Robbin

37. Night Ten

As they wandered toward the distant peaks, Terra felt as if danger might be traveling with them. The sand soon began growing desert reeds which they whacked and stomped upon as they walked. As if weighted down they began to flatten, and then the first pine tree of Carynthia showed its prickly face. It was unlike the trunks of the other territories: not broad and tall with glowing plants and ivy growing up its trunk. No, this pine tree seemed to be a solitary creature, standing alone in an expanse of flatland. As it happened, it was also unlike any pine tree of Earth.

Needing no glowing plants to adorn its trunk, the thick cylinder of black only stood about three inches tall before meeting with the prickly needles which formed the pines. Each needle was glowing a dark incandescent green. It was like a Christmas tree that didn't need lights, glowing from heel to toe until finally ending in one final point reaching up to the dark sky.

"Pretty," Terra murmured. Robbin grabbed her hand unexpectedly. After she and he inspected it with analytical eyes, they continued on like hardened adventurers in a foreign land. It rained, clouds covering the moon and shrouding the sky in darkness. Terra was grateful for the illuminated pines which appeared now in distanced bunches of twos and threes, and they all three lifted their tongues to the sky, thirsty.

Jake caught a strange lizard and picked a spot next to three pines once the sky had stopped spouting dew. "We should eat lunch here."

Terra agreed and Robbin groggily nodded, worn down with fatigue. He fell asleep in the middle of his meal, head slumping downward.

Jake mocked his drooping head, but Terra didn't laugh. Somewhere between mocking him and finishing his meal, Jake decided to be the bigger person and help Robbin out with his inability to confess his love, at least in a small way. But how could he do it without completely giving it away? After all, Robbin had to do that part himself. Then it came to him.

"Did I ever tell you how Robbin and I heard about your necklace?"

Terra looked over curiously. "No, how?"

"It was before you ever came here, when we were barely able to walk."

Terra wondered if a super memory came equipped with their super strength and speed.

"Robbin's father used to tell the story before we went to sleep. My own father thought it was nonsense, and told me not to listen to such fairy tales—he didn't want me to gain a false sense of hope that things might get better. But I would still sneak into Robbin's bedroom and listen with him secretly.

"Daniel's stories always began like this:"

(Terra took it Daniel was Robbin's father).

"'Things may seem unsettling now, son,' he would say, 'but there is still hope.' And then he would tell us of how a necklace bearer would come and set change to our world—how the witch sisters had failed but had left a necklace for someone to continue their work when the time came. He really was a fantastic storyteller, and I suspect some of the words were his own spin on the story. After I gained a couple more years, I stopped listening, as I'm sure many others in our world have, agreeing with my father that it was merely a well phrased myth, but Robbin never stopped listening up until our parents were murdered."

Terra shivered and he added, "that's probably why Robbin saved you that night in the clearing. He's been waiting for you for a long time."

Jake felt pleased with his summary, feeling he had finally redeemed himself to the sleeping Robbin for all his past mistakes. He had no idea that he had done quite the opposite.

As if not able to resist his own selfish intention, he added, "I get jealous of you and Robbin sometimes."

That was why he seemed so fascinated by her, she thought bitterly. He had never really had any real interest in her, just in her necklace from the stories. She felt the sky come crashing in on her as any doubt Robbin might actually be attracted to her was burnt out from her heart.