The Fire and the Sky (Book 3 of the... - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

May awoke the following day, buried beneath a mountain of quilts and furs. Warm and safe, she nestled in tighter in an effort to ward off wakefulness a little longer. Beyond the nest a fire crackled. The entrance to Emandi's cave was located through a curving tunnel that blocked out the elements, yet there was still a touch of brightness to the cavernous space that told May it was time to rise.
Begrudgingly she poked her head out from her cozy mound and peered around the space. The fire blazed merrily, freshly stoked with fragrant cedar kindling. Firelight danced off the cluttered shelves that lined the walls casting all manner of shadows that reached and jumped enthusiastically at the ceiling. May's shirt from the previous day was draped over the back of an old wooden chair. It had clearly been washed and was now drying by the fire; the bloodstain still present but fainter now.
Emandi was nowhere to be seen.
Yawing, May scanned the floor around the nest for her pack, which she found leaning against the side. Without emerging from her cocoon she fished around for fresh clothes and shimmied into them under the blankets She had just finished re-packing when Emandi returned, draped in a winding length of scarf like a cloak and a straw-woven bundle tucked under their arm.
"Good morning," they announced, placing the bundle on a worn table on the far end of the room. "How did you sleep?"
"Really well, thanks." May couldn't help the surprise in her voice — she hadn't slept that soundly since Em had left, and she had almost forgotten what it felt like to wake fully rested.
Emandi unwound themself from their impressively long scarf and hung it on a stalactite that emerged from the ground. Without a word they turned to the table and busied themselves with whatever was in the bundle.
May politely waited a couple moments before clearing her throat.
"What are you doing?" she asked, stepping up beside the giant cat. On the table was a flayed carcass of some kind and a selection of root vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms. "Are you cooking?"
"Are you not hungry?" Emandi looked down at her, skepticism playing in their eyes.
As if in reply, her stomach growled loudly. May laughed.
"You don't have to do this. I have—"
"Nonsense." Emandi waved her off. "Go rest. We can discuss your next move once you've eaten.
May didn't see the point in arguing, and whatever Emandi was working on had to be better than re-hydrated camp meals, so she backed off. But she was already rested, so she wandered the room and inspected the shelves instead. She tried to draw some logical connection between the items in the odd collection. Necklaces and lockets — some tarnished with age while the jewels of others still glittered — hung suspended on string like mobiles. All manner of hats and helmets rested on pegs, their styles stretching back across the centuries. There was a healthy library of books in various languages lined up next to a treasure trove of toys — dolls, figurines, race cars. May paused at an ornate music box, her fingers itching to wind the delicate key that protruded from its side.
"May I?" She pointed to it. Emandi glanced back and nodded.
"Feel free."
Though their tone was blasé, May still took care to handle the music box carefully. She lifted the lid and wound the key, watching the figures inside turn in place; a simple dance. The tune was unfamiliar, but May swayed anyway, carrying the box with her as she glided about the room to examine the rest of the shelves.
"What is all of this?" she asked, head tilted to read the spines on a battered row of vinyl records.
Emandi, who was now filling a pot from the spring, didn't bother to look up. "You aren't the first human in distress I've rescued from the woods. Those trinkets have been how others have shown their gratitude. Not that I have need for such things, but some people simply cannot be reasoned with."
May's eyebrows rose in surprise. If all these random gifts were from the people who couldn't take no for an answer, she couldn't guess how many more had left without leaving a token behind. From the size of the collection, Emandi had been rescuing wayward souls for centuries.
The music box finished its song just as May wandered up to a small gallery of framed photos. Her eyes immediately landed on one of herself. She gasped quietly and leaned into the memory behind the picture. It was actually a photo of both her and Em, a selfie taken on her first voyage across the ocean when they had made the trip to visit Tenna. That had been just a year and a half ago, but to May they both looked so young. In the photo May's hair was still cropped short and her freckled arms were slung around Em's neck. Her lips were pressed into her girlfriend's cheek as Em beamed and laughed with unbridled delight.
"Where did you get this?" May asked in a quiet voice.
Emandi looked up from where they sat stirring the pot, now cooking over the fire. "Emanthy sent it to me with a letter telling me about you and how happy she was to have found you. That photo is how I knew who you were when I came across you in the woods."
May's heart clenched. She hadn't known about any of this — not about Emandi, nor that Em had been staying in touch with them. She imagined Em hunched over the small desk in their dorm room in Tenna, scribbling a letter to one of her magical parents and gushing about her newfound happiness. May knew Em had been deeply unhappy in the time before they met, but never before had she stopped to really consider how much of a part she might have played in changing that. A lump rose in her throat, the ache of loneliness she had been working so hard to keep at bay welling up anew.
"I believe she misses you," Emandi said as if reading her thoughts. "I am certain she has spent every single day regretting her decision to send you away."
May pressed her lips into a tight line. She didn't trust herself to be able to answer without breaking down.
"Come, sit." Emandi swiftly changed the subject. "It's time to eat."
Perching on the edge of the nest, May accepted a bowl of savory rabbit stew and ate in silence. She watched Emandi, who was cleaning up after themselves, and marveled over everything she had discovered since they came to her rescue. As she scraped her spoon — likely yet another gift from a grateful traveler — Emandi reached once more for their cloak.
"Where are you going?" May asked, watching them wind and drape the scarf around their shoulders.
"Weare going to Tenna," Emandi corrected. "Or at least most of the way. I will escort you."
"Right now?"
The cat looked at her, their expression confused. "I assumed you would want to make haste."
They weren't wrong — May was still eager to reach Dom and get to the bottom of whatever big news he had in store for her. But after everything Emandi had done for her, it didn't feel right to hurry off without acknowledging it.
"I think I understand why people are so desperate to give you their stuff." She picked up the music box she had left at her side and smiled. "I have no idea how to thank you for what you've done for me, but I want to dosomething."
Emandi shook their head. "I've already told you — I have no need for things, May. You do not have to make up for what I was happy to give."
"Well, I don't have anything to give you, so you don't have to worry about that." Her fingers fiddled with music box as her mind searched for an idea. Her thumb grazed the key and her eyes lit up with an idea. "I could dance for you."
A smile softened Emandi's face — one that, no matter how they might try to deny it, gave away that they liked the idea.
"Emanthy wrote about your prowess as a dancer. I accept your offer." They dipped into a low bow. "And I would be humbled to watch you perform."
They switched placed, Emandi settling into the nest while May took the floor. She wound the music box key and set it on the chair by the fire. It wasn't the sort of music she would normally dance to, but May had never met a melody she didn't want to dance to. Though it had been ages since her last performance, she slipped back into graceful movement like a first language. The language of dance never really left her.
While the music box plucked out its high, tinny tune, May vaulted and spun. She rose on her toes and swayed. She moved with purpose and passion. By the time she finished she had forgotten everything except how much she loved to dance, and was only brought back to the present moment by the sound of Emandi's applause.
"Emanthy was absolutely right," they beamed. "You are an extraordinary talent. Thank you for sharing your gift with me, May."
Breathless and elated, May smiled. "Thank you, Emandi, for saving my life."
It was difficult to tell where exactly Emandi's cavern was, or how far it rested from where she was supposed to be, but May wasn't worried. Emandi insisted on carrying her down the mountain, and once again she watched the world fly by as they ran. This time she rode upon their back, secured in place with the long twisting scarf as Emandi thundered down the alpine on all fours.
The air grew thicker as they descended and soon they were speeding through deep forest. May kept her body low to stay clear of tree branches and clung tight so as not to fall as Emandi ducked and wove at an unnatural pace.
May had no means of keeping time, so when at last they slowed she wasn't sure if they had been traveling for three hours or twelve. She slid from Emandi's back to give them both some reprieve and walked stiffly at their side between towering trees.
A raven's caw cut through the quiet. May jumped.
Fargus swept through the trees and landed nimbly on Emandi's outstretched paw.
"There you are!" May cried to compensate for the small twinge of guilt nibbling at her gut. It hadn't even dawned on her that the corvid was missing until now. "Where did you go?"
The bird let loose a series of cries, and May wasn't sure if he was answering her question or admonishing her.
"Ah," Emandi said, their eyes raising to study the forest ahead of them. "He's here."
May followed their stare and found something moving in the trees.
She blinked. It wasn't something in the trees but a tree itself that was moving, lumbering slowly between the pines.
It was Dom in his truest form — a being both elegant and hulking at the same time, with bark-like skin and twisted antlers of branches protracting from his mossy head. His hands stretched with long fingers of black roots. The only thing about him that resembled the human man May knew were his tender eyes, and when they met hers, he smiled.
"This is where we part, my dear," Emandi said. They didn't look at her when they spoke — their eyes were on Dom and when they looked to one another, Emandi gave a respectful nod of acknowledgment.
"Won't you at least come to Tenna and rest a little before you go?" May wasn't exactly sure what she had expected to happen when they got there, but she didn't feel ready to say goodbye quite yet. She gazed up at Emandi and then to Dom; she felt like a child bookended by giants.
"You're in good hands," Emandi replied with a slight shake of their head. "And I wish you luck with your endeavor."
They stooped low so May could wrap her arms around their neck in a hug. She had already come to care so deeply for the ancient creature, and she was going to miss the warmth and safety she felt at their side.
"Thank you for everything," she whispered.
When they pulled apart, Emandi reached into the layers of their cloak. "I want you to take this with you."
From their paw, May took a large and dusty Champagne bottle. There was something inside, but it wasn't sparkling wine.
"What is this?" She held the bottle aloft and peered through the murky green glass. A single golden light was suspended inside, and it pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
"Welkin left that with me for safekeeping back when we awoke Emanthy." Emandi explained, the bottle's light reflecting in their unusual eyes. "I haven't seen them in quite some time, but if my suspicion is correct, they will benefit from having it back."
May frowned. "I haven't seen Welkin in over a year. Em wasn't even able to reach them."
Emandi laid their paws over her hands gripping the bottle. "I have a feeling you will find them before they come to me. When you do, promise me you will give this to them."
"I promise."
With that, May stepped to Dom. The forest spirit bent to greet her, tipping her head to face him with a curled root beneath her chin.
Fargus let out a rattle.
When May looked back, Emandi was already long gone.