Elemental

Chapter 7

He was in conflict. It made so much sense! Ysac was always up and bathed before him, and went to bed well after him. He never took his cloak off. And then with Kitty! She had laughed at that children joke because she knew! She knew Safia was just as young as he. And that’s probably why he- she- was so offended by the assumption that she might like Kitty. They were the same sex! He turned, to leave her to her own fate, but then heard a rustle.  He decided to drag her into the forest, which she had told him were magically protected so no evil could go in. After he did that he turned to find his way out again, then realised he was lost. He knew if he retraced his steps he would run into the Dragon Bandits behind him, and he also knew that he didn’t know where the other way out is. Even if he did find his way out, he would still be lost, days, even weeks from the next town. He regretted leaving his horse behind. Then he realised Drake- if that really was her name- knew the way out. All he had to do was follow her. He remembered how she had noticed him following her, and when he had hidden behind the column in his Lord’s castle and she had known, but quickly shook these thoughts. He climbed a tree and waited.

Safia woke on the ground. She rubbed her back. She remembered Matthew’s face shifting from a smile to surprise. She remembered turning too slow. She remembered the surprise as the bat hit her stomach. Then she remembered falling, then nothing. Oh Goddess, Matthew! She felt her head. Her cape was missing. Then she spied it on the floor. She sighed in relief. It had been a present from her father. Her real father. Though she did not think much of him, the gift was invaluable. It was spelled to protect her, with many defences. It could also disguise her. It was made of magic unavailable even to the strongest mage weaver, or a witch. It had been made by a God.

Matthew crept forward on the branch. He watched as she used magic to call the cloak to her. She then put it back on. She left the hood off though. She walked a couple of steps forward then looked up directly at him, her face contorted with rage and fury that could match a demon. Her eyes were the brightest green he had ever seen. He gasped and stepped back. Then jumped forward again as he had jumped back into Drake. He stumbled for a moment, but she caught his top and pulled him back on to the tree.

“Hello Matthew,” she said smiling horribly, showing her perfectly straight and white teeth. “How are you?”

“You lied! I trusted you, and you lied!”

“Excuse me but when exactly did I lie? I didn’t go up to you and say ‘Hey I’m a man!’”

“No… But you implied it!”

“Name one time I actually lied to you.”

Matthew thought about this.

“You….You….. You… You told me the age difference was a problem between you and Kitty.”

“Yes, she’s a few years older than me. I never said it was a big problem.”

“You said you were 312,”

“So…?”

“You’re not. It’s impossible!”

“Aren’t I? Jeez that sucks. I’ll have to go tell everyone I’ve met that according to a sixteen year old we can’t exist! Haven’t you heard mages can live for billions of years?”

“Oh…Well…Um...”

“See? I have never lied to you!”

“In my books you have.”

“Well then, your books are crazy.” Then she jumped off the tree, doing a few front flips before landing. Then she walked away. Matthew had no choice; so he followed her.

Later in the day it started to rain. Matthew was cold and miserable. His bags were left on Ysac’s horse as he had told him that with a whistle he could call him back. He wondered if she had stretched the truth with that as well. A horse that can hear a whistle a week’s walk away from the animal? Was this her plan, to starve him to death?  He could hear her magic fire sizzling. She’d probably killed an animal or two, and was eating them. While he starved. He wondered what she was eating, and then stopped as it made his mouth water. He cursed her name. He wondered if he should join her comparing the fact that she probably knew he was there with the fact he was angry with her. In the end he decided to sneak food off her. He knew she would know and probably already did know he was following her. Would stealing from her set off the final spark? In the end he decided to just walk in. Even a liar would feed his prisoner, wouldn’t they? Even she couldn’t be that cruel. Could she? But he walked straight into the camp and sat on a log around the campfire. Drake wasn’t there. He put his hand near the fire to warm himself. A few minute Drake walked back with a deer which she put on the fire, sat on the log opposite to him and gazed into the fire.

“You don’t seem very surprised to see me,” He said dryly. She looked up startled. Then she smiled.

“Considering I’m the only source of food, water, fire, protection, magic, direction, knowledge, money and can call the horses, which also means supplies.” She said, marking them off with her fingers. “Oh and I know many different languages.” Matthew shook his head in exasperation.

“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she said seriously. “Everything.” She paused. “Wanna fight?”

“Fight?” This girl was strange.

“Yes, fight. If you want, I’ll fight with a stick and you can use a sword.”

“Ok,” he agreed, thinking that it was going to be easy - she was a girl, and with a lesser weapon. He conveniently forgot that only a couple of hours ago she knocked out seven bandits in the time it took him to take out three. She brandished her stick, which was roughly the same size as his sword. He charged at her, but she just stepped to the side and whacked him on the back. He tried to get her again but ended with both arms stinging. Suddenly he realised this was not going to be easy.