The Curse's Breath

Chapter Eighteen

Celni grasped at the tree trunk, her sweaty hands scraping against the rough wood. Splinters slid into her skin, but she relished the pain. You're human now. She repeated these words in her head as she heaved herself up to the first branch. You're human now. She leaped up to the next branch, and then the next and the next, passing the hole that the bandanna from her and Jahier's sparring game had sat in not two weeks before. Celni kept going higher, her palms burning and her muscles straining. Keep going higher. Nothing can reach you, nothing can catch you if you just go higher.

She put a foot on the next branch. It wobbled weakly, warning her not to climb on it. She did anyway. Her body straightened and settled on the branch. She looked out over the forest around her to the horizon. The sun was still hidden under the ground. She wished it would be up high in the sky, brightening the darkness that was in her heart.

Celni slid down until she was sitting on the branch with her back on the tree's trunk. The air was cold. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest.

Who do I trust?

She laid her head against the bark of the tree. The wind rustled through the leaves. A bird gave a sleepy coo.

No one.

Her hand reached inside her back pocket, her numb fingers sliding out her phone. She slid her thumb over the top of the metal, waking it up. Words etched themselves into the shiny material, glowing a faint violet. Her finger hovered over one word in particular. She pressed it.

Someone.

After a moment, a face flickered into the air before her. Dark hair disheveled, eyes droopy, but mouth in a tilted smile. "Hey, Celni," Jahier said sleepily.

Celni let out a relieved cloud of air, her lips trembling as she smiled back at him. "You answered."

"I'll always answer." His eyes met hers. Then his smile widened. "Though I'd appreciate it if you called when the sun is up. "

She laughed. "Sorry."

He tried to hide a yawn as he moved into a more upright position. "Would you care to tell me what you're doing up this early?"

She picked at the bark between her legs."Had trouble sleeping, is all."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" he pried.

"It's nothing," Celni insisted. I wish I could tell you. Believe me, I do. But I can't.

Jahier narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I don't notice the tree behind you. Spill."

She thought for a moment. "How do you know who's good and who's bad?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "To be honest, I'm not sure anyone's truly good."

Not the answer she was looking for. "Then how do you tell who leans more to the good side or the bad?"

His gaze turned upwards as he thought. "You'll know by their actions."

Her brow furrowed. "But what if they do the wrong thing, but they think they're doing the right thing? Or maybe it's the right thing to them, but not the right thing to anyone else?"

He laughed. "You're over-thinking, Celni. Humans are born with a pretty good knowledge of what's right and wrong. So I think you'll know who's doing the right thing when you see it. I trust your gut. You should, too."

Her chin trembled. She bit her lip, trying to make it stop. "I miss you, Jahi. Nothing's the same without you here."

Jahier's head dipped, a lock of hair falling to hide his face. He was silent for a minute, and then he looked up, a blue eye gleaming through his dark hair. "I miss you, too." He was silent again, his gaze downward. "I-I want to come back," he whispered.