Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 7.2

EZRA

We'd been walking for a few hours, following Suon on a thin trail through the dense jungle. I was towards the back of the line, only a pair of warriors walking behind me, with my eyes focused ahead on John. He leaned heavily on the staff he carried, not completely steady on his feet as he had assured me earlier in the day.

I turned, speaking briefly to the warriors in their language the little that Suon had taught me in the past few days. The younger of the two nodded, and took off, running ahead to relay my message to Suon.

Quickening my pace, I caught up with John. Sweat beaded on his forehead, gathering in his hair enough to make it look wet along his hairline. He glanced at me but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure he could with how hard as he was breathing.

"Let's slow down a bit," I suggested. "We'll be stopping for a break soon anyway."

He gave me a dark look. "I don't need any special treatment."

"I didn't say you did," I countered quickly, adjusting the rucksack my mom had made me while she'd sat with the village wives. "But we should all still take it easy. It's a long journey from what Suon and Tamner told me."

Up ahead, the others were gathering on the trail, finding seats on tree roots that bulged from the ground. John stopped a short distance from the group and sat. I took a seat between him and the others, not wanting to crowd him the space he seemed to want.

Waterskins were passed around, and after a quick sip, I passed mine to John and urged him to drink more. Looking up to argue me, he froze; his eyes focus on something past me. I turned and saw Hunter watching us from where he'd sat next to Avery and Anissa, a worried expression on his face.

John took the waterskin and drank deeply, looking away.

Tessa appeared then, breaking the tension as she took a seat next to me, her fingers playing over the pendant I'd given her not a few hours ago. "How does this all work? Am I just going to spontaneously be able to use this?"

Laughing a little, I shook my head. "No, I don't think it works like that. To be honest, I'm out of my league with this part." My heart grew heavy as I thought back to the first time I'd felt my Talent and everything that had happened following that. Everything that Poe had helped me through.

Looking up I saw that I had Hunter's and Anissa's attention as well, so I guess this was as good of a time as any to explain what I could.

"When I was first brought here, I didn't know what was supposed to happen. All knew was that I was to be tested and that my power was not the Stanwood's power like I'd grown up thinking it would be. I was just dropped in this jungle, with no clue what was happening."

I had everyone's attention now, even the warriors, who barely understood English.

"A young girl came through the trees. She was fierce, a true warrior despite her young age," I said, glancing at Suon. He nodded his head at me, his eyes watery but strong. "She led me to the village, but it wasn't like what it was when we arrived a few days ago. It was deserted and a demon was terrorizing the place.

"The young girl went after it alone, and all I could do was stare. I didn't know what to do, I felt helpless. I didn't have any power, not any that I knew how to use. But in the end, I couldn't let that stop me, or define me. I stepped in to help the girl, trying to fight the demon on my own, and that's when my Talent came to me."

Glancing down, I toyed with my own pendant, running my thumb over the stone. "The only way I know how to capture a demon is to trap it - immobilize it, then touch it with this."