Stone of Hope

Chapter 10

Ibounce out of bed, excited to get dressed as I eye my new shoes. Slipping them on, I sigh in relief. They’re so much more comfortable than the makeshift flats and high heels I’ve been wearing. At least Molly came through and got me the high neckline dresses. My necklace has been returned to its rightful place with Ash’s cuff still around my ankle. I knew Ash took a risk by bringing them here, but it certainly paid off.

The pants are a bit long, but they’ll do. The hat… well, I look funny in the hat. You might think a hat is just a hat, but this is more like a knit baseball cap with flaps to cover my ears. It isn’t even that cold out. Timber and the guys are wearing the same outfit, including the hat. I realize I’m disguised as a man.

“You need to tuck in your hair,” Timber instructs.

Too excited to argue, I twirl my hair into a makeshift bun and tuck it inside the hat. Timber helps me tuck in the flyaways, and then we’re good to go.

“We need to go further into the woods,” Timber explains. “Paul and Alfred will join us there. You are dressed like us to blend in. You look more like a small solider now,” he smirks.

“Thank you again for my shoes,” I gush. “I don’t think you know how much the heels have been killing my feet.”

“I can’t take all the credit,” Timber answers modestly. “Ash brought your old ones, which we were able to use as a template.” Turning, Timber waves to the assembled group and we start a light jog. We arrive at a large tree, and Timber holds his arm up to halt the group. “There’s a path that winds through the forest and meets back here. I think it will be the path less traveled today.”

I smile up at him before I take off down the path. He follows suit, laughing as he catches up with me.

The air is cool, and the humidity minimal. My adrenaline pumps and I feel invigorated as I see the kingdom on a whole new level. The plant life is so lush. Every plant seems to be three times bigger than the ones back home. Leaves range anywhere from the size of a phone to a laptop to the size of a door. I’m amazed by the sight of round, luminescent flowers on bushes as large as oranges, some of which have glowing petals. I try to find the insect with mirrored wings, but instead, I glimpse purple flowers hanging from a tree. I hear the trickle of running water and can’t help but think it might be a waterfall. My excitement threatens to bubble over, so I focus on my breathing and release all my energy.

I’m broken from my reverie when Timber abruptly grips my arm. I stop, suddenly noticing Alfred and Paul are nowhere to be found. “Where did they go?” I ask, confused.

He smirks at my confusion. “Paul is in front,” he points forward and then back, “and Alfred’s not that far behind.”

I open my mouth, breathing in large mouthfuls of air, and my chest rises and falls rapidly. Sneaking a glance at Timber from the corner of my eye, I notice that his breathing is even, unaffected by the distance we just ran.

“We should probably head back,” he announces. “We just ran what you consider to be two miles on Earth.”

Now it’s my turn to smirk. “I normally run at least three a day. Maybe next time?” I try to push my luck, but he doesn’t take the bait. “What do you call two miles here?” I ask instead.

“When soldiers travel, we measure by time. Your two miles is slow, compared to our normal pace.” I place my hands on my hips and he chuckles. “Almost every solider can run the same speed, so we know how long it will take to get from one place to another.”

Without waiting for me, Timber turns around and starts jogging again. Catching up to him, I try to set a slower pace. The woods are denser than back home and I know it’s safer to stay on the trails. If I don’t, I could very easily get lost. Just then, something large lands on my arm and I shriek as I see what looks like a giant fly. I shrug it off my arm and shudder. “Your bugs here are massive! What the heck was that thing?”

Timber laughs and shakes his head. “Bugs? We have many flying creatures here that are nothing more than pests. Suzzch, not bugs,” he corrects me.

“Suzzch,” I repeat, the word sounding foreign on my tongue. “Wait a minute – how did Paul get in front of us? The forest is too dense; I never saw him pass us on the trail.”

“You were too busy staring off into the wilderness, you didn’t notice he cut a different path than we did. His path met back up with ours before we hit the main trail.” Slowing down, Timber points out a different, narrower trail. Had he not pointed it out, I would have completely missed it. I start to head toward it when Timber grabs my hand and shakes his head. “Security was only performed on this trail. That one is off limits.”

It didn’t occur to me that they scouted ahead on the trail before we started running this morning. I just assumed Alfred and Paul were the security detail. “So you mean to tell me that your security guards did a sweep of this whole area before we even started?”

He stands in front of me and reaches out, tucking a loose strand of hair back underneath my hat. “I wanted to make sure it was safe.” His eyes meet mine and he reaches out to hold my hand.

Guilt engulfs me as I think of Ash. I glance around, breaking eye contact and spoiling the moment, fidgeting as he watches me. I make him drop my hand by using it to point to a tall tree. “What kind of tree is that?” I ask lamely.

“That tree is known as a grutnther. It means ‘carrier’. See how large the leaf is?” He positions my hands to catch something in my palms next to the tree. His fingers run along the corners of the leaf and it splits open, as if a zipper is undone. Water suddenly starts pouring out. “Drink it, it’s clean. This is where the plant’s water supply is. This tree requires a lot, which comes in handy when you need a quick supply while traveling.” Just like that, the leaf’s edges press back together and appear flat. “It takes the humidity from the air, then purifies it as it travels through the center of the tree where it is stored. “

Stunned by the intricacies of this realm’s nature, I marvel, “That’s amazing!”

“It’s really not much different from what I read about Earth’s nature. Everything is there to help and improve it in some way. Humans just don’t care enough to help nature succeed.”

I point to the next plant. “What does that bush with the pink flowers do?”

He looks where I’m pointing and smiles. “The toothpaste you use here is pink, right?” he hints.

“You mean I’m brushing my teeth with that flower?” My voice raises a few notches.

He shrugs nonchalantly, but his blue eyes stay connected with mine. “Yes, and several other oils that the plant releases from its roots, stems, and leaves.”

He places a hand on the small of my back and guides me to different plants. I learn that the gyumbl, a plant that looks like an upside-down mushroom with a flower coming from its stem, is for eating. The umbrella, or the mushroom head, holds water, which the gyumbl absorbs slowly. Upon tasting it, I find that it’s sweet like a marshmallow, but has the same rubbery texture as a mushroom.

“That’s freerner.”

Giving it a close-up glance, I think it resembles baby’s breath, but the dense leaves of the plants have white thorns.

“Those will come off and embed themselves in you every time you touch it, so be careful,” Timber warns. “They release a chemical that attract yummqus, an animal that finds the plant’s seeds particularly tasty.” He grabs a stick and pushes the leaves to the side so I can see the bottom of the plant. Bright red balls the size of cantaloupes stick out from the ground. “I believe our Seekers have compared them to blueberries in your world.”

“What are yummqus?” I ask, raising my eyebrows as I turn to face him.

“They are a small rodent.” He makes a two-foot by two-foot square with his hand, showing me the approximate height and length of the animal.

I roll my eyes. “Nothing is small in your world.”

“That’s not true. We have you now.” He barely gets the dig out before he bursts into laughter, moving out of the way as I try to smack his arm, all while trying to cover up my own giggles. “There are lots of small things,” he begins, “but I’m sure the size of nature seems bigger for someone of your, er, delicate stature.” Smiling, he picks up the pace and grabs my hand again.

We round the corner to find Paul waiting for us, with Ash right behind him. I quickly release Timber’s hand, but not before Ash sees. He looks into my eyes and frowns. I see anger – or maybe it’s hurt? The muscle in his jaw ticks as he glances at Prince Timber, who doesn’t back down from his glare.

“We have an uninvited guest.” Paul gestures for us to keep walking.

“Alfred, Ash,” Timber barks, “take Jewel back to the castle. Alfred, stand guard over her until I return.”

Bowing, Ash breaks eye contact first with Timber. “I believe it might be safer to head to the safe house until we get the go-ahead. We don’t know what they want.” He keeps his eyes cast downward.

“Good thought. Paul, you’re with me. How many of them are there?” Timber’s voice is stern.

“So far, we counted ten from the West Kingdom and five from the South Kingdom, but you know how they like to deceive.” Paul’s posture is rigid as he delivers the news.

Timber directs his attention back to me. “Jewel, you’ll be in safe hands. Please go with Alfred and Ash.” Dismissing me, he turns to Alfred. “When it is safe, I will send word through the passage.” With that, he and Paul take off in a run, their loping strides easily tearing up the trail.

Alfred leads the way rigidly in front of me with Ash just behind me. Suddenly, Ash swoops me into his arms and speeds off. Feeling like a sack of potatoes, I wrap my arms around his neck and close my eyes. The scenery is going by too fast for me to get a good look at it, anyway.

An image of Ash appears behind my eyelids as I replay the scene where I was caught holding Timber’s hand. It’s not like I was doing anything wrong, I argue with myself. Timber was the one who took my hand. It was just a simple gesture!So why do I feel like I got caught with my hand in the proverbial cookie jar? I exhale loudly. Sure, Timber is handsome and nice, but that doesn’t mean I have feelings for him, does it? Ugh.

The rushing wind in my ears starts to slow down, and I realize at some point I lost my hat. I open my eyes to see we are in the midst of a jungle of green plants, as if we travelled far off the trail. Alfred turns to us in question and Ash nods his head. He lets go of my legs, but keeps his arm firmly encircled around my waist. Getting my bearings, I look up at him, but his eyes don’t meet mine. Miffed, I grab his arm, shove it off my waist, and take a couple steps away from him. I turn my attention to Alfred, who moves a section of leaves out of the way to reveal a dusty old cabin. Alfred and I walk forward, viewing what I assume is the safe house, and are greeted by a little old lady standing on the porch.

Alfred hangs his head and swipes his arm up to his shoulder. The old lady pantomimes the same, but I see that she also crosses her fingers with her pinky over her ring finger. Satisfied, Alfred leads the way and follows the old lady into the cabin. As we enter, I see that although the exterior is old, the inside is quite cozy. It reminds me of the cabin we used to visit in Colorado when Mom was still alive. Dad would go hiking and fishing all day, even though I was too sick to go with him most of the time, but sometimes he would take me on trails once I felt better.

I hear the door shut and I turn around, asking Ash, “What’s going on?”

His face is stony and his voice is clipped as he answers. “We can only presume that word has leaked out that we are harboring a half-human in this realm.”

I wonder if he’s upset about Timber holding my hand, but it’s not like we can discuss it with Alfred around. Ash said we needed to keep the time we spent together in the Earth Realm a secret. Just then, the old lady extends her hand towards me and I take it. “My name is Jewel,” I introduce myself.

She tilts her head from side to side as if she can’t figure me out. She continues to hold my hand in hers, but suddenly grabs my wrist with the other. I hear her whisper, “angelic,” and then her eyes widen and take me in. Tingles and heat spread up my arm and my head begins to throb. Just when I let out a small gasp, I become aware of my surroundings. I see rays of iridescence coming from the kitchen window in vibrant shades of blue. Looking back at her, her eyes connect with mine and I hear her voice in my head.

“Calla is my name. I have Gifted you with Portal Sight. Use it wisely. Don’t fear the white; it is the door to the past. Blue wasn’t meant to last. Beware the shades of red; stick to purple and green instead. Don’t let anyone know of this, for I will be punished upon death because you are not of this realm.”

My eyes widen. She knows! “Do you?—”

She interrupts my question, quickly changing the subject. “Would you like a drink?” she asks out loud.

I shake my head as I stare out the window, shocked. White is part of my past? Does that mean my realm? Why should I be scared of red? How did she know I wasn’t one of them? I call to her in my mind. “Calla, what am I? Can I travel to other realms? What else do you know about me?” I wait for several moments but receive no response. I stare at her as she prepares a tray of beverages, looking like nothing more than a domestic grandmother. I repeat myself again but am met by stony silence in my head.

Turning my head, I notice Ash is studying me; he looks towards the blue portal and then back at me. Does he know she Gifted me with the Sight?

Taking a seat at the kitchen table, I decide to just keep my mouth shut and repeat the rhyme she gave me. Every bit of me wants to run to the portal that leads to my dad. The problem is, how do I know I’ll get through the portal without falling ill? I can only assume Calla thinks I’ll make it since she gave me the Sight, but it’s not a risk I’m willing to take without more information. I wish Calla would answer my questions!

“It is not yet the time for you to know the answers to your questions,” Calla intones within my head. “There is still more that must fall into place first.”

I whip my head towards her, but instead of looking at me, she is staring outside the window.

Ash and Alfred draw their swords a moment before we hear a knock at the door. Calla continues to sit at the table, appearing relaxed as can be, when the door opens. I hold my breath, only exhaling when my gaze meets familiar green eyes. Timber and Paul. Paul is standing right behind him, but Timber nods to Calla before holding his hand out to me. I reach for it, consciously aware that Ash is behind him.

“You are safe,” Timber soothes. “No one knows you are here. The other kingdoms heard only that we found a jewel.”

My eyes widen as realization dawns. “Oh! My name is what they heard, and they assumed it was the jewel.” That still doesn’t make any sense. “Didn’t they hear I was a person?”

“I can only think of one reason for the confusion: someone was talking about you, and someone else overheard your name and didn’t wait to listen to the rest. This is what power does; it destroys, makes enemies, and reveals traitors. There is a great reward for the person who finds the stone and brings it to the highest bidder.” Timber squeezes my hand tighter, his words coming out with a bitter tinge. “The problem with greed is that no matter what my father told them – that we have a jewel or that we don’t – they’ll think we have it either way. It’s exhausting, traveling from kingdom to kingdom with my army just to see if another kingdom has it, but unlike most, we must have concrete evidence before we go.”

“So, the delegates from the other kingdoms just left?” I ask.

“No, I don’t think they simply took our word and left. I’m sure they will dispatch scouts who will wait and listen to hear any more word about the stone. We will take the cabin’s tunnel back to the castle. It will be the safest route,” Timber says.

He steps closer to me and grabs my other hand, and I sneak a quick glance at Ash. He looks between us and heads for the rug. Lifting the corner, he reveals a trap door. He starts to descend to the tunnel, Alfred and Paul following suit. Timber squeezes my hand to get my attention. I turn to look at him.

He nods to the old woman. “Calla, thank you once again for protecting our people.” He releases my hand and gives the woman a tight hug and a peck on the check. She nods but doesn’t say anything back, at least not out loud. I glance between him and Calla.

His grin spreads wide across his face as he notices my puzzled expression. “When I was little, she watched me when my mother was needed elsewhere, which was a lot.” I gave him an apologetic look, but he just shrugs. “My mom understood the Gift she had and the reason she was given such a Gift. I believe it’s why my father fell in love with her. She was so pure of heart,” he says admiringly.

Squeezing his hands, I offer, “I would have loved to meet her. She sounds amazing.”

“It is because of her that we have such high respect from the other kingdoms, as well as the outsiders in the lands that belong to them. Two Elders even came to her funeral, which says something.”

“Elders?”

Timber explains, “I told you we live a lot longer than you, but even our realm has Elders. There are five total, and they are among the oldest and wisest of all trolls. It is said that when one dies, they pass their powers and knowledge onto one person of their choosing. It is a great honor to receive this knowledge.”

Ash pops his head out of the tunnel and interjects, “I think it’s time we head out, Sire.” Timber gives Ash a long look before he nods. Ash, not once meeting my eyes, turns back and disappears into the tunnel.

I release Timber’s hands and turn towards Calla, noticing she has been watching us. When I walk over to her, she opens her arms wide and wraps me in a tight embrace. When we touch, she repeats the words in my head again, as if to make sure I remember.

Don’t fear the white; it is the door to the past. Blue wasn’t meant to last. Beware the shades of red; stick to purple and green instead.

She releases her hug and I stare at her, hoping she’ll provide more answers before I leave, since I don’t know when or if I’ll see her again. As if hearing my thoughts, she offers a reassuring smile and turns her attention to Timber.

Timber focuses on Ash at the tunnel’s entrance, gauging his reaction as he takes my hand and places his other hand on my lower back to usher me to the trap door.

Looking back, I mouth a quick “thank you” to Calla. She nods.

The tunnel’s cold air hits me as soon as I descend into its narrow space. I inch closer to Timber the further we get down the stairs, finding his solid bulk reassuring. By this point, I can barely make out the outlines of Ash, Paul, or Alfred. The light from above slowly disappears until there is nothing but inky darkness. I hear a door shut, followed by the sound of a latch being secured.

I move to go towards Ash, but Timber pulls my hand towards him. I feel his breath on my face as he whispers, “Remember, you will always be behind me, with another person behind you in case of an attack.” He lets go of my hands and brushes against me as he slides past. “Ash, you’re behind Jewel. Paul, Alfred, you take the lead.” His voice is clipped.

Trying to find my balance, I reach out to place a hand on Timber’s back, but because of our height difference, I find the top of his pants, instead. I drop my hand immediately and tense. He doesn’t say anything, so I try again and reach higher, finding the back of his neck. Sliding my hand lower, I grip the back of Timber’s shirt with one hand between his shoulder blades. As Ash brushes against me from behind, I reach out with my other hand, making contact with his chest. Ash grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers. I want to tell him so many things in this moment because I know his feelings are hurt. I give a tight squeeze, reassuring him that we’re still good. When he squeezes mine back, my body relaxes just a bit.

When Timber starts to move forward, I stumble, walking slowly as I make sure I don’t trip on an exposed root or something. “Jewel, you can walk normally,” Timber chides. “You don’t have to take such tiny steps.”

“I can’t see where I’m going,” I reply, miffed.

“There is nothing down here. This tunnel provides a straight shot to the castle, with no other paths branching off. This was built a long time ago and is searched weekly. There’s no need for light,” Timber tries to reassure me.

“I beg to differ,” I grumble, trying to make my stride longer.

Ash whispers, “You wouldn’t want to see it, anyway. It’s just dirt, roots, and mud.”

Ash still hasn’t relinquished my hand, and he starts to rub circles with his thumb, reminding me that I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.

“We will emerge in the ballroom, which you have yet to see,” Ash whispers. “I was hoping to hold off on showing you the room until the Festival of Woods celebration.” His voice is light, not so clipped as before.

“What is the Festival of Woods?” I ask. My interest is piqued. A ballroom?

“It’s a traditional festival where we celebrate the life of the forest each year and the bounty it provides throughout the seasons. We always celebrate on our full moon.” His pace slows. “We are reaching the edge of the castle.”

“How can you tell?” I ask.

“I can hear the people and the livestock.” He sounds amused.

I strain to hear what he hears, but it’s not until we walk a little further that I can hear the noises he mentioned. Troll hearing, indeed.