Chapter 32
Iremember Ash’s words from earlier… Follow the moon until you reach the trail made of branches. No longer hearing the crashes of the fight, I sit to rest, my heart beating quickly. I hear wheezing sounds around me and tense as I search for who could have followed me. With a start, I have my first official sighting of a rezurc, the formidable creature James described in Destine’s kitchen what feels like a lifetime ago. I’m taken aback by how fluffy its mane is.
Before I have a chance to retreat, its eerie eyes find mine. Stepping aside, the animal uncovers the culprit of the wheezing sound. It’s a baby rezurc, black as the night sky. I gasp as the mother lies down beside her baby and nudges it, ignoring me. A horrible realization comes to me: the baby is dying. An idea comes to me and I fiddle with my necklace. I take a deep breath and walk forward slowly, testing to see if the mother will charge at me. When she doesn’t, I sidle closer, removing my necklace and tentatively placing it on the baby’s chest. I walk backward slowly until my back hits a tree trunk with a soft thud, then I slide down to the ground in a sitting position.
I don’t know how much time passes, but the baby’s wheezing eventually stops. The mother doesn’t move; she simply sits there protecting her baby. I tentatively make my way over to the creatures and reach for my necklace. As soon as I do, they stand and start walking. The mother looks back over her shoulder as if inviting me to follow, so I do.
Maybe she’ll lead me where I need to go.
I feel like I’ve been walking forever. I’m so tired. The mother and baby don’t seem to mind that I’m following, though, so I continue in their footsteps. Finally, the mother comes to a stop and the baby runs ahead of her. I realize she led me right to her herd. Pulse racing, I watch the baby run between several rezurcs. I stop counting at ten babies, all of them black except for one tan one. I assume the larger rezurcs standing behind them are the males.
The mother ambles forward, following her baby’s trail. As I start to follow, I hear a deep growl that vibrates through my entire body. I stop mid-step, my foot hanging in the air, and cautiously look up to see one of the males making his way over with cat-like stealth, low to ground. Terror surges through me.
Before he’s halfway to me, the mother cuts him off and darts in front of me protectively. My legs, fueled by instinct, start walking backwards before my brain registers what I’m doing. I hold my breath as she stops right in front of me and turns to the male. He growls louder when the mother stands up on her hind legs and slams her tusks on the ground in an obviously aggressive move, the equivalent of Come at me, bro. They do this dance several more times until the male finally turns around and walks back to the others. Threat eliminated, the female looks back at me and slinks away.
“Congratulations, you’re part of the herd!” a voice calls out.
I twist around quickly and lose my footing, and someone darts in to catch me and stand me back up. I stumble backward when I see a man dressed all in black standing there. The uniform of the Darkland! I make a mad dash toward the mother, convinced I’m making good headway until the man appears out of nowhere in the path before me.
Mouth agape, I exclaim, “How did you do that?”
“I hold the power of the Elders,” he states simply, though with pride.
“How did you get picked to receive the Elders’ power?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I realize how insensitive they sound, but he merely smiles.
“Simple. I saved the rezurc race.” With that, he begins walking along the same path taken by the baby rezurc.
Sure, I’ll follow you through the scary rezurc herd. Stopping in the midst of the herd, the newcomer starts to tell me his story. “When I was a boy, I was taken away from my sister and thrown out like a rat on the street. Since my sister was a Healer, my parents didn’t want me in the way when the highest bidder came along, because most brothers tend to protect their siblings. However, no one knew the secret I shared with my sister, and we made sure that no one would ever find out. We promised to never tell a soul. You see, we were both given the Gift of Healing, and we knew that after our parents died, our skills would be fought after. My sister accepted her fate, but I didn’t want the life of a Healer.
“After I was thrown out and taken away from my sister, I hid in the forest. One day, I came across a dying rezurc and Healed it. From there, the animal led me to its herd, and I discovered that their race was dying from eating a plant that produces a black, poisonous powder. I knew I had to use my Gift for them, just like you, Jewel, knew you had to use the stone to heal the baby.”
I tense when I hear my name. “How do you know my name?”
“Queen Marian was my sister,” he says, watching me intently.
“You’re Timber’s uncle?” I deduce, and he nods. More puzzle pieces clicking into place. “That still doesn’t explain how you know who I am.”
“Marian told me your mother was sick, and that when you were born, you were sick as well. I’m the one who gave her the necklace you wear.”
I look down, disappointed that I forgot to tuck it back in after saving the baby rezurc. “What’s your name?”
He smiles, though I note that he keeps a respectful distance. “Drake.”
“Can you help me find Calla’s cabin in the North?” I ask, hopeful.
He nods. “Yes, I can. Jewel, I know you must have many questions about the stone, so let me tell you what I know while we walk.” He waits until I begin to walk alongside him before continuing. “The stone was broken long ago and the pieces were scattered by the Elders in the hopes that the realm would thrive if they placed parts of it in each of the kingdoms.”
“But it didn’t work?”
He stops and looks at me with a sigh. “No, it didn’t work. Instead of helping the realm thrive, they learned that the stone only helps the people who are closest to it.”
“Where did the stone come from?” I glance around and note that the animals are crowding around us as they walk. It sends a thrill through me – one of awe mingled with a twinge of fear.
Drake rubs the mane of a passing rezurc. “The stone originated from a cave hidden deep within the realm. From my Elder’s memory, it was discovered around the same time the realm started to fail.”
My steps falter. “So are you saying the stone has to return to the cave in order for the realm to thrive again?”
“Yes.”
We walk for several minutes in silence as I ponder the weight of his words. “Why did the Elders break it in the first place? Why didn’t they put it back when they realized its limitations?”
A slight smile graces Drake’s handsome face. “The knowledge that the realm was failing because the stone was removed from the cave only came after they decided to break it. By that time, the legend of the stone had traveled throughout the realm, igniting wars throughout each kingdom. The Elders agreed the killings fueled over the stone must be stopped, and they thought that by adding a piece to each kingdom, the wars would end.”
“So where are all the pieces?” I ask.
He shook his head. “That, I don’t know. Over time, they seem to have disappeared.”
If all the pieces could be found and the stone put back together, the realm would thrive once more. Of course, I realize what it will mean to my health if I give up my sliver of the stone. “Thank you for giving Marian the necklace to save my life.”
He walks into the herd and makes a sound that alerts all the assembled rezurc. As he walks, they follow in his wake. I shadow his footsteps, not wanting to be trampled in the rezurcs’ haste to follow their savior.