Every Glistening Night

Chapter Thirty-One

Ixek and I return to camp under the cover of night. The route is familiar, the same I take to escape into the mountains without being spotted. We cross the sopping wet clearing to the cliff overlooking my cave. In the distance, I see guards standing watch over the mountain path. I'm grateful they have little reason to watch my cave. Apprehension prickles along my spine, though I'm not sure why. Nal m'se approved my departure from camp this time, and she won't deny it if we are caught.

"I'm going to stay up here," Ixek whispers, shattering my reverie. I'm so tired that it takes several blinks to process what he said.

"Oh. Alright." I glance around the dark forest. "You're just going to sleep out here?"

"That's what I normally do."

I nod slowly. "Hope you, uh, sleep well." I turn around and climb down the rocks before things turn awkward.

The cold stones stiffen my fingers. My grip turns tense and tough, like two claws supporting my body weight. It's mostly a wash of gray blobs. I've traveled the route so many times, my hands slot right into place, find the next hand or foothold automatically.

Blue snags in my peripheral. My hand freezes in place. To my left, mere inches from my hand, a blue butterfly perches on the rock. I stare at it, trying to regain my bearings while suspended above the ground. The glowing creatures mean only one thing: I'm being summoned.

The butterfly lifts into the air, fluttering into the night. I hesitate on the rock, deciding whether I should go up or down. If the Earthwatcher is waiting for me, it makes little sense to go to my cave. I'll have to make the trip up all over again.

But a tiny part of me hopes that the blue butterfly isn't a signal sent by the Earthwatcher. Maybe it's just lost or on a joyride. I know, it's such a wishful thought. But it's in the realm of possibility, right?

The glow returns stronger. Fluttering wings ascend from the darkness. A parchment levitates beneath them, though in reality, their tiny limbs probably have a way of latching onto it. This is definitely from the Earthwatcher. Who else would send glowing butterflies and a message?

My arms feel like they're going to fall off from hanging onto the rocks for so long. I drag myself painstakingly upward. It's only until I reach the top when I remember Ixek. He might be in the clearing. He might see me and the sentient butterflies.

I don't really care at this point. My arms are about to give out. One hand plants into moist grass, and somehow, I swing my leg onto solid ground. Anchoring myself against the rock, I roll onto the cliff, panting. Blue swarms above me. The parchment floats to land on my stomach. I open the white sheet with trembling hands. Trembling from the exertion, that is.

This is your final warning. Come, or I will destroy you.

The parchment falls from my hands. No. Is this from tonight?

Please let this be for tonight. I've worked so hard, made so many sacrifices. This can't be my undoing. My knees are like congealed fat when I stand, but I hurry into the forest. My eyes scan the clearing, then the forest as I pass. Ixek isn't in sight, to my relief.

The butterflies funnel around me, then take the lead. Adrenaline starts to kick in, and I run faster despite my fatigue. I have to find the Earthwatcher before it's too late.

Barren branches catch in my hair; twigs and leaves crunch underfoot. I nearly smack into several tree trunks, but the butterflies help to direct my path. Time slows despite my running. I don't see the hooded figure illuminated in her signature blue glow.

No. I have to explain to her. I couldn't get her message because I wasn't here. Nal m'se needed me to take a trip into the mountains. Surely the Earthwatcher would understand, right? I mean, she's the Earthwatcher. She ought to know this if she truly has eyes and ears everywhere. She'll have some sort of sympathy for me, right?