Among the Birches *NaNoWriMo 2013*

A Seer, Saw No More

For a long while, Kya could do nothing else but look at the tree which had so long been a part of the life of the people and beasts of the island. Whenever an injured being was brought in-- whether elf, human, squirrel, deer, bird-- a tea of the tree's discarded bark would be prepared and administered, restoring even the most imperiled back to health. A separate tea, made of its leaves, was prepared to encourage fortitude, and of that tea Kya had often drank. 

If the tree is, in fact, dying--

I should at least take some of its bark and leaves. They may serve me or another yet.

So Kya gathered the battered leaves which had fallen and retreived several strips of the birch's bark whcih had been irreverently left on the forest floor. She broke the bark into small squares and put it, along with the leaves both brown and yellow, into a large pouch she carried upon her back. At a complete loss as to what to do, Kya stayed and spoke to the tree:

"Sacred birch, I wish only that I had known, and if I had, I would have given my life to protect you... And the others. You, I still see, though perhaps soon you shall leave this world; the others, my brothers and sisters, have simply disappeared. If only you were well and could tell me some of what has happened. Would that I had seen my feeling for what it was and stayed!"

The tree, of course, was silent, but a drop of sap fell in a kind of acknowledgement, and a slight twinkle came from the terrible hole that was at about eye-level from her. It might be just a trifle that a careless squirrel hid away, seeing a wonderful opportunity for occupying a newly vacated hole in a warm, roomy tree, Kya thought. But something screamed out at Kya to reach in, anyway, to see what this potential squirrel's hoard contained.

Her hand felt something like a well-crafted, warm crystal goblet, both smooth and soft yet strong and almost imposing. It was spherical and small enough to be held in one hand, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. As she lifted the object, she felt that it was surprisingly light and that a soft glow issued forth from it-- along with a twinkle when the light hit it right. When it had been almost fully extracted, Kya gasped. She knew what this item was, now; she had seen it before and had heard of its fame.

It was the stone found on the Sacred Beach many, many years ago.

It was the stone which the chief held possession of.

And now, it was in Kya's hand, faintly glowing but clouded over.

Whispering faintly, she asked the tree: "What is this doing out of Luka's possession?" But the only answer it gave to her was a groaning creek of the xylem, a plead for help on its own behalf and on that of all the inhabitants of the Island. Its groan awakened Kya's resolve, and with sure foot she rushed back to her once-home, gathered all the provisions she could, and stuffed them (along with the bark and leaves of the maimed tree) into a large travelling bag. She took a woven, draw-string bag and, after weak and ineffectual attempts to waken it from its dark slumber, placed Luka's stone inside of it and hung it from her belt. Next to it, she attached her sling, a small sword, a vial of sweetwater, and a bough from the Sacred Birch. There was nothing left to add, and Kya returned again to the intersection in the town center and set out westward, to the coast and to the lands beyond it. She could not conceive of what became of her tribe members, but maybe the wise of another tribe could help. Maybe they could make the stone to see again. Maybe she could plant the bough and somehow, through its last progeny, grow another Sacred Birch to protect them.

It was darker than ever before on the path, for no lamps lit by elven guards shone. Kya moved about only with her night vision (better than most elves', and far better than any humans') and her memory of this path. Still, though she knew where she was headed, the journey was eerie. Here on the island, no beasts would attack-- again, they were all calm, loving and lovable-- but the darkness itself cast a strange mood on Kya. She had been to the mainland before, but never experienced any of the evils which lurked there. She had a premonition that this journey would not be quite the same.

The guard towers here, too, were dark and easily betrayed their vacancy. Kya went up into each one to quickly see if any warnings had been left. Nothing. She didn't expect anything, so the complete normalcy of the places did not surprise her; but she stopped into each, if only out of duty.  In the last tower, not far from where the trees ended and the salt spray of the cold sea swept up to the last of the grass on the shoreline, she did see something which caught her eye, though it meant nothing, really- Jasper's signature, from when he departed, shining on a light tan page. He had left his signature, as every elf and man leaving did, to signify his absence. Though there was no guard to hand Kya the book and give her an ink-dipped quill, she signed her name, too, below his.

Jasper. Wherever he is, I am sure he is still safe. If only he had told where he was headed!

Again, she wished she knew how to awaken the stone. But Kya had never been a seer.

But Jasper...

He was.