Elfborn

A New Path

Ollie frowned as he stepped away from the last of the outlying tokas, staring hard into the dark forest beyond. Strange. He could have sworn that he had heard Max's voice out here but a moment ago! Although why he would be talking to himself was a bit of a mystery. The young man from Luthon was always the stable type, despite the many hardships they had endured in the past weeks. To find him breaking down would be nothing short of a shock!

"Max?" he asked cautiously. But a moment's silence brought no sound in reply. Grimacing, Ollie took another step into the forest.

"Max?" he called out again, this time a little louder. "Are you out there?"

"Ollie?" a soft woman's voice said from directly behind Ollie and the young man just about jumped out of his skin.

"Wha??" he began, spinning around tightly, his eyes flying open in startled shock. "Who ...?"

Stepping out from behind the nearest toka, Ollie's healer, Sonja stepped into the silvery light from the moon, the bonfire a ruddy glow radiating up from behind the circled toka behind her. That cast most of her into shadow. But Ollie knew her well enough from the time she had spent with him, caring for his wounds.

"Sonja! What are you doing out here?"

The slender, graceful Tsigani stepped closer, her own face a mask of concern.

"I saw you leave the celebration," she began carefully, her accent somewhat sharpened by her swelling emotions. Something was happening here and she could feel it!

"And I saw that Max's place at the fire was empty. I became concerned. So I followed you."

"Burn me to ash!" Ollie let a long sigh whistle out between clenched teeth. "You scared ten years into me." He sagged against a nearby tree while he waited for his heart to stop trying to rip free of his chest. All the things that had happened to them had their effect on him as well: they made him a wee bit nervous!

"I am sorry," Sonja replied, stepping even closer. She looked past the slender Hybernian and into the darkness beyond.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Try as she might, she couldn't see very far into the thick trees. The shadows were just too many, and too deep. She turned to look into Ollie's face, which was just now starting to regain its natural color, having gone a pasty white when she scared him.

"You are looking for Max?" Ollie nodded.

"I thought I heard his voice over in this direction." He pointed out into the forest. "But, before I could get any closer, it disappeared."

"His voice?" Sonja's face was painted with a puzzled expression. "But who would he be talking to? Everybody is still back at the celebration! Only us three have left."

"That I know," Ollie replied, grim. "I just hope he isn't talking to himself! That's a sign that he could be losing his mind. Considering everything that he's gone through, it could be possible."

"Losing ... his mind?" Sonja's confusion grew. "I'm sorry. I do not know Anglo well enough to understand exactly what that means. How can one lose something that is within, and cannot come out?"

Ollie grimaced then sighed.

"It's just an expression," he quickly explained, turning to look himself at the shadowy trees. "A mind cannot literally go missing. But it can be injured, or even stricken with illness, if a person has too much happen to him. Like what happened to us." He looked back at Sonja.

"I hope that's a little bit more clear."

Sonja nodded, her puzzled expression being swept away by renewed concern.