To Break A Curse

Chapter 6

Thankfully the season's growing warmer so I don't wake up to frost. A fire would have felt nice last night, but I was so tired, I doubt I would have noticed the difference anyway. I was too eager to sleep. 

My arms ache so I give them a stretch and let out a yawn as I take in the colors coming to life with the dawn. That's when I notice the empty spot under the tree where Fale should be. Panic shoots through me and I instinctively feel for the knife hidden in my boot. Jumping up, I survey my surroundings, but it's empty. There isn't anything or anyone.

A twig snaps behind me, and I whirl around, wildly slashing the knife in the direction it came from. But before I know it, the knife is on the ground and I'm looking into Fale's amused eyes. 

"That's one way to do it," he says with a smirk.

"One way to do what?"

"To get yourself killed." He picks my knife up off the ground. "You can't just wave it around so recklessly. It's a weapon, not a paintbrush. You must use direct and controlled motions," he says, demonstrating his grip on the handle. "You're careless in your form when you strike, and your wrist is too tense. See," he spins around and sticks the blade in the nearest tree, "when you move, you need to be relaxed but in control at the same time." He pulls the knife from the tree and hands it to me. "Now, you try."

I want to refuse. I want to put as much distance between the blade and I as possible, but if I'm going to be out here, I should at least know how to defend myself. Gripping the handle, I raise my arm to strike, but Fale interrupts me before I can move.

"No. See, you're too tense. You won't be able to move fast enough if your muscles and joints are so stiff." He grabs my wrist and moves it in a circular motion. "Just take a deep breath and let your body relax." 

After he steps back, I take another deep breath and focus on letting the tension go. Then, I imagine a Kiri standing behind me. Visualizing their oncoming attack, I spin around and forcefully release the blade into the tree. Relishing the feeling of triumph, I look over to where Fale is standing with his arms crossed.

"How was that?" I ask.

"Better. Your form was less chaotic, but I'm still not convinced you're putting enough effort into it." He pauses. "Maybe try closing your eyes and thinking of something or someone charging at you. Pretend they want to kill you and are getting closer and closer, ready to strike. What are you going to do?"

I give him a look and then close my eyes. I try to imagine the Kiri again, but a better idea comes to mind. Opening my eyes, I move faster than I ever thought I could. Taking a step back, I admire the accuracy of the blade lodged deep within the bark and smile.

"Well, that was an improvement," Fale says.
"Whatever you pictured seemed to help."

"Whoever," I correct him. He gives me a look that I pretend not to see. He doesn't need to know it was his face I envisioned. Pulling the knife from the tree, I stick it back inside my boot. "Shouldn't we be going? The sun rose almost an hour ago already."

"Yes. We probably should have left before dawn, but someone was still asleep," he says, giving me an accusatory glance.

I roll my eyes and start walking. "Where were you before I woke up anyway? I almost thought you abandoned me."

"I was looking for these." He reaches a hand in his pocket and pulls out a handful of fresh blueberries. "Want some?" He asks, extending an arm out to me.

That's surprising. I didn't think he was capable of kind gestures, although I don't want him to think we were friends if I accepted. "No, I'll just eat a ration," I say and continue walking.

We keep moving for a few hours and I do my best to follow as close behind him as possible, but every now and then I lose sight of him and have to jog to catch back up. A horse would be nice. Or a new set of legs.

***

Mid-day, we stop by a small pond in a clearing to rest for a few minutes and eat. After a few bites, the soft touch of the grass underneath makes laying down impossible to refuse. The blinding light of the sun overhead leaves a warm, tingling sensation across my skin, and I relish in the bliss. If only I could paint a picture to capture this feeling, the fleeting rays of solace that shine through an endless sky of dark clouds and storms.

"You smell."

Fale's voice startles me out of the daydream and back to reality. Looking up, the outline of his tall form hovers over me. "What?" I ask him.

"You smell like rotting manure and carcass. You should consider taking a bath in the pond over there so I don't have to smell you for the rest of the journey. Really, your odor is offensive," he says, waving a hand in front of his nose.

Looking down, I realize I'm still covered in mud from when I fell in the forest. Maybe he has a point, but still. "You don't have to be so rude about it. Besides, I have more pressing things to worry about than how I smell," I retort.

"I'm pretty sure the Kiri on the other side of the mountain can smell you. Remember, we're trying not to attract attention," he says with a smirk.
Scowling, I stand up and give him a dirty look.
"Also, you got something going on here," he says, swirling his finger around in the direction of my face.

Dried mud and residue mark my hand when I pull it away from my cheek. Splendid. "So what? I have some mud on my face."

A laugh erupts from him. "You know, I almost didn't recognize you down in the chamber until you said your name was Illya. Tell me, did you take a fall or are you just trying out a new look?" he asks with a snicker.

Haha, very funny." Kneeling next to the pond, I splash some water over my face and under my armpits. "You could've told me sooner, you know. And by the way, your face looks ghastly. It almost appears as though someone gave you a beating... oh wait, they did. How is your nose anyway?" I ask sarcastically.

"Really, it doesn't concern me. I'm not the one who has to look at it," he counters.

I open my mouth to retort, but suddenly, he goes still and motions for me to be silent. "What is it?" I whisper.

He glances back and puts a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet. "Stay here," he mouths and slowly walks over to a thick line of bushes near the edge of the tree line.

My feet involuntarily move backward, away from the forest. If something attacks him, I'm running. Slowly, I retreat, inhaling deeply through my nose as I keep my eyes trained on Fale.

Please just be a rabbit.

Please just be—

"I've got you now, lassie," a low voice says behind me.

I scream.