“
I
’
m sure Tiberius can help with that,
”
Lexi said, trying to reassure Olyva.
“
It
’
s okay, I just need some rest.
”
“
Maybe you should eat something first,
”
Lexi urged.
“
No, I don
’
t need food.
”
“
You
’
re much too thin,
”
Lexi said.
“
It couldn
’
t hurt to eat a little something.
”
Olyva had lost weight, but it wasn
’
t a bad thing. She was getting stronger, she knew that. She could feel herself growing more powerful every day, but she couldn
’
t explain it to the others. She realized that her change was distressing them.
“
Alright,
”
she agreed.
“
I
’
ll try a little something.
”
Lexi
’
s attitude immediately changed. She had seemed concerned before, worried despite the fact that she hadn
’
t known Olyva before the banishment and hadn
’
t gotten along with her afterward. But Olyva could tell the smaller girl was worried, and just agreeing to eat seemed to lift her spirits.
At the shelter, Olyva sank into her usual spot, a short distance from the fire, just inside the glow of its dancing orange light. Lexi hurried and retrieved a platter of food. There was more than either one of the girls could have eaten on their own.
“
I can
’
t eat that much,
”
Olyva said.
“
Oh, I know,
”
Lexi said.
“
I just wasn
’
t sure what you might want.
”
“
The berries look good.
”
The Rogu didn
’
t always return from hunts with animals. They sometimes gathered wild vegetables, nuts, and fruit. A stash of ripe blueberries had been found recently and Olyva ate a few of them. She
’
d always liked berries. Especially blackberries, which grew on the slopes of Mount Hamill where
’
s she
’
d grown up. Some of the more adventurous citizens ventured out of the Keep
’
s high walls and crawled along the steep sides of the mountain gathering the precious fruit. The blueberries weren
’
t as sweet as blackberries, but she enjoyed them just the same.
She tried a small cup of the Kymis. It was very mild, and not to Olyva
’
s liking, but she drank it just the same. She could appreciate the tastes of the food, but they did not give the sense of strength and sustenance that the sunlight did.
“
It
’
s good to see you eat,
”
Lexi said.
“
Is your arm alright?
”
“
It will be,
”
Olyva said.
“
Thank you for helping.
”
“
Rafe will be so relieved to know that you ate.
”
“
Rafe
…”
Olyva wasn
’
t sure what to say.
When she thought of him, all she could see was the look of disgust in his eyes as he plucked the handful of stems from her arm.
“
He
’
ll come around,
”
Lexi said.
“
He
’
s just worried about you.
”
“
I know,
”
Olyva said sadly.
“
I
’
m tired. I better get some rest.
”
Lexi didn
’
t argue, and Olyva was thankful. Rafe hadn
’
t returned to the shelter, and she was glad for that too. She would probably have to deal with him in the morning. She wouldn
’
t let him hurt her again. If he couldn
’
t accept the changes she was going through, she would have to cut off their relationship. Just thinking of that made her so sad she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn
’
t want to think about it. She didn
’
t want to be sad. She just wanted to sleep. She closed her eyes and drifted away.
Chapter 20
Tiberius
Tiberius followed Rafe. His friend stalked angrily through the camp and Tiberius followed several paces behind. He didn
’
t try to catch up. He knew Rafe needed a little time to work through his feelings. At the edge of camp, they walked past the sentries and into the all-pervasive gloom. When Rafe finally stopped walking, Tiberius did too, but he didn
’
t speak. He just stood silently behind his friend, waiting for Rafe to turn around. He couldn
’
t see Rafe, but he could sense his friend in the darkness. He could hear him breathing.
“
You know I
’
m trying,
”
Rafe said.
“
Yes,
”
Tiberius answered.
“
I didn
’
t mean to hurt her, I just
…”
“
You want the girl you knew back,
”
Tiberius said.
“
That
’
s reasonable.
”
“
I just don
’
t know what to do, Tiberius. She doesn
’
t want me anymore.
”
“
Maybe, but I don
’
t think that
’
s true. She
’
s going through a lot.
”
“
So am I, damn it!
”
“
I know,
”
Tiberius said calmly.
“
No one is trying to minimize your pain, Rafe. We just have to find a way to work through all of this together. Maybe once we get to Sparlan Citadel, we
’
ll be able to fix things.
”
“
That
’
s just it,
”
Rafe said, his voice shaking with emotion.
“
I don
’
t think she wants to fix it. I think she likes it. Whatever those trees did to her, it
’
s affecting her mind, Ti. She likes what
’
s she
’
s turning into. She wants to be a tree.
”
Tiberius took a deep breath. He wasn
’
t sure what to say. He knew that he could never turn away from becoming a wizard and he wouldn
’
t want anyone to try and stop him. If that
’
s how Olyva felt, he couldn
’
t blame her. But he couldn
’
t blame Rafe for wanting things back the way they had been either. So much had changed since they left Avondale.
“
I don
’
t know about all that,
”
Tiberius said.
“
But I think she still wants you in her life.
”
“
You don
’
t know how she
’
s been treating me lately. She avoids me.
”
“
Perhaps that
’
s because you
’
re too focused on fixing something she doesn
’
t think is broken.
”
“
So you think I should just let her turn into one of those trees? They
’
re killers.
”
“
I know that, okay. Calm down, I
’
m not telling you I think everything is okay. But I don
’
t know how to help Olyva. There
’
s nothing we can do for her here, so maybe you just need to give her some space.
”
“
God, you sound like my father,
”
Rafe said.
“
Why is it that my strongest instincts are always wrong?
”
“
I don
’
t think that
’
s true,
”
Tiberius said.
“
You don
’
t give yourself enough credit. We wouldn
’
t be here if it weren
’
t for you.
”
“
No, you
’
d be in Avondale. You
’
d be safe.
”
“
Would I? You know that isn
’
t true. I may face monsters and wild beasts in the blighted lands, but in Avondale if people found out I was a wizard, I would be hated by everyone. I had to leave, that
’
s not on you. I was planning it before all this happened.
”
“
You were going to leave Avondale?
”
Rafe asked.
“
I was going to leave the city. I thought I would hide in the forest, but that was pretty naive. Lexi knew better.
”
“
You
’
re lucky, Ti. Things have worked out for you.
”
“
I nearly burned myself up today,
”
Tiberius chuckled.
“
I know just enough to be dangerous.
”
“
You think I should go back to her, don
’
t you?
”
“
Yes,
”
Tiberius said earnestly.
“
You love her, and I think she loves you too. You just have to find a way to deal with how you feel about things. She
’
s still the girl you fell in love with.
”
“
I do love her,
”
Rafe said.
“
But I have her blood on my hands. At least I think it
’
s blood. It
’
s really sticky.
”
Tiberius felt a whisper of fear. If there was something strange about Olyva
’
s blood, it was a very bad sign. He had no idea what was happening to her body, but they thought that it wasn
’
t progressing. Perhaps things were happening below the surface that he hadn
’
t anticipated.
“
You better let me take a look at that,
”
Tiberius said.
“
How can you see anything out here in the dark?
”
Rafe asked.
“
Watch and learn,
”
Tiberius said.
“
But just to be on the safe side, you better close your eyes.
”
Tiberius forced his mind and heart to relax. He took a deep breath, then began quietly muttering the simple incantation for light.
“
Fulsi
,
”
he said.
“
Fulsi, fulsi, fulsi
.
”
He could feel the chasm between the physical world and the magical world opening. He had to mentally cover the gap. He imagined his will like a heavy curtain, only letting a small section of the light shine through. Immediately, he could tell that light was shining, even though his eyes were closed. He blinked slowly in the bright radiance.
“
It
’
s okay,
”
Tiberius said.
“
You can open your eyes.
”