Page 36 of Terragnata and the Heir of the Earth

He looked in pain then, unsure of what to say in response.

I stepped back from him, letting his arms drop. “Can you call Leiya to come here, just for a minute?”

He inclined his head. “Aye.” And a few moments later, she soared toward us, changing right before her boots hit the sand.

“Eh, Terra, what’s thes about? Ye know et takes me strength te shift!” Leiya said.

I took each of their hands in mine and closed my eyes. If they objected to my power’s touch, they did not say. I sent a small bit of it into each of them with an intention. And though the language of Witch magic and spells had long been lost to me, somehow I knew to say, “protegere eos.”

When I opened my eyes, a soft glow rippled off them, scarce more than for a moment or two. And before I could explain, Leiya placed a hand on her heart and bowed. “Thank you, Terragnata, for yer protection and blessing. Et es a great honor, one I dinna deserve. But know that I will always serve ye with the same intention, te protect and defend.” At that, she flew off again, her falcon form spreading its wings and gliding up into the moonlit sky.

Leuffen still stared at me a moment, conflict wearing on his face. But before I could probe, he knelt on one knee, maintaining his grip on my hand. “Aye, Terragnata, there isna one I’d rather serve. Ye have me promise te protect ye, en every way I can.” And then he kissed my hand gently and rose, before turning towards the Casmerre.

He hesitated a step, glancing back, turning air over in his mouth as he weighed his words. “Et may nay be my place, Terra, so please forgive me. But ets me strong sense ye should stayaway from Ezren. The bloke’s an asset en a fight, but he’s got no control over hes power… en many ways. Ye best keep yer distance, so ye dinna get hurt.” And then he was off, rowing towards the Casmerre. I sent one final slip of power to my ship, blessing it in my way and leaving a small carving of its name on the stern.

I jogged back to the horses, wondering the entire way what he’d meant byserve, if he’d truly said all he’d wanted to say—and how he knew my full name.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CRASHING WAVES

We rode across the open beach, watching the Casmerre sail off into the distance. I ran Blackjack as fast as he would allow, given the small loads strapped to my sides. The sea salt in the air stuck to my face and my hair whipped all around me. I cried out at the exhilaration.

But it was not a joyful time—not with the group as serious as they were. Jana’s orders put Parson at my front, and Ezren at my back. They were my shadows, in case of any trouble. It made for a silent journey to the Adimon Mountains. Parson spoke rarely on a normal day, and even less when set on a mission. And Ezren acted like I didn’t exist, despite his position as my personal guard.

So we journeyed like that, with Jana in the lead, until a few hours before dawn. We came to the base of the range’s imposing peaks, outlined in shape by the lingering moonlight. Tomorrow our real journey would begin, Jana said. We set up a small camp, just large enough for the twelve of us, our bed rolls fashioned around two fires like petals from the center of a flower. Parson slept to my left and Ezren to my right. One of them was to remain awake at all times, regardless of who else in the group was on watch.

Ezren volunteered to stay up first. He wandered several yards out, putting a safe distance between us. His silence had become increasingly loud, and I didn’t understand it. I wanted to hate him for how he humiliated me in front of Leuffen. I wanted to despise him for the rejection. My body didn’t share the sentiment, however. I could still sense when he was around, like smoke from a fire. And when he wasn’t, I was both relieved and agitated. I played various scenarios in my head. In one, I would get up, walk over to him, and ream him out for his mixed signals, strike him across the cheek even. In another, I would just reach up to feel the short stubble of his face in my hands and pull him towards me.

I did neither. I only lay there, awake with my thoughts.

At some point, sleep came. But it didn’t last, and when I opened my eyes, Parson and Ezren had already readied their mounts. Someone set out a small bit of breakfast for me, a few pieces of cheese and berries laid on a cloth to my left. Parson, I assumed. I gobbled down the food, condensed my bedroll, and made my way to Blackjack. We moved with quiet efficiency, as if our first night in the split group crystallized our new reality. Dane’s withdrawn demeanor struck me the most, for he usually commanded conversation. I shot a glance over at him—he was fixing his horse’s girth in silence. He worried about Sanah, I imagined.

I finished preparing my saddles and then walked up to Parson. “Thanks for the food,” I said, extending his intricately woven handkerchief back to him.

He cocked his head at me. “Sorry, Terra, but that’s not mine.” And then he stuck his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over his horse without another look in my direction.

My eyes moved back towards Ezren, but he was busy examining the underpart of his beast’s hoof. So I just tucked it into my saddlebag and did the same as Parson. The rest of thetwelve followed suit, and we were off once more. This time, to summit a mountain.

Breath slippedfrom my lungs as the range came into focus. The peaks were jagged and terrifying, but all the more stunning for it. After a few hours, we gained the vantage of elevation and could see the miles and miles of thick forest that we’d traveled through. Wildflowers and growths that called to me lined the mountain paths. I flexed my magic more and more, no longer insecure about control. If a leaning tree blocked our path, I would direct it to let us pass, or if the foliage became overgrown, I would bend it so that the horses could move through with ease.

I also was instrumental in bolstering the food supply. I wasn’t the huntress, of course, for I had no bow nor Leuffen to verify my skills with one. But I could sense where the safe mushrooms burrowed or where the sweet berries thrived. I took pleasure in the usefulness, especially given the scrutiny I faced. Either Parson or Ezren was required to accompany me on my foraging. Neither spoke nor addressed me, but I made them carry my sack of spoils.

On the third day, we breached the tree line on one of the peaks Jana intended to cross, leaving us exposed to the elements, and the gods knew what else. The peaks were more visible then, boasting hard edges and snowcapped tops. Although vegetation grew scarce, I still loved to look at their lines—dramatic, powerful, and utterly perspective-inducing.

Despite the lack of roots and branches, I could coerce the rubble into forming a small rock hut for us to spend the night in. Again, we lit small fires and arranged our sleeping mats in the usual way.

“The mountains are beautiful, aren’t they?” Dane said, sinking into a bedroll, his positioned next to Ezren’s.

I looked up at his distant eyes. “They do have a way of making you feel small yet large all at once.”

“How does your magic feel in them? Sifting through the rockery, I mean,” he asked.

Heat crept up my neck, either from the fire or the green eyes I felt trained on me as I answered. “It feels different. Still like the Earth, but not quite alive in the way of the forest or the brush. Like pure existence, which I suppose the mountains are since they are formed through so many years of rain and sun and snow. I can sense their might with my magic, but they feel much older and more magnificent than anything I possess.”

Dane nodded at my musing and lay down, his curiosity gone. I too fell into my bedroll, and for the first time since our travels began, I didn’t think about who would lie beside me or watch me all night.

I shot up,a deep sleep still heavy in my mind and on my chest. Something had woken me. Parson was gone from my left, so I risked throwing a glance over my shoulder to Ezren. He lay there, asleep as I’d never seen him before. And he was breathing fast, short, like he was having an unpleasant dream. I closed my eyes, willing myself to go back to sleep. But he started to mumble, an unsettled stream of consciousness—not quite coherent words. He tossed and turned, his murmuring growing louder. And then I saw it, a ripple of green scales running down his face, his neck, and further south.

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