“Nah,” Wreck shakes his head. “I got real lucky. I found a dead chimera in the woods and cut off its head. The corpse wasn’t even fresh. It was stinking. So everybody realized how I took the chimera’s head, but guess what? Nobody cared.”
“So you’ve never really killed a chimera before?”
“Nope. This will be my first one.”
“And what if we can’t kill it?”
“Don’t be so pessimistic,” he says. “Everything is gonna be all right. Trust me.”
How can I trust him? How can I trust somebody who’s already threatened me with a knife, someone I know nothing about? I don’t even understand why he needs me alive. What possible motive could he have?
I remember Ace’s words. Could they be true? Is it possible Wreck just wants to use me for his personal plaything? I doubt that. I wouldn’t be a good candidate for such a role. I’m not beautiful, charming or particularly sweet.
“Why are you helping me?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Wreck says. “Maybe I have a crush on you.”
I stare at him, slowing my stride, but a moment later he begins laughing, as if it was just a joke.
“Relax,” he says. “I just believe you’ll become a great ranger.”
He’s lying. I know it. I don’t think he really believes that I’m all that strong or tough.
“Was it true what Ace said?” I ask.
“Oh come on,” Wreck sighs. “You not gonna believe Ace, are you? He’s a jerk. I’d been looking for him to give me a reason to beat the hell out of him for a long time.”
I don’t know why I bother asking all these questions. It’s not like he’ll tell me the truth anyway.
“Where are we going?” I change the subject.
“To the chimera caverns. There’s no chimeras out here. They don’t like the woods. They live inside caves.”
As we pass some bushes, Wreck stops and begins tearing off leaves. I stop as well, watching him. He carefully checks each leaf before placing it inside his pack, only choosing those of a certain size.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Replenishing my supply.”
“What are these leaves for?”
“Well, leaves of this particular plant may render a person unconscious for several hours.” He grins. “Dangerous stuff. Take a little too much and you’ll never wake up ever again. It all depends on the person’s age, size and overall health.”
“What do you need it for?”
“In case somebody gets injured or shot. It’s not much fun extracting a bullet from someone who’s screaming in pain. So you just give them a little of this and they sleep. In a smaller dosages it’s also a strong anesthetic.”
It sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.
“Have you given it to anybody before?” I ask.
“Yeah, many times. And I also know a few plants that can reduce fever, help with a sore throat or the flu. We don’t have any real doctors or medicine in our village. So you must learn how to help people with whatever stuff you can find in these woods.”
I look at him in surprise. Wreck doesn’t appear like somebody who would be good at healing. “How did you learn all that?”
“I’m acquainted with a witch who heals people.”
“You mean… a real witch?”
Wreck nods, his expression serious. “She taught me a lot of spells. Look.” He picks a small yellow flower from the grass. “Like to know what this guy is for? A love spell. If you were to eat one, you’d fall in love with me forever.”
“I don’t believe in magic,” I say.
“Oh really?” Wreck snorts. “Try it then. Take a little bite and just see what happens.”
He gives me the flower.
“I’m not some cow that likes to eat flowers,” I say.
“You’re just scared. You know that nobody can resist a good love spell.”
His arrogant voice angers me.
“There are no such things as love spells,” I say.
“I think you’re just afraid that you’ll lose control,” Wreck states. “You must understand how powerful love spells can be.” I roll my eyes and he adds, “Come on, I dare you. Prove how magic doesn’t exist. Scared?”
I know I shouldn’t do it, but his mocking is unbearable.
“I’m not scared,” I say and place the flower on my tongue.
Wreck watches me intently, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. As I begin chewing the flower, a disgusting bitter taste fills my mouth. My throat burns and my nose begins running.
“Goodness,” I gulp, spitting. “What is this?”
“Gotcha!” Wreck almost doubles over from laughter. “Dang, Kora! I can’t believe you fell for that!”
“What did you give me?” I ask angrily. “What does this plant do?”
“Nothing! It’s just a flower that tastes like crap,” he chuckles, handing me over a metal flask. “Here, wash out your mouth.”
“You’re an idiot!”
I grab the flask, take a sip of water and spit it out. There’s still a sharp bitter taste on my tongue. I groan, causing Wreck to laugh even harder.
“I’m sorry!” he exclaims. “I know it was mean, but I just couldn’t help myself. It was so tempting. I still can’t believe you agreed to eat one.”
“How old are you?” I ask, because at the moment I seriously doubt Wreck is nineteen.
“No idea,” he shrugs, smiling. “C’mon. Don’t be angry. I was once a victim of this prank too.”
I don’t answer, just glare at him. I do admit it was stupid of me to eat the flower.
“Let’s get moving,” he says, still grinning like a fool, and we continue walking.
A couple hours later darkness falls over the woods and it’s time to stop for the night. Wreck starts a fire and produces some bread and jerky from his pack. We eat. The moist air is getting colder. I gaze
