The Great One, part 25

“Zela?” I looked to either side, searching the foliage for her familiar green tunic. “Zela, where’ve you gotten to?”1

Annoyed by the lack of an answer, I continued forward. She had gone this way for certain, but she seemed to be intentionally ignoring me.2

“Zela, this isn’t funny,” I called. “For Terna’s sakes, just answer me!”3

“I’m over here, Xen.”4

I followed the sound of her voice and found her kneeling beneath one of the many large trees in this forest. She was gently pulling up a small plant that had grown between the roots.5

“So,” I chuckled, “you really are collecting herbs, after all.”6

She kept her eyes trained on the little green plant. “Yes.”7

For a while, I watched her meticulous task. She was so careful not to injure the plant in any way; it was rather like watching a surgeon removing a metal arrowhead.8

“Look,” I sighed. “Don’t let Airam get on your nerves. Seriously. I mean, she infuriates me too, but she’s dependable and works really hard… you gotta respect her for that, right?”9

“I don’t need a pep talk,” said Zela softly. She glanced at me briefly before brushing dirt off her uprooted plant. 10

A little stung, I asked, “Well… then what do you need?”11

“Quite a few things, really.” She placed the leafy plant in her bag and stood. 12

“Too personal?” 13

She raised her eyes to mine and blinked slowly. “Some of them,” she admitted. “Thank you for coming out here after me, Xen. I appreciate it.”14

I shrugged. “Sure, anytime.”15

“Anytime?” A playful smile toyed with her lips.16

“I… guess?”17

She thought for a moment. “Maybe we could”—she drew closer—“start those… lessons… you asked about earlier.”18

“The ones about the plants?” I took a few steps back, growing more and more uncomfortable with how close she was getting. “That sounds great.”19

Zela tilted her head to the side. “You know, I turn seventeen in a few weeks,” she said. I had a feeling that she was implying something. 20

“Really? Well… congratulations. I’ve been seventeen a while, myself,” I said. I was very, very nervous now. She had me backed up against a tree, and she was less than an arm’s length away. “Got any plans to celebrate it?”21

Zela suddenly laughed, but her laugh seemed to emanate irony. “You really have no clue, do you? You are as completely oblivious as you seem. Lisper thinks that you’re a master at this game, and you’re playing with a blank face. But now I think I see what he doesn’t. You’re no master; you’ve never even played.”22

I was bewildered, but relief flooded over me as she turned away.23

“Forget it,” she sighed, sounding defeated. “Just forget it.”24

“Okay,” I said, not knowing what else I could possibly say.25

Zela’s smile from before was gone, replaced with a look of disappointment. As she walked past me back to the camp, and I lost sight of her, I really began to wonder of what game she had spoken.26

/*/*/*/*/*27

“And we’re on the move again.”28

For several hours, none of our party had spoken a word. Even Zela, riding behind me, was silent. 29

Airam looked at me for a moment before returning her gaze to our path of travel. “Yes, Xen. We are on the move again. We should arrive at Ulonn relatively soon, thank Terna.”30

“Oh, good. I’ve been missing Dowben a lot lately,” I said, grinning. 31

Jast laughed heartily. “I think that all of us miss the old librarian at some point. He grows on a body, doesn’t he?”32

“Indeed.” Airam nodded in approval. “Dowben is closer than family for more than a few souls at Kaiven. He is a rare person; not many can see the world as clearly, nor know it as intimately.”33

Lisper snorted disrespectfully. “The only thing that old man knows is the dust on those books. He don’t know the planet for what it’s worth. He ain’t been out there in the places he reads about, an’ he ain’t never lived in that Naktol dirt-hole they call a city.”34

I gritted my teeth and ignored his words.35

“Crazy old man. What have books ever taught what the world hasn’t already?”36

At this point, I was beginning to long for the silence that had previously occupied our group.37

Jast shook his head sadly.38

“Lisper, the point of books aren’t always to teach us,” Zela said quietly. “More often than not, their sole purpose is to remind us of the lessons we have forgotten, and the mistakes that must never be repeated.”39

He snorted again, but said nothing. Relieved that his mouth had finally ceased, I gave Zela’s hand a gentle pat of thanks. She stiffened, then relaxed.40

I felt Airam’s eyes on me the entire time, and my face heated up. I was just glad that Zela couldn’t see it. She had not spoken a word to me since our conversation earlier, which made me feel as though I had done something wrong.41

“It is unfortunate”—Jast glanced back at the rest of us—“that so many do not heed the mistakes of our ancestors. Every day, the blunders of a thousand generations are repeated… often on a larger, more devastating scale.”42

At that, our talking ceased. Jast sounded as though he was almost speaking from experience; there was a great deal of pain in his words, but I had no idea why. 43

My crystal shard was warm against my skin, and I pulled it out to check it. It was past noon, I knew, looking at the position of the sun through the treetops. But my crystal shard was glowing a soft green, not unlike the sunlight that shone down through the leaves.44

My Rattragon snorted and shook its head. Emeran, Airam’s Rattragon, did the same. The two creatures snorted and made strange resonant hums between them, which sounded oddly like a conversation.45

“What are they doing?” I listened with curiosity.46

Airam stroked Emeran’s scaly head. “They are communing. It is very strange; Emeran has never chosen to commune with other adult Rattragons… and rarely does she interact with males at all.”47

“That’s weird,” I agreed. “What exactly does that mean?”48

“They are sharing thoughts, emotions, and memories through sound. Rattragons have a sense that allows them to ‘see’ sounds. Their night vision is only about as good as ours, so wild ones use it to hunt under the new moon, when only starlight is present.”49

I looked down at my green-headed Rattragon, almost wishing I could commune with it somehow. 50

Jast called back, “We have reached the outskirts of Ulonn’s grounds. Once we near the outer wall, we must dismount.”51

I was excited to see Dowben again, but then I remembered why we came in the first place. My heart sank. Nolen and several other Vorn had been captured by the Wohden, a race of barbaric people who had separated from the Namu during the ancient war that had sent my people underground… following their leader, a monster beyond description.52

“What is it, Xen? Are you ill?” Airam sounded somewhat concerned.53

“No,” I sighed, “I was just thinking.”54

“About what?” wondered Zela. I was a little surprised to hear her speak.55

“I’d rather not talk about it.”56

Zela began to ask something, but Airam cut her off. “Don’t press him, Zela. If he doesn’t wish to tell you, then just let him be.”57

Airam’s golden-brown eyes met mine in a meaningful stare. My heart started pounding and my breath became erratic, and I forced myself to look away in order to get control of myself. When I looked up again, I saw that Airam’s gaze had not wavered. 58