Dragonknights

Chapter Five

Despite Evalon's optimism of the previous evening, Mydalr looked even more bleak in daylight than it had in the darkness of night. The small mountain valley had many trees, some of which Evalon recognized like gobbark and pine, some of which she didn't, like a tall, gray-barked tree with branches that drooped like a weeping willow but were a light teal color that seemed to be the most abundant plant life in the area. The ground was much too soft, and Evalon felt herself sink into it a little with each step. Every time she retracted her foot from the ground there was a soft little sucking noise, like the earth was trying to swallow her shoe. She wondered curiously if she would be rooted into the ground like a tree if she stood in place long enough. The sludgy ground made walking difficult, and many times Evalon struggled to pull her feet free. By the time they reached the bakery, Evalon was breaking out in sweat. 

Elen gave the grand tour, pointing out the main market, the trading post, the blacksmith, the amphitheater, and the stadium, which Elen told her was a social hotspot among the youth of the village. She pointed out the few people milling about, too. It was still early morning, so only a few adults were about, but Elen seemed to know them all. She drew Evalon's attention to Forché, the oldest and most wrinkled man Evalon had ever seen; Mrs. Unith Agrusd, a veteran of some battle that Elen couldn't remember the name of; Mr. Harold Finch, who, according to Elen, had been the cause of much gossip and scandal a few years ago when his wife died of mysterious circumstances and he married a young lady two weeks after her funeral.

The village itself was fairly small, nothing at all like the big, bustling city that Evalon had envisioned, though she supposed that in the afternoon when more people were about the market could look like a busy town square. The houses were little more than huts, each one about two floors high, built out of a strange blue-tinted materiel that seemed to glisten in the sun. The thatching on the roof was surprisingly sturdy, and many houses they passed sparkled with morning dew.

Elen herself wasn't bad company. She talked a lot, pointing things out and giving interesting facts about them. She asked a lot of questions, too, but she quickly became distracted and would move on to another subject before Evalon could even think of a response, which she was grateful for. She wasn't sure what to say to the strange, enthusiastic girl. 

Elen was very thin, unlike her mother, and she had the reddest hair Evalon had ever seen strewn about her shoulders in a tangled mess, much like a rabid wombat had been doing a jig on the back of her head. She had greengage eyes and freckles splattered across her nose in a flattering way that made her face seem loving and open. Evalon liked her. Her rapid-fire manner of speech had thrown her off at first, but Evalon quickly grew accustomed to it. Elen didn't expect anything from Evalon. She just talked to her heart's content, moving from one topic to the next like a hummingbird flitting from one flower to another.

"This is Stoigh Creek," Elen said as they came across a little brook that weaved through the landscape. Evalon remembered seeing the creek from the top of the mountain. It was a little way away from the village, and it was quiet except for the sound of rushing water. It was rather peaceful. Stoigh Creek was fairly small, only eight feet across at most, but it was deep, and the current was very strong.

"It's where most of our water comes from. It originates further up the mountain from an underground spring and makes its way here. There's a bridge across further downstream, but I'm not really supposed to go there," Elen told her.

"Why not?" Evalon asked. They were the first words she had spoken since leaving the house.

"The current gets stronger; it's too dangerous," Elen said. Her voice was tight, and Evalon suspected there was more to the story, but she didn't pry. Mylane had agreed to move to Mydalr so that Evalon could make friends, after all, and even though she had lied to her, Evalon thought that if she were going to make friends, Elen would be a good start, and she didn't want to overstep. So she pretended that she didn't notice Elen's change in behavior.