Ch. 12— Kit, & Entanglement

Moonthread, by Anthony Lee Phillips

Chapter 12
KIT, and ENTANGLEMENT

The orclings went to the toolshed. The shed had all the tools that Mama and Gran used for the orchard, as well as harpoons, nets, and clam buckets.

“Not much of a weapon,” Nala said, picking up a bucket.

Bakura looked, not smiling. “Funny.”

There was a chicken coop attached to the shed, with a dozen hens and two roosters.

“Cute chickens,” he said.

“Careful,” said Nala.

Bakura did laugh at that, as he approached the roosters.

“Careful? Careful of wh—?”

The rooster screamed and attacked his hand.

“What the—!”

The chickens erupted in a clucking cacophony.

“Stupid bird!” Bakura yelled.

“He likes you,” said Nala, cracking a smile.

He shot her a look, but she only shook her head.

“I told you,” she said.

“Just hurry up and find something.”

She rifled through the shed.

Most of the tools would be useless— their spade was a short little thing, and Nala was terrified of getting too close to the monster once they found the thing.

“What about that?” Bakura said, pointing at a rake.

She looked at it. “This? This isn’t a weapon.”

“Anything can be a weapon.”

“Not in my hands,” Nala said, scoffing. “And… I mean, look at it!”

It was a good length, but its flimsy teeth were useless.

Nala saw a net, and picked it up.

“Maybe…? Uh… I dunno. Looks cool, but—”

“Is that a spear?” he said.

Nala looked where he was looking.

“Oh yeah,” Nala said, the net still in her hand. “That’s my Papa’s old fishing harpoon.”

“Where is he?” Bakura asked.

Nala shrugged. “Not here.”

She stepped over tools and other junk on the floor, until she made it to the shed’s corner.

She picked up the harpoon.

“That looks like a weapon,” Bakura said, still near the entrance, day blazing behind him.

“True,” Nala admitted. “Maybe that’s why I don’t like holding it.”

It was clearly made with killing in mind. It had a long, light shift, and there was an iron trident attached to one end. The weapon’s heel was weighted for balance.

Nala picked it up, and was surprised to find it was lighter than it looked.

“Looks heavy,” Bakura said.

Nala shrugged. “It’s not.”

“Let me see,” he said, and held out his hand.

All silhouetted like that,

He looked every bit a prince,

And every bit a beggar.

She crossed back over the junk, harpoon in one hand, net over one shoulder.

He took it out of her hands without asking, which made Nala’s skin bubble.

The Ring glowed deep black on Nala’s finger. She made a fist without meaning to.

“You want the knife instead?” Bakura said. “I kinda like th—OOF!”

Suddenly, the spear became impossibly heavy. It dropped like an anvil, before Bakura could even let it go of it. It dropped so heavy, the spear actually cracked through the wooden floor of the shed.

“I’m sorry!” said Nala, covering her mouth.

As Nala’s anger melted into remorse, the shadows under the spear became light again.

“I’m so, so sorry, I—”

But he was laughing. He got up, spear still in his hands.

“Did you do that?” Bakura asked.

Nala shrugged. “Not on purpose, but…”

“But yes?” said Bakura.

Nala dodged the question. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Embarrassed, but fine.”

She smiled. He put out the spear, and she took it.

Their hands touched, and (MHMHMH) there was a wince of magic…

A flinch of a thousand visions, crammed into less
Than a piece of a moment. Their physical contact was brief,
But their entanglement was so strong
That as they touched, a flood of sensations
(Both remembered and yet to come) Flashed
Across their joined minds. Joined Souls.

They separated.

Both were wide eyed.

They were mirrors of each other.

“You okay?” said Nala.

Bakura nodded. “You?”

Nala nodded, and looked for something, anything, to say. Anything to put the silence out of its awkward, aimless misery.

“W-wh, uh, w-won’t you need a w-w-eapon too?”

Bakura smirked, reached into his cloak, and pulled a knife out of his sash.

“See?” he said.

It was a simple eating knife, tucked into a spot in his sash.

“Is that…?” Nala said, head tilting. “Wait, is that from…?”

“Your kitchen, yeah,” Bakura said, wearing a wolfish grin.

But then his grin became a line of worry.

“I mean— I didn’t mean to steal it, not exactly, but— I’ll give it back.”

“That’s my Mama’s favorite knife,” said Nala.

“I didn’t steal it,” said Bakura. “I’ll— I mean, I did, but I’ll give it back. Just need something is all, and— Look, I just figured that if we f—”

“It’s okay,” lied Nala. “We’d better get going.”

She walked past Bakura, out into the day.

Bakura sighed behind her. “Busted,” she heard him say, before following after her.

* * * * / * * * *

Bakura strode toward Mt. Wraithwood, and Nala struggled to keep up with him.

The applewood orchard rose up all around them, but as they got closer to the foot of the mountain, the trees thinned. The cottage faded into the background.

Eventually, the grass stopped growing, and they came upon those three droopy Scrumpy trees. They stopped walking and looked up.

The mountain loomed above them.

“Mount Wraithwood,” Nala muttered.

“Mount what?” said Bakura.

“Wraithwood.”

“What’s a ‘wraith’?”

“Oh,” said Nala. “I’ve… never really thought about it as two words. It’s just… A place, but… I think it means ghost?”

“Ah,” said Bakura. “Gotcha. Ghosts.” He looked back up at it. “Sounds about right.”

Its birches looked dead and alive, all at once. Grey mist drifted lazily through the forest. It looked thick as miasma.

Hhhh…! Yyyy…?

“Alright!” said Bakura, clapping his hands. “Let’s do this!”

He began walking, but Nala stayed frozen on the path.

Bakura noticed she wasn’t following, and turned.

“You coming?”

She didn’t know. She couldn’t say. She really didn’t want to.

Hhhh…

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” admitted Nala.

Bakura tried to look like he didn’t care.

“Ahhh,” he said. “I knew you were afraid.”

“Of course I’m afraid!” Nala blurted. “That’s… Mount Wraithwood!”

“So?”

“So it’s scary!” Nala said. “I know you’re not from here, but… there are ghosts. And… they say that on Mount Wraithwood, nothing grows and nothing dies.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Bakura scoffed.

Nala stared at him. “You’re really not scared?”

“Not at all,” lied Bakura.

Hhhh…?

“And even if I was,” Bakura said, “I wouldn’t let that stop me. I’ve survived way worse than that thing.”

“Says the kid who got attacked,” Nala said.

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“You just got lucky!” Nala said. “What if you don’t get lucky again?”

“I will,” smirked Bakura.

Nala shook her head. “No. I’m telling you, this is a bad, bad id—”

“Come on,” said Bakura. “I’ll protect you.”

Nala scoffed.

“I will!” he said. “And don’t laugh at me.”

“How are you gonna protect me?” said Nala.

“I’ll figure it out.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“I said I would, so I will.”

“That is not! how! it works!”

“I can’t die,” said Bakura.

The wind rushed red, down the slope of Mount Wraithwood.

Hhhh…

“What?” said Nala.

“And I won’t let you die,” said Bakura. “So… There. Just… Believe me.”

The trees drooped around him.

“I can’t,” Nala admitted.

Bakura took out his frustration on one of the branches. If it had been harvest season, bitter apples would have cascaded down.

“You promise?” said Nala.

He looked at her. “Of course! I said I would, I said! I told you!”

“I know you did, but—”

“And I meant it!” shouted Bakura.

Then he realized he was shouting.

“Sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay,” Nala lied.

“I just… I mean it. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Nala stared up at the mountain.

“We’re her only chance,” Bakura said.

Nala nodded, staring at the ground. “I know… I…”

She gulped, then looking up at him.

“Okay,” she said.

Bakura didn’t look convinced. “Yeah?”

Nala nodded.

“Let’s do this.”

And so they went on, past the three trees.

The ground sloped upward, and they began to carve up the trail of Mount Wraithwood, where nothing grew and nothing died, and demons waited, and bided time.

* * * * / * * * *

Next chapter: Mount Wraithwood

* * * * / * * * *

(ps— When you’re ready, here are 3 ways to help Nala’s story continue to grow.

1) Keep reading!

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3) Join the First Draft Fantasy Club!

^.^

(Art by Jess Tyree.)