A Forest of Secrets

Chapter 14

Neither of them managed to rest easy that night, except for Wyn, who slept soundly wrapped in Gerard's cape until the morning.

The girl took the news of Gerard's passing with a sternness that surprised Jo.

Wyn shed a couple of tears, but her face remained immovable. She took a deep breath, then collected a pinch of the bonfire's ashes and placed it inside one of her flasks. She put a lid on it, then handed it over to Alaric, then took off the knight's cape and extended it to him. Alaric motioned her to keep it. Neither of them said a word, but Jo could see how much it meant to him.

Laurentius took Wyn aside for a moment, leaving Alaric alone with his mentor's ashes. Jo moved a little closer to them, pretending to warm herself by the fire-- she didn't want to be a part of their conversation, but she wanted to eavesdrop just in case Laurentius happened to strike a nerve and caused Wyn to freak out. The girl was a volcano, her emotions were just waiting to explode. The girl looked calm on the surface, but, Jo knew better.

"So, do you think you could whip up a conducting crystal?" the mage was almost whispering. Wyn frowned, then wrinkled her nose.

"I told you already: I.Don't.Know.How," she hissed. "I told you back then that I stole the stupid sleeping powder. All the stuff in my backpack: stolen. I know nothing, don't ask again," the girl turned around, but Laurentius grabbed her arm.

"You do know something," the mage whispered angrily... only...no, he wasn't angry: he looked frustrated. What was that about? Maybe it was time to step in? No. Jo decided to wait.

The mage continued. "I've seen you: I saw you making those salves, the potions. I'm not stupid, Wyn, you didn't pick that up all by yourself, and all those things you had may have been stolen, but you knew how to use them. You knew what they were, what they did," he rubbed his temples. "Any of those things are useless if you don't know how to make them work. Maybe you know how to make such crystal, you just haven't tried."

"I'm sorry, Laurentius," the girl twisted her face, then took a deep breath. "You've been good to me, like a big brother-- I'll never forget that," she said that fast, without stopping for breath.

Jo was surprised to hear her opening up to someone, she was a little hurt it hadn't been with her, but she was glad she was shedding her armor. Suddenly she felt like she was trespassing, but she was curious. She kept on listening. "Maybe you're right, silly head, I know things- some things. Just not that one. You need to let go," Wyn whispered.

"I couldn't save Gerard," Laurentius kneeled. He was now at Wyn's height. "I can't let that happen again."

Wyn hugged him awkwardly, then grabbed some dirt and leaves from the ground and messed his hair with them. Laurentius chuckled.

"You can't control everything, you numb skull," the girl stuck out her tongue and skipped back near the fire, ready to pack her things. Jo noticed the girl's eyes looked sad, despite her somewhat cheerful exterior. What could've happened to her to make her so strong? A question for another day. It was for Wyn to decide when to answer it.

On the road, Wyn refused to ride on top of either Alaric or Laurentius. The girl walked at a fast steady pace and carried her own yellow bundle strapped to the back, her tiny frame tightly wrapped in Gerard's fur cape. Maybe physical exertion was her way of coping with the knight's death-- or her way of avoiding to think about it.

Alaric walked silently, kicking rocks, completely distracted from their path. Jo had to push him a couple of times to prevent him from crashing with the trees. He was taking Gerard's death very hard, she worried it might get him killed. Didn't Onturian knights, soldiers for that matter, get training to avoid that sort of situation? Maybe they did, but she knew in her heart this was different: they were like family. Jo could tell by the way they carried around each other, they shared a bond much like the one she shared with her grandmother. His death had hit her hard too, she could only imagine how bad it must have been for Alaric. She wouldn't be able to focus on the task at hand either.