The Girl Born of Smoke (26 page)

Sitting back, she shook her head. “It’s a
long story, but I was kind of with the Wizard’s Army for awhile.”
She noticed his face darkening and she continued quickly. “I was
just staying in the stronghold! Anyway, I met up with Djerr during
that big battle. You know how they think they've found the new
wizard and everything? Well, they think it's Djerr, except it's
not, so I helped him break out and we're on the run now. We need to
leave here, but I just wanted to see you. You don't have to come
with us if you don't want, but I thought I'd ask.” She paused. “I
missed you a lot. Oh, and I'm going by Tarana now. Like I said
before, it is my real name.”

Wrinkling his brow in slight confusion as he
tried to absorb everything she said, Kirian ran a hand through his
hair. “Alright...Tarana. I still don’t understand exactly what’s
going on and I can’t believe you would be stupid enough to join the
other side, but it sounds like you'd both be safest with our army.
You know we'd protect you.”

Shaking her head quickly, she looked around
at the soldiers milling nearby. “I can't, Kirian. I can't go back
to this. I need to leave this whole war behind. I've been a part of
it for too long and I hate it more than anything.”

He sighed deeply. “I think you're making a
mistake, but if you're not going to stay here, then I'm coming with
you. I'm worried about you, Tarana.”

“Are you sure?” she asked him seriously. We
might be going far, far away. I don't know when we'll be able to
come back. We're in this pretty deep, Kirian.”

He nodded. “I’m still confused as to why you
think you need to leave, but hopefully I can help convince you of
what needs to be done and I can't just let you go again.”

A sudden noise caused her to turn. Djerr was
sitting up next to them, running a hand across his eyes. He blinked
at them and yawned. “Well, if you've got that all sorted out, I
guess we'd better get going then.”

The three slipped out of the camp, watching
carefully, but no one paid them a second glance. After several
moments of walking silently by themselves, the frosty air gradually
warming in the sun, Kirian turned to Djerr. “So,” he said, “you're
that new wizard everyone's talking about.”

“No no no, I'm
not
the wizard
everyone's talking about! Er, rather, they are all talking about
me, but I'm not a wizard.”

Tarana giggled. “Yeah, if he was a wizard, I
wouldn't have had to bust him out of the stronghold.”

Shaking his head slightly, Kirian stomped
his feet as he walked, trying to regain feeling in his cold toes.
“Just shows you how that Wizard's Army works. So corrupt and
disorganized they can't even hold onto their most prized
possession.

Tarana opened her mouth to argue, then
quickly shut it again, unwilling to defend the army. Instead, she
turned her head in order to catch sight of Djerr, who walked at her
side. He was kicking a pinecone along in front of him, but grinned
over at Tarana when he saw her glance and nearly tripped over the
pinecone. Rolling her eyes, she looked back over at Kirian who was
watching them both, a slight smirk on his face. Feeling strangely
embarrassed, she felt her cheeks flush and she dipped her head
down, letting her hair spill over her face.

They kept to the side roads, trying to avoid
people whenever possible. Only stopping in the occasional village
to sleep on real beds or refill their supplies, they had little
contact with others. The weather continued to grow colder and they
curled tightly around the fire during the night, trying to stay
warm. Tarana occasionally awoke to find Djerr curled around her,
their bodies keeping each other slightly warmer.

Every day, Kirian hinted to her that they
could still turn back and seek the safety of the Citizens’ Army.
They were only traveling further into the harsh land, he explained.
If they rejoined the army, they would have better supplies, warmer
blankets, and more reasonable weather. As tempting as the offer
was, Tarana continued to refuse.

“Why?” Kirian finally asked, almost angrily.
“Why do you want to keep venturing further into the wilderness?
We’re not accomplishing anything. All you’re doing is running from
your problems and the army could use our help. If we don’t protect
ourselves and stand up for our freedom, we deserve to be crushed by
the wizard.”

Tarana shrugged and put
her hands on top of her head, refusing to look over at him. “It’s
our only choice,” she said simply. “I don’t belong with the army.
Do you know what the Wizard’s Army calls your stupid army? Scavs,
as in, Scavengers. That’s all they do, they trail the Wizard’s and
gather up all the survivors, trying to make their army more and
more massive.” Hands clenched at her sides, she realized her voice
was rising. “Don’t you ever wonder why you wandered around for
nearly a
year
,
always arriving at cities and villages just moments after the
Wizard’s had trashed it? And those poor people were always so
willing to join up, weren’t they? Yeah, maybe they didn’t stay for
long, maybe they realized the army life wasn’t so great, but it
didn’t matter, because by then, you had picked up a hundred more
people just like that one.”

“We
did
fight the Wizard’s Army,” Kirian
spat back at her, his voice dangerously quiet. “Multiple times.
Remember the griffins? Remember that huge battle we just had in
Ralinos? There was nothing fake about that, Tarana, thousands of
people died there. This isn’t just some big pretend game. I gave up
everything I believed in to follow you out here, because you mean
that much to me, but maybe that was a mistake.”

Tarana groaned and
clutched her head in frustration. “I know this isn’t a game, but
it
is
fake, I
know it is. The armies are communicating somehow, there’s someone
who’s got both of the armies under his thumb.”

Kirian shook his head, looking disgusted.
“That’s ridiculous. The Wizard’s Army has planted even stupider
ideas in your head than I had imagined.” He turned and walked
abruptly away, picking up the last of their camp and stuffing his
blanket roughly into his backpack. Standing awkwardly to the side,
Djerr watched as Tarana stormed off angrily into the surrounding
forest, quickly disappearing into the underbrush.

He sat down by the smoldering remains of the
campfire, stuffing his hands between his knees to try and keep them
warm. He listened to Kirian grumbling angrily under his breath and
looked up at the sky visible through the trees. Snowflakes began to
fall softly, whispering as they landed in his hair. Djerr squinted
his eyes to watch them flutter downward, giving him the strange
sensation that instead of the snowflakes falling down, he was
flying up into the sky.

With a sudden crack, branches broke nearby
and Djerr leapt to his feet, startled. Tarana burst back into the
clearing, panting. Kirian stood quickly, hand on the hilt of his
sword, but relaxed once he noticed her broad smile. She rushed over
to Djerr, who looked at her curiously.

“You have
got
to see this.” She
grabbed his hand and rushed back into the forest, leaving Kirian
looking bewildered and sullen.

It was all Djerr could do to keep up with
Tarana, who dragged him along, weaving between trees and leaping
over fallen logs covered in snowy moss. In the distance, he could
hear a rumbling sound, which gradually grew louder. Anxiously, he
realized he could feel the ground vibrating. It grew suddenly into
a roar as the trees opened up above them, sending a small shaft of
sunlight sprawling on an enormous cascade of icy water hurtling
down a cliff into a half-frozen river below. The waterfall sent up
a thin mist into the surrounding air, enveloping Aurora and
Djerr.

“Isn’t this fantastic?” She had to shout to
be heard. Tiny water droplets clung to her face and hair,
glittering in the growing sunlight.

Djerr gazed in awe at the waterfall, but his
attention was distracted by the hand that Tarana still held. “It’s,
well, it’s amazing, Tara.”

She looked sharply at him, her grin fading
slightly as her hand slipped from his grasp. “You don't sound very
impressed.”

Djerr looked back unsteadily, still
breathing hard from the run. His insides were caught in the grasp
of anxiety and he cautiously took a step toward Tarana. Her face
seemed expressionless and he had no idea what she could be thinking
or feeling. The waterfall faded to a dull buzz as he studied her
expression and he felt his cheeks warming as the blood rushed to
them. “Tara,” he mumbled as he took another step closer, staring
into her eyes, trying desperately to discern what she was thinking.
He knew it was one step too many for friends. He had invaded that
comfortable bubble of space that friends kept with one another.

Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and
kissed her gently on the lips, his hands hanging uselessly at his
sides. He felt his heart pounding in his chest and it leapt when he
felt her move forward and return the kiss, her arms wrapping him up
and her body pressing against his. He enveloped her in his arms and
slowly moved his fingers through her hair. For the first time in
weeks, he felt warm and he lost himself in the moment, keeping the
icy mist surrounding them at bay for just a little bit longer.

When Tarana and Djerr returned to the
clearing where they had left Kirian, they found he had vanished.
For a moment, Tarana thought he might have left, abandoned them,
but then she saw his pack sitting next to a tree, and she relaxed
slightly. She and Djerr sat down by the trunk of the tree, leaning
their backs against the rough bark. The thin clouds had been burned
away by the morning sun and the sunlight sparkled off the
snow-spattered ground. Tarana sat quietly, waiting, resting her
head on her knees. Djerr leaned against her and rested his head
against hers. “Are you going to tell Kirian?” he asked quietly.

“I dunno,” she replied and was quiet
again.

“Is everything alright?” Djerr asked after
another long silence.

She nodded. “Yeah, I just want to get
going.”

Djerr smiled happily and moved closer to
her, resting his hand on top of hers. After a few moments of
silence, they heard twigs snapping behind them and Tarana stood up
abruptly, peering toward the sound. Kirian came stomping through
the underbrush, glaring at the both of them. “There you are!” he
growled. “I’ve been looking all over for you. You can’t just go
running off like that!”

“Sorry Kirian,” Djerr mumbled, running a
hand through his hair. “It was my fault. I didn’t realize we were
gone for so long. It won’t happen again.”

Kirian grabbed his pack and swung it over
his shoulder, stomping back the way he came. “Well, I found a small
town back this way where we can get some more food and supplies.
Let’s go.” After a few moments, Kirian gradually slowed his pace
until Tarana and Djerr didn’t have to half-run after him to keep
up. Soon, they arrived at the town Kirian had described, where the
people stared at them as they walked through. When Kirian stopped
to talk to one of the onlookers to find where they could buy
supplies, Djerr pulled Tarana aside.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked,
looking worried. “You haven’t said a word this entire time. It’s
not like you.”

She smiled broadly at him. “Of course I’m
alright!” she replied. “I was just lost in thought. Sorry.”

He grinned at her, looking relieved. “Don’t
worry about it. I understand.” And he quickly hugged her while
Kirian was still talking to the man.

After a final word, Kirian turned to the
other two. “Well don’t you two look happy,” he grumbled. “I think
we should spend the day here, stocking up and resting. Tonight we
can get a warm night’s sleep finally and then head out tomorrow
morning.” He braced himself for an argument, but Tarana simply
shrugged.

“Yeah, fine, let’s do that,” she said.

Kirian looked at her for a moment, then
rolled his eyes. “Great,” he said. “Then let’s get busy.”

They spent the rest of the morning shopping
and rented a room in the afternoon, where Kirian relaxed while
Djerr and Tarana went out to explore the town and the surrounding
forest. That night, they slept tightly crammed together on a bed,
but warmer and more comfortably than in weeks. All three were
quickly asleep.

Tarana was hazily slipping through dreams
when she found herself suddenly sitting in Rupert’s cave, feeling
harshly aware of what was happening. Slowly getting to her feet,
she shook her head to clear the remains of her dreams and spotted
him sitting on the bank of a small stream, tucked away in the
winding crack between boulders. He waved her over and she carefully
climbed over the rocks to sit next to him. She yawned and rubbed
her eyes. “I don’t feel very rested,” she complained.

He shrugged. “Well, you haven’t been asleep
for long.”

“So I’m not asleep now?” She narrowed her
eyes and looked around. “My body is still with my friends, right? I
don’t want them to wake up and find me gone.”

Rupert sighed loudly and waved a hand at
her. “Yes, yes, your body is still there, I’ve only taken your mind
for a short time. You’ve still got plenty of time to sleep after
that, but let’s get busy. I’ve got years of information to try and
teach you in a very short period of time. Back in my day, wizards
were brought to the school when they were only 6 or 7 years old and
you’re far past that now.” Tarana shrugged and he looked critically
at her. “Well, expect to see me every night. You can spare a bit of
sleep while we buy some time.”

Tarana blinked, suddenly feeling less tired.
“Wait, buy some time? What do you mean?”