“Snow, get up! We have to find it!"
Terrin’s horrified exclamation yanked Elurra from her deep sleep.
“Terrin?” she muttered, rubbing her eyes in confusion. She peered through bleary eyes. The frantic young man’s hand lingered at his throat as he looked around the campsite.
“My necklace is gone," he whispered, his eyes wide with panic. His chest rose rapidly, and his skin paled. “It must be back near Garthu Vore. What do I do? They'll get me! We have to go back.” Elurra groggily stood up in the chilly morning air.
“Calm down, Terrin.”
He didn't seem to hear her.
“They're going to kill me." His voice was trembling.
“Do not fret. I doubt they can appear without a Kutsal Stone.”
“They didn't need one last time. They emerged out of nowhere and killed Elaine. Now they’re going to kill me!”
Elurra didn’t know how to comfort him. She started to feel panicked herself. If that necklace was really supposed to protect him from Demons, they were in trouble. Although rare, it was possible for rifts to open randomly, and Nitiri did have Demons already under her command. Terrin seemed to be collapsing into himself. Elurra glanced at the hysteric man, desperately looking for a way to calm him down and fix the problem. She tried not to think about her mother's gruesome death.
The bracelet dangling from her wrist caught her eye. She realized the necklace Terrin wore resembled it. In fact, it looked like the same metal.
My mother said it would protect me. Maybe it will also protect him.
With only a moment's hesitation, she pulled the bracelet free of her wrist and slipped it on Terrin's. He pulled away, startled, but she grabbed his head with both her hands and forced him to look her in the eyes.
“Terrin, it’s going to be alright," she said sternly as she held up his wrist. “See this bracelet? It was my mother's. She gave it to me as a parting gift right before she died.” She let her words sink in for a second. His panting slowed, so she continued, “She gave it to me to protect me, and now it will protect you. You do not have to be afraid.”
Guilt slowly replaced the anxiety flooding his features. He looked down at his wrist hesitantly.
“I can't accept this. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have panicked. I let my fright get the better of me.”
He tried to look brave, but Elurra could still see his anxiety. She wrapped her hands around his wrist.
“Keep it. If you are safe, then we both are. We cannot have any Demons following us, now can we?”
He gave her a weak smile. She grinned, pulled out two apples, and passed one to Terrin. They both devoured them in seconds. With every bite, his complexion improved, and his worries slipped from his mind.
After their snack, Elurra pulled out the spell book and the atlas while Terrin started to clean the campsite. After a few minutes watching her, he asked, “What happens if you don't have enough energy to complete a spell?”
She flipped through the atlas casually.
“Well, if your body has no energy, you die.”
The color drained from Terrin's face.
“Snow, wait!” he demanded as he grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. She glared at him, and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “This could be dangerous. Please don't try to kill yourself...again.”
For a moment she looked irked by his concerns, and then her expression softened into a smile.
“You worry way too much, Terrin.”
Elurra turned back to the spell book, and Terrin rolled his eyes. She flipped through a few more pages, oblivious to his feelings.
“This should do it!” Elurra exclaimed excitedly when she found what she was looking for. Terrin peered over at the page.
“A location spell?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“We can use the map to the capital, and it will point us in the right direction.”
He secured the bedrolls to the donkey and fed it a few carrots. She gave him a confident smile and read over the spell a few times to make sure she had the pronunciation right before saying, "Dia źek mhu ẻhr zooko yen!”[i]
She looked slightly winded, but nothing seemed to happen.
“Did I say something wrong?” Elurra mumbled as she glanced back at the spell book. “It felt like it worked.”
Terrin walked over to the atlas and touched the picture of the capital. The moment his finger touched the illustration, he felt something change. The sensation startled him, and he jerked his hand away.
“What is it?”
He tentatively reached out to touch the page again, and his eyes lit up.
“I know where to go. Can’t you see the glowing thread?” Terrin picked up the atlas and turned from side to side.
“No, only you can. I guess the one who holds the book is the leader," she said as she grabbed it from him. Sure enough, a strand of dimly glowing thread appeared in front of her, pointing in the right direction. Terrin pouted, but he grabbed the reins of the donkey as she took the lead.
“The castle is about a week’s journey from here, but we can probably get there in time if we hurry," she said as she gestured south.
Terrin quickly overcame his pride about who was leading the way when he realized he had easy access to the food. Elurra sighed heavily when she heard him tearing into yet another apple like a famished animal. She’d noticed he had a small appetite as a child, but the growth made them ravenous. Elurra forced herself not to inhale her food, but Terrin had no such inhibitions and gorged himself on whatever she gave him. Elurra also didn’t find it too difficult to cope with her new body. Apart from her height and newly defined chest, she hadn’t changed much. She tripped every so often, but for the most part, she could focus on the map.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Terrin, on the other hand, was wide and bulky. His fingers were inches longer than her petite ones and he was at least half a foot taller than she was, if not more. His chest was broad and all traces of the little boy he used to be had vanished. His baby fat had all disappeared and left behind a toned chest and attractive face. Terrin had turned into a handsome man right before her eyes.
Unfortunately, none of it kept him from stumbling over every single rock, root, and branch crossing his path. Ten minutes into the trip, Elurra was already wondering if it had been a good idea to bring him along. He snagged on everything, and he was constantly hitting his head on low branches. Terrin tripped over a root and careened into a bush on the side of the narrow path. Elurra didn’t even bother to stop for him this time, as she had each of the numerous earlier occasions he had toppled over his own feet. She knew if she kept waiting, they would not get anywhere, so she led the donkey with one hand, held the map in the other, and kept pushing forward.
He ran to catch up to her a minute later. His hands were full of blackberries, and his face was stained with their juice. He held out his hands and mumbled an unintelligible question through a mouthful of the fruit—presumably to offer her one—and nearly dropped them all after stubbing one of his enormous toes on a rock. She turned him down with a giggle.
A short time later, after she navigated around another doom circle in their path, she stepped over a branch and moved aside while Terrin tripped over it and dropped all his berries. He moaned in disappointment as he picked himself up and wiped the berry juice from his hands. He almost ran into a tree in his disappointment. Elurra cleared her throat to disguise her laughter.
After a few moments, Terrin shouted and flew from Elurra’s peripheral vision. She waited for the “uff” or “ouch” that normally accompanied a thump and wasn’t disappointed. A few seconds later, he was at her side with a new mysterious berry.
She politely accepted a few, figuring there was no point in letting them go to waste when he would inevitably drop them. Ten minutes later, he found mulberries. She finally stopped and dug a container out from her satchel, which he filled and emptied in rapid succession by either consuming them or spilling them on the dense forest floor. Elurra’s effort to keep from chuckling at his strange behavior filled her eyes with tears. She had to admit, the trip would have been a lot gloomier without the stumbling boy.
A few hours later, as twilight started to set in and Elurra considered stopping for the night, Terrin returned from a tumble with a baby chipmunk.
“Look at how cute it is!” he exclaimed before almost killing himself on a bramble tangled around his legs.
“Put it down,” she said sternly, like a teacher scolding a student.
“Why can’t we have a mascot for our expedition?”
“I said no.”
An irrational wave of irritation washed over her. She knew her sudden growth spurt had been messing with her emotions all day, but she had managed to keep them in check for the most part through sheer willpower and concentration.
“Snow! Look at its little face!” He widened his purplish eyes and looked at her pleadingly. She found it difficult to look at him. His features were striking and distinct, and it made her stomach feel strange. She reckoned it was probably a side effect of whatever fruit he had given her earlier.
“Terrin, you can barely take care of yourself right now, much less another life form. I think the transformation is messing with your emotions and balance,” she said as she looked down to consult the map again. Just then, a chirping noise filled the air and acorns flew at Terrin from a nearby tree.
“Ouch! Ow!” He winced, trying to block the acorns pelting his face.
He took a step back and got tangled in a vine running across the forest floor. He fell backward, and the baby chipmunk flew from his hands and landed near its mother.
“Terrin?” Elurra asked as the chipmunks scurried away. He was sprawled under a bush and didn’t respond. She knelt and pushed the bushes aside to find him chewing busily. He smiled and red juice ran down his chin. He held up a handful of red berries.
“Wanth shome Rossth berrethes?" he tried to ask, exposing his mouthful of red mush.
Her eyes bulged in alarm.
“Those are death berries, not ross berries!”
His eyes widened, and he started spitting out berry mush. Elurra dissolved into hysterical laughter.
“I did not expect you to buy that, Mr. Master of Herbs," she said through fits of giggles. His face flushed in embarrassment, and he stood up quickly. Elurra took a step back to give him room, still holding her sides. She didn’t realize there was a rock behind her, and she stumbled and fell on her back, knocking the wind out of her lungs. She realized Terrin was going to trip too and attempted to roll out of the way, but he came crashing to the ground before she could get clear of him. His forehead cracked against her face, causing a wave of anguish. Elurra’s nose began to throb, and her head started to spin. She groaned as stabbing pains sliced through her temples. Terrin moaned too, covering his eyes and forehead. He rubbed his brow, grimacing, and then removed his hand to shake the stars from his eyes. When he blinked a few times to clear his vision, he yelped in astonishment.
“Snow! You’re bleeding!”
Elurra felt like she was under water. Everything swam before her eyes, and there was a nasty metallic taste in her mouth. She tried to move her hand, but it felt heavy.
“Blood?” she slurred, finally bringing her fingers to her face. She pulled them away and tried to focus on one of the three bloody hands floating in front of her. Her nose felt like it was on fire.
“Terrern, is that my blood or surmpthingtn?”
Her words jumbled together. Her tongue felt heavy and uncooperative. She tried to lower her hand and accidentally wiped blood on Terrin’s cheek. Her head felt like it was splitting open.
“Snow, can you understand me?”
He sounded desperate. His face looked fuzzy, then abruptly snapped into focus. Elurra tasted more of the salty, thick liquid in her mouth. It was too much; it was smothering her. She started coughing. Blood spattered Terrin’s chest and neck. Elurra heard the distinctive sound of ripping cloth, and the fabric was placed across her nose. She felt Terrin’s weight shift off of her lower body. He lifted her listless limbs from the ground and cradled her in his arms. One hand supported her head, and he draped her legs across his lap. Terrin dabbed her nose gently before pinching it closed. She whimpered.
He was trying his best to be gentle, but it was difficult. Blood drenched the torn cloth. Terrin wasn’t too concerned about her nose; it was bleeding but not broken. However, A bloody nose wouldn’t be enough to cause her disorientation. He was worried she might have a head injury. His fingers probed her scalp gently until he found the lump. Elurra whimpered again when he touched the swollen area, but it thankfully wasn’t bleeding.
She should be fine after some rest, he decided, letting out a relieved sigh.
Her big blue eyes blinked rapidly, and her head crinkled in confusion. She made a squeaking sound and reached up drunkenly to touch his face.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice higher than normal. Her words sounded stuffy because of the blood clogging her nose.
Crimson streams dribbled into her ears and slowly soaked her matted hair. The cloth was useless against the bloody flow. He clicked his tongue softly so the donkey would come over to him. It nuzzled against his arm and nibbled at his shoulder, hoping for food. Terrin pulled his medicinal bag from the animal’s back. He glanced up through the thick foliage above him at the first hints of stars in the darkening twilight sky. It was becoming difficult to see, and he knew they needed to make camp soon and take care of the loyal beast. With some difficulty, he dug out his mortar and pestle, along with what he hoped were the right herbs, given the waning light. He coaxed her into holding her own nose while he quickly mashed together a concoction to help with the agony and confusion.
“Don’t you know who I am?” he asked, trying to stay calm.
She studied his face carefully, her forehead creased in concentration. “I know you from somewhere.” Her words were slow and deliberate.
Recognition gleamed in her eyes, and Terrin felt relieved.
“Father? Is that you?”
Terrin’s reassurance vanished, and the ground felt like it was tilting under him.
“No, Snow. Your father is dead,” he said hollowly. “And so is mine.”
He bent down and kissed her forehead apologetically. He supported her back and brought the small bowl to her lips as he softly encouraged her to drink. She refused to accept it and grew more agitated.
“I need my parents! I don’t want to be alone!” she sobbed, her words slurring as she choked on tears and blood.
A thin layer of water filmed over her eyes. It quivered, magnifying her deep blue irises. Terrin’s heart hurt for her as blood and tears mingled in puddles across her pale cheeks. He hugged her softly while he held her nose to stop the bleeding. The gathering darkness hid the tears in his own eyes.
She tries so hard to fend for us both, but she’s as afraid as I am, he realized.
“Don’t worry, Snow. You’re not alone. You have me, and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise I won’t fail you like I did Ramer.”
He finally managed to coax the concoction into her, then gently stroked her hair and held her until they ran out of tears to cry.
Neither of us has anyone else now.
She eventually cried herself to sleep in his arms. Terrin, on the other hand, barely slept at all.