Chapter 9
A week went by and Elah inadvertently found herself walking to her meeting with Alon, as if it was an old habit. She wasn't sure how long their friendship would last since he just appeared one day and who was to say he wouldn’t just disappear one day too. However, she needed a friend right now, she had been trying to think about what to do about Lavi and still didn't have any answers, not that she was about to discuss this with Alon.
As she approached she could see Alon sitting on the log as usual. With the light shining in his hair, making it look lighter and while he had a few cuts and bruises, his skin looked healthy, in fact he looked just as handsome as he always did.
“Hey” she said, sitting next to him on the log with a sigh.
“Oh, hey” he replied, putting his book down face first.
“What are you reading?” she asked, trying to get a look at the title.
“Oh just some homework” he said. “That's a nice necklace.”
Elah ran her fingers over the cool silver and weakly smiled at Alon. “Thank you, it was a gift.”
“A beautiful gift” he said, taking a closer look at it. “What was the occasion?”
“Oh, just my birthday” she said, wanting to take a break from thinking about Lavi.
“What and you didn’t tell me it was your birthday. When was it?”
“Last week but it's not a big deal”
“Well I’ll have to find something for you next time we meet”
“Please don’t. Tell me, what have you been up to?” she said, trying to change the subject.
“Elah, you don’t seem happy, did I say something to upset you?”
“Oh, no. I just have a lot on my mind”
“Is it something I can help with” he said, giving her a cheesy smile.
She smiled at him, amused by his cheesy smile. “You shouldn’t stay like that, the wind might change and you’ll have to look like that forever!”
“Oh, well then I hope the wind changes now then” he said, striking a pose as if he was a Greek god.
“I don’t know if that's any better” she said giggling.
“I’ll take that hint” he said, sitting back on the log. “Now tell me what is bothering you?”
“I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life” Elah blurted out, not sure why.
“But aren’t you a bit young to be bothered by this?” Alon said surprised.
“Well, do you have any plans for your future?”
“Well that was already arranged for me before I was born.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I will need to take over the family business”
“So you’ve never had to worry about what you are going to do and here you are telling me I’m too young.”
“Hang on, I was just trying to help, besides you have no idea the types of pressures and problems I have already experienced” he said defensively.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, I’m just frustrated.” Elah said, realising she didn’t need to make any enemies.
“It's okay. I think you need to just enjoy your life now and solve the problems of tomorrow, tomorrow”
“But it's hard to enjoy the now, when the only enjoyable thing is…” Elah stopped herself before she told him, he was the only enjoyable part of her week. She didn’t want him to think she thought there was more than friendship between them, beside with his looks, he could have anyone he wanted, why would he want her anyway. She knew she had to work out what she was going to do with Lavi and should just keep her friendship for now.
He looked at her, trying to figure out what she was going to say but her head lowered and he couldn’t search her eyes. He sighed and stood up, offering her his hand. She took it and they started walking through the forest.
“If you could do anything without consequences, what would it be?” he asked.
“Leave here and go on an adventure. What would you do?”
“Explore as many realms as I can”
“Have you been to any?” she asked curiously.
“No but I plan to” he said, smiling at her.
“How would you go to another realm?”
“The wizards control the portals, I’d ask them.”
“Do you know any wizards?”
“Not personally but my father knows some.”
“Wow, that’s amazing” she gasped. “You have to introduce me to one, one day.”
He laughed at her statement. “I don’t know if that is possible, they usually invite you, not the other way around. Although, you can request to see them.”
“Oh, so how are you going to meet one?” Elah asked, trying to see if he really could meet one.
“I’ll just send a request.”
“So why can’t I just send a request?”
“You need a reason to meet with them, not just for the sake of just meeting one.”
“Oh, I guess that will just have to be something to add to my list of things to think about. Besides do you think your excuse is good enough?” Elah asked, with sighing.
“Perhaps you might have a chance of meeting with one, that is if you come up with something good. As for my excuse, I’ll come up with something.”
They walked though the forest for a couple of hours, Elah seemed preoccupied with her new quest of meeting a wizard and what to do about Lavi. While Alon became quite interested in the trees and would run his hands across them as they walked. He was staring up at a large gum when he told her he should be getting back. Elah was surprised because she usually had to end their meetings but was so preoccupied she just wished him a good day and went on her way.
The following week, Alon was the one to find Elah waiting for him on their log. She was carving a long piece of timber and had been at it for quite some time as there was a pile of shavings on the ground at her feet.
“What are you doing?” he asked, looking at her curiously.
“Making a bow” she replied, holding the bow in the light to see her progress and then continued. She didn't care what he thought of her archery interest, all she wanted to was go out and practice.
“Why do you need a bow?” Alon asked, sitting down next to her and looking at her progress.
“So I can practice” she said, not caring that he would know that she was using weapons.
“Oh. Well I got you something, since I missed your birthday”
“I told you not to” Elah said and immediately regretted, as she sounded ungrateful and rude. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful.”
“It’s okay but you have to stop rejecting my want to give you a birthday gift” he said, with a serious look on his face.
“I’m sorry, I’m just not good at this” Elah said, wanting to run and hide in shame.
He smiled at her reaching into his pocket and pulled out a small orchid flower. He had coated in it a clear resin and made the stem into a little ring on the back. The flower was beautiful with a light purple exterior and a dark purple and orange interior.
“I thought it would look nice on your new necklace and it matches your eyes” he said, reaching behind her neck to unlatch the necklace.
Elah held her breath as she felt his breath on her neck. The sensation sent goose bumps down her neck and she didn't want him to see her reaction. She let her breath out as she watched him pull the necklace through the looped stem and reached around her neck to latch it back on. Again she held her breath and watched him concentrate.
She looked down at the flower, once he stood back, it looked beautiful. “Thank you, it's beautiful” she managed to say, once she was able to take a few breaths.
“Your welcome. Now show me this bow you are making”
She smiled at him and handed him the bow. Her father had showed her how to make bows and arrows when she was much younger and she had practiced every chance she got, which was not very often lately.
When Alon asked her to show him what to do, she jump
ed at the chance to show off her talents. By the time it was time for them to leave, they had the bow ready for the timber to be sealed and the string to be attached. However, just before Elah was about to leave with the bow, Alon made her hide the bow near the log so they could finish it together.
As Elah approached her grandparents cottage she stopped and took the flower Alon given her off her necklace, no one knew she was meeting with anyone and she wanted to keep it that way. She entered the cottage to find her grandparents drinking tea at their new table. They invited Elah to sit with them and after considering it, she sat down.
After Elah poured herself a tea, her grandfather informed her he would be going to collect River and he would be staying until he left for the city. River was also going to help their grandfather with some projects, which was going to take a couple of weeks.
Elah felt excited to have her brother come but was worried she was not going to be able meet with Alon. While she listened to her grandfather she promised herself she would gather the things required to finish the bow and hide the stuff so she didn’t have to explain to anyone why she was taking it into the forest if she got caught.
When River arrived he spent most of his spare time working on his gift while Elah used him to work on hers. He was getting stronger and was able to do more and more with the water. He could lift some water out of the stream and throw it at some trees. His strength impressed Elah but she knew she had to come up with some excuse to get time alone to meet with Alon. Although, she was torn because she loved spending time with her brother but didn’t want loose her only friend.
As the two walked back to the cottage Elah checked the mail. Her grandfather usually got a lot of mail and today was no different. As she looked through the mail she found a letter for River and Talib. Placing Talibs letter in her pocket she handed River’s to him and wondered what it was about.
River stayed in the garden to open his letter while Elah put the other mail in the kitchen for her grandparents. She then went upstairs to write Talib a letter but was interrupted by River yelling with joy. Elah hid Talib’s letter and went down to see what was going on.
When she got downstairs River was still jumping around the living room with joy, with the letter in his hand. “What’s going on?” Elah asked smiling.
“Granddad helped me to apply for a trainer job and I got the job” River said, jumping around happily.
“Wow, that’s awesome River, I’m so happy for you” Elah said, jumping with joy with him.
“I know right!” he said overjoyed.
Elah smiled at him, she didn’t know he was looking to leave forever. Was he unhappy?
“So does that mean you will not be coming back?” Elah asked remembering Talib told her none of the students came back due to work commitments.
“Of course I will, I have to visit home and you can come and visit me”
“I’d love to come and visit you.”
“I’ve got to find granddad and tell him the news” River said, running out the back door.
Elah stood in the living room surprised for a few minutes before heading back upstairs to write a letter to Talib. She sat looking at the letter and wondered if she should open it but decided against it, as she figured he would want the honour.
In the letter she told Talib that she needed some help with her homework and asked him to come and work with her for a day or two. She also wrote about how comfortable her current bed was, hoping he would get the hint that she hid the letter under the mattress. She wanted him to know where it was so if she was out he could get to it. It was the best she could do without getting anyone else involved and hoped he would come quickly as she really wanted to know if he had been accepted.
As Elah put the letter in the mailbox, she stopped and thought about how much her brothers and her lives were changing. She hoped her live would take her on a new adventure, one that was exciting and hopefully involved meeting a wizard.
At dinner their grandfather announced that he would be leaving with River for the city in the morning and was not sure when he would return as he wanted to help River settle in. Their grandmother was excited for River and let him know that he was always welcome to come back if he needed to.
After dinner Elah gave River a blanket she had made earlier and hoped it would keep him warm and remind him of her. She wasn't sure when she would see him again and knew she would miss him.
The next morning after River and their grandfather left, Elah left for her meeting with Alon. She didn’t think she it would be so easy to get the opportunity to leave and was thankful since she hadn’t come up with an excuse to go. When she arrived at the log Alon was reading with the bow next to him on the log. Elah placed the stuff she brought by the log and sat down next to him.
He looked up and smiled at her, she was wearing the flower he had given her and he was glad to see her with it. He was excited to finish their project and couldn’t wait to start.
They worked for hours and finally completed the bow when Alon helped Elah string the bow, she didn’t have the strength to do it on her own. Alon was amazed at how good the end product looked and examined every detail.
“Do you like it” Elah asked, smiling at him.
“I can’t believe how good it looks” he replied.
“It's yours if you want it” Elah offered, holding it out to him.
Alon looked surprised at her, he was not expecting she would give it to him. “Didn’t you want it to practice with?” he asked, knowing she was not suppose to use it but didn’t care if she did.
“Yeah I guess, we’ll just have to make another one” she said, with a cheeky grin.
“Wow, thanks.”
“Well you did most of the work, so it should be yours”
He laughed at her, knowing she really did most of the work. “If you say so” he laughed.
“I have something else for you” Elah said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small leather bag.
“What’s this?”
“It's just a small bag I made for your books” she explained, holding it out to him.
“Wow, thanks. You shouldn’t have.”
“It's nothing really”
“Well I really appreciated this kind gesture” he said, putting his book in the bag.
“Well I guess I’d better get going, I’ll see you next week” Elah said, starting her journey back to the cottage.
He watched her leave and wished he could leave with her but knew that wouldn’t happen, he knew he had to keep their meetings discrete. He then hid the bow as he didn’t want to explain where it had come from and then set off himself. As he walked through the forest he listened to the different sounds, something he enjoyed since his arrival.
The house was empty when he got back, so he went up to his room and hid the book bag under his pillow and headed out to start his chores. On his way out he passed Ebele and kindly smiled at her. He liked her but she always seemed too distant for him to get to know her and the rest of the family seemed too preoccupied every time he tried to talk to them on a personal level.
Jabin had been nice to him but they trained hard and once he finished with him he would move onto Lavi. Lavi was the only one who spent time with him and they had become friends but not close.
“Do you need any help” he asked Ebele, as she walked by.
“Oh, thank you for the offer but I can manage” she said, smiling at him as he left the house.
Ebele walked up stairs to start packing some of Rivers things, she knew he was going to be awhile but she didn’t know about his new job yet. As she walked into Lavi and Leif’s room to get a bag from the top of their cupboard, she noticed something brown pocking out from under Leif’s pillow.
Sighing she went over to clean up what she thought was dirty clothes but found Leif’s book bag. As she looked at it she realised what it was and found herself inspecting the quality. As she held it she briefly closed her eyes and was shocked at what she s
aw, as a clear vision hit her.
She carefully placed the bag back and grabbed the bag she came for before leaving the room. As she stood in River’s room she tried to make sense of what she had seen.
While she worked on strengthening her gift she noticed that if she held an object owned or recently held by a person see would see what they saw. Part of her vision was of the chickens, where Leif would be and the other part included the skirt of a light blue dress and the person was sitting with her mother-in-law. The bag obviously belonged to Leif but someone had given it to him recently.
Ebele dropped the bag when Elah came to mind and ran into Elah’s room. She looked around the room and grabbed a leather necklace Elah had made. Sitting on the bed she closed her eyes and concentrated. It took a while and she was started to get frustrated when she received a vision of the same light blue dress and images of Elah looking around her in-laws cottage.
“Oh, no” Ebele whispered to herself.
Ebele sat on the bed in shock for quite sometime before going to retrieve the bag she had left in River’s room. She packed a few necessities and some food and prepared herself for a long trip.
“Mum, what are you doing?” Talib asked, as he walked into the kitchen to see her packing the last of the food she would take.
“Talib, I’ve decided I should go and visit my father” she said, surprised by his presence.
“At this hour?” he asked, watching her pack some food in her bag.
“Yes, I need to get there”
Talib was confused by his mother’s behaviour and wondered what she was up to. “Would you like me to come with you?” he asked, looking at her curiously.
“Thank you Talib but you need to stay here and help your father. Oh, your father, can you tell him” she said, putting her boots on.
Once her boots were on, she went and gave the shocked Talib, a kiss and left on one of their horses. She rode into the sunset not looking back but focused on her task.
Elah and her grandmother were a sleep when Ebele arrived at the cottage and she took care of the horse before making herself comfortable on the couch. She knew there was nothing she could do at this point in time so she let sleep take her weary body.
A Healer's Destiny Page 9