The Journey - Part 10

Leiyu ended up catching a wild hare later that day, but his mind was elsewhere as he roasted it over a roaring flame. He occasionally turned to look at Prince Thallios, who was standing in front of the horses. Leiyu had given the prince a handful of oats from his sleeve, and the prince was busy feeding the steeds.

His mother’s ghost, Leiyu thought. He was not certain that was the reason behind the prince’s sudden changes of character, but it was a possibility. Did she imbue the ruby with her spirit before she passed on? Is that why she finally passed on? Leiyu’s head was swirling with questions, but he could not ask them outright. It might interfere with the quest for the sword.

Leiyu turned the roasting game on the spit. Well, I can’t just ask him to take the ruby off, especially since he has such a strong attachment to it. I’ll just have to see what happens everyday. Or should I just tell him? Arrghhhh…

Leiyu decided that the meat looked done, and took it off the flame. He took out his knife and started cutting it up, moving almost mechanically as he repeated a phrase in his head. Heart as still as water. Heart as still as water. Heart as still as-

“Leiyu?”

Leiyu looked up. Prince Thallios was standing next to him, hands empty.

I’m getting too distracted, Leiyu thought. I didn’t even notice him walking up to me. “Your Highness? Do you need more oats?”

“I think the horses are okay,” the prince said. He turned his gaze to the food that Leiyu was preparing, and sat down. Leiyu handed the prince a few pieces of the roasted hare. As the prince nibbled silently, Leiyu glanced at him.

“Your Highness, right before you faint, do you feel anything?”

Prince Thallios looked up, cheeks slightly flushed. “I’m sorry I keep doing that. I hope I’m not becoming a burden.”

Leiyu frowned. I wish he’d stop saying that about himself. Even if… “Your Highness, I’m just concerned that you might have a serious condition.”

Prince Thallios looked down. “I don’t know. I’ve never experienced so many fainting spells back in the palace. It’s probably just the new environment.”

“Well, we are going to be traveling through the forest for many weeks. I’m not even sure if we’re actually heading in the right direction. ‘Northeast mountains’ is very vague. Do you know if there are any cities in this part of the region?”

“I don’t think so, at least not according to maps I’ve seen. It’s all wilderness.”

Leiyu took a bite of the roasted hare. After he finished chewing, he exhaled slowly. “We’ll just keep going then. When I traveled on my own, I didn’t really have a good sense of where I was headed. Just kept going. It’s a bit different here, since we’re looking for something.”

Prince Thallios sighed. “I don’t even know why my father insisted that the sword is real. Has he seen it before? He’s never told me much of anything.” He took another bite of the hare.

They spent the rest of the meal in awkward silence as the hare bones piled up between them.

***

After their meal, Leiyu and Prince Thallios continued through the forest with Bakhat and the prince’s horse. After a shichen passed, Leiyu paused. He pulled on the reins to bring Bakhat to a halt.

“What’s wrong?” Prince Thallios asked.

“The air feels different,” Leiyu said. “It’s thicker and heavier. Let me go forward and check first. I won’t go too far.” He nudged Bakhat forward. They walked between the shadows of the trees. As he passed by the mottled trunks, he saw trails of ants spiraling up the jagged wood. The trees and underbrush became denser, as if imposing a wall. Bakhat stepped over fallen branches and desiccated leaves. Leiyu’s cloak brushed against leaves and sharp thorns. When the vegetation cleared up, he pulled on the reins.

Before him was a lake, but an eerie one. It was perfectly flat, like a polished mirror. Along the shore was a cluster of small moss-covered houses, arranged like a fairy ring. The air was heavy with moisture and smelled like decaying detritus. He cautiously nudged Bakhat forward.

“Leiyu?”

Leiyu turned around. Prince Thallios was not far behind him, trying to get through the thick brush. “Oh, Your Highness. I was going to go back for you after I figured out if it was safe.”

“I didn’t want to be separated for too long,” the prince said. A few leaves fell by the wayside as he made his way through the vegetation wall. He looked around. “What is all this?”

“Not sure,” Leiyu said. “Bizarre place. The lake has a dead feeling to it.”

They walked closer to the shore. Leiyu picked up a pebble and tossed it at the water. The pebble sank straight in.

“Huh, that’s weird,” Leiyu said. “It didn’t create any ripples.”

“How eerie,” the prince said.

“Your Highness, did your book on myths and legends say anything about a strange lake in this part of the region?”

Prince Thallios looked skyward. “Hmm, I do recall reading something about a magical mirror lake where the reflection shows you who you really are. I always assumed it was make believe, though.” He turned to Leiyu. “Should we take a look?”

Leiyu glanced over at the prince. Will the reflection show what is possessing him? “We could, Your Highness. Just don’t touch the water.”

They cautiously walked up to the water’s edge. The silvered surface contained the image of the brilliant blue sky and wispy dragon tail clouds. When Leiyu peered down to see his own reflection, his heart nearly stopped.

There was nothing there.

Leiyu stepped backward abruptly, shifting his feet so he wouldn’t fall. What does this mean? Why don’t I have a reflection? He turned to his side. Prince Thallios was staring intensely at the water.

“What do you see, Your Highness?” Leiyu asked. If he also doesn’t have a reflection, maybe it’s fine. Then this is just a strange lake.

“I just see myself,” the prince said. “Although something about my reflection seems a little off. I can’t quite figure out what. Maybe the water is distorting my image, even though the surface is perfectly flat.”

Nothing different? No signs of possession? Leiyu thought. Then what about me? Why couldn’t I see anything? I’ve always been able to see my reflection in normal mirrors.

Leiyu’s blood ran cold and his limbs felt as if they were pricked by a thousand pins. His thoughts were like quicksand.

Do I actually exist? Am I a ghost pretending to be a living person? Is that why I don’t remember my parents? Is that why it was so easy for me to leave home without looking back?

He remembered King Xenon’s recollection of the late queen’s visions. How an Eastern stranger would be the one to save Prince Thallios.

Was I created just to fulfill this role?