by Mary Coffin
After the meal, Loki went in search of Gwynn. She needed to ease her concerns about her mother. She checked her room, the training cave, and everywhere she could think of but didn’t find her. Perhaps her mother was having a late meal.
Loki returned to the dining hall just as Silas stepped out.
“Have you seen my mother?”
“No. Did you check the practice cave?”
Loki nodded. “I’ve looked a lot of places.” She studied Silas for a moment, wondering whether to ask him what it is that he suspects her mother is thinking of doing. If he knew about her dream, then maybe he could stop her mother from putting herself in danger, if that’s what she planned to do.
Silas started walking away. “I’ve got to go.” He stopped and turned back to Loki. “Maybe she’s outside. This might be our last afternoon to relax for awhile so a bunch of people were headed out there. You should go. Get some fresh air. Enjoy yourself.” Then he turned and left.
Loki stood in the tunnel outside the dining hall and watched him walk away. She glanced inside the dining area and saw that the room was empty except for the few people that were cleaning up after the meal.
Maybe he’s right, she thought. She might be outside.
The high terrain on the northern slope of the Great Mountains was slightly more forgiving than the jagged peaks and sheer cliffs that made up the southern side. Sporadic bluffs and rock outcroppings dotted the northern edge just below the peaks and they were interspersed with groves of hardy pines that provided excellent cover. The trees allowed the Overseers to get fresh air and sunshine without being seen by anyone down below since the only way to reach the pine grove was from a cave, high up on the mountain. It was the same cave that led Loki and the others to the fairies’ Sprite Orchid the night before their indoctrination.
Loki stepped through the opening and felt the sun’s rays. She stood there for a moment with eyes closed, basking in the warmth. Then suddenly the bright light on her face faded as though some great shadow had passed over the sun. Iciness swept through her body and she shuddered. She opened her eyes and noticed a dark gray cloud covering the sun, which was odd because it wasn’t there the previous moment. She watched as it moved away, ever so slowly. The light and the warmth returned but it took another moment for the deep chill to leave.
Then she turned and followed the foot path that paralleled the cliff wall. Before reaching the young pine tree with the Sprite flower on the other side, she was about to walk down the sloped hillside toward the big pine grove when she heard someone giggle. It sounded like it came from her right but the only thing to her right was the cliff.
Right away, she recognized the laugh. She stopped and turned, letting her eyes casually observe the rock surface. As soon as she spotted them, Waysu and Kado jumped away from the cliff and shouted.
“Boo!”
Like chameleons, their bodies instantly changed from the color and facets of the rock wall, back to their natural human form. Even though Loki knew it was Kado and Waysu, in her preoccupied state the sudden movement still startled her. She jumped slightly and then giggled with them.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for you,” Waysu said. “We thought you were right behind us when we came out after eating.”
“I was trying to find my mother.” Loki looked down the slope at the grove of trees, wondering if her mother was down there. “Have you seen her?”
“No,” offered Kado. He ran down the slope playfully. “But come on. Let’s go check.”
Waysu and Loki walked down after him.
“Are you still worried about your mother?” asked Waysu.
“Yeah. It would help if I could talk with her.”
“Well, maybe you’ll see her at the evening meal. Besides, she was an Overseer long before you were even a thought. If she’s up to something, she probably knows what she’s doing. Ooh. Maybe Morten gave her a secret assignment. Did you think of that?” Waysu’s face lit up as if she had just solved a mystery. “That would explain why Silas wouldn’t know about it.”
“Hmmm. Maybe you’re right.”
“Come on.”
Waysu trotted down the hill and Loki followed behind.
They found boulders to sit on, enjoying the warmth of the rock and the feel of the fresh breeze on their faces. Other Overseers lounged in different spots throughout the grove but there was no sign of Gwynn. Loki glanced around and noticed some Overseers playing chameleon with the trees, the ground, and any other object that was in the area. Kado lay on the ground, apparently taking a nap, while several of his buddies conversed beside him.
A raven squawked loudly in the distance, again causing Loki to involuntarily shudder.
“I still find it difficult to relax knowing that something is about to happen,” Loki said.
“I know what you mean,” offered Waysu. “On one hand we have to be calm and patient. On the other hand we have to be ready to spring into action in a split second.”
“Yeah, I know.” Loki glanced around at some of the older people and they appeared as though they didn’t have a care in the world. “I guess we get used to it after awhile, huh?”
“That’s what Silas says.”
“Kado looks like he’s doing okay with it. He’s fallen asleep,” Loki said.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re better at it than you credit yourself. We’ll do just fine.”
Loki let out a sigh and smiled at Waysu. “I suppose.”
Once more, she glanced at Kado and his friends but Kado was no longer there. She looked in several directions but didn’t see him and thought he must have slipped back into the mountain or morphed with something when she wasn’t looking.
She closed her eyes again and stilled her mind. She sensed something had changed in the ethers around her. She kept her eyes closed as she listened to the sounds. She heard others conversing quietly, the breeze rustled through the trees, occasionally a songbird let out a chirp, but there was something else and it was moving closer.
With her inner senses, she was aware of the tall pine tree a few feet behind her and could also sense Waysu sitting to her left on another boulder. She probed with her inner awareness to find the location where the energy shifted. The space near the tree was being taken up by another presence. It was subtle. All the other sounds and energy shifted ever so slightly, as though they traveled around the newly occupied space like water rerouting itself to bypass an obstruction.
She knew who it was and opened her eyes. In one quick move, Loki was on her feet facing the tree. Her hands and legs assumed a stance that announced she was ready to act, to engage if necessary. Just as she did, Kado’s camouflaged form stepped away from the tree and he returned to normal.
He wore a mischievous grin. “I guess you’re too good for me.” He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, as if he were inviting a response.
Loki relaxed her stance. She thought he was teasing her but she immediately grasped the double meaning behind his words. What he said was that she was too good at sensing the shift in energy for him to be able to sneak up on her; what he implied was that she was too good to be romantically involved with him, as though he was testing the waters.
She glanced at him with half a smirk on her face. He smiled back.
“Oh, brother,” Waysu said as she stood and took a few steps until she was up against the trunk of a tall pine. She crossed her arms over her chest and morphed to blend in with the bark. “Pretend I’m not here.”