3.2
After getting out and redressing, we set off again with the others. I noticed that both Blake's and Eve's clothes were wet, so they must have washed them off, even if they hadn't gone swimming. Corvus, on the other hand, had entered the water in full clothing and was still sopping.
After a few hours of steady walking, we stopped at the top of a rocky cliff that had an unobstructed overlook and all sat together, not too far from the edge, to eat. It turned out that there were a good number of edible plants in the forest that I'd never known about (so much for our military survival skills), and there were also plenty of small game, so we didn't have a hard time getting food.
Blake stood up and walked over to the edge of the cliff, presumably to admire the views. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Eve glance over her shoulder before getting up to follow him.
Based on the two days I'd known her, I couldn't imagine she'd have any interest in taking in the scenery with a friend (that said, her relationship with Blake seemed far from friendship), so I assumed she had some ulterior motive.
I shifted my position slightly closer to where Blake was standing, at the cliff's edge.
Eve stood silently next to Blake, and I began to think I'd misjudged the situation. However, her mouth opened. I was just able to make out her voice over the sound of wind rustling through the trees.
Without ever turning to look at him, she asked, "What's your plan with Jelani?"
Uh oh.
Was she planning to do something with me?
Blake gazed out on the wilderness beneath him.
"It's too bad I'm no good at fighting and can't consume elements. Otherwise, I would certainly be mentoring him to help him reach his full potential," he finally responded.
Eve shot a quick glance in his direction. "Loser."
"Loser?" Blake's question went unanswered as Eve had already turned around.
I hastily looked away, praying that she hadn't seen me spying.
Her footsteps were getting louder, and although I couldn't see her, I sensed that, even though she hadn't been sitting near me before, she was walking right towards me.
Ahh, I thought, sighing internally.
Within seconds, the situation was clear: she was standing directly behind me.
Slowly, I turned around and looked up at her.
"What's up?" I said, trying my best to sound natural.
She stared down at me coldly, not even acknowledging that I had spoken. Unsure of what else to do, I just stared back.
"Come with me," she ordered before walking off.
My head drooped sadly. I really had no choice but to do what she said.
High on my guard, I hesitantly stood up and followed her. She snatched one of the three backpacks, put it on, and continued off into the forest, retracing the path we'd taken to get to the overhang.
Although I could hardly hear the sounds of her feet against the rocks and dry needles, she was somehow walking faster than I'd ever seen anyone walk. While maintaining a safe distance between us, I did what I could to keep up.
She seemed frighteningly determined.
Perhaps she'd finally decided that I was useless and that it was time to dispose of me–the unnecessary garbage.
As I thought about these things, I realized that, in the worst-case scenario, I could always just sprint away and start living on my own.
I exhaled in relief. This is fine. Thanks to them, I have the means to escape.
Eve led me on for around 15 minutes before stopping suddenly. She'd been glancing from side to side as we walked, and she seemed to have finally found what she was looking for.
We took a sharp turn, and, after passing a final line of twisted, stunted pines, we entered a cathedral of giants.
The trunks were thick–thicker even than the trees I'd come across while talking to Blake a few days earlier, and the vast, wooden spears reached up for the sky as if their uppermost branches were magnetically attracted to the sun.
There was no doubt that I was standing in an elemental garden, and I could almost feel the power humming in the ground beneath my feet. It wasn't just animals that could hold the powers of the elements, and, as I ran my eyes up the trunks of the towering trees, it was obvious that the element of growth was at play here.
Eve set the backpack down and began searching through it. She pulled out… no, it couldn't be.
She pulled out a handgun.
I cautiously sidestepped towards the nearest tree. If I could get behind it without her noticing, it would be much easier for me to make my escape.
"Here," she said, tossing the gun over her shoulder.
The pistol was flying towards me, so I caught it, the hard, heavy metal falling still in my hands. I stood there and stared at her.
The next thing she pulled out was an identical weapon, which she set softly on the ground beside her.
I looked at the gun in my own hands, and then back at the one on the ground, and swallowed.
I shook my head. No reason to jump to conclusions, I reminded myself.
Eve zipped up the backpack and set it against one of the gargantuan trees. Picking the gun up off the ground, she walked towards me.
Feet firmly planted, I thought, I'll just hope for the best, and that was all that I did.
She stopped less than five feet in front of me and held her left hand, which was closed in a tight fist, in front of my face. I eyed her white knuckles nervously.
"Say ahh."
"Huh?"
Poison? I wondered.
"I'm kidding," she said, "but you have to swallow this."
She opened her hand, which held an oval-shaped gemstone. With its perfectly smooth surface and gentle aquamarine color, it looked kind in comparison to the element of explosiveness.
She doesn't seem angry, I thought hopefully. There was still the issue of the guns, but I figured I would worry about that when the time came.
I lightly plucked it out of her hand and turned the bluish-green orb over in my own. Its smooth surface glided over my skin so effortlessly–it almost felt creamy.
"This is an element of healing, right?" I asked. "I've already consumed one of these."
"Uh. Oh, ok," she stuttered a little as I handed the element back to her.
"Actually," she added, shaking off the awkward moment, "you might as well have this one too. It'll still make your healing better."
"Oh," I said thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess so."
"The chance that you tolerate it is lower," she continued, "but I guess Blake thinks you have a talent for this."
She returned the element to my hand, and, without a second's hesitation, I popped it into my mouth and swallowed. It slipped down my throat easily, but as soon as it happened, I was having second thoughts.
I felt a tightening sensation in my chest, as if some deep internal muscles were cramping up. As my chest constricted, I felt a resistance to the air flow in and out of my lungs. Trying to force the oxygen down, I wheezed and contracted my diaphragm with all my might.
"Is this normal?" I grunted, assuming she could tell what I was talking about.
"Yeah, that's normal," Eve responded in a flat tone.
At least she's not concerned, I thought. Although, she probably wouldn't have been concerned even if it looked like I was going to die.
The cramps clenched tighter and tighter, and I felt my stomach curl back on itself. My insides turned over in wave after wave of nausea, and I sunk to my knees.
Eve stood there and watched, completely unperturbed, as I threw up everywhere.
"All good?" she asked as I gasped for air.
Once I'd wiped my mouth and steadied my breathing, I said a little shakily, "Yeah, I'm fine, but doesn't this mean I failed? I probably threw that thing up."
"No, you didn't," she calmly replied. "If you actually couldn't tolerate it, you'd be in much worse shape right now. I'm honestly surprised at how well you're doing."
I lifted a knee and set my foot on the ground, using my hands to assist myself as I got to my feet.
She's nicer than I thought, was my conclusion after that sequence of events. We'd even exchanged a few sentences without hostility, which was beyond my expectations of the ice queen in front of me.
Deciding I might be able to push my luck, I asked, "Have you consumed any elements?"
"Yeah."
"Which ones?"
"I don't need to tell you. And we're wasting time. Get up."
I guess I wasn't quite there yet.
"We're going to fight each other."