Page 48 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
Kalle gives me a curt nod and sits on a rock next to me. We eat in silence, looking out across the valley.
I gesture to the snow-covered peaks before us. “That’s Icedonia, right?”
“It is.”
“How long do you think it will take us to get there?”
“Two or three days, if we can keep up this pace. Are your feet sore?”
“A little, but I’m fine.” I tilt my head. “Do you ever travel by horse?”
“No. It feels weird, since I can talk to them.Usuallycan talk to them.”
A cool breeze passes over us, and I reach into my backpack for my down jacket. Kalle just wraps his cloak around himself and sits, chewing his dinner. The fox curls up under a tree, while the elk walks slowly around us.
“Do you think we should start a fire?” I ask.
“Are you cold?”
I shake my head. “Are you?”
“I’ll manage.”
That wasn’t very convincing. But I can let him be.
The noises of the forest sound louder when we are still. I hear birds call, scuffling in the dried leaves on the ground, and other animals.
“Does it worry you that there are animals out here that you can’t talk to?” I ask. “Like, are we going to get attacked by a bear?”
Kalle looks shocked. “Gods, I hope not. I know most of them by name. They wouldn’t dare. The only thing I don’t want to tussle with are firecats, but we’re not in their territory.”
“What are firecats?”
“Demon felines that can spit fire. Dangerous. I hate battling animals, but the firecats show no mercy. They’re the only thing I’m scared of in these woods.”
I snort-laugh. “Coming from you—who hangs with bears or whatever—that’s saying something.”
“Even I don’t want to mess with firecats. They’re mean. Everything else I can usually reason with. Of course, if I lived in the Fire Realm, I’d think they were pets.” He rolls his eyes.
His confidence is reassuring, but I still tilt my head, doing my best to identify whatever I hear.
When we finish our dinner, I head into the woods to pee, then brush my teeth, using bottled water.
It’s now pretty dark, and I’m using an LED headlamp, while Kalle gets by with, what? His forest senses?
I unzip the tent, then pause and look over my shoulder while I’m on my knees headed in. “Um, you can join me,” I say, trying not to envision how close we would be, together in my small tent. But for some reason I don’t want to be by myself.
Kalle tugs a blanket off his satchel, leans his back against a tree, and pulls his knees up to his chest. “I’ll be fine.”
Well, then. Rejection stings. “If that’s what you really want,” I say slowly.
He nods.
Whatever. He can brood. It’s been a long day, and I’m sure he has plenty on his mind. I crawl into the tent, strip down to my T-shirt and underwear, and do my best to fall asleep.
It doesn’t go well. Although I love camping, I hear every hoot of an owl, leaf rustle, and howl of the wind. And it’s damn chilly. Will Kalle be okay?
Finally, in the middle of the night, I poke my head out between the tent flaps. The clouds have parted enough that I can make out Kalle’s shape in the moonlight.
