Sides of War

Chapter Seven: A Carving

Sleeping on the floor was cruel on her back and neck, but Jorlin forced herself to wake up, even though she hardly felt any less exhausted than the previous day. She was glad that her father was the only other one awake.

"I'm going outside for a little while. I'll be back," she told him before heading out. She didn't give him time to answer as she closed the door behind her.

The air seemed colder than normal, and her breath billowed out in front of her as she stood for a few moments in front of the house. The sun was just beginning to show over the horizon, the shadows of the nearby small thatched houses unusually long. Before she was taken away, she had to say goodbye to Tholan. She hated herself for having to do it, but he deserved to at least know that she was leaving. He had done enough to deserve a formal, if abrupt, goodbye.

She took off at a brisk pace in the direction of Tholan's tree stand. Her fingers and ears were numb by the time she could see it far off, partially covered by the skeletons of the trees surrounding it. Her steps slowed as she came nearer, and she held in a breath. Like a puff of smoke, the air in her lungs escaped into the frosty air, and she took a few more steps forward. Tholan must have known she was coming, for the ladder slowly lowered to the ground as she approached.

"How'd you fare out here last night?" Jorlin asked as she climbed the rungs.

There was a pause. "Decently," came Tholan's reply.

She pulled herself through the opening in the floor and brought the ladder up with her. He was reclined against the trunk of the tree, his legs stretched out in front of him. He didn't bother looking at her, and he kept his gaze on the object in his hands. Wood shavings were piled beside him, and he held a small chunk of wood in one hand and a knife in the other. He was carving something.

"Think you'll be able to live out here all winter?" she asked, settling onto the floor.

He solemnly shook his head as he chiseled off more pieces from the wood block. "I won't have to."

She bit her tongue.

"Won't be long now."

"Shut up," she snapped. Her normally low patience was running near to empty.

Tholan looked up at her, a strange look in his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Do I need an excuse to visit a friend?"

"No," he replied. "Something's different."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How'd you know?" she asked. There was no use in trying to keep secrets anymore.

He shrugged, then looked back down at his work. A couple more shavings floated to the floor beside him. "Might as well tell me," he muttered.

"My mother's forcing me to go live at Decaster Castle," Jorlin stated flatly.

Instead of replying, Tholan shifted his line of sight to the window slit, staring at the bare branches outside. The light lent a sharpness to the blue hue of his eyes. For the longest time, neither of them said anything. Then he looked back down and continued carving, letting out a pent-up sigh. "It's for the best," he managed to say.

Jorlin let out a cold laugh. "My mother said that to me. We both know she's lying. I'm going to be miserable there."

"We all end up being miserable one way or another," he replied. "Keep an open mind, though," he added after a pause. "It might not end up being as bad as you believe."

She was convinced that he was lying to try to comfort her, but she kept her mouth shut. After a while, she asked, "How's your leg doing?"

"Better," Tholan answered. "I can walk around pretty well now. So when are you leaving?" He didn't fall for the attempted topic change.