by Mary Akers
“I love you, Dad,” she said, holding him tightly and trying not to think that this may be the last time she ever would.
He stepped away from her after a moment and reached over to embrace Asher.
“Take care of her, son,” he said quietly. Then turning to look at both of them, he said “Take care of each other.”
Elora and Asher looked at one another, taking a moment of comfort in their shared grief at the way this was playing out.
“Here,” her father said, walking quickly back towards the road and carefully retrieving something from the brush along the edge. He held out the bag of seeds her mother had collected from the storage barn.
“I grabbed it on my way back here. I couldn’t just leave it there in the road. Not when getting these seeds cost your mother so dearly,” he said sadly. “I’m glad you can use them. She will find solace in knowing that she helped you.”
Elora took the bag from his hands and gently tucked it into the satchel on her hip.
“You two need to get away from here,” her father said, locking eyes with her. He reached out to embrace her quickly one last time before he turned and without a glace backward, walked to the edge of the brush. He paused for a moment, checking to make sure it was clear before darting across the road and disappearing into the brush on the other side.
Elora stared after him, her eyes wide with shock and fear. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t believe this was happening.
“We need to move now,” Asher said, grasping her shoulders and forcing her to look away from the place where she’d last seen her father. “The Liana are everywhere. We need a place to hide. Where can we go?”
Elora gaped up at him, struggling to focus. How was she supposed to keep her wits about her when her heart was breaking, when her entire world was quaking. She couldn’t do this without her parents. She didn’t want to do this without them. She had no reason to do this if not for them.
“I was doing this for them,” she whispered, bemused as she fixed her eyes on his. She laughed a joyless laugh. “And now they are gone. What’s the point?”
“They aren’t gone,” Asher replied. “Winnie is captured and your father is going to rescue her.”
“He’s going to fail. You both said it. And then the Liana will have them both,” Elora said, her lip quivering as she tried to suppress her tears.
“If they are captured, there’s a chance you can save them Elora,” Asher said, holding her gaze.
Elora took a shuddering breath and shook her head in disbelief.
“I’m a gardener from Windom,” she said, gesturing dismissively to herself. “You think I can save them?” she asked, chuckling bitterly.
“A gardener from Windom probably can’t,” he admitted. “ But the Renascent can.
Elora froze. She had forgotten. Before, she had merely been going along with Asher and complying with the desires of her parents. She had been scared into running away with them. She had been trying to understand this fantastical new reality that was supposedly her purpose, but she hadn’t believed it. Not really. But not anymore. If it gave her the power to save the people she loved, she would no longer fight her calling. She would be the Renascent. She would embrace her gift and fulfill her destiny.
The look of desperation slid from her face and was replaced by one of determination. This was her fight now. She was the Renascent.
“I can save them,” she whispered.
Chapter 18
“We have to move, Elora!”
The urgency of Asher’s plea finally broke through the fog of distraction and jolted her back into the moment. She looked up at him and the panic in his eyes set her heart racing. Just then, she heard the soft sound of scuffling boots coming from the road.
It was too late to go anywhere.
Asher quickly lowered onto his stomach in the scrubby grass, pulling Elora down beside him. They each held their breath as they watched a pair of Liana charge into the brush across the road where her father had disappeared. She gasped, in shock and terror. They had seen him.
Asher and Elora lay immobile, barely breathing, staring at the place where the men had disappeared. She had no idea how long they stayed that way, too frightened to move and desperate to know if her father had evaded the Liana. But suddenly the grasses began to shift and the cloaked figures stepped back onto the road, her father walking reluctantly between them. He had been captured. His face was bloodied and he was limping. Her heart stopped at the sight of him.
Tears flooded Elora’s eyes and left cool tracks as they rolled down her hot cheeks to drip onto the blades of grass beneath her face. This was her fault. He wouldn’t have been on the road if he hadn’t stopped to warn her. She bit her lip to hold in the sob that threatened to break free and give them away. She closed her eyes against the reality of what was happing.
Her fingertips began to tingle as her gift awakened, called forth by the overwhelming emotions swirling through her body. The blades of grass surrounding them began to lengthen, growing thicker and climbing higher until their prostrate bodies were completely shielded from view. She needed to stop. She needed to control it but she felt powerless against this torrent of sadness and fear. Until she felt Asher’s fingers tenderly close around hers. She was not alone. The storm raging inside of her quieted. Her heartbeat slowed and the tingling in her hands subsided.
They remained still for a long while after the men had passed out of sight and the air around them became quiet and calm, marked only by the sounds of rustling grass and calling birds. At last, Asher rose slowly and nervously looked around. Elora lifted onto her knees and paused to rub the tears from her face. Asher’s outstretched hand suddenly came into view and paused expectantly, waiting to pull her up. She looked up, locking eyes with him, and was startled by the depth of sadness she saw there. Slipping her hand into his, she accepted his help and rose to her feet only to be immediately pulled into his arms. As the momentary surprise of his embrace faded, she relaxed and sank into the welcome comfort he was offering. Though as the hug lingered, she began to wonder if perhaps it had not been for her benefit alone. He sighed and loosened his arms, stepping back and looking away.
“Your father is going to be a hard man to live up to,” he said quietly.
Elora nodded, blinking away the tears summoned by his words. She watched him for a moment, seeing that he too was as shaken and moved by what had just happened. It was comforting in a small way, knowing that she was not alone in her emotions. Asher at last glanced her way and caught her staring at him. Too numb to be embarrassed, she didn’t look away. Fresh tears tickled her chin as they dripped onto the Elysic cloak. Sighing, she lowered her eyes and realized that she was still wearing it. Having watched her father being abused by people wearing such a cloak, she couldn’t stand to have it on one more second. She busied herself with untying the strings at her neck, stopping midway through to wipe her face with rough hands. It dropped from her shoulders and she tucked it carefully into her satchel, beside the small bag of seeds and her binding dress. When she had finished, she returned her gaze to Asher. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at the sky. He breathed a deep sigh before turning and fixing his eyes on her.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Me too,” she said, taking a shuddering breath. “You weren’t lying,” she said, her eyes welling up again. “They were ruthless. Horrible.”
“They are,” Asher agreed, nodding. “Now you know why you have to come with me.”
Elora dropped her eyes to the ground, trying to control the tears that just kept coming.
“Will you still come with me?” he asked hesitantly, unnerved by her silence.
“I have to,” she said, her face grim. “It’s what my parents wanted. I owe them that.”
Her voice broke, and she closed her eyes, looking upwards as she attempted to find some composure.
“And it’s the only chance I have to save them,” she whispered.
“We can’t stay here anymore, Elora,” Asher said gently.
“I know,” she said, sighing. “I’m alright now. We can go.”
“It’s not safe to be wandering around anymore. The Liana could be anywhere, everywhere by now,” he said. “We need to find somewhere to hide.”
“The sun is already starting to set, so we only have a couple of hours before it’s dark enough to attempt the wall,” Elora said. “I think I know of a place we can go until then.”
“Is it close?” Asher asked.
“It’s not terribly far, but we will have to cross that road at some point,” she said, gesturing to the road bordering the gardens.
“That road is crawling with Liana, Elora,” Asher said, shaking his head.
“But we have to cross it anyway to get to the wall,” she answered, sighing.
Asher rubbed his face, huffing in frustration.
“We can back track and cross further away from the barn at least,” she said.
Asher nodded his reluctant agreement and they began walking back through the brush along-side the horse paddock.
“Where are we going,” Asher asked as he waded through the tall grass.
“There’s a small shed behind the school house where tools and things are stored,” she replied. “No one would ever look for me there and it’s not far from the spot where Trig told us to meet him.”
“Sounds good,” Asher said.
They fell into an anxious silence as they made their way around the paddock and behind Tim Pryor’s farmhouse. Walking beside his chicken coop, they could hear the soft clucking of chickens settling down for the night, a sign that the sun was quickly heading toward the horizon. As they crept quietly along the border of his property, Tim’s dog padded over, wagging his tail happily to see Elora. She kneeled down to ruffle his fur affectionately.
“We’re friends,” she said, looking up at Asher.
Suddenly, the dog’s ears perked and he took off towards the road. Asher grabbed Elora’s hand and pulled her hastily back to hide behind the chicken coop.
They could hear the dog barking incessantly at something. Tim Pryor appeared in the barn doorway, drawn by the sound, and began heading towards the road to see what had upset his dog.
“What is it Hal?” he called out as he walked. “What is it boy?”
He disappeared out of view and Elora exchanged a nervous look with Asher.
“Come on boy, there’s nothing there,” Tim called out a moment later.
Hal was undeterred and continued barking excitedly. Tim returned to his work, shaking his head.
“Crazy mutt,” he grumbled as he faded into the shadows of the dark barn interior.
Hal’s barking was suddenly interrupted by a sharp yelp. He came running back into the yard with his tail between his legs and crawled beneath the front steps of the farmhouse to hide.
Elora looked at Asher with alarm. She turned her gaze back towards the road, her throat suddenly dry with fear. She watched with bated breath, expecting a Liana to come walking up the drive at any second. When minutes passed and no one came, she let out a shuddering sigh of relief.
“So I guess the cloaks don’t work on dogs,” she whispered.
“No,” Asher whispered in reply.
“They’re everywhere,” she said, lifting a trembling hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
She looked up to find Asher watching her with worried eyes, his brows furrowed with concern.
“This isn’t going to work, Elora. We can’t just keep sneaking around,” Asher sighed. “We need a plan.”
She nodded in agreement and they both fell silent as they considered their options.
“What do you think they are looking for?” Elora asked. “I mean, the only person who can really identify me is Colin,” she said quietly.
“The other scout, the one who sold you the seed, knows what you look like too,” Asher reminded her.
“But that’s only two of them,” she said. “I bet the rest wouldn’t be able to recognize me if I walked right past them!”
“There’s a framed sketch of you on the mantel in your house, Elora,” Asher said, shaking his head. “And I’m sure Colin would be able to describe you well enough to make you identifiable to the others.”
“I don’t think so,” she argued. “That sketch is old, and there are a lot of girls in Windom with brown hair and green eyes just like me.”
“I doubt Colin’s description of you was as simple as ‘She has brown hair and green eyes,’” he said, scoffing. “But if came down to that, I’m sure they would gather up all the brown haired, green eyed girls in Windom to find you,” he said.
Elora’s eyes widened as she imagined the Liana terrorizing the young women of Windom in search of her.
“That won’t be necessary though,” Asher continued. “Because they will recognize you, Elora.”
“You only think that because you know already who I am,” she said, shaking her head.
“I knew you were the Renascent the minute I saw you,” he said, holding her gaze. “I don’t know exactly how, but I did. And so will they.”
“Oh,” she said, lowering her eyes to the ground, dejected. She thought back to the first time he’d seen her and the way he’d reacted. “Is that why you were staring at me this morning when we passed one another on the street? Because you recognized me?”
“No, I first recognized you last night when you were walking home in the dark,” he replied. “I was staring at you this morning because you are beautiful.”
Elora’s eyes snapped up to his in surprise and her breath caught in her throat.
He looked back at her, his gaze unwavering and sincere.
“Which is probably how Colin described you as well,” he continued. “So can you please drop this idea that you are going to be able to walk right past them unnoticed?”
Elora nodded, trying to convince her heart to beat at a normal rhythm.
“I think you’re right though,” he said. “Our best bet is to figure out a way to hide your identity. We might be able to get past them if they don’t recognize who you are.”
“What about you? Don’t they know you?” she asked.
“Colin is the only one who really knows me,” he said. “They won’t be looking for a man anyway, since they already have your father. I think I can get by unnoticed.”
Elora thought for a moment, distractedly playing with the strap of her satchel. Her breath suddenly caught in her throat as an idea struck her. She lifted the flap and reached into the bag, grabbing a handful of silky fabric. She watched the way the Elysic cloak flowed between her fingers like liquid, becoming even more confident as her plan took shape. The corners of her mouth quirked upwards.
“Are there women among the Liana?” she asked.
“Yes, a few,” Asher replied.
She smiled at him, nearly laughing at the simplicity of the solution. He furrowed his brows, curious at her sudden change in demeanor. She pulled the cloak completely out of her satchel and wrapped it around her shoulders. Reaching behind her, she tugged the hood of the cloak forward over her head until her face was hidden in shadow.
“Well?” she asked expectantly.
Asher’s eyes lit with excitement as he too broke into a smile.
“That could work,” he said. “But you’ll be out in the open. You can’t act timid or scared. You’ll have to be convincing. Can you do that?”
She pushed the hood back to look him in the eyes.
“I think I have to,” she said, the smile sliding from her lips.
“We’ll have to separate,” he said, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. “But I’m not letting you out of my sight,” he stated firmly. “I’ll ju
st follow a short distance behind you.”
Elora nodded.
“What should I do if I run into a Liana?” she asked, suddenly nervous as she considered more deeply what she was preparing to do.
“Just keep walking and try to act calm. If he salutes you, salute him back like this,” he said, touching his right hand to his left shoulder briefly. “But stay quiet.”
Elora mimicked his salute and he nodded his approval.
“But what if he tries to talk to me?” she asked anxiously.
“Claren don’t talk to one another while cloaked,” Asher said, shaking his head. “At least not in the vicinity of a non-Claren. It would risk exposing our existence to the rest of the world,” he explained.
“Are you’re sure I won’t have to talk to them?” she asked, warily.
“They won’t talk to you if I’m nearby,” he assured her. “Keeping our way of life a secret is one of our most sacred laws. Revealing the gifts of the Ever Tree is a crime punishable by exile. ”
Elora paused and her eyes widened as a troubling realization took shape. Asher had used the cloak to convince Alysa and Trig to help them. Had he really risked expulsion from Clarendon to save her? Why would he do that?
“What?” Asher asked, seeing her worried expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m just nervous.”
“It will be alright. I feel good about this,” he said reassuringly. “And I’ll be right behind you.”
She nodded, studying him quietly for a moment. Watching their surroundings and deep in thought, he was unware of her scrutiny. Her heart thudded in her chest as she was struck once again by an unexpected pang of attraction. His short, dark blond hair was sweaty and tousled after hours spent hiking through the fields of Windom. A hint of stubble was becoming visible along his jaw as the day drew on. The way his shirt draped across his broad shoulders implied a strength that made her stomach flutter. He had rolled up his sleeves to reveal the sinewy muscles of his forearms, which were flexing repetitively as he anxiously clenched and unclenched his fists. He turned his head, suddenly fixing his sea-blue eyes on hers and she forgot how to breath entirely for a moment. He was truly striking; utterly noticeable.
