Revelations (9 page)

“Already?” she mumbled. It was the first night she’d slept without nightmares, but despite that she felt like she barely had any rest.

“Already.” Alexander smiled and helped her up. “We should be able to get to the town by nightfall.”

“What’s it called, anyway?” Nora realized for the first time that she didn’t know the name of their destination.

“Nakusp. Natives have lived there for hundreds of years, but it was only settled by Europeans at the turn of the century. They came and made it a mining town, before realizing there weren’t many minerals to be found. So, most abandoned it. But the people who stayed still safeguard the archive. Most are aboriginals, now.”

“And the archive…do you know when it was established?”

“A few hundred years ago, at least,” Alexander replied. “Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you. But come, we’ll find more when we get there.”

“Alright,” Nora said, stretching her arms out wide in an effort to more fully wake up. “I’m ready to go.”

“Good,” Alexander smiled. “Make sure Gray feeds enough this morning, because the path ahead is going to be harder than yesterday’s.”

Nora looked at Alexander. “I didn’t think you’d care enough about him to mention that.”

Alexander frowned. “Just because I tend not to notice animals, Nora, does not mean I can’t see what’s important to you. Gray is, and he’s our third companion. We all need to be ready for today’s trek.”

“Alright,” Nora said. She knelt down to shake Gray up. He looked at her drowsily and yawned widely. “Come on,” she told him, “we’ve got to get going. Go see if you can find some berries in the woods.” To her surprise, almost immediately after she spoke, Gray scrambled up and ran off. She had been training him, yes, but she didn’t think he would respond so well so quickly.

“Impressive,” Alexander noted, “how well he listens to you.”

“He’s more intelligent than other cubs,” Nora said, feeling a motherly pride. “He’s learned everything I’ve taught him on only the first or second go.”

“And I don’t believe bears are naturally domesticated animals,” Alexander offered, “which makes what you can do all the more astounding.”

“It’s not so much me, I don’t think, but more
him
.”

“Either way, it’s something I haven’t seen before.” In spite of herself, Nora smiled. To have impressed Alexander, who had lived through more than six centuries already, must really take something. As if she had said it out loud, Alexander laughed.

“What?” Nora defended, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

“Nothing,” Alexander said, with an amused smile. Then he looked back. “Alright, come on. I can hear him coming.”

Nora listened, and realized that she could hear rustling noises getting closer, too. Gray must have stumbled on a full berry bush to come back so quickly. When he emerged from the trees, mouth stained with berry juice, Alexander took off. Motioning to Gray with one hand, Nora followed.

They ran through the trees at an easy pace. Nora knew she could go much faster, even after running all day yesterday. Despite still feeling slightly groggy from sleep, her legs felt fresh.

She ducked around heavy tree trunks and under low-hanging branches. Alexander led the way in front of her, just as he had before, and she suspected he picked out the easiest paths for them to take. Still, every once in a while, Nora caught herself just short of tripping over the uneven ground.

As she ran, her thoughts turned to Hunter. She had known him so briefly, but in the short period of time, that little bit of something she felt…it must have been real. But what
was
it that she even felt for him? A schoolyard crush? Nothing more than that, most likely, but even now, thinking of him…it made her slightly unsteady.

She jumped to narrowly avoid an old fallen tree, already heavily rotted and thick with fungus, and landed softly on her feet. She kept running.

Why did Hunter take her away, try so hard to protect her, only to throw it all away? Could it just have been due to a sense of obligation? Obligation to her, for getting her into this entire mess?

Despite everything that had happened, something inside Nora still stirred when she thought of Hunter. Could she have even known him long enough for that
something
to build up and blossom…into love?

Nora curved hard to the right, following Alexander’s path. The ground became more rocky, but less solid. It felt like balancing herself should be more difficult, but Nora managed it without a problem.

She ran a little faster as Alexander picked up speed. The trees were less dense, here, and it made for an easier run. A small creek ran beside them, and Gray lapped through it happily as he trailed them. Alexander looked back, to make sure Nora wasn’t too far behind, and when he was satisfied that she wasn’t, continued to lead. Nora ran, enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair and the feeling of being absolutely connected to nature. The air was pristine, and the only sounds she could hear were Gray’s splashing and the odd birds singing in the distance.

She wondered what had happened to Rafael. She hoped he survived, but despite Alexander’s conviction that he had, she wasn’t so sure. What Rafael had done for her had been nothing less than a sacrifice. He sacrificed himself completely for her to survive. Her and
Hunter
, actually. She felt indebted to him for that and knew she could never pay it back.

A wild fox appeared beside them, running alongside Nora. Nora surprised herself by noticing it – it blended extraordinarily well with the surroundings. Gray barked at it, and it ran off.

Something didn’t make sense in Nora’s mind. She had avoided thinking about it so far, but…why had Hunter shown her the world of dreams if he knew it was forbidden? If he knew it would get him in trouble, and if he knew it was breaking the creed, how did doing it make any sense? He
had
been surprised that they were noticed, but if it was really such a crime, would he have taken that chance in the first place?

Up ahead, Alexander laughed and picked up speed. Nora kept up easily. She zipped amongst the trees, racing through the wild tangles of the forest with nary a stumble. She felt surefooted and graceful.

A sudden pang of guilt overtook Nora by surprise. All this while, she realized, she had avoided thinking about probably the most important thing of all. Her family. They were probably worried sick. They didn’t know where she was. They hadn’t heard from her since she’d left. The whole community must be searching for her.

And then there were all her friends. This was the longest time she’d gone without seeing any of them. Could she…maybe…call her family to say she was ok? Once they got to Natsuk, or Naksup, or whatever the town was called. It would be her first opportunity to do so since all this began.

But then again…deep down, she knew she could never go back. She knew that going back was impossible. As much as it pained her to admit, a clean break from her former life was probably for the best. She didn’t want to endanger her family
or
her friends by making contact with them. With the Vassiz after her, there was no point in risking turning their attention to her old town.

Gray clambered behind them. Nora noted he was getting faster, too. And bigger. His silver fur coat was almost fully in. A little hint of brown, remaining just above the shoulders, gave it graceful elegance. She felt a bond to him already, but he was more than just a pet. Alexander had put it best. A
companion
.

She ran and spotted an overturned log up ahead. It was wide and precariously balanced between two boulders. She could just go around, but…she felt strong, and more in tune with her body and with what she could do. She jumped and nimbly landed on top of the log, running across without once feeling like she would lose her balance.

She laughed in delight. This reminded her a lot of when she was in the dream with Hunt— she stopped herself. She didn’t like how her thoughts kept leading back to him. He had left her, after taking her away from her family, after saying that he was “protecting her.” But now she saw the truth of how much that protection really offered.

It was better to have never met him. None of this – any of it – would be happening were it not for him. It was all so confusing. And crazy. She wanted desperately to push him out of her mind, but she just…couldn’t. She knew she should be angry with him for ripping her away from her life and then just forgetting her, nearly all alone, in the middle of nowhere…but the anger didn’t come. All she felt was an emptiness, maybe tinged with a hint of a sadness, at his absence.

Nora shook her head and ran, trailing after Alexander as he paved the away. She was going fast, now, and so was he. Abruptly, she realized that she had been lost in her thoughts. She was going
too
fast. She looked back – and Gray was nowhere to be seen.

“Hold on!” she yelled out to Alexander, coming to a stop. Alexander turned back, and seeing that she stopped running, stopped as well.

“What is it?” he yelled across to her.

“Gray,” she explained. “We went too fast, and left him behind!”

“Oh.” Alexander was by her side almost instantly. “I must have forgotten myself.”

“I don’t think he’s too far back,” Nora said. “But maybe I should go and find him, just in case he—” she cut off as she caught a dark blur streaking toward her face.

Before she could turn and react to it, Alexander crashed his body into her side, knocking her over. They fell heavily onto Nora’s shoulder, but it was Alexander who cried out in pain.

She looked – and saw a long wooden shaft, maybe as long as her arm, pierced through Alexander’s shoulder. It went straight through, and on the other side was fitted a sharp metal point.

An arrow
.

Nora’s senses were instantly alert. She looked all around her, searching for movement. Seeing none, she strained her ears – trying to hear anything that would give her attackers away.

There was no sound at all except for Alexander’s labored breathing.

Alexander grunted suddenly, and she turned her attention to him – while still being very alert for anything else that might come from the forest around them. He had broken the shaft and pulled it out of his shoulder. The part of his shirt right around the wound was stained with blood.

“Are you ok?” Nora asked anxiously. She was still looking around her alertly – and nervously – scanning every inch of the forest, trying to look behind each tree, into every shadow.

“I’m fine,” Alexander said, with a grimace.

“You’re hurt,” Nora said. “Is it bad?”

“The wound will heal.” It looked like he should be in great pain, but his voice had become steady.

“How did the arrow go through?”

“I don’t know. But that’s not our biggest worry. The arrow was directed at you.”

Before Nora could speak, she heard movement behind her. She spun around, instinctively shielding Alexander.

Chapter Eleven

~Old Friends~

Nora stared, amazed, as four of the most distinctive people she had ever seen came out of the bush.

There was an older man and a woman who looked about the same age, and two boys who looked a few years younger than Nora. All four were tall, extraordinarily so, and all had red markings on their arms that looked like tribal tattoos.

The woman was carrying a heavy bow, now slung over her back. As far as Nora could see, there were no more arrows.

Nora knew the instant she saw them that all four were Vassiz.
The sublime grace with which they carried themselves, lightly and surefooted, gave it away immediate. But their skin was not milky white, as Hunter’s, or Alexander’s, or even Rafael’s had been. Instead, it was a pale cocoa, like a fresh brew of coffee mixed with too much cream. But it was flawless, as was the skin of every other Vassiz she had ever seen.

The four stopped maybe twenty feet away from Nora and Alexander and regarded them calmly. Nora’s body tensed. She met their eye contact, though, staring back defiantly.

“Alexander!” the man said suddenly, “We did not expect to find you here.”

Nora stared back at Alexander. “You
know
them?”

“Knew them, yes,” Alexander whispered quietly to her. He walked out in front of Nora, one hand still holding his shoulder. “It has been many years, friend,” Alexander said cautiously.

“Many years, yes,” the man said. “You do not look like you have aged a day.”

“And neither do you, or your family.”

The man barked a laugh. “A consequence of who we are, I’m afraid.”

“It is,” Alexander agreed.

The man motioned toward the woman with the bow. “Forgive my wife. Sometimes her aim is a little… off.” The words sounded hollow in Nora’s ears. They were said dismissively, with no real regard for Alexander. For some reason, Nora was reminded of two generals exchanging pleasantries before waging a bloody war.

“I did not recognize you from far away,” the woman said. Her voice did not share the elegance of her movement. It was blocky and quite rough. “If I had known it was you claiming the elder’s bounty, I would have been more precise.”