They passed through Hilltop Village the next day. It was one of those blink-and-you-miss-it towns, or would be if there were cars here. The village was a little more than a collection of wooden buildings on either side of the road, but it had a lively atmosphere. Children kicking a ball back and forth, stopped to say hi, while the mom watching from her front porch gave them a friendly smile. One man stopped to chat with Falcon, asking if he’s heard any news on his travels. He was distressed to hear about Aryst’s temple, but had a positive attitude saying things would work out. He couldn’t imagine city guards would put up with it for long. They said little and smiled at his optimism.
At the north end of town, Julia spotted the Hilltop Lodge. It was situated at the top of a hill that was higher than the rest of the village. It only took a pleading look for Falcon to agree to staying there instead of camping for the night. The lobby and restaurant at the front had a very woodsy feel to it, with plaid table cloths, pine wreaths and some deer heads mounted on the walls. The place had a very high ceiling, and one wall was just windows all the way up. They sat between the windows and a fireplace in the center of the room, and watched as the sun set over hills of thick forest. Then, after a filling venison dinner, they slept in feather beds, making Julia very happy.
__________
The next afternoon, after eating a late lunch on the side of the road, Falcon watched Julia talking to Jade a couple yards away. She was crouched down, stroking his fur as they stared at the snow-covered mountains in the distance.
He meowed.
“I know,” she said gently. “I hate the snow too.” Jade turned to look at her, and she met his gaze. After a moment, she nodded. “Go ahead. I would too, if I could.” She leaned closer to kiss the top of his head, then stood and watched him run off into the nearby forest.
“What was that about?” Falcon asked, coming to stand beside her.
She shrugged. “Jade doesn’t like the cold, so he’s going to go his own way for now. He’ll come back when we’re done in the mountains.”
“How do you know that?”
“I could feel it. Couldn’t you?” she asked, puzzled. “You could just see it in his eyes.”
Falcon nodded. He was sure the cat was her familiar, but he didn’t say anything―she wouldn’t believe him, anyway.
__________
They headed northwest. The road started to zigzag back and forth up the mountains, growing colder around each bend. Though they had heard people say there were trolls in the area, by they hadn’t seen any.
But as they were about to get into the tent one night, they heard footsteps. They stood still and listened. Their eyes darted this way and that, out over the clearing that was now lightly dusted with snow, and straining to see anything in the dark pine forest beyond.
Suddenly a gray wolf came into view, eyes glowing slightly in the pale moonlight. It stopped thirty feet away, and snarled.
“Shoot it,” Falcon said quietly, barely moving his lips.
“No,” Julia hissed. “It’s just an animal.”
As it began walking toward them, Falcon gave a low groan. “Fine, then shoot a fireball near it, maybe it’ll scare it off.”
She nodded. The translucent orb formed in her hand and she threw out her arm and released it. It hit the ground ten feet in front of the wolf. The flames burst on impact, lighting the white landscape momentarily with an orange glow. The wolf took a step back from it, but when it fizzled out in the snow, it growled and headed for them, gaining speed as it came.
Her eyes widened.
“Told you,” Falcon said as she gulped. “Shoot it,” he insisted again. Unfortunately, his bow was inside the tent, so he pulled out his sword in case she refused or missed.
It took her a moment, but finally she threw out her hand again, and just as the burst of fire hit the wolf, she turned her head, wincing. It yelped loudly and fell in a heap on the ground, a dark lump in the white countryside.
Falcon sighed and sheathed his sword. “You know, keeping your eye on the target is a good thing.”
“Shut up!” she snapped. “Is it dead?”
“Looks like it.”
“How do you know? It’s too dark to see it. It could be in pain.” She stood on her toes and cocked her head, as if she could see it better that way. “Go check. Make sure it’s dead,” she demanded worriedly.
He looked at her incredulously before shaking his head, and then walked toward the animal. “Oh my god,” he muttered, half amused, half annoyed. He reached the animal and bent over it, putting a hand on its side, checking to see if it was still breathing. Then he smirked a little and let out a sudden yell.
Julia gasped and ran toward him, but stopped abruptly a few seconds later when he started laughing. “It’s dead.”
“Ugh!” She turned and stormed off toward the tent. “You’re not funny!” she huffed angrily.
He slipped inside a minute later to find her lying down with her back to him. He sat down on his bedroll, next to hers. “Sorry,” he told her, but a soft chuckle broke through.
“No, you’re not.”
He sobered instantly when he heard her tone―she was honestly upset. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. It was just a joke. It was obviously dead or it would have still been making noise.”
She didn’t answer, just sniffed.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I’m stupid,” she spat.
“No, really. Why?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, unsteadily. “Because I can’t stand the thought of hurting anyone… or anything,” she mumbled. “And when I’m the cause…” She trailed off and sniffed again.
He should have known better. Guilt flooded him, and he sighed heavily. She was so much like his mother in some ways. He lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “I really am sorry. I didn’t think.”
It was quiet for a while. He was just beginning to wonder if she had fallen asleep, when she finally spoke. “Maybe I’m too sensitive.”
“Maybe sensitive isn’t a bad thing,” he murmured.
“I think it might be a very bad thing in this world.” She sighed. “But I can’t help it.”
“It’s who you are.”
“Or who I became. I think some events just change us forever… or rather scar us.”
“What do you mean?”
She took another deep breath. “When I was about ten years old I got a kitten,” she said softly. “I spent every second I could with him. But after a few weeks he stopped wanting to eat. Then he stopped wanting to move. My mother said; See what you’ve done? You held it too much and now it’s dying because of you. I heard those words over and over in my head as I held the kitten in my arms. He kept gasping for air… his little body… kept getting colder. And I could just imagine how scared he was… how much he was suffering. I held him until he died… and… it was all my fault.”
He clenched his jaw in anger, and it took him a long moment to say anything. “You did not hurt or kill him,” he told her firmly. “You cannot kill a kitten by picking it up too much.”
She shrugged a little, probably not believing him.
He kissed her hair and just held her, seriously wishing he could hit her mother.
__________
When they got to Snowy Pine, they weren’t at all surprised to find that it was surrounded by snow-covered pine trees. As soon as they had ridden into the center of the very small village, people started coming out of their simple log cabins, staring at the newcomers with dark, curious eyes. Falcon was reminded of Native Americans back on Earth. They all had light-russet skin, high cheekbones, and very full lips. They wore shaggy fur jackets with thick hoods.
An older man, who was a few inches shorter than Falcon but much wider, came out of a large cabin to their right. He greeted them with a deep voice. “Hello.”
They climbed down from their horses and gave him a friendly smile. “Hello,” Falcon returned.
“We do not have many visitors,” he said. “What is your business here?”
“We’re trying to find a ruby mine,” Falcon answered.
“Why do you seek our mine?”
“We’re looking for something that we believe is in there.”
The man studied them for a moment, then nodded. “Come sit with our elders and tell us your story. Then we may tell you what you wish to know.”
Falcon nodded. “Thank you.”
“I am Takkum, head elder of the Nakoha.”
“I’m Falcon, and this is Julia.”
“Welcome. You may put your horses with our yaks.” He pointed to a large pen to the north. It was full of shaggy, cow-like animals with long horns. “Then come meet with us in the gathering lodge.” He pointed this time to the large cabin he had just come from.
Once their horses were tended to, they entered the long building. The lodge was nothing like Falcon expected―the inside was anything but formal. The large room was a long rectangle with a table that filled the length of it, and small benches placed around it, most of them already filled. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, and a hearth on the right-hand side of the room made the place bright and added to the merry atmosphere.
Falcon had come in thinking he would see some serious old men, but there were men and women of all ages. Not wearing their heavy jackets now, he could see that they had very long, straight black hair, which most wore in loose braids down their backs.
An older, plump woman came through a door to the left. She set a large platter of dark red meat on the table before coming over to them. “Hello,” she greeted, in a soft alto voice. “I am Eska, Takkum’s wife. Welcome.”
“Thank you,” Falcon said, returning her warm smile.
She motioned to the table. “Come. Join us.”
Most of the people, it seemed, had already come in, so there were no two empty seats together. Julia sat in the middle of the table between two women, while Falcon sat at the very end, by Takkum, next to the hearth. On the opposite side of the table were several older men who all stared at him curiously.
Falcon told Takkum and the other three elders their story. News had yet to reach them of the horrible things that were taking place on the other side of the mountains. They were troubled by it, but also glad to hear that Falcon and Julia planned to put a stop to the evil. Takkum was confident that they would succeed. If a fairy had said they were the chosen ones, then the Nakoha people believed it as fact, saying that a fairy’s vision was never wrong.
Afterwards, Falcon ate the delicious food that was offered, and talked some more. He heard some of the stories of their people―some fictional, some real, but all teaching some moral lesson.
Hours passed and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves―except Julia, who was uncomfortable in crowds.
She sat quietly, mostly watching the children. A couple of them played a hand-clapping game across the table from her, while two others chased each other back and forth down the long room. The adults did nothing; they let them be young and free―though Falcon noticed how the children instantly grew calm, respectful, and attentive whenever an adult spoke to them.
The people ate only a small bit at a time, unhurried, happy to stay and talk to their family and friends. The room was roaring with chatter and laughter, but somehow, the little girl on Falcon’s lap―Takkum's granddaughter, Koko―slept through the noise. Her twin brother, Korin, was equally quiet as he sat on the floor nearby, his back straight, looking proud and studious as he read a book about plants.
Someone told a joke, but Falcon forgot what it was about mid-laugh; he had looked up to find Julia staring at him, seemingly lost in thought. He smiled at her and realized that it was his default reaction whenever he saw her, because he felt happier at the mere sight of her.
She smiled back and blushed before turning away, suddenly very interested in a nearby conversation. She pulled her honey-colored braid over her shoulder and fidgeted with the end of it. He knew she was feeling flustered, and he smiled wider at being the cause of it. A few seconds later, she stole a glance back, but then quickly averted her eyes again. He chuckled.
“I can see that your mate is a good woman,” Takkum said, interrupting his reverie. “She holds much compassion in her eyes.”
“She has a very generous heart,” Falcon agreed. “But she’s just a friend.”
The elder said nothing, which made Falcon curious. He pulled his gaze away from Julia and looked over at him. Takkum’s expression was a bit smug, as if he knew something Falcon didn’t. Maybe he did. But maybe Falcon was just starting to figure it out. He sighed, because he really didn’t want to. He didn’t want to feel that way about her, not when she was leaving. But as soon as he thought it, he knew it was already too late, he had fallen for her.
