Although I still wasn't fully recovered from my magical outburst the night before, I insisted on helping the Dwarfs repair the damage to their village the next morning. They kept eyeing me suspiciously, though, but I chose to ignore them. They could show at least a little gratitude for helping them rebuild their homes, damn it. After going to so much trouble to save them last night, I wasn't planning on burning it all down again.
Strangely enough, they weren't so cautious and wary around Rowan. Several women approached him during the day to examine his wounds. Yet, the cut on his forehead was already healing and he felt as healthy as ever, so the medical care was just an excuse to hang around him. Eventually, the excessive attention got on his nerves and he went into the woods to hunt some deer or rabbit, escaping the women's ardent looks. He planned on giving the game to Ellie as a way of thanking her for being so hospitable.
Since the Dwarfs couldn't wait to see us leave their village, Rowan and I would resume our journey in the late afternoon. That way, we would still have enough time to find accommodation for the night. I just hoped that the Dark Sorcerers wouldn't ambush us as soon as we had set foot outside of Nuara.
The sun had just reached its highest point when Rowan returned from the forest, two rabbits slung over his shoulder.
"Couldn't find any deer?" I asked him as he approached Ellie's house.
"Nope. The rabbits will have to do."
I followed him inside, but we both stopped dead in our tracks upon seeing the mess in Ellie's living room. The entire room had been turned upside down; clothes, toiletries and other personal stuff littered every available surface, and Ellie herself was bustling around the house, mumbling to herself. She only noticed us standing in her doorway after she nearly bumped into us.
"Oh, hello there! Have you come to pack your things?" Curious, she peeked at the rabbits which Rowan was still holding in his hands. "What are those for?"
"They're for you," he answered while offering them to her. He ignored her surprised look and glanced around the room. "What happened in here, Ellie? Are you going somewhere?"
"In fact, I am!" she exclaimed, excited. She walked to the kitchen and put the rabbits on the table, next to another disorderly pile of clothes. "I'm coming with you!"
My mouth fell open. "What?"
Rowan looked just as bewildered as I was. "Uhm, Ellie ... I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" The resolution in her eyes left no room for debate. Whether we wanted her to or not, we couldn't stop her from coming along.
Rowan tried to change her mind anyway. "Ellie, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. You don't even know where Kenna and I are going. What our purpose is. Our quest is a dangerous and risky one, and I wouldn't want to see you hurt."
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, lad?" She placed her hands on her hips, clicking her tongue with irritation. "I'm not exactly the fainthearted housewife type of woman. I can handle myself perfectly well, thank you. As for your quest, you think I don't know what you two are after? I saw what missy there did last night, and I can tell you one thing, soldier: I have never seen a Sorceress use both Light and Dark magic at once. She's the one from the prophecy, isn't she? Oh, you didn't think I'd heard about that, huh? Well, guess what, I did, and I want to help you. I want to see this world rid of Dark Sorcerers as much as you do, so I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not. I dare you to try and stop me."
Her rant left both Rowan and me lost for words. Satisfied with our silent permission, Ellie turned around and continued dividing her stuff into two groups: things she was going to bring along and things that had to stay behind.
I leaned closer to my companion. "I really don't think we should let her do this, Rowan."
"I know," he sighed. "But she's even more stubborn than you are. I don't think there's any point in trying to talk this out of her head."
For once, I decided to let his comment about my stubbornness slide and shrugged. "Fine. But it's her own fault if she gets herself killed."
I was about to head to our room to go pack my own stuff, but Ellie's remark about the prophecy still echoed inside my head, demanding attention. "Ellie, I'm just wondering ... How do you know about the prophecy? Does everyone in the kingdom know?"
"Most do, I think." Her light brown gaze crossed mine while she shoved a bunch of clothes into a duffel bag. "We all have been waiting a long time for someone to wipe out the Dark Sorcerers, to end their brutal reign. When that Seer, Xia whatshername, made that prophecy about a Dark Sorceress who could also use Light magic, the news spread like wildfire. Eventually, we Dwarfs picked up the rumors too. You're a celebrity already, missy, although some fear you as well."
"Fear me? Because I'm a Dark Sorceress, even though I'm destined to save the world?"
She frowned. "Don't you know?" Her gaze shifted toward Rowan. "Doesn't she know?"
My eyes flicked back and forth between them, confused. What were they talking about? "What do I not know?"
Rowan cast his eyes down, raking his hand through his hair. "I guess the Sisters didn't tell you, then. The prophecy Xia Jutín made has not one, but two possible outcomes." He looked up again, circumspection and—was that pity?—in his eyes. He cleared his throat. "One outcome is that you defeat the Dark Sorcerers and save the world, as you already know. However, your story could also head in the opposite direction ... If you decide to give in to your Dark side and join the other Dark Sorcerers, you will have the power to ultimately bring True Darkness upon our world, and the Light will be lost forever."
Quick, shallow breaths escaped my lips, exhausting my supply of oxygen. My ears were ringing, blocking out all noise around me. Rowan's words kept repeating themselves over and over again in my head.
You will have the power to ultimately bring True Darkness upon our world.
Gasping for air, I stormed outside, tears already welling up in my eyes. So that's what Head Sister Ursula had meant by saying that I had to remember I had a choice. That's why she had said that she didn't know whether my training would be enough to shield me from the Darkness. I wasn't only destined to save the world ... I was destined to destroy it as well. Why hadn't they told me? Why ... Why hadn't ...
I felt the presence of another person standing behind me, but I ignored them. They had all hidden the truth from me. They had only told me the part that I needed to know to steer me in the right direction.
My silent companion didn't go away. They were standing so close now that my back almost touched their chest. Two hands came up to cup my arms, but I slapped them away. "What do you want?"
"I'm sorry, Kenna. They should have told you," Rowan answered, his voice deep and filled with regret.
"You could have told me as well."
"I didn't know how much you already knew. I deemed it wiser not to bring it up as long as you didn't mention it either."
"Why? To protect my feelings?" A part of me knew that I was being unfair, but I couldn't stop myself; anger bubbled up inside of me like lava in a volcano. "I'm not a child anymore, Rowan! Didn't you think I had the right to know?" Finally, I turned around, clenching my fists as I stared him down. The obvious hurt on his face made me wince, but at the same time, his eyes were understanding.
"I'm sorry."
I wanted to stay mad, but what was the point? Rowan didn't deserve my rage. I fell back against the railing of Ellie's porch, a hollow feeling replacing my anger. "Why is it that everyone seems to know more about me than I do myself? Why haven't the Sisters been entirely honest with me?"
He shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I don't know. They must've had their reasons."
I snorted. "Then those reasons are beyond my understanding, clearly."
"Does it really matter, Kenna?" he asked. "Our lives are not completely predetermined. The only thing the prophecy says is that you'll have to make a choice, eventually. And your choice contains a huge responsibility because it will determine the fate of our world, but if you think about it ... Everyone makes choices on a daily basis, some more important than others, but those choices always affect more people than just the ones who make them. In that aspect, you're the same as anyone else."
"Yet, that's hardly a valid comparison since I'm quite certain that most people don't have to make a drastic choice between Light and Dark," I replied, my stomach tied in knots. He already opened his mouth to retort, but I held up a hand to silence him. "I know what you're trying to say, but that doesn't make it easier to accept what the prophecy says about me." I swallowed hard. "I'm just scared, Rowan. Before we left, I talked to Head Sister Ursula about my fear of becoming Dark and every day, I get more and more confirmation that that fear is well-founded. I don't want to become Dark, Rowan. I really don't. But I'm afraid I will anyway."
My eyes brimmed with tears again and this time, I didn't stop him when he wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head against Rowan's chest, a vague scent of wood and soap penetrating my nose. I felt oddly comforted by his embrace, and my arms slid around his waist almost of their own free will.
A not so subtle cough ruined the moment and we scurried away from each other. Ellie was standing in the doorway, watching us with unmistakable interest. "I'm very sorry to interrupt your cozy cuddling, but shouldn't you two go pack already? We're leaving in an hour." Wiggling her eyebrows at us, she disappeared back inside.
I crossed my arms and stared indignantly at the doorway. "Unbelievable. First, she invites herself to travel along with us, and before we know it, she has already taken on the role of the leader."
Rowan laughed. "Hmm, it seems I'll have to put her in her place."
"You? So you're the leader?"
"Of course I am."
"And who has decided that? I certainly didn't have any say in it!"
"I decided that, because I'm the most experienced fighter and traveler of this group," Rowan said, puffing up his chest.
"I'm the most experienced fighter and traveler," I mocked his words in a high-pitched voice. "You know what you are? An arrogant fool."
He grinned. "As long as it doesn't harm my leadership, I don't see any problem." Laying a hand on my lower back, he guided me back inside the house. "Ellie's right, though. We really should start packing if we want to sleep in a proper bed tonight."
"I can walk for myself, thank you."
"Do you just have to be difficult all the time?"
The bickering continued while we gathered our belongings. Ellie threw a few disapproving glances in our direction, but she didn't intervene. I suspected that the quarreling was Rowan's way of distracting me from what I had just discovered.
The power to ultimately bring True Darkness upon our world ...
Every time I thought about it, a lump formed in my throat. A huge feeling of betrayal weighed upon my chest, causing my whole body to feel numb. My quest had only just started and I was already feeling discouraged. If I truly had the potential of plunging the world into Darkness, then why had the White Sisters still trusted me enough to let me embark on this journey on my own? It wasn't as if Rowan would actually be able to stop me if I went Dark.
Just stop it already, will you? The Sisters trust you, Kenna, so you would do well to have a little faith in yourself. You won't go Dark. You won't.
My gaze crossed Rowan's. He sat on the bed, his arms crossed, eyeing me with concern. I smiled to reassure him, but I knew that he didn't buy it. For some reason, he always seemed to see right through the careless mask I put on for the rest of the world. At least he didn't push me into talking about it, and I appreciated the silence. Sometimes I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.
After I had finished packing, Rowan and I picked up Eros and Inna from the village's stables. Ellie chose a light brown mare for herself.
"Is that your horse, Ellie? What's her name?" I asked.
"Her name's Rynn, and no, she's not mine," Ellie replied while she led the horse to a mounting block and climbed on her back. "Most of the horses in these stables belong to the village, not to a specific person, and they can be used by everyone who needs transport. I'm merely borrowing her."
"I see." I mounted Inna and nodded to Rowan to indicate that I was all set to go.
We left the stables and headed toward the path leading away from Nuara. It was at that moment that we heard a voice calling Ellie's name, half in a panic. "Ellie! Ellie, where are you going? Are you leaving?"
"For the Light's sake," Ellie grumbled, pinching her nose. Annoyed, she turned around in the saddle, staring daggers at Larry. The red-bearded Dwarf was panting, his face flushed and tiny drops of sweat covering his forehead. He must have run after us all the way here.
"Larry! What on earth are you doing?"
"You can't just leave, Ellie!" Larry cried out, ignoring her grumpy expression. "You ... I ..." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, his face slowly turning from a light rose color to vermilion. "This town is not the same without you, Ellie. If you're going, then I want to come with you."
Ellie's jaw dropped. "Stop talking nonsense, Larry! Are you out of your mind?"
"Great, another Dwarf joining us," I whispered to Rowan. "If I wanted to expand our traveling party, I would have handed out flyers." Rowan chuckled, but said nothing.
"Please, Ellie? Don't leave me behind." Larry looked so desperate that I actually felt sorry for him.
Even Ellie was touched, although she did her best to hide it. "You don't even know where we're going, idiot. It's dangerous."
"I don't care. I'm not afraid."
Almost a minute went by while Ellie weighed her options. Eventually, she gave an indifferent shrug, pointing at Rowan and myself. "It's not really my call, though. Those two are the boss. If you want to come, you'll have to ask them."
Larry turned to us, his face lighting up with hope. "Mister Rowan, Miss Kenna, can I join you on your journey? I promise I won't be a burden to you. You won't even notice I'm there."
I looked at Rowan, raising a questioning eyebrow. He winked at me before directing his gaze back to Larry, looking him up and down. "Do you know how to handle a sword?"
Larry nodded. "I know how to fight, although I prefer daggers over swords." He pointed to a fancy-looking set of daggers attached to his belt.
Rowan looked satisfied. "Then I guess you can come."
Larry's smile was so broad that it seemed to span the entire width of his face. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll go get my stuff immediately!" He turned around and sprinted back to the village.
Rowan noticed my irritated glare and rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that. If he can fight, that means more protection for you. Believe me, you need it."
Larry was back within five minutes—it was impressive, really—and hopped on Rynn's back to sit behind Ellie. The axe strapped onto Ellie's back formed a threatening barrier between them, but Larry didn't seem to mind. Ellie herself was still displeased, although she had given up complaining.
Rowan took the lead on the narrow path leading back to the river and we finally left Nuara, the First Dwarf Village, behind.