A very strange character shows up here đź‘€
"You've got this. It's just a few steps."
"Doesn't seem like it."
"I know. But it is. Just keep your eyes on Riptide and the water. Only that. I'm right behind you."
With a shaky breath and a flex of my hands, I began the process of overcoming the anxiety of crossing the beach by myself. Eyarr had talked me into it, encouraging me but not forcing it. He knew I wanted to overcome it, and he had figured out the right way to confront the issue.
A few feet in the water, Riptide was patiently waiting and watching. And with me, Eyarr and Cliffire also watched.
Eyes forward. Keep your eyes forward. Don't think, just do.
My thoughts focused on this one action, and with a deep breath, I stepped forward, one foot on the sand.
The first step.
Should we count our steps?
No! It'll break our focus! Eyes on Riptide!
Another step.
And another. And another.
My hands began to tremble, fighting away the horrid memories. Clenching my fists, I kept my steely gaze on Riptide, my eyes landing on his saddle. My eyes began to water, but I blinked the building tears. I wasn't going to lose this.
Only a few more steps to the shore.
Then I sprinted.
Sprinted right into the shore and made a sloppy jump towards Riptide, half-submerged as I scrambled for the reigns on his saddle. Sputtering, I clenched my jaw and pulled myself up with all the sheer strength I could muster.
Finally, on his back, I gasped, wrapping my arms around the base of his long neck, holding him tightly.
I slowly opened my eyes, pushing my soaked hair out of my face, directing my attention to Eyarr and Cliffire back on shore.
I couldn't quite read the expression Eyarr bore, but something told me he was pleasantly surprised with how I handled my confrontation. Nevertheless.
"You did it!" He cheered. Riptide angled his head around so he could focus directly on me. I managed to crack a small smile.
"Hey, buddy…"
"Hey! Laeli! Are you ready to go?" Eyarr called from overhead.
It was time to head north. Return the personal items that had been stolen from their people.
Using the map I'd made, I was able to guide us to the mainland within two days.
The dragons needed to rest, so we made a small camp just beyond the outskirts of a small village. My map could only get us so far, as I only knew of Zyrah's daughter living on the mainland with her Sámi village. Though I didn't know her yet, I knew her mother. And I was confident that Zyrah's daughter could help us. It was just a matter of locating her.
"What do you reckon we do?" Eyarr inquired.
"Well… there's got to be a way to find the village. Though I'm unfamiliar with Sámi customs, maybe we can find someone who is?"
"Worth a shot. Let's see how busy the tavern is." He suggested. I grabbed a bag with some money, a journal, charcoal, and a knife.
Upon entering the tavern, it was much quieter than the first tavern we went to at the beginning of our trip. That being said, I didn't feel uncomfortable, yet I remained wary. Given all Eyarr had informed me about the activities on the mainland, one couldn't be too sure of strangers and what goings on occurred.
We sat at a table positioned so we weren't in the direct line of sight of the front door but still close enough to escape if necessary. Eyarr then went to go give payment to the owner for some water and food.
As I waited, I scanned my star map alongside Eyarr's map of the mainland. I didn't know how many he possessed, but I knew he had many—maps he acquired through trade or as payments for a favor. Even though I'd gotten to know him personality-wise, there was still much I didn't know about his past, how he became the person I knew now.
When I glanced up after some time, he was chatting with the owner of the tavern, balancing a coin on his knuckles. He didn't turn to me, but I watched him carefully. The tavern owner occasionally nodded, and I could see his lips move, but I was unable to make out what he was saying.
"What's that map you've got there?" Came a deep, gravelly voice. Startled, I whirled to face my left, where I heard the voice. A man sitting a table away, face hidden by a dark hood.
"What's it to you?" I replied, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
"I know many travelers in these parts," his eyes shifted to meet mine, though making out the color was difficult with the shadow, "I've guided many."
"Sure." I finished, uninterested in continuing the conversation. Come on, Eyarr, finish up your chitchat…
"Waitin' for the lad?" The man questioned again. I didn't answer him this time, hoping he'd get the hint. Unfortunately for me, he didn't. As he opened his mouth to ask me another question, Eyarr finally rejoined me.
"Oh, thank gods, what took you so long?" I demanded.
"Sorry, sorry. I was asking the owner if he knew anyone who could lead us to the Sámi village."
"And?"
"He knows of one."
"Who?" I lifted my head up at the sound of footsteps, turning, it was the owner of the tavern, and, much to my dismay and shock, the man who'd been hounding me earlier.
"I knew you were here for somethin'." The mysterious man grinned. He'd pulled back his hood, revealing ghastly pale skin, heavily grayed black hair, and intense dark blue eyes, and under those eyes of his were the darkest eyebags I'd ever seen. He bore a patchy beard, and bare spots riddled with scars. And even underneath the collar of his black shirt, I could see a massive scar on his neck.
"What's your name?" There was a pause, almost like the man was formulating something.
"Éiron." He finally said. There was a weird expression that crossed Eyarr's face.
"What?"
"Odd name. Not common in these parts." He whispered.
"Hmm."
"My friend, Gnýr, tells me you're looking for the Sámi folk."
"That's correct."
"Well, you're in luck. I was born and raised on the mainland. I've come to know many of the tribes. Tell me who you're looking for." I quirked an eyebrow at Eyarr and Gnýr, still unsure if we could trust him. It was difficult to explain, but Éiron gave strange energy. Gnýr nodded, and so did Eyarr.
"Okay… well, we're looking for a woman named Hilda Nilsson. I know she recently came to the mainland from the Barbaric Archipelago."
"Hilda Nilsson…" Éiron repeated, his teal eyes shifting around as he thought about the name. As he thought, I couldn't help but notice how similar his eyes were to that of Nyr's, Hilda's twin brother. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it did strike me as odd.
"Ah, yes… Hilda. I do know her. Not personally, but I am… familiar with her tribe. She lives to the north. From here, it takes about two days to reach her."
"Oh, wow. Uh, thank you."
"How do you know her? If I may ask?" Eyarr jumped in. Éiron shrugged.
"I have connections to another Sámi tribe very, very far north. Many tribes are in contact with each other in some way. It's usually by families, and I know Hilda's mother."
"You do? How?" Éiron paused, and something crossed his eyes.
"It's… not something I enjoy discussing." He answered quietly. He stood from his chair, making his exit, "I hope you find what you are looking for." And with that, he was gone, disappearing into the wilderness.
"What a strange man," Eyarr remarked. Gnýr grimaced.
"I've known him for years. He's certainly troubled. He always comes back in the spring and stays until late autumn."
Even though it was nice to chat with someone like Gnýr, I made a small gesture to Eyarr that we should get moving, especially now that we had the information we needed to find Hilda.
"Right. Well, thank you, Gnýr. I deeply appreciate your help."
"My pleasure. Please, feel free to come back. I'll be more than happy to assist if you need it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
We followed Éiron's directions with our departure, making our way north. He said we would be able to find the village with red and blue flags tied to trees that indicated the entrance. Easy enough. We were lucky to have good weather and a steady wind, cutting our time short on dragonback. We had not told Éiron that we had dragons, so his initial timespan of two days was cut down to roughly a little over a day.
After one day of flying, we opted to walk the remainder, as it couldn't be too far, and we didn't want to frighten any villagers with flying dragons. A ground approach would be easier to handle.
By dawn the following day, I spied the ribbon flags fluttering in the breeze, the brilliant jewel hues making them easy to spot.
And when we approached the village entrance, I was astounded to see the 'gate' was made of woven trees, branches, and reeds. The trees that formed the foundational structure were still growing, having not been uprooted. The branches and reed were finely woven into ropes, weaving in and out of gaps and holes. On the main trunks of the two trees were various carvings, symbols that reminded me of the symbols on the drum.
Well, this was it, I suppose.
We left the boys just outside the village in the trees so they wouldn't be initially seen. With our bags in hand, we made our way in.