The Truth Over The Wall

Chapter 28

"Amara!" Alistair called out worriedly, "Amara where are you?"

He stopped for a second, frowning. "What am I doing?" he shook his head. "I could just track her."

But you've always been so careful about your magic, a voice reminded him.

"That was before," Alistair said softly into the quiet. "It hardly matters now."

Alistair cast a spell, and the words floated on the air before him as mist. He caught the words and rubbed them across his knuckles where they smudged like ash.

"Go find Amara," he whispered against his skin where a small flame had erupted. The flame broke away from the top of his hand and flew off. He followed the small flame with his gaze while his mind was awhirl with all that had happened in just the last hour.

Hanalea had not even said anything, not a word. When he had stepped toward her; she had stepped back- instinctively.

But she had immediately held up her hand and murmured, "I'm sorry, that was..." At which point she just turned around and ran away.

An awkward silence went by until Dominic finally suggested, "You know that could've been handled better."

Alistair had sighed running a hand through his hair, breathing in and out. "I know," he finally conceded. Belatedly he thought about going after her, he needed to explain.

Dominic came up behind him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. When Alistair turned around to look at him, Dominic pulled it away, and raised both of his hands in a placating gesture.

"I think," Dominic said carefully, "You should give her some time."

"I can't leave her alone," Alistair shook his head, adamant. "It's too easy to fall prey to your own darkest imaginings and doubts when you have just yourself for company."

"True," Dominic agreed, and then hesitated as he explained, "I think," he paused, "That we should each make the case for the person we know best.

"To the person who needs it the most."

That made sense, Alistair nodded slowly. So he turned and went into the woods after Amara to defend Hanalea.

What's the point though? He thought as he waited for the tracking spell to find Amara. That moment when she had jumped back from him had stung.

He put his hand out against a tree and leaned into it. He started to shake his head slowly as a voice reminded him, And then she apologized.

It was lot to take in and Dominic was right. It could have been handled better. He looked down at the hand on the tree trunk and spread his fingers across the rough bark. It scraped his skin in a good way, in a way that somehow affirmed to him that the tree was alive.

They talk you know, Ellie had been sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree reading a story to Alistair as she had observed.

Little Alistair had turned his head up and implored with wonder, "Who?"

"The trees," Ellie had smiled down at him, and started to laugh when Allis had grimaced.

"It's true," she'd promised. "Here," she had taken his little hand in hers and placed it across the tree trunk. And they had felt the tree pulse out life in slow resonating beats.

Mother, Alistair thought smiling sadly.

Presently, a small flame fluttered before Alistair urgently. I have found her, it seemed to say. Saying thus, it rushed off.