The blisters under Karn’s feet stung as the heat of the day bore down. That morning they left the broken ruins of Husno behind and now wandered down a long green valley spotted by strange looking boulders. Ahead in the distance were the glistening ripples of a vast azure ocean. Somewhere down there was Hope's home.
Alec had almost jumped when he heard Hope describe her town. An ocean viewed village guarded by an Elementlet. The friend Alec was so eager to meet, obviously fresh in his mind. Now the tiny rock creature had taken up residence on Karn's shoulder as they hiked through the land.
They left the shade of the small forest surrounding Husno behind and had reached the valley floor.
Karn thought it felt like they were walking down an enormous grass slide. Fine grass carpeted the expanse surrounding them in a sea of green that tapered halfway up the steep cliffs on either side of the valley. A lingering scent and deep footprints hinted at the presence of some breed of grazing creatures in the area.
“Hope?” Karn spoke as he walked. He couldn’t help but ask, “what are those strange rusty looking pillars of stone down there?”
They stuck out at odd angles on the valley floor and reminded Karn of small skyscrapers. Only these pillars looked to have fallen from the nearby hills.
“Their textures seemed oddly familiar,” he added.
Hope eyed the long pillars and frowned. “I’m not sure.”
“These pillars are ancient, far older than me even,” Alec said.
Karn examined the pillars through squinted eyes, then recalled a lesson from long ago.
"No! It can't be," Karn mumbled. The more he looked, the more he became sure.
"Be what?" Hope asked, eyeing him quizzically.
"I've seen a rock like that before." Karn pointed at the pillars. "It’s petrified. But wait, those pillars are from the same material as the hills."
"Karn, I think you’re right," Alec answered. "At one time, those hills were trees."
"They must be hundreds of feet wide. Thousands even,” Karn said, mouth agape.
Hope squealed in recognition. "Farlen told me that a long time ago, a fire mountain exploded and burnt all the trees near here," Hope added.
Alec gave out a laugh. "I knew him. He was no fire mountain."
Hope threw him a look of confusion. “Knew him?”
Not knowing if Alec was joking or not Karn simply waited.
“My memory wasn’t what it used to be,” Alec said to himself.
"Farlen knows a whole deal about this land. He's a lot older than he looks." Hope added quickly.
Alec smirked. "He may be old for one of your kind. Yet, to mine, he is but a pebble."
The three stood still to catch their breath and appreciated the view that lay before them.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"It's a long way to town," Hope spoke, ignoring Alec, "and it may take two days if we keep up this pace."
"Will we get near the sea?" Karn asked.
"Yes, of course. My village is practically on the beach.”
“I like the sound of that,” Karn said with a serene smile.
He closed his eyes as a calm breeze rose from the valley and cooled his aching limbs. The air held so many scents and through the smell of fresh grass and beasts he caught a hint of the not so far away ocean.
Memories from a not-so-distant past washed over him, as the vision of his two friends swimming beside him in the ocean came into his mind. Then worry invaded his thoughts.
I hope Charles and Ellie are alright.
His eyes opened and realised Hope had walked a reasonable distance ahead.
“You alright kid?” Alec asked.
Karn sighed. “I’ll be alright as soon as I know my friends are okay.”
Alec let out a low rumble in his chest. “I understand the sentiment.”
By the time he caught up with Hope, she had paused in front of a large bush of wild fruit, resembling large hairy brown pears.
"Um, what are those?" Karn asked as he approached.
Hope smiled and cheerfully pulled one free and took a bite. "These are Ingads. They’re delicious, here try one," she said and threw the remaining Ingad towards him.
He caught it mid-air and quickly decided he was far too hungry to be picky. "Um, sure."
As soon as Karn bit into its side, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Thus us so good," he managed to say through mouthfuls of the juicy, sweet fruit. The Ingad was refreshing, tasting the mix of citrus fruit and mangoes that left a bubbly sensation on the tongue.
“It’s like popping candy,” he remarked.
Hope giggled at the sight of Karn devouring the fruit.
The large bush shifted as Hope freed an Ingad for herself.
Karn eyed the bounty and counted. His pack was light without the weight of the food cans he’d lost, and he wasn’t going to waste this opportunity, so he quickly filled his pack.
Karn was about to offer some to the Elementlet, but thought better of offering food to a rock.
"Shall we keep moving?" he asked, laden with citrus gold.
Hope nodded, and the two continued the arduous journey north to the sea.
They walked for hours, yet the unexpected surge of energy from the Ingads made the trek feel almost like a stroll. As they moved further towards the ocean, they found thick bushes began to sprout up all around them.
Karn unexpectantly found talking to Hope came easy. He listened for hours as she spoke of her life beside the sea. Everything she described was so outlandish and interesting. He’d often stop her and asked questions while Alec sometimes filled in the blanks. The further they made progress the more excited Karn was to actually see Hope’s town.
“So, the town moves on its own?” Karn asked.
Hope shook her head.
“Some of the buildings do, not the whole town,” she had replied.
“Woah, so is it magic?”
Alec shook his head while perched on Karn’s shoulder and answered, “no Elementlet’s don’t cast magic, they only absorb it.”
They chatted so much that by the time the sun crept over the horizon they’d left the giant hills far behind.
The land was once more covered in darkness, yet they hadn’t made it near the shore.
“Shall we call it a day?” asked Karn with a groan.
“I think I see a safe spot to rest for the night over there,” replied Hope as she pointed towards a large thicket that covered a depression in the valley.
"Good. My feet are killing me,” Karn said as he pulled off a shoe.
"Do you have any herbs?" Hope asked.
Karn grimaced at the painful memory. "We did have a first aid kit, but my uncle had it. And it was lost, so this is all I have now.” Karn shook his bag for emphasis.
Hope studied his face for a time, then stood behind him, rummaging through his pack. She pulled out an Ingad and handed it to him.
"Chew on then, then spit it over your wounds,” she recommended with a straight face.
"You can’t be serious?” he asked.
Alec chuckled. “Fleshlings are strange creatures indeed.”
"It does work a little. It’s just something Farlen once taught me."
The fruit tingled as he sprayed the sweet fruit over the blisters. He then followed Hope into the shelter of the thicket and found a spot next to her to lay on his back.
His eyes were drawn to Hope. Even in the dark, her hair gave off an eerie glow while her face was set in a tranquil smile. Karn mirrored her expression and stretched.
Karn watched her silently, wondering why she acted so differently. Throughout the day, he’d noticed her odd reactions and felt concern build up for the girl he hardly knew.
She’s a kind girl, he thought.
Hope’s chest steadily rose and fell with each relaxed breath as she drifted to sleep. Alec nuzzled beside the pack as Karn shifted sideways, closed his eyes.