Railiana Monroe's Arc

Chapter 2 of 10

With Tibble guarding her rows at night, Railiana finally had time to plan. She wanted to double her plot. The empty land past her fence would give her room for corn and beans. But that morning, Tibble tugged her sleeve and pointed toward the trees. "Someone's living in that old shack," he said. "Saw smoke last night. Big fellow. Horns." Railiana's stomach dropped. She could not clear new land with a stranger watching from the woods. She would not wait and wonder. She filled a basket with warm bread and a jar of stew. If the stranger was kind, she would make a friend. If not, she would learn it face to face. Tibble shook his staff. "You're mad. Take me at least." She left him at the fence. Some things you did alone. The crooked shack hunched beneath a tangle of vines. Its roof sagged. Broken boards lay across the porch steps. Railiana climbed carefully and knocked. The door swung open before her knuckles landed twice. A tall young man filled the doorway. Silver hair fell across red eyes. Two black horns curved from his head. His shirt hung torn and open. He looked at her basket, then at her, and his hand tightened on the doorframe. "You should go," he said. His voice was low. "People who find me don't stay friendly long." Railiana held out the bread. "I brought food. I'm your neighbor. I farm the plot past the wall." Her hands shook, but she kept the basket up. "I only came to know if you mean me harm." He stared at the loaf as if he'd forgotten what kindness looked like. Slowly, he took it. He tore off a piece and ate. "Levi," he said between bites. "I ran from a bad place. I don't want trouble. I just needed somewhere quiet." His shoulders dropped. "I've been drinking from a pool back here. Keeps me on my feet." He led her around the shack. Behind it lay a small pond. The water glowed pale and clear, ringed with stone and cattails. Ripples spread across the still surface though no wind blew. Railiana knelt and touched it. Warmth spread up her arm. Tired muscles she'd carried for days went loose. "This water heals," she whispered. She thought of her thin, struggling crops. Water like this could turn dry soil rich. It could grow the finest harvest in Ruvalia. And it sat on land she'd meant to clear. "It's on your side of the trees," Levi said. "Or close enough." He watched her, wary. "I won't fight you for it." Railiana stood. The stranger was no threat. He was hungry and alone, and he sat beside the greatest thing her farm could ever use. "You keep drinking it," she said. "But let me bring water to my fields. We share." Levi hesitated, then nodded once. Now she had her answer, and a treasure she never expected. She also had a new question: how to move that magic water to her dying rows.