I can feel him watching me.
I'm in the Chief's shed.Outside there's a firepit.It's dark.
He's watching me.
I can't move.I can't speak.
I scream, but I hear no sound.
I see him: he's there, bent over, stirring the coals.
I scream again. Nothing.
He reaches out a hand. Something glints in the firelight.
And then I scream louder. So loud I jolt upright in bed.
I wake up.
At the foot of the bed, "Mom" is there, her face frightened.
"Did you have a nightmare? I heard you screaming and I ran up," she says, her voice trembling.
"I think so… but I don't remember," I lie, without knowing why.
"I was making breakfast. Come downstairs with me?"
"Sure."
I look at her for a moment. It's strange: a woman that beautiful with no children.
Short hair the color of gold, pale skin, a small nose sprinkled with freckles. She must be over forty, but her grey eyes, framed by fine wrinkles, give her a different kind of beauty. Something unique.
She goes downstairs. I stay behind for a second to check the vial. It's still there.
I let out a breath of relief and follow her.
Back in the village, breakfast was savory: eggs, meat, berries, bread. Here I discovered sweets.
Cornetti are my favorites, filled with blackberry jam and served with red tea.
I tried to learn how to cook too. As long as it was just mixing ingredients, everything was fine. But the baking… eighty percent of the time I burned everything.
I had nothing to do today.
So I went out. I'd find something.
My mind snapped back to the day before. How dare he not tell me his name?
The thought obsessed me. I dedicated a page of the diary to empty out my unease.
I drifted from side to side through the streets, spotting people at the last second and slipping around them, until I got tired and sat down in the shade.
Even though there aren't many shaded places in the square. A few trees help, but for the parade they'd trimmed most of the branches.
WHAT IS CASTING A SHADOW OVER ME?
I raised my eyes.
A white vulture, much bigger than me, perched right in the middle of the square.
A voice froze me completely.
"You've got talent, you know?"
"This is Thalior. He's identical," a sweet, almost childish voice added behind me.
I turned as slowly as I could, expecting the worst.
I saw a boy. Tall. Solid. Short hair. Pointed ears.
The sun kept me from seeing his face clearly, and the image of the vulture slammed into my head. I turned back in terror and hid behind the diary.
I imagined my death in at least five different ways.
Time started to slow down more and more.
A shadow moved toward me.
By now I was trying to hide every centimeter of my body inside that tiny diary.
"Why are you hiding it? It's beautiful, you know," he said, and slid the diary right out of my hands.
The light came back, and with it reality: my end had arrived.
"It's that annoying guy. I have to show him. I wonder what bored face he'll make…"
I opened my eyes again.
Above me, the boy was smiling. He wore travel clothes: tough fabric, lots of pockets, reinforced boots. A greenish backpack with hooks and straps. And, on top of all that…
An enormous vulture, its beak a few centimeters from my face.
I went rigid with terror. I fell backward and stared up at the sky.
Nice day to die, I thought. The weather's perfect.
But the boy stepped between me and the sun. He smiled, and his smile warmed more than the day.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of an animal that harmless."
He offered his hand to help me up.
My eyes shot back to the predator behind him, and I froze.
"Then let's do this: I'll introduce you."
The vulture lowered itself at his side, bowing with an almost elegant grace.
"This is Saphra, my traveling companion."
I couldn't breathe. Without even realizing it, I reached out my hand.
Saphra lowered her neck and let me stroke her white feathers.
"They're extraordinary creatures, aren't they?" he said.
"How did you manage to tame her?" I asked, barely a whisper.
"I didn't. I earned her trust. And she earned mine."
He turned back to me and smiled again.
"Anyway. Nice to meet you. I'm Kelthar."
I hesitated, then answered:
"Varogan… nice to meet you."
"I was just heading to that grump Thalior. Want to come with me?"
He lifted my diary, waving it like a trophy.
I snatched it back on instinct, like a cat defending its prey, and shook my head.