J. A. Holladay
Official Rewrite: August 19, 2022
Chapter 1 - 2.0
A glistening sapphire sky yielded to the fiery orange sunrise as Clal fixated his gaze on the horizon. His long, blond hair whipped against his rough skinned face as he searched the onyx sea.
He squinted his crystal blue eyes, searched the Eastern sky, then bit his lower lip.
Looking down at the sand Clal stepped forward and approached the edge of the shore. He crouched down, then reached out and cupped a small amount of water in his hand. He watched it drip back into the sea letting the drops stream down and around his rough fingers and palm. Clal rubbed the water between his fingers. He looked again into the East, then sighed.
Today, he thought, lips curling into a brief smile. How could it already be, today? His smile faded.
Clal reached into the folds of his worn clothing and produced a small pouch. He scooped up a handful of sand and let it filter through his fingers. He extracted a pinch of sand then tossed it into his pouch, then continued to comb through the sand.
“Clal!” a girl’s voice echoed from over the hill directly behind him. “We’ve readied the cart.”
“Clal?”
He continued to forage around the area, first to where the grass was growing, then to a pile of odds and ends tossed ashore. He found a twig, a pebble, and a piece of a gray shell.
In the midst of his searching Clal caught a glimpse of a red bird from the corner of his eye flying toward him. It flew past then fell to the ground.
Clal leaned over and examined the place where the bird had landed. When he looked closer, it wasn’t a bird at all, but a mysterious red apple with one bite taken out of it.
Clal looked up and swung his head back and forth surveying the scene. He found no one, only the distant sound of giggling behind a trembling small tree.
“Ansa!” Clal said pounding his fist in the air, “I said I would be back in a minute. I’m just fin…”
Another apple flew through the air, this time almost colliding with Clal’s chest, a near miss if he hadn’t stepped aside.
The giggling continued.
“Alright. Alright. You’ve had your fun. Now…”
“Have I?” Ansa said, bounding from a tree. She wore a wide smile capped by two rosy cheeks on both ends. She was tall, slender, and her long sandy blond hair curled around her neck.
“Not as much fun as I’ll have racing you up ole’ Crescent-Keep and getting to the cart first, dear brother.”
Then Ansa added, patting her pocket, “And wait until I show you what I found a few nights ago when I went digging near the crescent hills.”
Clal’s jaw dropped. “Ansa, you’ve been holding out on me?” And with that Clal thrust forward laughing. Ansa plunged into the forest ahead of him.
Clal watched Ansa reach the top first, look behind her, then lean forward and race down the other side still giggling. Clal reached the top determined to catch her, but something caused him to catch his breath, and he whipped around and gazed into the East.
The sun had broken over the horizon and was steadily rising as he watched it. He had always wished upon the sky that the dragon of his dreams would emerge somewhere behind a cloud or between the sun’s golden rays and come to him; that it would carry him away to the places of valor, the places of yester-age that the songs were written about, places where he could show the world what no one really knew was deep inside of him.
Clal placed his hand on the place where his small pouch was layers beneath his closed. He smiled and nodded. Clal spun around and sped down the other side of the mountain they called Crescent-Keep because it was the tallest peak that was surrounded by a crescent arrangement of hills below.
When Clal arrived at the cart that was near the two room cottage, he found a hunched over Ansa heaving in each breath as she leaned on the large cart wheel. Clal joined her and they both recovered their normal breathing pattern in silence.
The horse whineid onces then stomped it’s left hoof.
“Ginger, you old thing.” Ansa stood walking to the horse patting her on the shoulder. “We’re leaving soon.”
The cart was filled with countless barrels, almost to capacity, except for a small space in the back. The wheels were taller than the wooden planked sides of the cart and there was just enough room for one or two small people to sit and guide the cart by horse.
“Well?,” Aerol said, stepping from the entry of the cottage, “I believe it’s time to go. There’s enough sunlight now.”
Clal’s older brother walked past Ansa, adjusted the horse’s gear then climbed up and sat with reigns in hand.
“Mina,” he said turning his head halfway behind him. “Come join me.”
A small child about ten years of age darted from the cottage and plopped herself beside him. She wrapped her arm around Turl’s elbow then looked up at him. Turl smiled then winked at her.
Clal and Ansa approached Aerol who was now joined by Willa.
“Uncle, how will you ever manage without us?” Ansa said, cocking her head to one side and putting her fist on her hip.
“Ansa, I don’t think we will.” He said, pinching her nose and smiling. “Hurry back, you two, but only when you’ve completed the time we’ve contracted for you to be there.”
Ansa gave Aerol a squeeze then hugged Willa.
Clal only looked into the eyes of the most wonderful people he knew, and gave a smile.
Willa chuckled and stepped forward putting her hand on his shoulder, “Now, Clal, my child,” She said, “You’re going off to those adventures you’ve always wanted to go on.” She held his face with her palm. “You’ll see.”
“Yes,” he said, “I suppose.”
“Well Willa, their sixteen and the twins are on their way.” Aerol shook his head. “Time, it moves so swiftly sometimes,” he said, scratching the side of his chin.
“Thank you so much, aunt and uncle, for all you’ve done for Ansa and I.” Clal said half smiling. “We are who we are because of the both of you.”
“You are who you are because of what you choose to be,” Willa smiled, her chestnut hair gently waving in the wind.
“Yes, thank you.” Ansa added. “And we’ll be back the very day we finish.”
“Yes,” Clal smiled, “the very day!”
Ansa turned to Clal with her mouth open wide. “That’s what I said, the very day. What’s wrong with that? It can be done.”
“Nothing,” Clal smiled as he walked toward the wagon, “It’s just that, what if we want to sleep first, then wake up in the morning and leave for home? Or, what if it takes longer than a day, or suppose…”
“We’ll miss you both,” she said colliding with her brother and both falling into the cart. “And don’t mind Clal, he doesn’t know what he’s saying half the time,” she said, pushing him back down. “I’ll be sure he doesn’t get himself into any trouble.” She turned to Clal waiving her finger at him as he sat halfway up now displaying a dirt smudged face.
Aerol huffed, then held his breath, then let out a loud laugh, “I’m not sure that’s possible. It might take a small army to accomplish such a task.”
Clal frowned then folded his arms. He shook his head then started laughing.
“Alright, Turl, move get going. You don’t want to be late. Adventus season yields quite a crowd,” Aerol said looking at Willa, “Stay busy!”
“And take care of each other. Stay together.” Willa said, raising her arm and waving. “We don’t want what happened last year to happen again.”
Mina turned around and smiled at her mother while Willa smiled back, wagging her finger in Mina’s direction.
“Okay father.” Turl and Mina waved as the cart began to creak forward.
“Bye, Momma!” Mina said.
As the cart rolled down the thoroughfare Clal watched Aerol and Willa who were frozen in time, embarrassing each other as they watched him. There was no possible way for Clal to have been prepared for what came the moment the cart pulled him around the first corner and out of sight of the world he always knew. He didn’t know when he'd be back, what would happen from now until then, and it didn’t quite feel the same as in years past when they traveled to Eldan Vyum as long as he could remember.
A small feeling started to grow within him as he watched Ansa slip into sleep and the sun reach higher into the autumn sky. The trees reminded him of the ocean everytime the wind blew, his ocean, his sea and the waves upon the shore. It was all so close, just a climb away across the Crescent-Keep pass.
Clal watched Ansa’s slow breathing as she leaned against one of the wooden barrels. And we’ve never been apart, Ansa and I, Clal thought.
He thought about this year when they thought they would lose the crop from the early freeze and how Mina tried to talk Willa into keeping the pig that showed up one day. And his stash of drift wood and things that he’d collected over the years. And Turl, he was so different now after his journey to the North, last winter.
Clal turned to steal a peak at Turl leading Ginger along the road. Then he looked away. We used to be so close, Clal thought. He didn’t understand it. Something had changed in him.
Ansa was stirring now, the sun light shining directly on her face. She turned over and nestled back into her fetal position. That’s when Clal remembered what Ansa had said about showing him something she had found a few nights ago.
“Ansa!” he whispered. “Can you hear me?”
Clal waited for a moment.
He watched his sister and smiled as she slowly rolled over toward him and gently blinked her eyes until their gaze met.
“What.” she whispered, “Clal?”
“Ansa, I can’t wait,” he said scooting closer to her as she sat up and leaned against him. “That thing.”
“What thi…” Her eyes popped open, “The--yes…” She padded her thighs then her hips. “It’s…” her hand stopped at her waist, “here, right here.” She smiled.
“But first,” she said, scooting away from Clal, “You must promise me, Clal Winden, to listen to me,” She watched Clal looking at where she’s rested her hand, “Clal, promise me that you’ll listen. I have a lot to tell you.” She smiled pulling a pouch out of her pocket. “Agreed?”
Clal broke his trance as he looked her in the eyes. “I promise, Ansa.” He smiled. Ansa had never talked to him quite like that before. She held him spell bound both by her well known art of suspense and by her suspicion of Clal.
Ansa looked up at Turl and Mina who were in quiet conversation. Mina giggled and Turl chuckled as he continued to drive the cart along. Ansa looked back at Clal, waved for him to come closer then untied the pouch.
They sat, huddled over Ansa’s cupped hand in front of her as she turned the pouch over. A smooth, blue stone slipped from within the pouch and rested in the center of her palm. It’s shape was perfectly round, and though it was flat it still held a measure of thickness as the edges were perfectly tapered. The surface with smooth like glass and the blue was pure and untained by any flecks of discolored stone for it was pure. And when Clal looked into the stone it seemed as though he could peer into the very depths of eternity.
“Clal,” Ansa started. “It was not two nights ago that I found this stone. I had been digging for some of those ginger roots as I often do this time of year…
Ansa’s voice trailed off as Clal continued to eye the stone. “May I see it?” he said.
“Here,” Ansa placed the stone in the middle of Clal’s palm. Clal lifted the stone up to the light of the sun and held it there trying to look through it. He squinted with one eye open and examined what he could find in the center of the stone. A dot, a small, lighter dot in the center is all he could decipher.
He lowered his hand and placed the stone back in the center of his palm. Both Ansa and Clal were looking down at the stone when Ansa gasped. Clal’s eyes got wider as the stone began to change.
The small point in the center of the stone had grown and now was pulsing ever so slightly. It began to fill the stone and reached it’s edges.
“Oh…” Clal said looking at Ansa. “What’s it doing?”
Ansa shook her head and reached for the stone. She held it up, level to her line of sight. But, by then the light within was gone and the stone had now returned to it’s original condition.
“Clal, look.” She held it out in front of him.
“It’s…gone,” he said.