Chapter 22: "Fall"

Karina woke with a start. Her dream was so vivid that the smack to her face in the dream brought her to wakefulness. She looked around at her little tent. The light was just lighting up the inside of it enough for her to see her fingers. After unzipping the sturdy zipper, she could see the early morning sunbeams gliding lazily through the forest trees.

Cherry nickered to her when she popped her head out and Zag pawed the ground, impatient for his breakfast. Karina pulled herself to her feet, threw on her boots and jacket, then tended to their feed.

She ate her own breakfast of dry cereal, nuts, and fruit, then dressed for a hike. It had been a little over a week and a half. She had hit every spot on the route and was carting around thousands in coins. It was no longer safe to stay in the cities at night, so she stayed out in the little meadows and forests between them.

She was making her way towards Mr. Gratner’s house but didn’t want to impose on him for more than a few days. So today, she decided she would do a little herb hunting before winter hit completely.

She patted Cherry through the grain bag on her nose, then dropped a circle of crushed lilac around her campsite. Every step held a word of silence and invisibility.

She meandered through the forest, selecting plants and fungi as she went. She could name every species she came across. Most of them were common, but about every five minutes or so she would spot something rare. It was easy when you knew what to look for.

An hour passed and the path led her up the mountain until she stood in front of a cave. It felt like she was drawn here for some reason. She looked back over her shoulder. It didn’t feel like anyone was around, but that didn’t mean they weren’t. This time, her fingers closed around a fresh sprig of holly leaf.

“What lies ahead?” Karina asked it. She laid the leaf out in her hand and blew on it. The leaf floated in the air for a moment and landed edge up between her index and middle fingers. That was odd. She blew on it again. Same result. She pulled a heavy metal flashlight from her pack and lit up the cave in front of her. She guessed she was here for a reason and whatever that reason was it was calling to her from up ahead. She took tentative steps forward. The cave closed in around her from both sides as her flashlight cut the darkness. The path was narrow, and before too many steps, it was pitching lower into the mountain.

She blew the holly again. Same result. She was on the right path, whatever that meant. The tunnel dropped and opened up into large caves and passageways. Bats fluttered in their sleep around the stalactites. She stopped and scraped a bit of lime chunk from a rock and added it to her pockets before continuing on. Water entered along the side of the wall cutting deep beds along the path she walked. Small glittering chunks caught her flashlight. She bent and examined the small chunks of metal. It looked to be iron pyrite. She took a few samples and added it to her pockets. This trip was turning out to be very lucrative.

She blew the holly. This time it landed edge up on the middle and ring fingers. Where ever she was heading, the holly wanted her to hurry. She picked up the pace. Her boots scraped the loose stones as she strode forward at a faster pace. She wondered what lay ahead that was so urgent.

A noise echoed from further up. She stopped mid-step to listen. It sounded like boots scraping across the ground.

“Shit!” A distorted voice echoed from up ahead and then was followed by a scream and a slew of curses.

Karina blew the holly. It wanted her to hurry. Whoever was ahead was where it was taking her. She was torn. They sounded like they were in pain but she was just a girl, what could she do? Maybe they would hurt her. She blew the holly again. It insisted.

She gritted her teeth and moved forward closer to the cries of pain and cursing.

“Are you okay?” She called. Her voice echoed off the walls until the sound battled itself.

“Who’s there? I need help. Can you help me? I think I’ve broken my leg.” The voice was male but it was still very hard to make out.

She walked faster, swinging her flashlight in each crevice.

“Here I am, over here!” He called.

Karina pinpointed the sound with her flashlight. Her mouth fell open and so did his.

“Ky.”

“Theodore.”

They said each other’s name at the same time. They stared at each other in the softly lit cave for a long moment.

“How’d you get here?” Theodore asked at the same time she asked, “What happened?”

They both laughed and then Theodore winced in pain. Karina shot forward and knelt down at his leg. It didn’t look right. It was twisted at a weird angle with a lump in the middle of his shin.

“What happened?” She repeated.

Theodore pointed up. “I was climbing this rock wall and slipped.”

Karina’s eyes scaled the rock face. Little ledges stuck out here and there making it look like an easy climb but she knew how deceiving something like that was.

“Is it okay if I touch your leg?” She asked.

Theodore nodded. “What are you even doing down here?”

Karina frowned. She wasn’t supposed to talk about the stuff Mother taught her. “I was searching for gems to sell. Alchemists need gems, too,”

Theodore let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

Karina set her hands on Theodore’ s broken leg. She twisted it a little and could feel the bones move beneath her fingers. A whimper of pain escaped Theodore’s throat.

“Sorry. It definitely feels broken.” She’d seen her mother attend a similar wound once on a neighbor. She didn’t want to help them but they paid well so she healed him. Now, if she could just remember which herb… Was it white flowers? And they faded to red during the process. Was it the grass flower…? No, that wasn’t it. Wait. She patted her shirt pockets. She had some. Grape flowers. They had nothing to do with grapes, but sometimes they got a purple hew. The whiter they were, the more expensive she could sell them for.

“Can you close your eyes? I’m going to do something a little… weird,” she said.

Theodore quirked an eyebrow at her. “Okay.”

“Just, close your eyes or something. I don’t want you to see.”

Theodore gave a half smile. “Okay…” He closed his eyes.

Karina slid Theodore’s pant leg up his calf. The skin was purple and black around the lump. She rolled the grape flower in her hands until it broke into pieces. She spit in her hand to add moisture and pummeled the flower until it was almost like a paste. She took her flower-coated hands and covered the wound. She checked that Theodore’s eyes were still closed. His face was laced with pain but his eyes remained dutifully shut.

With a deep breath, she began to chant. This time she didn’t sing or come up with words to fill her mind. She instead treated this the way her mother would. The wound needed to be closed quick and clean. No soothing it or coaxing it into place. It needed to happen and needed to happen now. She chose demanding syllables and held the picture of the bones mending in her mind.

“Eh-oh, Eh-oh, lock-no-roe-toe.”

The words themselves meant nothing but the tones behind them held power. She imagined healing waves running through her hands and into Theodore’s leg. She repeated the chant over and over.

“What exactly are you doing?” Theodore asked, his eyes still shut.

“Umm… trying to heal you, I guess?”

“Is it working?”

“Does it feel any different?”

Theodore’s face pinched with pain as he wiggled his leg. “Not really.”

Karina released him. “I guess I’m not really doing anything then.” She looked down at her flower covered hands and wondered what she had messed up.

Theodore opened his eyes. “Where’d you learn that stuff? Like the words and what is that on your hands?”

Karina brushed the pasted on her pants. “It’s nothing. Just stuff I picked up along the way. I guess it doesn’t work anyways. We’ll have to get you out the old-fashioned way.”

Theodore nodded. “But first, could you maybe climb up there? I saw some rocks and I really don’t want to come back for them.”

“Rocks?” Karina asked. “Is that what you are after? I have tons of rocks you could have.”

“I know, but I really want those ones. Please?”

Karina put her hands on her hips, then let them drop. She didn’t think this was a good idea, but she didn’t want to say no. “Okay.” She set her stuff down. “Let’s get you out of the way first.”

She offered Theodore a hand and helped him to his feet. He hopped on one foot off to the side and leaned on the wall next to his bag.

“Be careful,” he said.

She frowned. Being careful would be not going up there. She gave him one last look then turned to the rock wall and started to climb. The climb was easy, but the rocks were loose. She took her time as she scaled until she reached a large ledge.

“There,” Theodore said from down below. His voice echoed through the cave. “There were a bunch of loose rocks there.”

Karina shone her flashlight around the ledge. A little trickle of water fell on it and she traced it up to a narrow gully coming out of the rock face. When the light hit, the rocks sparkled and shimmered. Karina gasped. She’d never seen anything like it. The stones were uncut and unpolished and there were so many of them. She put her flashlight in her mouth and scooped handfuls of the rocks into her pockets until she was laden down.

“I told you it was a good spot.”

She felt twenty pounds heavier as she started to descend. She found foot holds and hand holds. With very careful movements she eased her way down. She only slipped once but caught the handhold tight before she fell. After a few more minutes, she landed safely on the ground.

“That was close,” Theodore said.

“I had it. I knew I was going to slide there.”

“That’s where I fell.” He tried to shuffle over to her.

Karina stopped him with a wave of her hand and closed the distance. She produced a small handful of rocks from one of her many pockets. The stones glittered in the beam of the flashlight.

“Were these what you were after?” She asked.

Theodore picked up a particularly large stone and rubbed at it. It may have been blue but it would be hard to tell until it was polished.

“Perfect,” he whispered. His grey eyes glittered as he examined the stone.

“What do you need them for anyway?” Karina asked.

Theodore grinned then straightened it out. “Just a project I’m working on. It’s nothing really.”

Karina raised her eyebrows. “Nothing is a big thing to get a broken leg over. You should have taken someone with you.”

Theodore dropped his eyes. “I know. It was stupid. I just, well, I couldn’t wait.” He looked up and Karina saw something in her eyes that unsettled her. It was a determination, a fire, and a passion, but it wasn’t natural. It was as if something was driving him and she didn’t think he even realized it.

“What?” He asked.

Karina hesitated. “Just be more careful. Come on. I’ll help you out.” She hauled his bag over her shoulder and stood next to him.

He paused then slid an arm around her shoulder. She could feel his muscles tense as he took one tentative step forward.

“Are you okay?” Karina asked as she gripped his arm and pulled more of his weight over her shoulders.

“I’ll be okay. Let’s just get moving.”

Karina half carried half dragged him up the path to the cave entrance. It took a long time, and when they finally reached the outdoors, the sun was casting long shadows through the forest.

“It’s all downhill from here. My camp isn’t too far,” Karina said as she readjusted the bag.

Theodore was breathing hard. He only nodded. His weight sagged against her as he dragged his leg forward.

The trip downhill was more dangerous then the uphill path in the cave had been. They slid several times and Karina had to pick up his pack and haul Theodore to his feet again.

“Where is it?” Theodore asked when they stood just outside the ring of crushed lilac.

Karina dragged him through the barrier.

His eyes blinked wildly. “Wait. What just happened? Has Cherry been here the whole time?”

Karina eased Theodore down on the ground next to her burned out campfire. “Yes. Same with Zag.”

Theodore rubbed at his eyes. “I must have an infection or something. I feel like I’m seeing things.”

Karina gave a tight-lipped smile. “How about I get us something to eat while you rest?”

Theodore nodded and closed his eyes as he leaned back against a fallen tree.

Karina gathered firewood and heated some canned stew in a pot on the fire. She let it simmer while she fed the horses. When she returned, Theodore’s head was propped up by an elbow with his mouth hanging open as he slept.

She smiled to herself. A loose lock of dark blonde hair fell over his eyes. The memory of her shadow self, or maybe they were just vivid dreams, haunted her. She ached to feel the softness of his lips. She wondered how deeply asleep he was right now. She inched closer.

He breathed evenly and the sweat at his brow had dissipated. He looked only tired and not like he had an infection. She hated lying to him about the magic or whatever it was that Mother had taught her, but it as safer this way.

She knelt before him and examined his broken leg. It wasn’t pretty. She pulled two straight sticks from the log pile next to the fire and set them near his leg. She thought she should probably do this now in case he was passed out. That way he wouldn’t feel as much pain. She looked up at his sleeping face. If he was passed out maybe she could kiss him, too.

She banished the thought. That would be rude, kissing a boy and him not even knowing it. She wouldn’t want someone doing that to her, but it would be okay if it was him. She would welcome it, but she’d want to be awake so she could feel his lips. She licked her own. She wanted to taste his. To bite on it a little and touch it with her tongue.

After a minute, she realized he was watching her. She could feel the sudden blush fill her cheeks and neck.

“Are you hungry?” Theodore asked. His voice was tired but amused.

“I was thinking about cannibalism,” Karina joked. “You’re already broken into pieces.”

Theodore laughed. “Are those for splints?”

Karina nodded.

“Good.”

“It’s going to hurt.”

Theodore winced. “I know.”

“Before or after dinner?” She asked.

“Probably better before in case I need to throw up.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he said through gritted teeth.

Karina pulled out a rolled bandage wrap from her bag and some supplies. She cleaned the wound with water and wiped it down with a clean cloth. When it was done, she pressed her hands to either side of his shin and straightened the bone.

A screech exited his mouth with such force it made Karina jump. She clenched her jaw and kept at it until it was as straight as possible then positioned it quickly in the splints and wrapped it tightly.

Karina sat back. “Done.”

Tears leaked from Theodore’s eyes and he wiped them quickly away. “Thanks,” he said in a forced exhale.

Karina dished out some of the stew and handed it to him before she sat with her own. A winter breeze settled in and she gripped the hot bowl in her hands.

“It’s good,” Theodore said.

“It’s from a can.”

He shrugged. “It’s still better than Master’s cooking.”

She laughed. “But not better than yours.” A little red crept into her cheeks.

He smiled. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it.”

“When did you learn to cook?” Karina asked. “Was it when you moved in with Mr. Gratner?”

Theodore shook his head. “No. I use to cook for my mother. After my dad died it was the only way I got fed. She was hopeless in the kitchen.”

“Was?” Karina asked in a whisper.

“She died last year.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. She’d been out of it for a long time. She was never the same after we lost Dad. That’s when Mr. Gratner took me in.”

“That was nice of him,” Karina said.

“It was. I ran into trouble with the blacksmith I was working with and was going to be jobless. Master stepped in. I’ve lived with him ever since.”

“More like you’ve taken care of him ever since.”

Theodore chuckled. “Yeah. I’ve taken care of him since then. He’s a good man though. A little mad maybe, but good at heart.”

Karina bobbed her head in agreement. “Most certainly. Oh umm… Do you think he’ll mind if I stay a couple of days? Mother wants me out of the house.”

He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“You don’t mind, do you? I can sleep on the floor this time,” Karina said quickly

His cheeks pinched with red, she assumed at the same memory running through her mind.

“That’s okay I don’t mind really,” he said.

“With a broken leg, you will,” she pointed out.

He looked down at it with a pained expression. “I guess you’re right.”

Karina took the empty soup bowl from him. “I’m going to take the horses down for some water. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, umm… Ky, which way to your restroom?”

She gave a half smile and pointed to some trees in the opposite direction she was going. He nodded and started to carefully hop in that direction.

She gathered the dished and the two horses and led them down to the creek. Cherry and Zag took long deep gulps of water. Karina filled her two canteens and rinsed the dishes, then headed back. She tethered the horses on the long lines and threw light sheets over them to ward off the chill. The sky was clear, bringing with it crisp air. She sat at the campfire and warmed her hands. Before too long, Theodore came awkwardly hopping out of the bushes. She jumped up and helped him to the campfire.

“Thanks,” he said as he sighed heavily. “So, my tent is in my bag, but I don’t think I can set it up on my own.”

“We can just use mine,” Karina blurted out.

Theodore studied her face. She could feel the blush rising to her cheeks.

“I mean, it’s supposed to be cold tonight,” she said quickly.

“Yeah, okay,” he said. Pain etched his face and she could tell he was losing energy fast.

“I’ll let you go in first. I’ll be in after a little while.” She held out her hand to him.

He accepted it and she helped him to the tent, taking on as much weight as he would let her. She eased him down to the ground and watched him crawl in dragging his broken leg behind him.

“I’ll be back soon. Don’t wait up,” she said and walked away.

What was she thinking? She smashed her cheeks between her hands as she walked into the woods. She knew what she was thinking. She wanted to sleep next to him again. She wanted to hold him, to touch him, to kiss him as the other shadows did in her dreams.

Her heart fluttered as she imagined kissing him. Her hands dropped from her face to hug herself. Could she really do this? Could she crawl into that tent with him?

She walked deeper into the forest. The trees pressed in around her making her feel at ease. The wind whispered through their leaves and caressed her skin. A patch of glow shrooms clustered beneath a tall evergreen and she stooped to pick a few. She added them to her pockets and found them full of gems. She had forgotten her loot from earlier.

She traipsed back to the campsite and unloaded the rocks into her lock box. Reminding herself to take a good look at them in the morning. She changed into clean night clothes and with a deep breath, she climbed into the tent.

Theodore laid spread out across the tent floor wrapped in a whirlwind of blankets. He breathed evenly with steady sleep. She smiled as she lowered down and crawled in. She zipped the tent up tight and lay down next to him. She watched his profile against the backlit tent siding. His broken leg was on the other side but his other lay across her side of the tent tangled in blankets. She shook her head and began pulling and smoothing out the blankets restoring order to the bed.

The night chill crept in and she finally wiggled beneath the many layers, laying her knees over Theodore’s leg. His skin was cool to the touch despite the blankets. She pressed her hand to his brow and it came back covered in sweat. He seemed to be fighting off an infection after all it seemed. She cursed the magic from earlier. It seemed so fickle. She needed to pay more attention to Mother’s work. She pulled the blankets about her then slid an arm over Theodore’s chest and pressed against his side. She tried to put as much of her against him as she could to share her warmth.

He stirred a little and tightened an arm around her back. He mumbled something but she couldn’t make it out. His heart beat steadily beneath her ear. She focused on it until her mind finally wandered off to sleep.

Copyright 2019 Ava Altair

#freefiction #indieauthor