The night they arrived in Crie Jaax and Jahrra decided to decline Aydehn’s invitation to join the villagers around the communal fire.
“We’re quite weary and I think everyone has had enough excitement for the day,” Jaax told him as Jahrra sought out a soft patch of earth to lay her bedroll.
At the elf’s dismayed cry Jaax continued, “That being said, we would be more than happy to join you tomorrow night if it is your wish.”
“Very well,” Aydehn conceded, “though I’m sure Thenya will hound me through the rest of the night.”
“Surely she will,” Jaax answered in good humor.
Aydehn mumbled something else as he traipsed off down the narrow trail they had followed to reach this secluded, yet nearby spot.
Jahrra sighed and threw her head back to look up into the trees. She could see now why the young men would want to camp here after a hunt. It was just far enough away from the village to offer some privacy but close enough in case those camping here needed help for any reason. The rocky hillside curved gently, offering a shelter from the wind, and the interlaced branches above would keep them dry should it rain.
A whooshing sound and the familiar crackle and scent of a fire drew Jahrra’s attention away from her thoughts. As she had been daydreaming Jaax had gathered up a sizeable pile of wood and had started a fire within the small ring of rocks.
Jahrra finished with her bedroll, shot a glance at Phrym to make sure he was content, then plopped onto her blankets, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. She tilted her head and glanced up at Jaax. He was watching her, just as she’d presumed. She set her jaw and refused to be the first one to look away, or to speak. After a whole minute she gave up, sighing and resting her eyes on the fire instead.
Eventually she heard her guardian release a sigh. “What have I done now?”
She barely kept herself from grinning. Instead she shrugged and, still watching the fire, she said, “You could have warned me.”
When she looked at Jaax he was frowning in confusion.
“Warned you?”
Jahrra spread her right arm, gesturing in the direction of Crie. “You know, about how I would be received here. The, um, overwhelming adoration.”
“Ahhh,” Jaax said, and now he was smiling. “I honestly wasn’t sure how they would accept you Jahrra, truly.”
He sounded forthright so Jahrra let it drop, sort of. “Well, you had to have some idea that it might be like this.”
He was shaking his head. “I knew that Aydehn and Thenya would be delighted to see you but I didn’t expect everyone else’s . . . reaction.”
“Why were Aydehn and Thenya so glad to see me?”
Jahrra placed both her hands behind her and leaned back on her arms.
“Because they were the couple that took you in when you were first found. It was Thenya who last held you before you were strapped to my neck.”
A strange feeling passed over Jahrra then and she looked away from Jaax. How strange it was to hear about your life when you were far too young to remember those who had loved you. When you were too young to appreciate what they were giving up. Jahrra let out a breath and to her surprise, it carried a wave of emotion.
“Jaax,” she said quietly, “did you have to take me away from here?”
He was quiet for a long time, only the crackle of the fire, the sounds of the village winding down for the evening, and the soft breathing of Phrym just paces away to break the silence.
“I mean,” Jahrra continued after clearing her throat, “I mean, I’m not saying that I’m sorry that you did, but really, simply out of curiosity, could you have left me here? Come to visit me here instead of at the Castle Guard Ruin? What I’m asking is, why was Crie not where I was meant to be, especially with the Oak being here?”
Jahrra finally looked at Jaax, only to find him giving her one of those beneath-the-surface looks. Eventually, he too looked away, off into the trees, seeking some imaginary answer to her question perhaps.
“Because of Hroombra,” he finally said, so quietly she almost missed it. “Hroombra couldn’t have traveled here, as you well know, and he needed to see you, to know you were real, to have a say in your upbringing.”
Jahrra looked Jaax straight in the eye, her own eyes prickling with unshed tears. For once she dared to ask him a question she wouldn’t have had the temerity to ask him before they were thrown together on this crazy adventure: “Why?”
Jaax looked at her again but this time it seemed he had finally found something just beneath her skin, something that perhaps he’d been looking for all along.
“Because no one else in all of Ethoes could have raised you to be as strong, as bright or as understanding of the plight of those suffering in this world than Hroombra. And I can see before me without a doubt that you were, and are now, exactly where you should have been and where you should be.”
It took a few moments for Jahrra to sort through the dragon’s words but when she did their core meaning shocked her into silence. Jaax had just paid her an extraordinary compliment and she had no idea how to respond.
So, instead of babbling some nonsense in an attempt at awkward appreciation, Jahrra remained quiet and the two of them spent the next several minutes just sitting in silence, absorbing the cadence of what had just passed between them as the sounds and smells of twilight merged with the rush of the Saem River. Jaax didn’t feel burdened by her presence, Jahrra could see that now. And furthermore, she realized that she actually cared. This revelation left her feeling warmer, as if the ice around her heart after Hroombra’s death had started to melt. Jahrra sighed and smiled at Jaax, the only thanks she could muster. His returning grin and slight nod acknowledged that he recognized her gratitude.
Eventually, exhaustion from the long day won over and Jahrra collapsed upon her bedroll and for the first time in two months she was not afraid of falling asleep. For some reason or another, she didn’t think the nightmares would be troubling her tonight and perhaps, never again.
-Chapter Four-
A Guided Tour and a Day of Mischief
Jahrra was famished the next morning and for once it was her stomach that woke her up and not Jaax or some horrible replaying of her memories. When she opened her eyes she was surprised to find only Phrym standing above her, gazing down with his smoky eyes as if to inquire about breakfast. When all she did was blink at him, he nudged her with a velvety nose, rumbling as he did so. Jahrra laughed and pushed him away.
“Alright,” she grumbled good-naturedly. “You don’t know where Jaax went, do you?”
Of course he only stared at her then dragged his hoof into the leafy earth. The gleeful shouts of children playing and the sharp tang of smoke filled the air. Jahrra found a clean set of clothes and ducked behind a niche in the alcove to change. Once she had her boots on, she slipped Phrym’s bridle over his forehead and led him down the narrow path that wove through the trees.
As she walked Jahrra thought about how nice it would be to stay in single place for more than one night. Her ankle and knee were finally healed, the bruises having disappeared a few weeks ago, but on cold, foggy mornings such as this one they were sometimes stiff. By the time she reached the outskirts of the village, however, she felt like she could run a mile.
Pale gray plumes of smoke rose from several of the huts scattered about the village of Crie and even more young Resai elves dashed around, chasing chickens and wayward livestock as their dogs barked merrily behind them. Jahrra couldn’t help but smile. It reminded her very much of home. The adults, looking groggy and a little ruffled, moved about more slowly collecting eggs or milking goats. Some looked to still be in their sleeping clothes as they scurried after the children in order to drag them back to finish their chores.