Every Glistening Night

Chapter Thirty-Two

I walk casually up the mountain path, passing several people along the way. My thick robe doesn't get a second glance considering how cold it is. The first snow of the season falls around me and dusts the ground in white.

The last of the tribe's caves passes by on my right. I glance around, but no one is around here at the moment. I hurry the rest of the way up the path, into the clearing above. Frost makes the grass more crunchy underfoot than usual. Only barren trees seem to watch me in the distance, so I head for the next incline on the mountain. I start up the snowy path when a voice asks,

"Where are you going?"

Slowly, I turn around. Ixek stands behind me, his closed fingers pulsing around a bow.

"I, uh, Nal m'se..." My mind draws a blank.

"Nal m'se told me that we're to rest today after all the stress we've been under."

"Right." Silence falls between us for several beats.

"So you're going to rest higher up in the mountains?" Ixek asks.

"Yes. I thought it'd be, well, restful." I chuckle a little awkwardly. A slight smile breaks Ixek's lips.

"Mind if I join you?" He lifts his bow. "I mean, I have arrows and stuff. You know, in case a lofaw shows up or something." I grimace, and his head tilts to the side. I quickly adjust my expression, hoping he won't read too far into my reaction.

"That'd be terrible if another showed up," I say. A second too late, I realize my mistake.

"Another? When did one show up before?"

"Oh, uh, you know..." I wave my hands, grasping for words. "Many, many years ago."

Ixek gives a slight nod, but his features show that he's unconvinced. "Let me grab my arrows."

He slings a quiver over his shoulder and passes me, starting up the path. I'm at a loss for what to do. I need to go alone, but how do I explain without going into detail about my mother? My brain hasn't decided yet, so I stand there like an idiot. After several paces without me following, he turns around.

"Are you coming?" he asks, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "I don't have to john you if you want to be alone."

"Yes. I mean, I think I should go alone." That came out wrong. I try again. "I mean, I need silence and peace, nature..."

"Don't worry, I get it," Ixek says. "Still have the dagger I lent you?"

"I gave it back."

Ixek slides another dagger from his belt. It has an ebony hilt with bronze swirls around it. My palm closes around it with ease, my fingers aligning between the looping grooves.

"You need something to protect yourself, just in case."

"Thanks." A faint smile crosses my face, though it's quickly squelched by the guilt rising inside me. I wish I didn't have to be dishonest about my whereabouts all the time. I can never fully tell Mother, never fully the tribe. The two worlds diverge in more ways than they collide.

"Get lots of rest before the trip," Ixek says. "You'll want to be at your best."

"Are you going?" I ask.

"No." He scratches at his closely cropped black hair. "These past few months have been rather draining."

"In what way?"

"The back and forth between the tribes, the late nights and early mornings." He smiles weakly. "You know how it was better than anyone. Anyone alive at least..."