The Twins - NaNoWriMo '07

Chapter 8: Further complications


Only about an hour after Hrael went to sleep, the bauble of light flashed three times, signalling the end of Stefan’s watch. Wearily, he stood and stretched, and walked over to where Elena was sleeping.

“Elena… Elena, wake up,” he said, “It’s time for your watch,”

“Mmmokay,” she mumbled, and sat up, rubbing her eyes, “No further complications?” she asked.

“No further complications ma’am,” Stefan answered, smiling. He helped her up and squeezed her arm lightly, before settling in the place she had just vacated. He curled up around Ana, and quickly fell into sleep.

Elena took her place by the fire, and observed her surroundings, visually and magically. The forest was calm, not even a mouse was stirring at such a time. Feeling relatively rested after her long nap, she settled into an easy watch stance. Nothing would escape her.


When the sun paled the sky enough to see by, Elena made the light wink out of existence. She put a little more kindling on the campfire, so it provided some quick warmth.

“Ana, Stefan!” She called, not feeling like bending down and shaking them awake, “It’s time to wake up! We need to find Thoth today! After all, we only have about five days before the eclipse!” The twins shifted in their sleep, but didn’t wake up. Sighing, Elena went to their horses.

>Good morning guys… do you think you could wake up your companions?< she asked.

>Of course< was answer of Mol Ehni and Úilna. The two horses ambled over where the twins lay and blew hot air on their faces. They scrunched up tightly, and their arms came up to protect themselves from the intrusion.

“Mmm ‘zit time ‘lready?” murmured Stefan.

“I’m afraid so,” Elena replied. Butterflies erupted in Stefan’s stomach. He squirmed, and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“That was definitely not enough sleep,” he said, yawning.

“I agree,” said Ana, sitting up on her side. She crawled off the blanket, stood, and stretched backwards. Back, back, back she went until her hands met the ground and she rocked slightly in a backbend. Feeling her back muscles pull and then warm up, she threw her upper body upwards, and stood straight.

“Ah! That feels better!” Stefan, used to her antics, ignored her, but Hrael stared at her with wide eyes.

“Good morning to you Hrael,” she said, “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes Miss, I is sleeping good on the ground. I is warm by the fire.”

“Please Hrael, call me Ana,”

“Yes mi– Ana.”

“Much better,” Ana turned to Elena, “Are we having breakfast this morning, or should we save the apples for later?”

“I think it’d be for the best if we save them. If we see wild fruit on the way, we can pick it and eat it fresh. Hopefully we’ll find Thoth by nightfall. His dwelling is fickle: ever moving on the winds, but usually farther south than here, where the winds blow hot and dry over the sand,”

“Aw man, we’re going to go to the desert?” moaned Stefan.

“Yes, that’s where we’ll be heading anyway,” said Elena.

“Idiot,” Ana said, punching him lightly, “We’ve lived all our life in the desert. This’ll be like coming home.” She meant the words lightly, but the silence that ensued told her that they cut deeper to everyone’s core. ‘Home’ meant the Arizona desert where she and Stefan had grown up. ‘Home’ meant not in this Land. ‘Home’ was somewhere they might never see again, depending on the outcome of the prophecy. ‘Home’… the thought of home brought tears to the forefront of Ana’s and Stefan’s eyes.

“I think it’s best if we start moving as soon as possible, to make the most of the daylight,” said Elena quietly, and at once, the small clearing bustled with activity. Ana went in search of freshwater to fill up their water skins, and found a tinkling burbling little brook with crystal clear water. As she tasted it, she found that its slightly earthy taste contributed to its richness. Filling up the skins to the brim, she slung her own across her chest and carried the other two back to the clearing. When she got there, the sight that greeted her almost made her drop the skins in shock.

Stefan and Elena were in each others’ arms.

Ana stood, not daring to move, not daring to breathe, not daring to even try and process what she was seeing.

Stefan and Elena were kissing.

She wondered where Hrael had gone, and why Mol Ehni wasn’t doing anything. And why Úilna didn’t warn her of this.

It was then that she noticed that all of these were missing from the scene. In fact, there was no campfire or ring of stones. Ana was, quite simply, not in the right clearing. And neither were Stefan and Elena, which meant that their belongings and companions must be on their own in the other clearing. Backtracking quietly, Ana turned and returned to the right clearing. The horses were quietly munching on grass, and Hrael was sitting by the dimming fire. The food bag was on the stone, and the blankets still in disarray on the ground. Deciding not to say anything, Ana went to saddle Sinev Kimsed, and saw that she was already saddled and docile, waiting for her light load to be put on. The young woman patted the horses’ mane, and went to roll up the blankets. Once rolled, she secured them on Sinev Kimsed’s saddle, and checked that the food bag contained all its meagre supplies.

She was about to put out the fire, when Stefan walked into the clearing across from her.

“Oh there you are!” he said, relieved, “Elena and I had left to find you. We split up and I found the cutest little brook, but no you, so I decided to come back.”

“Yeah, I was at that brook, and I filled up the skins. Here’s yours,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thanks,” he said. As he slung it across his own chest, Elena walked into the clearing.

“Oh you’re back!” she exclaimed, “I suppose Stefan told you we went to look for you?”

“Yes, he told me,” Ana replied, keeping a straight face and her thoughts firmly behind an iron curtain. She could sense her brother trying to access her mind to talk, but she blocked him out.

“Here’s your water Elena,” she said, handing the skin to her.

“Great, thanks,” she answered, “Oh and you’ve even gotten the blankets on Sinev Kimsed! You’re wonderful,” Elena beamed at her.

“I was just about to put out the fire with some water, and then cover it with earth,” Ana explained.

“Oh, yes, that’s a good idea,” said Elena, “We can leave right after that.”

Ana concentrated on two things. One to not let her anger control her magic, and two, well controlling her magic so she didn’t summon a deluge again. Instead, she cupped a trickle of water from her skin and multiplied it. The fire hissed and steamed as she threw the water on. The charcoaled logs smoked and Stefan doused them with handfuls of earth. He shuffled a dry stick through it all to make sure that no embers were left glowing and, when he was satisfied, threw the stick on what had been the campfire. Turning, he went and climbed onto Mol Ehni. He tried again to talk to his sister telepathically, but she was refusing entry. Her shield was strong, very strong – the same way her will always had been. Sighing, he turned Mol Ehni and faced the clearing.

Ana nodded gratefully at Stefan for helping her with the fire. Then, she picked up the food bag and rearranged her slings: food bag first, water skin second, crisscrossing her chest. Mounting Úilna, she faced her two companions.

“Hrael?” she asked, looking down at the wraith, “What do you wish to do?”

“Me Ana?” he croaked, “Me is wishing that I is coming with you, but I is understanding if you is not wanting Hrael.”

“Oh Hrael, it’s not true that we don’t want you. It just … complicates some things,” she answered, trying to explain.

“Hrael knows that he is needing to live now… I is not knowing really how to live, but Hrael will find out,” he smiled shakily, his eyes lighting and tearing up at the prospect of leaving his friends.

Ana looked at Elena. The older woman seemed to be at loss as to how to deal with this.

“Hrael understands,” he put his thin hand on Ana’s ankle, “Hrael will always be near you, in your heart,” he said, putting his other hand over his heart. Ana smiled, her eyes tearing up a little. She brushed them away, and got off Úilna.

“Good luck, Hrael my friend,” she said, looking into his eyes. Then, she hugged him. She pulled his small bony frame to her lithe form and squeezed. Hrael seemed shocked at first, but tentatively hugged back.

“Good luck,” she whispered again.

“Me thanks you Ana. Good luck to you too!” he cried, as Ana vaulted up onto Úilna again. Hrael stood on the small stone by the campfire and waved as the three horseback companions turned their horses and trotted out of the clearing. Elena had resumed her position in front and led them back to the road. Getting down, she inspected the ground.

“Riders have been here,” she said indifferently, “They came by in the middle of the night.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Ana asked.

“Things are on the move… Other prophecies may be completing themselves, lesser ones that are all tied to the ultimate one: yours.”

“Oh,” said Stefan, “Well, if they’re not directly linked to us, then we don’t have a problem do we? I mean,” he hastened to add, “besides finding Thoth and getting the last part of our Elemental knowledge.”

“In the end, everything is tied to you. And finding Thoth… I fear that in itself is going to be a task. With all this commotion, he’ll almost definitely be in the desert winds. And to reach the desert, it will take another two days of solid riding,” said Elena. They all sat for a minute in complete silence, realizing exactly how far the desert was.

“We will be going at a brisk pace too. Cantering as much as possible, and trotting for rest,” Elena addressed herself to Úilna, and Mol Ehni as well. Their ears pricked forwards at the sound of her voice. For Sinev Kimsed, she had to rely on the other two horses to convey the message to her: after all, she was only an ordinary mare.

“Alright then, let’s go!” Elena whirled Sinev Kimsed around, and broke into an easy canter. Úilna and Mol Ehni shot after her, and the three of them settled in an easy rhythm.

By midday, they had only once come back into a trot. With no saddles, Ana and Stefan’s nether regions felt jarred at the bouncing on the horse’s backs. When they stopped to stretch their legs, Ana retrieved two blankets. Folding them, she took the lengths of cord that served as a belt for Stefan and she, and used that to keep the blanket in place; all the while explaining the whole process to Úilna and Mol Ehni. They offered no protestation, and agreed to try this out for the next part of the journey.

They set off again, Ana and Stefan feeling much better. Úilna and Mol Ehni didn’t complain of the rope and so, by the time the stars came out to play, though they were all tired, they could start feeling the change in climate.

The lush and vast amount of trees had disappeared. The hills had evened out, and the night was cool already.

“Elena,” began Ana tentatively, breaking the silence that they had ridden in for most of the day, “I thought Mistress Sulis had told us that Thoth’s dwelling was a day’s journey from her?”

“Yes,” Elena sighed softly, “She did say that, and it was undoubtedly true, at the time. But Thoth is an Air Master, and he constantly moves around. Having seen the Riders’ marks, Thoth has, in all likeliness, retreated to his preferred environment: the isolating desert.”

“Oh… I sense no Tî’rí nearby…” said Ana, “I assume we will be taking watches again?”

“Yes, though I believe we should ride a little farther, and try to make camp by a stream,”

“I agree.”

They trotted on, for the horses were tired, and all kept their eyes out for an ideal campsite.

At long last, Stefan wordlessly pointed out a place to the right; the moon’s reflection betrayed the presence of water.

“Looks good, let’s go,” said Ana, turning Úilna in that direction. The other two followed suit, and within a couple minutes, they were by a small pond. A few tall palm-like trees stood guard around it.

“This will do, there’s even wood to make a fire,” Elena noted as she dismounted. Stefan jumped off Mol Ehni and hurried to gather the wood.

They ate no dinner that night. There were just a few scraps of dried fruit at the bottom of the bag, and no one wanted to deplete their supplies. Stefan came back with an armful of wood, and dropped it by Elena and Ana’s feet. He then walked off and sat by the water, his back turned to them and rounded.

Ana was stricken with concern. She tried to talk to her brother, but found an iron wall. Sighing, she made up the fire, noticing that Elena was avoiding catching her eye. The tension between the three companions was palpable.

“I’ll take first watch,” Ana volunteered. No one responded. Her words sounded odd in the still air. The fire crackled lively.

Elena unburdened and unsaddled Sinev Kimsed, and, taking the saddle and one of the blankets, she cocooned herself in it and rested her head on her makeshift pillow. Her back faced the fire, and she rolled up tight. Within minute she was asleep. Ana knew she had a long night ahead of her. Sighing, she closed her eyes and drew on the well of magic inside of her. Memory served her well, and she managed to reconstitute a similar bauble of light that Elena had created the night before. She didn’t know if it would pulse when her shift was over, but Ana decided not to worry about that now. Giving the bauble instructions to watch over the campsite and the sleeping Elena, Ana went down to the edge of the pond.

Stefan felt her coming, and heard her settle softly next to him. He resolutely ignored her, staring instead at the water and its blurry reflection of the moon. His eyes shifted to the far beach, and he found that it too was blurry. He blinked, and his eyesight returned to normal, but a single tear slipped down each of his cheeks.

“Oh Stefan…” Ana whispered as she put her arms around him and drew him into her embrace. He fell sideways into her, and she held on to him. His arms snaked around her waist as he pulled her closer and the tears came faster, soaking her tunic. His sobs were silent, but his body shook with them.

>Stefan, Stefan, Stefan…< Ana murmured in his mind.

>I love her, Gods above… I love her and she…< he cried in her mind.

>Oh honey…<

>It just… happened. You know I’ve liked – loved – her… you always could see through me… but she… Oh her lithe form, so perfect… Her lips so soft…< Ana didn’t stem his flow, although she didn’t need to know that last bit of information.

>But why give into the temptation? You know she is married…<

>I… I don’t know. She kissed me first. We really did go looking for you, and we found that clearing… And my shoe had come untied so I bent down to tie it again, and when I stood, her arms snaked around my waist. My body responded. I don’t know what happened to my mind… I turned around and she was there, so close to me and so beautiful…< He trailed off, his memory flashing images, sensations of their kiss.

>I… I knew I shouldn’t kiss her, and no sooner had I thought that that she bent forwards and then her lips were touching mine…ever so softly… and my body responded. I…<

>I saw… Well I saw you two kissing< Ana told her brother.

>And you didn’t do anything?<

>I didn’t know what to do bro… I… I should’ve broken you apart, but the look on your face… utter bliss<

>It was… quite possibly the best moment of my life<

>Oh Stefan, don’t say that… You still have so much to live for<

>Do I?< he asked bitterly >We don’t know if we’re going to come through this alive and… Ana? I don’t want to die a virgin<

His wish seemed so trivial compared to what they had to do.

>I want my experience, and I want it to be with someone I truly love… and I know Elena is married, but… I can’t help but think she is the one<

Ana didn’t know what to say, so she just kept holding her brother. His sobs had subsided, but his tears still fell. He took a shuddering breath.

>Come back to camp with me and sleep. I’ll take your watch< she said.

>Elena hates me now, doesn’t she?<

>I don’t know… I think she’s just as confused by her actions as you are and that’s why she’s ignored you all day<

>I suppose you’re right…< Stefan righted himself, and the twins stood up, brushing the sand from their clothes. As they neared the fire, Stefan stopped and hugged his sister fiercely.

>Thanks for everything… I love you Sis<

>That’s what I’m here for. I love you too Bro<

Stefan smiled through his tear tracks and retrieved one of the blankets. Rolling himself in it the way Elena had, he settled on the other side of the fire; closer to where Ana sat and watched.


Four hours later, Ana stood and stretched. She walked over to where Elena was sleeping and woke her up.

“Time for your shift. Stefan ended up taking my first one,” she lied a little uncomfortably, but knew she was doing the right thing. Elena nodded her thanks and vacated her makeshift bed. Ana retrieved her own blanket, rolled herself up in it, and snuggled up against her brother. She quickly fell into sleep.


When Elena woke her up, it was dawn. Nothing had disturbed the night. Ana roused herself quickly, and woke Stefan up before the other woman had a chance to. Her eyes were steely golden-orange, and Elena quickly retracted and went to saddle Sinev Kimsed before going down to the pond to fill up their water skins. On her way back up, she noticed a few coconut-like fruits on the ground by the trees. Curious, she went to pick one up, and found that it was a manyan, a type of fruit that ballooned up with sweet juice inside. Testing the outer shell and sloshing it around a bit, Elena found three ripe ones and brought them back to the camp with her. The manyan were slightly larger than a grapefruit, with a hard outer shell in an orangey-pink color. Elena put everything she was carrying down, and retrieved the knife from the food bag. Ana watched her curiously as the other woman took the blunt side of the knife and tapped it around the fruit. The shell cracked slightly erratically, and Elena broke off the hard edges. A smoother skin was revealed, and she cut a small hole at the top. Sniffing it, she smiled, then handed it to Ana.

“Have a taste. I personally find that these taste like mangoes and oranges, strawberries and pineapples.”

Ana took a small sip. The fruit juice exploded in her mouth in a myriad of tastes. She could taste the pineapple and strawberries… but also with a hint of kiwi.

“This is delicious!” she exclaimed, “What are they called?”

“Manyan,” Elena replied, intent on opening up the second. She succeeded and handed it to Stefan, who took it with a mumbled “Thanks.” Lastly she worked on her own.


After their juicy breakfast, Elena took the three blankets and charmed them.

“Here, put these over your heads and faces. We’ll be reaching the desert, and the combination of sun, sand, and wind is fierce. I’ve made these thinner so you’ll be able to see through them as well.”

“Thanks,” said Ana. Stefan nodded, not meeting Elena’s eyes. Ana wrapped hers around easily and inventively, but Stefan was having trouble. Taking pity on him, she went and wound it around his head.

>Thanks Ana<

>That’s what sisters are for< she said and smiled, knowing that he probably wouldn’t see it. She also squeezed his arm.

They mounted their horses. Ana and Stefan immediately noticed that Úilna and Mol Ehni’s coats had thinned, without necessarily showing the skin through.

>Well aren’t you ingenious< said Ana. Úilna merely chuckled.

The trio set off towards the desert. At midday, all traces of plain and grass had disappeared. The dry dirt dried even more and turned to sand beneath the horses’ hooves. Not wanting their weight to further push them into the sand, Elena, Ana, and Stefan led them by the bridle or by their hands, and walked afoot beside them. The air was hot and stifling under their headscarves. The wind picked up and drove them sideways, and still they plodded on forwards. Thoth’s first home was this expanse: if he was nowhere near, they were lost, as was the future of the Land.