“Such a simple idea gave me the strength to always look at how I could keep moving forward. That’s why I’ve been trying to clear the marshes, to find a new hope, a new vessel and shore. But in the past few weeks, I’ve become convinced that what you carry with you might be an even greater hope, and that the girl carrying it could be the only person courageous enough to bear that hope all the way to its distant shore.”
These profound words really move me, and I can’t think of anything to say back. It has felt as though the glimmering hope within me has been fading slowly with the passing of time, but in this moment I can feel it again like a burst of light pushing through storm clouds. I hope I’ll be able to hold onto it. I hope I can become the person Yori sees in me.
The conversation becomes lighter after that, which I’m grateful for since more warm sentiments might have brought my fragile state to tears. Yori tells more stories from his childhood, things he probably hasn’t talked about in ages. He seems to get lost in them as the sky becomes completely dark, the flicker of distant torches our only source of light.
Night doesn’t scare me as much as it used to. The blackness is still unnerving when compared to the stars and constellations of my childhood, but it is no longer a terrible thing for me to sit in a complete void and converse like it’s the middle of day.
My mind wanders to Wade occasionally, but I try to ignore the thought and focus back on Yori. He doesn’t bring Wade up either, or what we will need to do next, and I wonder if it’s so that I don’t worry. Wade told us not to come after him, so there’s nothing to do but wait. That is until we hear a soft, tapping echo across the square and immediately go silent.
I feel an icy shiver on my skin as Yori slowly gets up and begins walking with soft, crouched steps over to the trees, his hand hovering over his gun. I try to follow him, but he motions back with open palm to get me to stop. He then becomes perfectly still, scanning in every direction before waving at me to come stand by him next to the little grove.
“There is a hollow at the base of the centermost tree covered in grass,” he whispers, pointing toward the center of the grove as though he wants me to go there now. “If you step down into it, there is a grate that opens into the lower canals.”
“You’re coming with me, right?” I ask, the thought of being left alone terrifying me enough to consider disregarding his instructions and staying by his side.
“I will soon, but we won’t make it far if we’re being followed. Just wait for me, I won’t be long.”
The look I give begs him to not go, but it is too dark for him to see the panic behind my eyes. Something must have happened to Wade, otherwise he’d be back by now, and I have it set in my mind that if Yori leaves my sight, I’ll lose him, too. I’m not ready for that yet.
“Kaela, you can do this,” he says, placing his hand firmly on my shoulder, his long fingers squeezing me tightly.
I nod. I’ve found it’s the only way I can communicate when I feel so shaky. I then take a deep breath and do as he says, at least partially. Once I get to the tree and fi
nd the spot he’s talking about, I step back out toward the other side of the trees and watch him carefully navigate the hall the noise came from.
He stops and looks back for a moment. I’m not sure if he can see me. A torch beyond where he stands faintly illuminates his frame, but is likely too weak to light my watchful eyes. I want him to come back over. There is nothing there. We need to leave now and figure out how to get to Mavyn ourselves.
I’m just about to call out to him and tell him that, but then another loud click echoes behind him, and his head jerks that way. He moves quickly toward its source around a corner and disappears from my view. I stare anxiously, my heart pounding, my panic so real that I forget to breathe. Minutes pass, and he doesn’t come back, nor can I hear his footsteps. I become hopeless and petrified, left wondering where I could even run or what I should do without his or Wade’s guidance.
“Pssss,” a quiet whisper sounds from the trees behind me.
I turn sharply and, not seeing anyone, creep warily toward the hollow, where the faint voice hisses again.
“Pssss.”
As my eyes readjust to the darkness, I notice the silhouette of someone crawling up out of the hole, causing me to stumble back and reach into my cloak where my own gun is hidden.
“Kaela, I’m not here to hurt you,” the person speaks quietly, in a voice
that sounds strangely childlike.
“What do you want with me?” I ask, my voice carrying a small measure of boldness.
“I’m here to get you to Mavyn. We don’t have much time.”
“Where is Wade?” I demand.
“I don’t know,” he whispers. “He should have already brought you to back to us. Something is going on. You need to come with me now.”
“What about Yori?” I ask, looking back at the hallway he disappeared into.
“There’s no time, they could be here any second.”
I don’t know who they are, or if I even want to know, but I can’t bring myself to abandon Yori like this.
“You need to come with me Kaela. I’m not strong enough to force you, but you need to trust me. Your father did.”
Those last three words resonate through my entire body. Of anything this mysterious person could have said to persuade me to resist my fears and leave Yori behind, he said the right thing. I look back toward the still-empty corridor one more time, and then climb down the hollow after my new escort.