So we run.
Halfway up the lane to Runa’s farm, we both have to stop to catch our breath. While we’re stopped, Ari turns to me, a funny expression on his face. “Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.”
He ignores me. “Why do you need starflowers?”
I glare at him. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I need them for my sister. She has problems with her lungs sometimes. She has coughing fits and trouble breathing at night. Starflowers can be used in medicine that helps her a lot. When I’m a Seeker, I’ll be able to get as many as we need, the way my papa did.”
“Can’t you just get some of the other Seekers to trade them?” Ari asks. “When I become Seeker, I’ll bring you some.”
“You aren’t going to be Seeker, because I’m going to win.”
Ari grins. “Not if I win first.”
“We’ll see about that,” I say. “Who is it that tamed a unicorn, again?”
Ari groans. “You didn’t tame a unicorn. You fed it some fruit. And brushed its hair. Big difference.”
“And how many unicorns have you fed, Ari?”
“I don’t think feeding unicorns is going to be part of the competition.”
“No, but knowing how to approach them and get their hairs might be. And who is it who’s done that, again?”
He sighs. “You’re never going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope.” I smirk. “You’ll be calling me Seeker Bryn in no time.”
“You’re forgetting about the part where you were only able to approach the unicorn because I used my gift to tell you whether she was calm.”
“I could’ve figured that out myself. You’re not the only one who can sense life forces.”
Ari smirks. “No, I’m just better at it than everyone else.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Your gift isn’t all that special.”
“I know you don’t really mean that,” Ari says, stepping over a fallen tree branch as we crest the top of the hill. “I know, because I can use my gift to tell.”
He’s only joking, but it makes me think back to what he said earlier, and I can’t help but ask, “Can you really tell when people are lying?”
Ari’s smile fades. “Usually, yes. People’s emotions don’t feel right when they lie.”
I bite my lip. Good thing my parents aren’t empaths. But keeping my distance from Ari is proving to be much harder than I thought.
Ari looks away suddenly. “Shouldn’t have told you that,” he mumbles.
At first I think he means that he shouldn’t be giving away the secrets of his gift to his competitors, which he shouldn’t. But he still won’t look at me, like there’s more to it than that. “Did I say something wrong?” I ask.
“No. You just felt it.”
“Um, what?”
Ari glances down at the dirt and shrugs. “People always get freaked out when I start telling them about my gift. Nobody likes that I can read them so well. Nobody likes that I know their feelings. Or their secrets.”
“Oh,” I say quietly.
“People always pull away from me when they find out what I can do, or when they assume I can read their minds or something. Like you did, just now.” He shrugs again like it’s no big deal, but I don’t have to be an empath to see that it is.
“I didn’t do that,” I protest.
“You did it earlier, too.”
I’m not sure which moment he’s referring to, but admittedly there were several when I thought about needing to be careful around him. I shouldn’t explain, but the way he looks right now is so… lonely. I’ve always known that Ari doesn’t spend much time with the other kids in the village, but I assumed that was by choice. It never occurred to me that Ari might not be keeping to himself on purpose.
So I tell him the truth. “It’s not really about your gift,” I say. “I don’t care that you’re an empath. Or I wouldn’t normally. But I do care about becoming a Seeker. I want to win this competition more than I’ve ever wanted anything. And you’re the competition. Your gift is going to help you a lot. I’m trying to be careful around you, because I don’t want to give you anything that could be used against me later.”
Ari finally looks up. “You think I would do that?”
“I think I don’t know you very well. And I think you want to win.”
Ari nods. “That’s fair. But maybe you should also think about this: even if I weren’t an empath, I’d know how you felt when you were kicked out of training. Because I get left out of things all the time, and I feel the same way. I didn’t just ask you to help me with Lilja because it’s convenient or because I’m planning to betray you or something later. I asked you because I think you deserve a fair shot at this just like the rest of us.” He smiles a little. “I don’t need to cheat or backstab my friends to have an advantage in this contest. When I win, that will be fair too.”
I’m suddenly having trouble breathing again, but I don’t think it’s from running this time. We’ve reached the bottom of the hill, and my family’s hut is looming down the path. “That was a nice speech and all,” I say finally, “but there’s one crucial thing wrong with it. Fairly or not, you’re not going to win. Because I’m going to beat you.” I smile to let him know I’m teasing, even though I mean every word, and he smiles back.
“See you tomorrow, then,” he says.
“See you.”
As Ari continues down the path toward the village, I turn toward home, leap over the garden gate, and—
Someone rises from the garden bench and steps out of the shadows, looking right at me.
THIRTEEN
I freeze, my heart pounding. Is it Mama or Papa? Elisa?
“Where have you been?” the shadow asks, stepping forward.
Runa.
I exhale. “You scared me! I thought you were my parents.”
“I saw you and Ari on your way toward my house,” she says. “I thought I’d run up here and wait for you so we could talk alone.”
She gestures to the garden bench, and we both sit down. “What’s wrong?” I ask. “Why do you want to talk?”
“I wanted to warn you,” she says. “About Tomas and Johann.”
I frown. Aside from my confrontation with Tomas on trading day, I’ve barely given any of the other competitors a second thought. Except Ari, of course.
“When I was in the village today, I overheard them talking. They were whispering and looking kind of guilty about something, so I tried to eavesdrop. I heard Tomas say your name and tell Johann that you were still planning to compete. Then Johann said something dumb about how you couldn’t win because girls don’t have strong magic.” Runa rolls her eyes.
“Figures,” I say. “But that doesn’t matter. I’ll just prove him wrong.”
“I know, but…” Runa pauses. “Then Tomas said something else, so soft I could hardly hear him. And Johann was, like, nodding in agreement. And then Tomas said, ‘Make sure she loses.’ ”
“Meaning what?”
“I don’t know. But it sounded like… I don’t know, like they were plotting something. I thought I should warn you.”
“Thanks. It’s probably nothing, but I’ll keep an eye out.”
“So where have you been all this time?” she asks, looking pointedly at the dawn sky. “What were you and Ari doing?”
I tuck one leg up on the bench, turning sideways so I can see her better. Quietly, so as not to wake my family, I tell her all about how Ari and I flew Lilja into the Realm.
One of the things I love about Runa is that she’s a great listener. She gasps in all the right places and is just as excited as I am about the Realm.
“That sounds so awesome,” she says when I finish describing the unicorn encounter.
“Sure you don’t want to change your mind about training with me?” I say with a grin. “It’s not too late for you to compete!”
“I’m sure,” she says, grinning back, “although a unicorn is pretty t
empting.”
We talk for a few more minutes, but eventually Runa notices that I can barely keep my eyes open and shoos me off to bed, sounding more than a little like Mama.
“I want updates on all your Realm adventures!” she says as she leaves the garden.
“You’ll be the first and only person to know,” I say, waving goodbye.
I tiptoe inside the hut as quietly as I can. I hang my coat on the clothesline to dry, then slip into the sleeping area. I take off my boots, which are caked in mud—I’ll have to wash them later when Mama isn’t looking. For now, I hide them beneath the bed, then slip under the covers and pull the blankets over me.
The second my head hits the pillow, I realize I’ve never been more tired in my entire life. It will be so good to sleep, just for a little while.…
The next thing I know, Mama is shaking me awake. “Time to make breakfast, Bryn!”
I’m pretty sure I’ve been asleep for only about five minutes.
I take a deep breath, remind myself that becoming a Seeker will be worth this someday, and stumble out of bed.
* * *
The morning does not go well.
I’m so tired that I can barely focus on my chores. I burn the oatmeal, spill half the bucket of well water on the kitchen floor, and get into a fight with Elisa over which spoon she’s going to use. By the time breakfast is over, Mama has lost all patience with me.
“I don’t think you should go to this training of yours today,” she says. “Clearly you’re exhausted. They’re working you too hard.”
“Mama! That’s not fair.” It comes out as more of a whine than I intended, and Mama’s eyebrows rise sharply.
“Don’t argue with me, Brynja.”
“But it isn’t fair! You just don’t want me to compete. You’re looking for an excuse not to let me go.” I say it without thinking and instantly regret it. Arguing with Mama is never a smart decision.
“Go to your room,” she says, and for once I do the smart thing and don’t argue. I stomp into the sleeping area and throw myself down on the bed.
Of course, not going to training isn’t as much of a punishment as Mama thinks it is. I haven’t been going to the official training anyway. But this does mean I won’t be able to watch Lilja this afternoon or practice anything with her. I guess I can still sneak out tonight and meet Ari, though. Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to just lie here and close my eyes.…
At one point Elisa’s footsteps pad toward me, but Mama calls her away and she retreats back to the kitchen. The front door opens and closes a few times, and I can hear Mama scrubbing dishes. I’m supposed to help, but I don’t.
A few minutes later, a new set of footsteps approach, soft and almost silent. Mama.
She sits on the end of the bed, but I don’t look up.
“Sulking is not helping your cause, you know,” she says, but for once she doesn’t sound stern.
I turn my head so that the pillow doesn’t muffle my words. “Why don’t you want me to do this?”
Mama sighs. “It’s not about that. Clearly there’s something else going on, or you wouldn’t be so upset. Did something happen at training? Are the boys…? Are they getting along with you?”
That makes me open my eyes. “Some of them have been kind of mean,” I say, thinking of what Tomas said on trading day. “But I’m making friends with Ari.”
She pauses, considering. “I know this isn’t easy. I’m worried about… about how the other kids might treat you. That’s what I don’t want you to have to face.”
I frown. “I thought you were just worried about me getting hurt.”
“I am,” Mama says, nodding, “but you’re a smart girl, and you have your father’s talents. I know you could become a great Seeker. But I am not so certain that this village will give you that chance.”
I roll onto my back, looking up at her. “What do you mean?”
Mama scoots closer to me, resting one hand on my knee. “Did I ever tell you about the time I wanted to become a sailor?”
I giggle. “You?”
Mama smiles. “Yes, me. I was a little girl, maybe even younger than Elisa. One day, when my mama wasn’t feeling well, my papa took me out on his boat with my brothers. You remember when I told you that your grandfather was a fisherman?”
“Yes.”
“Well. I thought his boat was the most spectacular thing I’d ever seen. I loved being out on the water, with nothing around but sea and sky. My father taught me how to fasten the sails and even let me stand at the wheel and pretend to steer the boat. I thought it was the most fun I’d ever had. After that day, I told everyone who would listen that I was going to become a sailor.”
I sniff. “Why didn’t you?”
She looks down at the quilt, one of her fingers tracing a pattern in the stitching. “Most of the village kids laughed, including my brothers, and told me I’d never become a sailor. ‘Girls don’t sail,’ they said. ‘The ocean is no place for you.’ ”
My eyes widen. “What did you do?”
Mama smiles. “I fought with them. Once I got kicked out of the butcher’s shop for pulling another girl’s braid after she teased me. I got into fistfights with my brothers. I told everyone who would listen that I was going to be a sailor, and I’d punch anyone who didn’t believe me.”
I can’t help but laugh, trying to picture my mother getting into fights. I’ve never seen her do anything improper, ever.
“It’s true,” Mama says, laughing a little herself. “I was often in trouble, as you can imagine.”
“What happened?”
Mama pauses. “One day, when I came home with a black eye, my mother sat me down, and she explained to me that our village works in certain ways. That it’s only boys who become fishermen and shopkeepers and sailors.”
“And Seekers,” I say.
Mama nods. “And Seekers. So I gave up my dream of becoming a sailor. I thought it was impossible.”
“But that’s not fair. You should’ve gotten to sail if you wanted.”
“That’s right.” Her smile is sad. “It isn’t fair, the way that our village works. But I wasn’t as brave as you are. I’m glad that you’re fighting for what you want and that you won’t quit as easily as I did. I think you can be the one to change things in this village. But I wish you didn’t have to. I wish you didn’t have to fight even harder than I did, but I think you will.”
“You’re right,” I say quietly. “It’s already been harder than I thought it would be.” I hesitate. The truth about getting kicked out of training is on the tip of my tongue. But I still can’t bring myself to say it. “I don’t care. I don’t care how hard it is. I still want it.”
Mama smiles and pats my knee. “I know.”
“So you’re okay with me becoming a Seeker?”
“It wouldn’t have been my first choice for you,” Mama says carefully. “But I want you to be happy.”
I sit up. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to become a sailor like you wanted.”
Mama laughs. “Don’t worry about that. I would have changed my mind eventually anyway. Sailing involves far too many fish.” She wrinkles her nose, and I giggle.
“But if that were what you wanted, you shouldn’t have had to give it up,” I say.
“Yes. But you know what? I think once people in this village see a girl become a Seeker for the first time, they’ll start to believe that girls can be other things too.”
I smile. “I hope so.”
Mama gives my knee a final pat and stands. “But that isn’t going to happen if you don’t get some rest and adjust that attitude, you understand? I will pull you out of this competition if I have to.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Now come help me finish the dishes.”
“Yes, Mama.” But as soon as she disappears into the kitchen, I smile.
* * *
By the time the afternoon rolls around, I have redeemed myself enough in Mama’s eyes that she gives me permissi
on to leave. As soon as I’m out of sight of the hut, I rush to Lilja’s cave as fast I can.
Lilja nearly knocks me over when she sees me and immediately hunts for berries. I’m pretty sure she’d eat my whole coat if I let her; she sniffs the pocket hungrily.
“Calm down,” I say. “Behave yourself.”
She blinks up at me, her eyes huge and round and pleading. I sigh and toss her a berry.
I intended to spend this time training with Lilja, but about halfway through I get so tired that I curl up beside her and take a little nap. When I wake up a few hours later, I find Lilja eating the berries, which had fallen out of my coat pocket. She’s snapped up most of my supply by the time Ari arrives, his coat collar turned up against the sea spray.
“Everything going okay here?” he asks.
“This dragon is addicted to berries,” I say. “We’ve created a monster.”
Ari laughs. “I think it’s food in general that she’s a bit obsessed with.”
“A bit?” I joke. “She doesn’t care about anything else. If she’s not eating, she’s looking for food.”
“She’s a creature of limited interests,” Ari admits, smiling.
“How’d training go?”
“Well, I’ve either got good news or bad news,” he says. “Depending on how you feel about gyrpuffs.”
I sit up straight. “You learned about gyrpuffs? For real?”
He laughs. “I had a feeling you’d be in favor.”
“Who doesn’t like gyrpuffs? They’re incredible!”
“If you say so,” Ari says. “I don’t know much about them myself, except what I’ve heard from the Seekers. Agnar had us learning about how to track them and find their nests today.”
“Oh, that’s easy enough. Their nests are pretty distinctive.”
“Well, tonight should be easy, then.” Ari smiles.
I eye him with deep suspicion. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“Seeker Agnar created a bunch of fake trails in the arena today to have us practice tracking. I thought maybe we could set up something similar on the beach tonight, and then you can practice too.”
Seekers of the Wild Realm Page 12