As they lay down to sleep, Tarana between Becky and Djerr with Djerr’s arm over her stomach, she tried uncomfortably to sleep. As exhausted as she felt, the rocky ground felt unusually hard underneath her and her hip ached, but she tried not to shift around so as not to wake the others. Breathing deeply, she tried to force her body to relax and go to sleep. Gradually, after far too long lying awake, her body complied and she fell into an uncomfortable sleep.
“So, you finally found yourself out of that mess,” Rupert’s voice grated in her ears before she had even opened her eyes. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them. His skinny frame, cloaked in the same heavy brown cloaks as usual, was bent over as he crouched down beside her. Offering her a bony hand, he helped her up and she sat down across from him. “I was beginning to wonder if you would survive many more days without food to replenish that energy you were depleting so quickly.”
She shrugged, not sure if she was being complimented or criticized. “Well, it worked out fine.”
He raised an eyebrow. “An interesting definition of ‘fine’ you have. Now we had better work quickly. You need a lot more sleep to regain your energy. Food helps, but it’s useless without sleep as well, you know. Of course, sleep is useless without food!” He chuckled to himself, then continued, launching into a lecture about the importance of food and sleep. Thinking he seemed in an unusually good mood, she yawned and laid her head down on her arms, lost in thought as her mind wandered. After several moments, he gave her a sharp look. “Are you listening?” he finally asked impatiently.
She lifted her head from her arms and focused on him. “I don't understand,” she said slowly. “All this stuff that you've been teaching me, it contradicts the rules of magic. You say that I need to touch something to affect it, that I need to push something in order to move it. Then how do you explain this?” She absentmindedly picked up a rock at the far end of the cave and tossed it toward herself, but then deflected it away. “How can I move something without touching it?”
Smiling widely, he laughed out loud. “Ah, so you finally get to the point of the matter. How is magic possible in a universe constructed of such rigid rules? But,” he paused, “tell me, what keeps our moon revolving around our planet?”
“Gravity,” she answered quickly.
“Right. And us with our sun and the sun with the galaxy?”
She sighed. “Gravity.”
“And what is gravity?” he asked pointedly.
She narrowed her eyes in thought, as she tried to comprehend what he was asking. “Well, it's what pulls us together.”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “But in order to move something, you have to touch it, correct? What of the world is touching our moon?”
Staring blankly, she began to understand what he was getting at.
“Gravity reaches terribly far away,” he continued. “But is there actually any tangible thing touching both of them? No, of course not. Not that we know of anyway.” He smiled, looking pleased with himself. “Furthermore, remember what I told you about the atom? What it's made up of?”
“A nucleus orbited with electrons,” she answered, glad to finally be able to answer a question again.
“Correct. Everything is made up of those components. When you touch something, your atoms are touching its atoms, right?”
She nodded. “The outer bits, the electrons are closest to each other. But...” she trailed off, “they don't actually touch each other. The forces between electrons, they repel each other too strongly to actually be able to touch. You just feel the force of the object's electrons pushing away the electrons of your finger. There's always a space between them, isn't there?” She looked up at him, astounded. “So what pushes them apart, if there's nothing there?”
He jumped up from where he sat, arms waving wildly. “That's it! There's nothing that we know of. It's just a natural force, a law that has to be obeyed. Everything is made up of energy, Tarana, and your magic is no different. Even when you heat something up, to the point of burning it, all you're doing is speeding up the molecules. We can't always comprehend what the universe is made of and why things function the way they do, but we must obey the laws. It's impossible not to.
“You just, you have an energy to control in a way most people don't. I don't know why, or how, it just is. It's a part of the universe. Try as I might, I'm not going to be able to explain to you the secrets of how your magic works because nobody knows. But in the end, it doesn't matter how it works, the simple fact that it does work is enough.” He sat down, suddenly calm again. “See, you're not a freak of nature, Tarana. In fact, you're more in tune with the laws of nature than anyone else in the world. You use the same type of magic as only the atoms and planets do.”
With an aching body, Tarana was the first to awake the next morning as the first streaks of dawn appeared across the pale starlit sky. Rustling underneath the crowded blanket, she rolled onto her back and rested her hands beneath her head, yawning deeply. Grateful at least for the warmth of the other bodies under the blanket, she watched as the sky gradually grew brighter and other groups around them began waking, slowly moving onward.
Growing restless, she shifted again, nudging Djerr in the process. With a soft sigh as he slowly woke, he nestled closer to her and opened his eyes slightly. She couldn’t help but smile at his sleepy expression and she reached a hand over to tousle his hair.
The two had only to wait a short while before Becky awoke with a start, sitting upright with a sharp breath. Her short chestnut-brown hair stuck out at odd angles as she looked around in confusion, then saw Djerr and Tarana and seemed to remember where she was. Greeting them hoarsely, she smoothed down her hair with one hand, while already gathering up their belongings with the other.
They started walking slowly, waiting for the sun to warm up their sore bodies. The valley continued to grow wider and the walls beside them sloped downward until they found themselves back in another vast plain with the cliffs behind them, only this one was populated.
The sun was still low in the sky when the city appeared in front of them after rounding a final corner. Hundreds of campfires still burned around the city with makeshift shelters scattered across the flat land. Others streamed toward the city, some injured and bandaged or limping.
Some were lined up along the path where they walked, begging from anyone who passed by. One small boy with long blond hair and his face smudged with dirt approached Tarana, hands outstretched without saying a word. She smiled sadly and shrugged at him, wordlessly apologizing for having nothing to give. His eyes blank, he moved onto the next travelers.
The wide path began splitting off into smaller paths to each side with signs pointing the way to other towns. They took one of the paths that skirted the side of the city and went farther into the plains. Some of the other towns were visible in the distance, dark blots that rose above the flat ground and stood out against the blue sky. They walked for half a day, the cliffs shrinking into the distance behind them. The ground below them grew slightly hillier and as they crested one of the hills, they saw a vast city, only slightly smaller than the one nestled by the foot of the cliffs.
“Well, this is it, the city of Shae’lin!” Becky exclaimed. “I have never been over this way myself. It’s quite a bit larger than I expected. It may take a long while to find my relative. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not!” Djerr reassured her. “We’re just thankful you’re helping us out. We’d probably be one of those beggars without you, if we even made it this far.” He gave her a crooked smile. Acknowledging his smile with a nod, she led them into the city. Promisingly, far few beggars accosted them as they approached the city and they looked in far better health.
On the outskirts of the city, fenced off areas of livestock and frozen fields were spread out across the hills. Wisps of smoke came from many of the chimneys, slipping away in the chilly air. As they entered the city, a faded cloth sign stretched out across the road above them, welcomi
ng them to Shae’lin.
The streets were busy with people bundled up in thick layers of clothes. While Becky began approaching them, Djerr lingered back, looking around at the town with a strange expression on his face. Tarana stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if his wide brown eyes were hopeful or worried. She fell into step beside him and gave him a nudge. “What are you thinking?”
Djerr shrugged and looked embarrassed. “I was just thinking, this town seems really remote and quiet. There aren’t a lot of people coming and going and it looks really peaceful here. Maybe this is where we could settle down, like we talked about.”
“But what about the griffins?” Tarana hissed quietly. “Things aren’t going to settle down over there, they’re spreading over to here. We can’t just ignore everything that’s going on. Don’t you think we have some responsibility to do something about it? Well I mean, I guess you don’t really have any reason to get messed up in it again, but I’m the one they’re looking for. I’m the real reason everyone’s fighting each other. I don’t want to lead an army or anything, but there’s got to be some way I can make them stop fighting and destroying entire cities.
“I still think there’s something weird going on with those armies. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we were with the Citizens’ Army for so long and we almost never managed to intercept the Wizard’s Army. That’s the reason we called them Scavengers when I was with the Wizard’s - they would follow us around and pick up all the survivors of the places we crushed. Well, not me personally,” she gave him a hard look, “I never attacked any towns. But I still don’t understand how they’re so well-coordinated, how the Citizens’ always knew where to go, even when they got so far behind or came from another direction.”
She realized Djerr’s eyes were glazing over and he looked skeptical, his forehead slightly wrinkled. “I know it sounds stupid and doesn’t really matter anymore, but it still bothers me. I want to figure out what’s going on. I think we should stay here for awhile and make some money, stock up on supplies, and lay low, but I can’t stay here forever with you.” Silent, Djerr turned away to spot Becky and hurried after her. Sighing, Tarana followed behind, allowing herself to daydream for just a few moments what it would be like to stay forever, hidden from the rest of the world.
It was late in the evening by the time they managed to track down the man Becky was looking for. He welcomed all three into his house, listening gravely to Becky’s story of how her town was attacked and how she was the only remaining member of the family. Djerr and Tarana watched, feeling awkward, as Becky and her brother-through-marriage openly wept over the memories of her family.
The man, named Isaac, was tall and lanky with short black hair that stuck straight out in every direction. As they dried their tears, Isaac invited all three to stay in his house as long as necessary. He explained that as the local doctor, his work had actually increased as a result of all the refugees flooding into the area and he had plenty of food to share with them.
They ate a thick potato soup for dinner and by the time they finished, Tarana was yawning so much, she worried she might fall asleep at the table. Noticing her exhaustion, Isaac quickly laid out blankets on the floor to use as makeshift beds. Curling up in front of the fireplace and feeling incredibly full and satisfied, Tarana was asleep before the others had even begun to lie down.
Feeling the familiar dampness of the cave on her cheeks, Tarana rose to face Rupert. Before he could even greet her, she raised her hand to silence him. “I want to know what’s going on,” she said flatly.
He raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Regarding what, if I might ask?”
She looked fiercely back at him. “The griffins, to begin with. They used to serve the wizards right? So what are they doing back here and why are they attacking people?”
Rupert’s amusement faded to annoyance. “Well, there’s a wizard in the world again, isn’t there? So of course they’ve returned from where they were hibernating. They’re actually transformed from magic, you know. We decided, long ago, that we needed a faster way to travel, so we used an advanced form of magic that took many wizards. Binding together the bodies and spirits of several animals, we created the griffins to serve us. Large enough to carry a man and forever bound to us through the magic, they were a beautiful creation. When no wizards are around to be served, they have no purpose in life and so they hide and sleep and wait.”
She continued to glare at him. “Well they do not seem to be hiding, sleeping, or waiting at the moment. Why are they attacking people and how can I stop them?”
He paused for a moment, watching her, then spoke. “You cannot stop them, not right now. You’re using your magic occasionally, yes, but you’re not commanding it. They don’t regard you as a wizard yet. Back when they were created, we couldn’t have young boys summoning them just for fun, could we? No, only the powerful wizards, the ones who possessed and commanded their power to the fullest, could control the griffins.”
She sighed and the anger faded from her. “Well then, I guess I’ve just got to keep learning more about magic until I can control them. That will be my first step to fixing all these problems. Until I can figure out how to stop all this fighting, I’m going to stay in Shae’lin where no one will find me for awhile.”
Although she wasn’t asking his opinion, Rupert nodded. “That sounds like a wise idea. Once you are powerful enough to take command of the griffins, you will also be powerful enough to lead the Wizard’s Army to victory against the uprising.”
“I’m not leading the Wizard’s Army!” Tarana nearly shouted, frustrated. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not joining either side ever again. I’m done with all that. The war is pointless; it’s just going in circles and killing more and more people. I’m going to stop it, but I’m not killing half the people in order to do so. I’ll find another way.”
“You are a stubborn one.” Rupert half-smirked at her. “I think you’ll find that you will change your mind, but until then, we are in agreement. You need to learn more, so let’s stop this quibbling and get down to business.”
After an even longer lesson than usual, Tarana fell into a gentle sleep which was only ended when she awoke to something poking her side. Moaning unhappily, she rolled onto her other side and tried to fall back asleep, but the feeling persisted. Finally, she opened one eye and saw that the room was already full of sunlight and she was the only one left sleeping. Djerr sat next to her, grinning widely. His hair was wet and hung in curls around his face. “What is it?” she grumbled, still unhappy about being disturbed.
“Well, I didn’t want to wake you up-“
“But you did,” she interrupted.
“-but it didn’t look like you were going to wake up anytime soon and I just wanted to say bye before I left, and let you know that there’s fresh fruit and bread in the kitchen and a stream out back if you want to wash up or anything. It’s chilly, but the sun warms you up pretty quickly!”
Tarana blinked, trying to comprehend everything he said. “Wait, you’re leaving?”
“Gotta find a job!” he explained. “If we’re going to get our own place and stuff, we’ll need some money. I talked to Isaac and there’s a big housing project going on. The city’s actually not doing too poorly considering all the refugees and stuff coming through. It seems like a lot of them escaped before their towns were attacked, so they brought all their possessions and money and stuff. I think everyone who was really suffering and desperate stopped at the first city they saw and didn’t make it this far out. Anyway, I’m going to see if I can work at the building project. Isaac says that’s where most of the refugees find work.”
“Well, I want to come.” She yawned and pushed the blankets off her body. “I don’t want to just sleep all day.”
He rolled his eyes. “Could’ve fooled me. Anyway, hurry and go wash up and stuff. You look like well, like you just traveled across the mountains and through the mud.”
“I
wonder why.” She stuck her tongue out at him and followed him out the back door. The air was still chilly and goosebumps rose on her arms, but the sun warmed the top of her head. They followed a trail down a hill to a small stream with wooden buckets sitting on the bank nearest them. For the first time in days, trees were visible, the naked branches leaning across the water. Taking off her shoes, Tarana dipped a foot in the shallow water and instantly sprang back. “That’s absolutely freezing, Djerr! I’ll die if I go in there!”
“Baby,” Djerr teased. He stripped off his own shoes and ran into the stream, splashing water on her. Screeching, she clasped her arms in front of her, teeth chattering. “Come on, come on,” he urged her, coming forward and pulling on her hands. “You’ll get used to it, I swear. Once you get wet, you won’t even feel the cold anymore.”
“Yeah!” she objected. “That’s because all the blood in your body is leaving your extremities in order to keep the core of your body warm and functioning, at least for a little longer. It’s a response to deathly cold water.”
“You’re too smart for your own good.” Djerr shook his head sadly. “Look, you’ll be fine, come on. Just take a quick dip, then you can go dry out and sulk.”
Glaring at him, she bit her lip and ran into the stream, diving headfirst when it got deep enough. She felt her chest tightening as the cold water rushed into her clothes and surrounded her. Still underwater, she opened her eyes and saw a small school of silver fish skittering across the rocky bottom, away from her feet as she kicked. Furiously scrubbing her hair, she emerged back to the surface and found Djerr treading water across from her as they slowly let themselves be carried downstream with the current. “See, it’s not that bad!” he exclaimed.
Still scrubbing her arms and clothes with her hands, Tarana glared again at him. “It is that bad. If I freeze to death, I hope you feel bad.”
The Girl Born of Smoke Page 23