his fingernails biting into his palms. “The Lord of Northtree, Lye, found me and pulled me from the pulp of the Dogwood Heir.
“He told me to run. He said that if they saw what I did they would convict my father for my crimes and have him exiled. So, I ran. And when I got to the wall, I climbed. And then I jumped into the forest and just kept on running.” Jim held his hands in the sky, clenching his fingers into fists, “They used me. I was too young to see it then, but I see it now. They framed me and my family, and they killed her to make me angry. They used her.…” Light glinted from Jim’s tear-soaked face. His mouth moved as he prepared to speak again, but all that escaped was a wrathful scream that caused the Hero to shake.
“Ellie?” Emma’s voice was dwarfed compared to Jim’s scream, but his reaction to the name felt even more violent.
Jim looked into Emma’s eyes, stared for a long moment before he turned and began to walk. He looked back and waved at Emma, motioning for her to join him.
He said, “We need to keep moving. Let’s make it past the trees in the daylight.”
Emma met his stride, following his lead through the thick bushes and trees. The sounds of twigs snapping and branches bending filled the air. The wind’s songs were so quiet now as they marched through the brush.
A mile passed before Jim spoke again. “You remind me of her sometimes, of Ellie.” The tender sweetness he held in his voice when he spoke her name spread a warmth into Emma’s chest and nearly erupted from her fingertips. “She was fierce and strong, and her eyes were the most beautiful things I had ever seen. She was…” Jim shook his head as emotion made him verklempt again.
“Sounds like she was a hell of a girl,” Emma offered with a broad smile.
“She was.” Jim smiled back.
They walked for a few hours, allowing the comfortable silence to return between them. Emma decided to trust the Heir of Ash, believe his story against what she had been taught. So, her disdain dwindled, and her hesitation vanished, and she walked with Jim towards the forest’s edge.
9: Promise
The tree line opened, revealing a lush field of tall grass and wildflowers. Dusk was beginning to flare in the sky, changing the clear blue of day into a collage of dark purple and red. The dangers of the forest stayed behind, trapped by the thick wall of trees and bushes. The safety of the open field promised a restful sleep for Hero and human.
The emotion in the back of Jim’s mind had receded to a mere content after he told Emma about the Dogwood boy. Her contemplation seemed to heavily influence her quiet mood, but at least Jim sensed no hatred.
Emma turned left, following the forest’s edge West, toward the Willow territory. She was deep in thought as the duo walked. She stared into the distance, never focusing on what her eyes observed, but always seeing something in her mind and listening intently to what it implied.
Jim rubbed the tender flesh beneath his armpit and rotated his shoulder to test his healing wound. Needles and fire greeted the movement, but the response was far from agonizing. Truth-be-told his face hurt much more than his side. He was sure an impression of Emma’s knuckle had imprinted itself just below his eye.
Emma’s voice broke the silence, “They are going to hate you.”
Jim stared at the girl.
“They’ll probably hate me too, for bringing you.” She shrugged. “But, after a few drinks, I’ll be forgiven. Easy enough.”
She was talking about her friends, the group that was celebrating in their traditional get-togethers. Anyway, it didn’t matter to him. For Heroes and humans, hatred crashed like rain over rooftops. It was a way of life, a stubborn stallion that pulled against his bit.
“I’m sure I’ll charm them without much trouble.” Jim offered. “All I have to do is knock them to the ground and force-feed them charred rabbit.”
Emma’s return smile ran over Jim’s body like crystal water on smoldering coals. Relief steamed from his unconscious as the girl who had the emerald eyes offered him her smile.
“No.” Her voice was playful. “They will definitely hate you.” She looked forward again and began to walk.
Jim hesitated before catching up. “If you want me to leave.…”
“No,” she cut in. “You should stay. It would be good for them to see a Hero up close, without fear. Just.…” She paused and looked into Jim’s eyes. “We shouldn’t tell them who you are.”
It was an odd request for Jim, not because he didn’t agree with the logic of it, but because nobody had ever really known his history to request such a thing in the first place. He wanted to brush it off as an obvious plan, but her tone chilled him. These friends of hers would hate him as a Hero, but their true contempt would come from being an Ash.
“I understand,” he said.
They continued West as the sun fell beneath the horizon. A cloudless night illuminated a freshly worn trail that Emma meandered down. They followed the winding trail as the smell of smoke rose from close ahead.
“We met because of the Southern War,” Emma whispered. “I was orphaned, and their colony was decimated by the Northtrees. They were the only family I could find.” She took a breath. “They are going to hate you, Jim, but please stay.”
As they rounded a corner of particularly dense trees, Jim spotted a raging bonfire. He could see the outlines of people sitting and dancing in the fire’s light. Now would be the time to leave, turn around and head into the forest. He had secured Emma’s safety, but she seemed to have secured him in a way of her own. He knew that she had made it to her loved ones. He could leave, his conscience clear of guilt. But.…
“I’ll stay.” he promised the girl, and himself.
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