Thirty Two: On the Trail

I was fuming as Schula and Nassir practically dragged me from the cabin. If Gelwyn really wanted to blame me for bringing something in behind us, fine. I get it. But to threaten my sole purpose for being here? She knows damn well that I want to get an answer and leave. She doesn't like me, why interfere?

Schula soothed me as we went. She did her best to say whatever she thought would help. Puko sat on my shoulder and that helped too. I knew they were upset too, but I was the one who was fuming. It was pretty sad when the half elf was the heated one, and the fae were keeping their emotions in check.

We were nearly across the valley before I realized we weren't heading to Mila's cabin.

"Where are we going?" I asked. It hit me that Nassir wasn't trying to reason with me, as he usually would. But instead he was paying close attention to something else. Something only he could see.

"We are going back to where it began. To the cave where we entered the valley," Nassir answered simply. "You did not seem capable of forming a rational plan yet, so I began walking us somewhere I thought you would want to be once you had... recovered yourself."

That knocked all the angry wind out of my chest. I blew all the air from my lungs out slowly, ending in a soft laugh. "You're right. I'm sorry I got so upset."

"Understandable," Nassir said. "I am also upset about the situation."

I eyed him for a moment. He didn't look upset at all. Schula was rubbing one of my arms, still trying to soothe me.

"Nassir just shows it differently," she said.

"Now that we are calm and ready to talk, we can stop and discuss a plan." Nassir took a few steps off the dirt path to where a set of large rocks rose above the grass. An inviting seat, at the higher end of the valley.

"Right," I sighed. Schula and I followed him and took a seat. Puko opted to fly off, probably searching for food in the tall grass.

"Wren, Schula," Nassir said, grabbing our attention. "I'd like you to meditate with me a moment. I think it will help."

I rubbed the corners of my eyes where they still felt stiff from sleep, or lack of it. I nodded and Schula pulled her feet up onto the rock she was sitting on, closing her eyes and already doing her breathing.

I took a deep breath, and fell into it with her.

One... Two... Three...

The rhythm was second nature. I easily fell down into my place of peace. A cabin in my mind where I could settle and collect myself. Around me was the warmth of my fire, but now I felt the prickle of something else.

My eyes opened and I sat still, trying to process what I had just felt.

"What is the matter, Wren?" Nassir asked without opening his eyes.

"There was a new sensation apart from my magic," I said.

Schula peeked one eye open. "Have you meditated since coming to the valley?"

"Uh... no. I guess I've been studying and haven't done much else," I admitted.

Schula nodded. "I wondered. We haven't had time to run or stretch either. Well, you haven't at least."

"I think what you're sensing now is the magic in this valley," Nassir said. "The magic of the witches feels different. They use it differently, too."

"I think I understand." I looked down at my hands. I had heard as much, that the witches pulled the magic from around them, and the things of the Wyldes used the magic inside themselves. So if this was the magic of the valley, then I was seeing for myself where the witches got their powers.

"Oh, I bet you could summon that witch fire now," Schula said. "Didn't Mila say it would be from using the wrong source of magic?"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Immediately, I shut my eyes and focused on that prickly feeling magic instead. It took a long moment, but I was able to use that to ignite a flame in my palm instead. I popped my eyes open, and a grin spread across my face as I watched the dancing purple fire in my hand.

"You did it!" Schula beamed.

"I'm a little annoyed that it was so simple, yet it's taken me all month to figure it out," I said.

"I am glad you did it." Nassir smiled. "But if we can get back to meditating, I did have something to show you."

"Right, sorry." I closed my eyes and did my breathing again.

I fell comfortably into that place of magic. Breathing, and feeling the warmth around me. I was able to feel the difference between the fire and the witch magic, but I was able to see them both as magic as well. Just, different.

One... Two... Three...

Gently, I was nudged by two other feelings. Something white, and something yellow. Schula and Nassir.

When I met him, Nassir wasn't able to pull his magic into any cohesive shape. It was all over the place, bleeding energy out around him. Now, it was a tight form. A creature standing upright and walking to where the mouth of the cave would be. I followed, and so did Schula.

Nassir stopped at the entrance where the cool limestone floor met the warm grass and dirt of the valley. And in this form, surrounded by magic, I felt the difference. It was like night and day. The energy of the valley was life, and witches. It was so vivid, the essence of witchcraft. I could nearly taste it, smell it.

But the cave, it was darkness. It was cold, and drafty. The things I felt in it were otherworldly. It reminded me of the Mist walker. The Wraith of the mountain. Things that I couldn't explain and things I didn't recognize. But I also felt traces of the familiar. Something that reminded me of the Wyldes had come through this way, and it wasn't one of us. The faintest of traces, but it was there.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I blinked as the sun blared into my pupils, still adjusting to the light.

"I felt something," Schula said.

"I did too. Something has come through this cave, and it's not from around here at all." My stomach knotted. "I think we really did lead something in."

"That doesn't matter now," Nassir said. "What matters, is that we found a trail. I was simply going to show you the different energies in the caves, but this is much better."

"Have you been up here to meditate without us then?" I asked.

Nassir fought a grin. "No, I have not."

Schula gasped. "You rascal! This is how you're getting around without your sight."

Nassir let out a full-bellied laugh. My heart pounded, Nassir was seeing somehow?

"I'm not sure I understand," I said.

"Wren," Nassir chuckled. "The world you see when you meditate, the one clouded by the magic around us, that is what I see at all times."

"That's amazing," Schula said. "But what I want to know is how you are doing it. I've never heard of someone holding that state while walking. Actually, you can talk as well. What are you doing exactly?"

Nassir took a deep breath and sighed, a smile still on his lips. "It took a lot of time to figure out. I don't think I could do this if I still had my sight. My real vision would interfere. It's not exactly the same as meditating, but it's close."

"That's wonderful," I grinned. "How long were you going to keep this from us?"

"I knew you would find out sooner rather than later," Nassir said. "But that aside, we are truly here to investigate."

I frowned at that. He was right, we had to get to the bottom of the problem.

"So, if we all felt the different energy, we should be able to follow it. Right?" Schula asked.

"I think I can follow it," Nassir said. "If you two can follow me. I might be able to get around, but your eyes in the real world will be useful as well. I cannot see things like footprints as easily as larger, more obvious shapes and colors."

"Let's catch this intruder then," Schula said.

I scooted off my rock, and Schula and Nassir did the same.

"Puko, are you coming?" I asked.

"Caw!" Puko cried. But he didn't follow. I guess that's a no then.

When I looked to Nassir, he was already on the trail. He stood at the mouth of the cave, staring at something. Schula and I gave him his silence. When he was ready to move we followed.

I thought since we had a trail, it would be an easy task. I was wrong.

It was hard to know what to look for, since we weren't following the same trail as Nassir. All we could do was look ahead and hope to notice signs of someone walking through the grass and caves. Even if we did, it was hard to say if it was the boot print of a witch or of our intruder.

We spent quite a bit of the day circling the valley. The intruder, it would seem, did not sit still. They went in circles, they crept up to homesteads and got into gardens and livestock. They climbed trees, and hugged the wall of the valley, sitting in and out of the caves and moving on again.

The longer the day went, the more frustrated we became. The longer this intruder went un-caught, the more likely they were to attack another witch. And time was running out. Our two days were turning to two.

We didn't stop for food until late afternoon. Even then, it was a fairly short break before we were back at it.

Schula sighed, pausing our walking. The sun had already set, and we had found nothing.

"Should we stop for the night?" Nassir suggested.

I scratched my chin, hiding the expression on my face. I didn't want to stop. I wanted to find this intruder and make them tell us why they followed us here. But I didn't want to lead Schula and Nassir to exhaustion and frustration either.

"We have to at least get some sleep," Schula said. "It can be out here if you want it to be. But we should sleep and have a meal before we keep going."

I sighed through my nose. They were both right, of course. "You two can go back to the cabin, but I'd like to sleep here. I don't want to lose our place on the trail."

Schula snorted and came over to me, sitting down on the grass. "I don't trust you to sleep if we leave you out here alone. I'm staying too."

"I think so too," Nassir said as he sat next to Schula. "Besides, I sleep on the ground anyway. I would rather not walk all the way back to the cabin just to sleep on the same thing I could sleep on here."

A smile tugged at my mouth and I sat down between my friends. "Alright, we sleep out here together. And maybe we will find the intruder in the morning."

"That's settled then." Schula yawned. "I'm going to get some sleep. If either of you wake before me, wake me up please."

I sighed and settled into the grass by Schula. Sleeping under the stars was no problem, we had done plenty of that on our way here. But I still couldn't get comfortable.

Schula's breathing told me she had fallen asleep. Nassir's was even as well, but I wasn't sure if he was sleeping yet or not.

But even peacefully laying between my friends, my own rest wasn't coming easy.

And then I had an idea. It wasn't exactly going off on my own. Actually, it wasn't going off on my own at all.

I closed my eyes, but I didn't seek out sleep. Instead, I started breathing.

One... Two... Three...

I had to find that intruder before the new moon.

No matter what.