Chapter
37
I
woke up to see Iyagi hunched over a tiny fire. It was still dark out.
Without the sun, only the stars were competing with the moon to shine
on the world below, leaving me with little to guess how long I’d
been sleeping. I rolled over towards the warm flames and slowly
propped myself on one elbow. I hissed softly under my breath. My
bruises had not yet healed.
Iyagi
turned sharply and rushed to my side. “Take it easy,” he
whispered, helping me to sit up. “Here, drink this.” He reached
behind me and pulled out a rock. The water from the cave’s walls
had dripped into its center that it had been eroded hollow. It was
filled with clean water. I realized then how dry my throat was and
how thirsty I felt.
Taking
the makeshift bowl in my hands, I lifted it to my cracked lips and
guzzled it down. The liquid slid coolly down my throat with each
swallow. I drank till all the water was gone, then immediately felt
guilty for not leaving any for Iyagi. But he didn’t seem at all
concerned. Just relieved.
“Better?”
he asked. I nodded gratefully.
“What
about you?” I asked, biting my lip anxiously, afraid that he would
suffer from dehydration. I hadn’t seen any clearwater pools or
lakes on our way here. However, I had been quite out of it with Iyagi
practically dragging my body over here.
“I’ll
get some more later,” he replied with a careless shrug.
I
frowned. “From where?”
“There’s
a little pool nearby.” Iyagi stopped speaking and began rubbing the
back of his neck self-consciously. “Actually, how I found it was
rather strange.”
“Oh?”
I prodded.
“Well,
last night…” he glanced outside, “…I think, I heard a noise.
More like a whisper. At first, I thought it was just the wind. But it
grew so insistent that I knew it was coming from a person’s mouth.
I got up quickly to investigate.” He shook his head in wonder.
“There was no one there. I was about to go back inside when I heard
some crashing in the woods. So, I went after it. Nothing. Then more
crashing.” Iyagi glanced at me. “This is where it gets really
strange. The noises continued in a pattern till I came upon the pool.
It wasn’t very far, but well hidden. I would never have been able
to find it on my own. I think…”
“You
think someone was helping you?” I finished.
Iyagi
nodded sheepishly.
“I
don’t think that’s crazy,” I smiled and opened my mouth to
explain about Raffi, when lo and behold the dwarfish man stepped
inside and sat down in front of the fire.
Iyagi
continued to stare at me, waiting for me to continue. I looked from
him to Raffi, who sat smirking at me while warming his hands, then
back at the prince whose eyes were full of patience and now a bit of
worry. I turned to the dwarf for help, but he only shrugged and mimed
that Iyagi couldn’t see him.
“Could
he hear you?” I whispered softly over the fire. Iyagi frowned and
felt my forehead. I pushed his hand away gruffly.
Raffi
raised his brows. “Yes, but I didn’t want to freak him out
without you around to reassure him.”
Iyagi
jumped to his feet frightened.
Raffi
sighed and gestured to the startled prince. “See, like that,” the
dwarf grumbled.
I
pulled the prince back down to sit beside me, suppressing a smile.
“It’s alright,” I said soothingly like one would speak to a
frightened puppy, “He’s a friend. Apparently a very old friend,
back from when I was a girl.” I looked over at Raffi, who gave me a
quick wink.
Iyagi
looked at me, now puzzled as well as wary. “You’ve been here
before?” He asked.
I
nodded and began to tell him all that I had experienced in the last
few days. How I had met Raffi and our journey through the woods
together as we went on a quest to find the three items that could
break the spell on my mind and restore my memory. Of Mother Willow
and her children. Of the swirling black shadow-men. Raffi, chipped in
every now and then in the explanations of how the Moon ruled the
earth instead of the Sun.
However,
even the dwarf’s eyes grew big as I went on to tell them both about
my visit to the kelpie Underworld.
“I
can’t believe you survived them,” Raffie shuddered.
“That
was really brave of you, Kkachi,” Iyagi said proudly, placing a
palm over my hand.
“Reckless,
more like,” the dwarf scoffed in return, “You could have been
killed! Good thing they believed you when you said you’d help them.
Now you’re safe.”
“Oh,
I’m going to help them,” I told Raffi.
The
dwarf coughed furiously. “After all they did to you?!” Raffi
spattered, “You don’t need to…they don’t deserve it; they are
evil!”
“They
are heartless,” I corrected.
“Same
thing,” the dwarf waved off.
I
shook my head emphatically. “No, it isn’t,” I insisted,
“Without a heart, these kelpies operate with no emotion, empathy or
love. They are powerful and gifted, but driven only by logic.”
“So,
it’s logical to kill innocent people?” Raffi asked incredulously,
throwing his hands up in the air. “I can’t believe you are
defending them!”
“It’s
logical to have people fear you,” I shrugged.
Iyagi
nodded contemplatively. “You want to help the kelpies regain their
lost hearts so that these creatures can feel again. Once they can do
that they hopefully will have compassion and not be as dangerous.”
“Except
this Agar says that once they have their hearts, they will be even
more powerful,” Raffi pointed out.
“It’s
a chance I have to take,” I said, “They have been wronged and I
want to fix it. I promised.”
“An
oath made in fear is sure to be invalid.” Raffi grabbed my
shoulder. “No one would blame you if you went back on it. I surely
wouldn’t consider you dishonorable if you did.”
I
thought of Kion, the merman pleading with his last breath, his eyes
full of hope even as he lay dying. He had never met me. Yet, he
believed in me and depended on me to help his people. I didn’t know
why, but the merman king’s surety that I could save the kelpies’
plight … it fed a piece of me that needed purpose, like drinking
water when thirsty.
“I
can’t.” I straightened my shoulders, shrugging off Raffi’s
hand. “I won’t.”
“There’s
no guarantee they’ll give you the fin
of truth
even if you do,” the dwarf huffed, crossing his arms.”
“Then
it’s a chance I’ll just have to take,” I said, “So … will
you help me?”
The
dwarf looked hurt. “Of course I’ll still help you!” he shouted.
I
giggled and took both his hands in mine. “Thank you.”
“Just
don’t want you to get hurt is all,” the dwarf muttered shyly. He
shook my hands away and crossed his arms again. But his face had
turned red.
I
turned to Iyagi.
“You
know I’m always on your side,” the prince said solemnly with a
little smile.
“Good,
then we’d better get going.” I stood up, a little shakily but on
my own and without any help.
“Where
to?” Raffi asked grudgingly.
“Take
us to Queen Malba.”
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