t miss them, I’m sure, and I even managed to get some beef.”
Her voice sounded sure and confident, and brooked no argument. Isaru stared open-mouthed, but he wasn’t protesting.
Was I the only one who cared about her life?
“I can’t let you come, Isa,” I said. “There’s a good chance we might die, and…”
“It’s my life to risk, isn’t it? And you’ll need help, and another person to help you carry food. We’ll last longer that way. I’m a good shot with a bow. Not just a good shot, but a great shot, and everyone in the Northern Wild is born with a bow in their hands and hunting in their blood. We won’t be wanting for food as long as there is good hunting. I know the terrain all the way to the Waste, along with what plants are good to eat and which look good to eat but will have you writhing on the ground in half a minute.”
She looked at us both in challenge, as if daring us to argue with her.
“What about your family?” Isaru asked. “Have you told your parents?”
“Of course I haven’t. But I’ve already left a note, in a place they’ll find it tomorrow morning.” She then looked at me. “I told you that there had to be a reason I returned, just in time for you both to happen along. If I let this chance go by, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life. Somehow I know that without my help, you’re not going to make it. I know I’m young…but so are you. So if you’re done telling me what I can and can’t do, we need to divide this food and head out the eastern gate before it closes. Which should be in an hour or so.”
I knew exactly what I should have done: picked her up by the scruff of her neck and handed her over to her parents. Only, I didn’t know where she lived, and such an action wouldn’t matter. Something told me that, whether I liked it or not, Isa was coming with us. And what she had said about her usefulness was true. Another person to carry food meant more days on the trail, and she was a good shot with her bow. I’d seen her at the festival in Nava, and she had outshot everyone in her age group.
My mouth moved to form a protest, but my throat was caught and I found that I didn’t have one that was worth saying. Even if tried to speak, it would have more to do with emotion than reason.
“I won’t deny you if you truly believe this is what you must do,” Isaru said. “All the same, know this. Consider yourself dead if you come with us. You have skills that will be useful, no doubt, but Elder Isandru has told us that no one has returned from Hyperborea alive every time the journey has been attempted. We’re only doing this because we have to.”
His face was stern and serious; more serious than I had ever seen it. But still, Isa’s face was just as sincere.
“I mean it, Isaru. I’m going. I know you haven’t explained everything to me in full, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I can’t deny myself, and I know that you’ll need my help. Without it…you’re not going to make it.”
She met my eyes first, including me in that, before meeting Isaru’s. There was a long moment of tension, a battle of wills, until at last, Isaru nodded.
“Then it is decided. I wouldn’t risk you as much as Shanti wouldn’t, but I know the only way I can keep you from coming would be to tie you up to a tree. And since neither Shanti nor I are willing to do that…”
“Let’s get started, then,” Isa said.
I pursed my lips and resisted the urge to argue. Some stubborn part of me believed that I could still convince Isa of her foolishness. She had a family here and a life. Why risk all of that just to help out a friend?
Then again, I realized I’d have done the exact same thing for her. My only hope was giving her plenty of opportunities to change her mind. With luck, by the time we got to the Withered Waste, she would want to back out.
For now, though, she was here to stay. With the question settled, at least for the moment, Isaru and I dug through the contents of Isa’s pack like kids opening presents on their name day. We split the food up between us, leaving about half of it for Isa to carry.
The cloaks were on top. Mine was too large, but I could cut some off the hem and have a piece of cloth to use. Isaru’s seemed to fit perfectly, and unlike the cloaks we’d gotten from Naomi in Colonia, which had belonged to my parents, these were thicker and well-suited for colder weather. They would do a good job keeping us warm.
Isa also brought some thin cloth and string to wrap our venison in. The meat smelled pungent, if not yet rancid, stinking up everything in our packs, but the cloth and string would help a little in keeping it edible for longer while keeping our other supplies clean.
Once everything was situated, our packs were heavier than they ever were.
I looked at Isa, wanting to get a final word in. “Where we’re going, there’s a good chance we’re not coming back. Death is almost certain. Are you sure you’re willing to never see your parents again, just to help us?”
Isa was quiet; for a moment, I believed that I had finally convinced her. But when she spoke, I could see my words had been in vain.
“The minute you told me your story, I’d already decided. All I can say is, we’re only wasting time. If we wait any longer, the gates might be closed. They are not unknown to shut before sunset, especially these days.” Suddenly, Isa’s eyes watered, but she hastily wiped her tears away. “I won’t be told to stay behind. Not again. If something were to happen to you both, I would never forgive myself. If that means risking my own life, then so be it.”
I felt a heaviness in my heart that was hard to put to words. It felt as if Isa were already dead, and the worst thing was, she didn’t seem to realize it. Within an hour, her life would change forever, as well as the lives of her parents once they discovered her letter.
“What did your letter say?” I asked.
Isa fought to keep her voice steady. “It…told my parents that I loved them, and that I was only doing this because I had to. That I would return and explain everything when the time was right.”
I imagined being Isa’s mother and reading a letter like that. It would be horrible for her. “You didn’t tell her when?”
Isa shook her head. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t say where, either, or with who, for obvious reasons. With luck…they will think I returned to the Sanctum and think to look there first. By then…hopefully this will all be over.”
“It won’t,” I said. “You know it won’t.”
She nodded, wiping a tear away. “I know. I’m still resolved to do this, though.”
“Then let’s move, if what you said about the gate is true. You can turn back now, Isa, and neither of us would think less of you.”
“This is what I have to do.”
She said nothing more, so after another moment, Isaru picked up the trail. We followed him through the trees in silence, and once we had reached the street, it was empty. It was as if the town was abandoned, but the sky above was set ablaze in hues of red and orange. The air was cold, and even the slight breeze was chilling. It did not feel like a spring wind.
Isa drew her hood up, as did Isaru, having the wind as an excuse. Still, what few people we passed didn’t seem to pay us much mind, even if our heavy packs said we planned to leave town near dusk.
I was afraid the gate would already be closed, but thankfully, it was
still wide open. There were no guards in sight. They were probably in the gatehouse trying to keep warm, and there was no one to even question us as we walked out. That couldn’t be typical, but Isa didn’t say anything to suggest that it was out of the ordinary. It wasn’t so much people that Northold defended itself against, but whatever might be lurking in the Northwood and beyond.
The road wound down from the hill Northold was built on, thick with trees and rock on one side, and a steep drop toward the switch-backing trail on the other. Before long, the path had leveled out, coursing through the thick wood, composed mostly of Silverwood and pine growing from thick beds of slightly glowing xen.
I wanted Isa to turn back, but of course, she didn’t. Even more, she didn’t look back once…probably a conscious move on her part to convince us of her commitment. Instead, I was the one to turn back, only to find Northold was completely lost because of the thickness of the trees and mounting darkness.
We didn’t get too far before going off trail to set up camp, where we got a fire going over which we cooked venison stew, mixed with flour, onion, and potato. We ate quietly, and settled down for sleep. With three of us now, and the fact that the land would be getting more dangerous in the days to come, we decided it would be wise to set a watch every night. Isa volunteered to take first watch, while Isaru took second.
Before going to sleep, I warned her to not to stay up too long. I thought about adding in that it wasn’t too late to turn back, but she already knew that clearly enough.
Her fate was entwined with ours, now, and it was too early to say whether that was good or bad.
CHAPTER FORTY
I AWOKE TO FIND ISA and Isaru already up and preparing a breakfast of biscuits in the pot. I slept on, knowing that tonight and the next I’d be the one keeping watch, and if they were going to take the time to make a nice breakfast like this, then it was just more opportunity for me to sleep.
