by Blair Drake
Rylan winked. A few more moments of rest, and the two of them continued on again.
Chapter 9
Jasper heard the rush of water long before he saw the river. He caught Rylan’s attention and was confused by the frown darkening the old man’s face. Still, he was too excited at the prospect of a fresh fish dinner to take too much notice. The roar of the river was deafening so he couldn’t talk to Rylan to find out what bothered him. They picked up their pace, eager to reach the water. When they finally broke through the trees, they halted in shock at the sight before them.
“What the heck…” Rylan murmured.
“Holy hell!” Jasper gasped. He’d never seen a river so wide. It must be more than a mile across and was a rushing torrent, carrying windfalls and debris swiftly along. How will we ever cross it?
“It’s flooded,” Rylan muttered. “We’ll never get across.”
The words sent dread rushing through Jasper’s veins. He stared at Rylan. “What do you mean? We must get across.”
Rylan looked grim. “Not while it’s like this.” He turned away.
Panic surged through Jasper. He grabbed Rylan by the sleeve of his shirt, forcing him to turn around and face him. “We can’t afford to wait. We need to get to that cave and find the stone before it’s too late.”
Rylan eased Jasper’s hand off his shirt and regarded him solemnly. “I’m warmed by yer dedication, boy, but right now, there’s nothing we can do about that. The river’s flooded. We’ll drown if we try to cross it. We’ll have to wait until the water level goes down.”
Panic continued to flood Jasper’s veins. “But that could be days away, weeks even. We don’t have time to wait!”
Rylan shrugged. “I don’t know what ye want me to say. The river’s flooded. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Rylan’s nonchalant tone angered Jasper. He forgot about his panic and glared at the healer. “You sound as though you don’t care.”
Rylan rounded on him, his eyes narrowed. “Of course I care!” he shouted. “I care more than ye can ever know. Do you think I’ve enjoyed having my love taken from me and my life stolen? Having to spend my days hobbling around, looking like an old man. Losing my very identity, the purpose for which I was born?” Rylan turned away and spat on the ground then glared at Jasper again.
“I’ve hated every minute of this so-called life I’m forced to live. I want the spell to be broken more than anything, but I’m not going to just throw my life—what’s left of it—away. If we attempt to cross that river, both of us will drown. It’s as simple as that.”
With that, Rylan stormed off in the direction of the woods.
The very thought of returning to the heat and humidity of the rainforest filled Jasper with despair. And then he had an idea.
“Rylan! Wait up!” he cried, then hurried after the old man.
Rylan barely slowed his steps, but Jasper eventually caught up with him. “Rylan!” he gasped. “Stop! I have an idea.”
Rylan slowly came to a halt and eyed Jasper balefully. “What is it?”
“What if I take us across the river?”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you see that water? It’s flowing way too fast. Neither of us has a chance.”
Jasper shook his head impatiently. “I’m not talking about in my natural state. What if I call on my powers and take on supernatural strength? I could carry you on my back and get us both across.”
Rylan looked at him dubiously. “The only time those powers have come to yer aid, ye were in a bit of a fix, and I’m not talking about standing beside a flooded river ye just happen to need to cross. The way I see it, yer power is connected to the urgency of the moment. It’s not just something ye can call on at will.”
Jasper frowned in disappointment. “You mean, I can’t just snap my fingers and take on supernatural strength?”
“No, boy. I wish ye could. But magic like ours doesn’t work that way. My power to heal only happens when I come into contact with someone ailing. I feel it in my body. It starts out as a tingling and then my skin feels warm. It’s happened often enough over the years I easily recognize the signs.” He looked at Jasper, curious. “Right before ye take on that extraordinary strength, do ye get any sort of sign ye are changing?”
Jasper thought back to the times he’d used his magical power and slowly nodded. “Yes. It’s like you said. Each time, I feel a weird tingling and then a sensation of warmth. I guess that’s what happens when I’m about to change.”
Rylan sighed quietly and turned back toward the forest. “Well, I guess that’s it, then. There’s no way a flooded river’s going to trigger it. We’ll have to think of something else.”
Irritated at the thought of giving up, Jasper clenched his jaw and walked beside Rylan in silence. As he walked, he felt a weird sensation of someone watching him, but after looking around and seeing nothing amiss, he dismissed the idea. He and Rylan saw no sign of human habitation. The banished people, if they even existed, hadn’t made it into the forest. For all Jasper knew, the whole thing might be a fiction made up by the King to keep his people in line.
With a sound of impatience, he returned to the idea of calling on his super power to get them across the flooded river. He wished it were as easy as flicking a switch. That would solve all their problems.
The sound of a snapping tree branch immediately in front of them snagged his attention. His head came up and he tensed, wondering what new challenge lay up ahead.
“Rylan!” he called out in a loud whisper.
Rylan stopped and turned, a frown emphasizing the creases in his face. “What is it?”
“Shh…I heard something. A branch. There’s something moving in the forest close by.”
“It’s probably an animal—perchance a hippo—coming down for a drink. Don’t worry about it. Now, come on. We need to find somewhere to camp and begin making plans before nightfall. There must be some other way around this river. If not, we’ll have to keep walking until we find somewhere easier to cross.”
The thought of more walking made Jasper groan, but he continued to follow behind Rylan. Then he heard the crack of another limb and came to a halt once again.
“There! Did you hear that? A hippo would make much more noise than that. It sounds kind of…stealthy. Perhaps it’s one of those big cats? A lion or a tiger, or something even worse.” Fear kindled inside him, and he remembered the close shave he’d had with the lioness on the plain.
“There are no lions in the rainforest. They prefer to live on the grasslands. As for tigers, there have never been tigers on Ardhi,” Rylan told him.
Feeling only slightly reassured, Jasper once again scanned the tree line for signs of anything that could harm them. A flash of gray caught his eye. Perhaps it is a hippo? It must be a baby one. It wasn’t making enough noise for an adult.
Ignoring Rylan, he picked up his pace, jogging until he reached the trees. Taking cover, he crept in the direction he last saw the flash of gray. Carefully watching where he set his feet, and taking cover behind the bushes, he moved closer to where the animal disappeared. Barely daring to breathe lest he give himself away, he waited for it to make its next move. It didn’t take long.
Another snap, another flash—this one both gray and black. Whatever it was, it didn’t weigh much. The way it moved through the forest, flitting this way and that, made Jasper think it was a deer, perhaps a young fawn. Intrigued despite himself, he followed it.
He scrambled over fallen branches, under overhanging limbs, sidestepping thick vines to avoid being tripped up. Deeper into the forest he went until he was almost on the verge of giving up. Why am I even bothering? It was just a fawn, or some other small animal. He’d seen his fair share back home in Canada and even here during his time with Rylan.
Still, something about the animal called to him, and then he felt heat upon his chest. Glancing down, he noticed his school pin glowed red, just like it had each time before he changed.
Jasper
came to a sudden halt, his heart pounding. What does it mean? Was there a danger close by? Rylan was too far back to call out to him. The glow of the pin had something to do with the magic. But what?
Then Jasper felt an almighty blow hit him from behind. He gasped in shock and landed hard on the ground. A figure loomed above him, its features indecipherable in the shadows cast by the sun. Jasper shaded his eyes against its rays in an effort to see more clearly. And then he gasped a second time.
“W-who are you?” he stammered, squinting up at the girl who bore down on him.
In her hand, she held a thick branch. He assumed it was the weapon she’d used to clobber him. His back ached from the impact. He imagined the size of the bruise forming even now. Rylan’s skills would come in handy that night—if Jasper lived that long.
“I was about to ask ye the same question,” the girl spat, not at all frightened.
“I’m Jasper Walker. I’m…” What can I say? That he was on a quest to break a curse put on his friend by some evil king, and as soon as he managed to do that, he was leaping forward a handful of centuries and leaping planets so he could return home? She’d wonder if he was right in the head.
The girl glared at him and made a move as if to poke him with the branch again. He rolled out of the way and then cried out as pain radiated across his back.
“Ye are what?” she demanded, ignoring his distress.
He narrowed his eyes at her. Who does she think she is? More to the point, what’s she doing here? She had long black hair and tanned skin, and something about her seemed familiar. She didn’t look like a criminal—whatever criminals were supposed to look like in these parts. The thoughts tumbled through his head, but unwilling to risk another blow with the deadly tree branch, he answered her.
“I’m trying to cross the river.” At least that was the truth.
Her narrow-eyed gaze didn’t falter. “Where are ye from? Ye speak funny, and ye dress in funny clothes.”
“So do you,” he quipped without thinking.
Her glare deepened, and she lifted the branch, threatening him again. Jasper half-sat and held up his hands in surrender.
“I’m sorry. Please don’t hit me again. My back’s killing me.”
She lowered the branch, but suspicion and distrust remained in her beautiful, tawny brown eyes. Jasper’s hand brushed over his chest, and he realized his school pin was still glowing. He frowned at the heat radiating off the metal and wondered if it had anything to do with the strange creature who stood before him.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” he said.
She remained silent. It appeared she was debating whether to answer him. Finally, she spoke.
“My name’s…Willow.”
“Willow who?”
“Just Willow.”
Jasper stared at her in confusion. He was filled with a growing sense of unease. “Willow? Did you say your name is Willow?”
“Yes, what of it? It’s no stranger than yer name. What are those clothes ye are wearing? What’s that thing around yer neck?”
She pointed to his school tie. It hung loose and was a little worse for wear. And then she noticed his pin, glowing brightly.
Her eyes widened in shock. Color leached from her face. She stepped back. “Are ye some kind of wizard?” she whispered, her voice now full of fear.
Jasper chuckled uncomfortably and shook his head. “No, of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?”
“That thing on yer chest, that talisman. It’s glowing hot. It’s like what happens to me when I—”
She broke off and Jasper studied her. She looked about his age and was every bit as tall as him. Her arms were slim and tanned and sinewy. She wore a coarse gray smock over a tattered brown dress. Her a laced up to her knees. A cloud of black hair, matted with dirt framed her small face. She was an urchin, no doubt—and very beautiful.
An unfamiliar emotion stirred inside him and with it, his stomach clenched with nerves. He’d never been around such a pretty girl before. At least, not that he could remember. He went to a co-ed school, and there were girls in his class who were okay to look at, but none of them compared to Willow. Being near her twisted his belly up inside. She made him feel shy and uncertain. The feelings annoyed him. With a muttered oath, he thrust the thoughts from his head and returned to her earlier statement.
“When you what?” he demanded.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Where are your parents?” Jasper asked, curious to know more.
“My mother’s dead. I never knew my father,” came the flat reply.
“What about the rest of your family—brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins?”
“I have no one.”
“You can’t live out here by yourself.”
“Why not?”
“It isn’t safe.”
Her chin lifted to a stubborn angle. “Who says?”
Jasper shook his head, nonplussed. They were on the edge of a thick rainforest. There was danger all around. He could personally attest to that. She was insane if she didn’t think it a dangerous place, and he told her as much.
She merely shrugged. “Mayhap you’re not as brave as I am.” Challenge lit up the tawny depths of her eyes. He immediately went on the defensive.
“Oh, yeah?” He glared at her and came to his feet. He drew himself up to his full height and flexed his muscles. She held her ground, not in the least intimidated. If anything, she was sizing him up for another confrontation. He felt a stab of pique.
“So, you live here all by yourself,” he said.
“Yes.”
“How long have you been here?”
“It’s been my home for as long as I can remember. I was raised from a baby by the natives. Eventually, I struck out on my own. This is where I ended up.”
Jasper considered all she’d told him and couldn’t help but wonder about the obvious coincidences. She was an orphan who’d been raised in the forest. Her name was Willow. Besides, by now he’d worked out his school pin only glowed when he was around magic—be it his or someone else’s. If his suspicions proved correct, she had magic running through her veins.
“Tell me, Willow. Do you wear a golden locket around your neck?”
She started in surprise and the color left her cheeks. For the first time, she looked truly frightened. “Who are ye?” she rasped.
He stared at her. “Do you?”
She lowered her gaze to the ground. Her hand came up to the neck of her dress and slowly, she reached inside the gap. She pulled out something hanging around her neck. When she opened her hand, Jasper saw what it was.
A locket. Just like the one Rylan wore around his neck...like the locket Rylan said he’d given Aeysha.
“Oh, hell,” Jasper breathed, feeling goosebumps break out on his flesh. “You’re Willow.”
“I already told ye I am.” The girl’s voice trembled.
“Yes, of course, but you’re Willow.”
She shook her head in confusion. “Ye are not making sense.”
Jasper began to chuckle then broke into laughter so joyous he was filled with the sound of it. “You’re Willow! I don’t believe it! You’re Willow! You’re Rylan’s daughter! I found you! I don’t believe it! I just don’t believe it! Wait until I tell him! He’s going to be over the moon!”
“Nobody can go over the moon. And who’s Rylan?” Confusion was still plain on Willow’s face.
The snap of a tree branch underfoot startled both of them. A second later, the bushes parted, and Rylan stood there looking just as pale and flabbergasted as the girl.
“I am.”
Chapter 10
The shock on Willow’s face was reflected in Rylan’s expression. Seeing them side by side, the physical resemblance between them was startling. For a moment, the two of them were speechless. They stared at each other, taking in everything, understanding nothing. Jasper read bewilderment on their faces.
“Um, Rylan
, this is Willow. I think she might be—”
“My daughter,” Rylan finished, his voice husky with shock and disbelief.
“Yes,” Jasper replied weakly. It was weird seeing the two of them continue to stare at each other in silence. It was as if neither wanted to speak to the other, lest whatever magic was happening suddenly disappeared. In an effort to break the tension, Jasper cleared his throat.
“Yes, Willow appears to be the animal I tracked into the woods. It turns out she lives here. She’s lived here most of her life. She was left with the natives when she was a baby and now she’s…”
Jasper turned to Willow. “How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen at the end of the year.”
Jasper looked at Rylan. “When was your daughter born?”
“Early winter. The snow was on the mountains, but it had yet to reach the valley where I lived. She was named Willow. She’d be eighteen this year.”
As Rylan spoke, he continued to stare at the girl in front of him. Her gaze remained fixed on his. With each word, her eyes grew wider with surprise and comprehension. Then she reached into the neck of her dress and drew out the locket.
At the sight of it, Rylan gasped and fell to his knees. Jasper rushed forward, concerned the old man might be having a heart attack. Rylan was so pale it was frightening. Sweat beaded his brow. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow and labored. Jasper cradled the healer’s head in his hands and pleaded with him to open his eyes.
“Please, Rylan. You can’t die now, not now we’ve found her. Willow! Your daughter! We’ve found her! Please, Rylan! Open your eyes and breathe. In and out. Slow and deep. There, that’s better.”
Without a word, Willow dropped to her knees and placed her hands on either side of her father’s face. Slowly, the color returned to Rylan’s cheeks. Jasper breathed a sigh of relief. The old man blinked his eyes and looked at them.
“What happened?”
“I think you fainted,” Jasper replied.