Chapter 5
Nev and Wyatt had walked at a quiet and quick pace for several hours. They both had needed time to process the previous night’s events and ponder what was to come next. As the sun pushed directly above them, the misty weather cleared. The sun’s rays dared to peek through the clouds. Brief moments of uninterrupted sunshine did still occur during the unnaturally long rainy season that had clenched Obsidia, but they were rare enough that most people noticed when it happened.
Nev paused, closed her eyes, and tilted her face towards the sun as she breathed deeply and let the warmth envelop her for a few precious minutes. Flashes of her as a child raced across her mind. She watched herself, at five or six years old, in pursuit of a marvelous purple butterfly. She remembered it almost seemed like it glowed. While she pursued it through her memories, she recalled becoming distracted by the sun’s rays dancing across the ground through the leaves above. She’d abandoned her chase to soak up the warmth of the sun. After finally getting her fill, she watched the butterfly skitter away in the distance. She remembered waving to it, like it was an old friend, and looking forward to the next time they played together.
Those early years of her life had been filled with nearly constant training. She learned to hunt, build traps to ensnare both animals and people, and how to craft weapons. She had also learned which plants could heal, which could kill, and which could fill your belly in a pinch. Every day had been filled with lessons of survival, but there had also been other moments. Precious breaks that were filled with joy, adventure, and love. Those were always harder for her to remember. She smiled a bit before tilting her face away from the sun and opening her eyes again, hoping she would not again forget the butterfly of her memory.
Wyatt had sensed that she had drifted far away, someplace happy. He couldn’t bring himself to interrupt, so he just watched and waited patiently.
Back in the present, Nev felt his gaze on her. “Sorry,” she muttered, before continuing along through the grass.
“No worries,” he replied, smiling warmly. “So, since we are going to be spending at least a week together. Maybe we should get to know each other a little more. I could tell you something about me, and then you could share something about you,” Wyatt suggested, moving to walk beside her.
“No,” Nev replied flatly.
“Umm… well, that was a quick and unexpected reply,” Wyatt admitted.
Nev sighed with mild annoyance in response.
Wyatt thought to himself for a few minutes. He was studying her and trying to figure out how to get her to let her guard down, at least a little. He rubbed his temples a bit as his head still protested any amount of concentration.
Nev glanced at him and watched him attempting to alleviate his headache. “Wait here,” she directed, heading just off into the edge of the woods they were following.
Wyatt followed her a few feet behind as his concern grew. For starters, he wasn’t entirely sure she hadn’t just decided to ditch him in the clearing they had been walking through. Wyatt was pretty sure he was capable of finding Birclan without her, but his navigation skills were a bit lacking. More importantly, he was not going to let her just leave and get herself hurt. He had only barely gotten her back on the road to recovery. No detours would be happening on his watch.
Nev got to work searching the undergrowth amongst the trees. Spindle vine loved the prolonged damp weather and the partial sun that was abundant within the edge of the forest. It should be easy to locate. After a few minutes, Nev spied a fallen tree and her objective. The vine had voraciously wrapped itself around the log and was stretching its leaves just outside the canopy. She pulled a couple dozen leaves, careful to only grab the new growth.
Wyatt observed her foraging and found himself perplexed and amazed. She seemed to know exactly what she was looking for and where to find it, even if he was utterly bewildered.
Nev returned to where Wyatt now stood and handed him the handful of leaves. “It’s Spindle vine. It will help with your headache,” she stated.
Wyatt, holding the leaves she had gathered, looked at her feeling confused. “So, two… no three things,” he pondered.
Nev raised an eyebrow and stared at him perplexed. “What?” she asked.
“Well, first… am I supposed to eat these?” Wyatt inquired.
“If you don’t want them. Then just drop them. I was only trying to help,” Nev huffed, sounding mildly annoyed.
“What? No, I didn’t mean to sound unappreciative. I’m sorry. It is just I have no idea what you handed me. I mean, I know they are leaves, but I have never seen someone use them before,” Wyatt explained, hoping she would accept his apology.
Nev’s rigid posture relaxed at his admitted confusion. “Oh. Right. That is Spindle vine. Its leaves, well the new ones, will help ease your headache. You just hold a leaf in your mouth for a while. But, don’t eat it. Unless you want stomach cramps,” she explained.
“Huh. Well, that is truly amazing that you know that. How do you know that?” Wyatt asked, looking at her closely with a puzzled look on his face.
Nev lowered her gaze briefly before refocusing on Wyatt. “My father used to get headaches too, and those always helped, at least a little. When they were extremely awful, he used to say only my smile helped, but anyway,” she replied before her words trailed off. She shook the memory from her mind and continued, “I saw you rubbing your temples,
