Seekers of Nazar

Chapter Seventeen

Jena loved how she could sense the north grove long before she could see it. Nestled in a valley, it was fairly hidden. She heard the birds and the subtle rustling of leaves and knew they were getting close. Her favorite time to visit was just before sunset when the birds had gathered. Their song would swell to a gentle roar.

As they got closer, Jena could smell a hint of honeysuckle on the breeze. The bushes framed the spring at the center of the grove and would still be covered in bees for a few more weeks. The sweet scent made her mouth water.

When she was in the grove, Jena felt her problems fade. She wasn't the girl who had lost her mother, the girl whose father seemed to hate everything about her, or even the girl whose only friend was an orphaned mountain lion. In the grove, Jena was part of everything around her. She was the fallen leaves, the ripples in the water, and the hum of the bees. She would sit for hours, forgetting everything else.

It was unsettling to be walking there now with strangers. She kept giving Leilandri and Elleric sideways glances. They were quiet companions, with a natural rhythm that fit with hers. More importantly, she trusted Tol-Aka, and he trusted them. Still, she felt a slight dread as they grew closer. The grove had been hers alone, and she wasn't quite ready to share it.

As they climbed the final ridge, the valley came into full view below them. The spring created a perfectly round hole in the canopy where a slight mist rose. She took in the familiar sight; her shoulders lost their tension and became soft like her breath. "We're here," she whispered.

The minute the grove was in view, Amira bounded down the path. Jena wanted to run after her like they usually did. It always took all her concentration to keep pace with Amira while trying not to trip over rocks. It was a game they played, and Jena had skinned her hands and knees on more than one occasion.

Jena restrained herself, keeping her gait steady and measured as she led her companions down into the valley. As they entered the tree line, she could see Elleric and Leilandri looking up in wonder. The canopy was higher than most of the groves in the Aster Mountains. Fed by the spring, the trees were tall and graceful, letting just enough light in to cast hazy shadows. The trees muffled the sounds around them, creating a serene quiet.

Amira was waiting for them, stretched out on the grass and rolling around.

"Show off," Jena said, laughing. "I wasn't even trying." Amira walked over to a tree and scratched vigorously with her huge paws.

Leilandri drifted around, taking in the beauty. "Oh, how lovely. I haven't seen anything like this."

Jena smiled. "Well, not around Jasper, that's for sure. I haven't been there, but my teacher has a map in the schoolroom. It looks pretty flat and rocky."

They sat for a while taking it all in, lost in their own thoughts. Amira sat at the edge of the water, watching a turtle bob its head on the other side of the spring. Her tail whipped side to side.

"I can see why you love this place," Elleric said finally. "It's peaceful."

"It is. I am more comfortable in nature."

"Alone?" Elleric asked.

She stared out over the water. "Yes. Alone. Either I muck it up with people, or they muck it up with me. But out here, with Amira, we don't even need words."

"I understand. Words really get in the way." He glanced at Leilandri.

"I want to live here, you know, when I'm older. That's my dream, anyway, to be like the Zul-Li. Have a small garden, hunt and fish with Amira. My father tells me that I'm being childish, that women don't live by themselves. But I'd be close enough to town if I needed anything. Besides, with Amira, I'm always safe." With perfect timing, Amira yawned, revealing her large teeth.