The King's Challenge #103

TKC 103

Camping our first night inside Arc, with a small fire for light and cooking more than warmth, Hanna decides to play the devil’s advocate with me.

“Lyra, I have not read many of the legends, although it is true those tales are ever told. I know some, but certainly not enough. I think you will say the same, am I right?”

I sip the fresh sweet water we collected from the nearby river. “There were not many books in Grenmassin. What I know was shared with us by our elders, mostly my mother.”

Hanna spreads her hands. “Yet here you are in the footsteps of legends, following the path of an ancient past. Why? And why do I not doubt you?”

Placing the water at my feet, I lean forward from my fallen tree trunk. “Until the situation in Normur I had no idea certain skills reside inside me. How do I answer? A feeling? Prompting?”

Hanna stirs the broth she has going on the fire. “You have two different eyes. Surely you heard the lore growing up?”

I slap my thighs. “Ha! That I am evil, that lore? Yes, I heard it in whispers behind cupped hands. My mother told me not to listen, but she did not say much more. I may have different eyes, but my view of the world was still based on the reality around me. Damin was the one who opened my eyes.”

Ladling broth, Hanna murmurs, “Damin Mur has a reputation. Do you trust him?”

For a time I stare at her, pondering her motivation. She does not look at me, not until she passes me a filled bowl and spoon. Then she winks, and I relax. “I trust him, yes.”

Hanna smiles. “Heart of gold, that one. Much like my Joseph.”

My heart thuds then. “Damin holds something back, though.”