Chapter 6: The Fraying Strap
The next morning, as Kessa and David were strapping up their packs, the camp steward approached and informed them they would be departing Thornsrest "as soon as the warding circles are complete." They went to the door of the guest cabin and watched in silence as the elders moved about the clearing. The two humans couldn’t follow the shapes they traced in the air or the low syllables they murmured, but saw the way their hands lingered on tree trunks and stones, as if fastening something unseen in place.
For a heartbeat, the air itself seemed to ripple, catching the light like heat haze, then smoothed back into stillness. If he hadn’t been watching closely, he might have thought he imagined it. The Nisse, however, carried on with quiet certainty, their faces calm as though they had locked the camp behind an invisible door. Kessa felt a shiver at the thought: protection so subtle that it left no mark, yet powerful enough to keep danger at bay.
Soon afterward, the party set out. About half an hour into their hike, Lyara approached them. "Would you honor me by allowing me to walk beside you?" she asked. "I would welcome the diversion. My kin are wonderful storytellers, but I’ve heard our family legends so often I can recite them in my sleep. I would welcome a chance to speak with those not of my spirit-line." The request was sincere, but Kessa noticed how Lyara's dark eyes lingered on her upper arm.
“He sent you to keep an eye on me, didn’t he?" asked Kessa, glancing back at Caelen, who was walking toward the rear of the column, slowing his pace to match that of a Nisse woman with gray hair and a slight limp. "Yes, he did." Lyara’s voice carried a hint of worry. “I hope that my presence, at Caelen’s behest, does not offend. I know well that not all humans welcome the shadow of a healer once the initial complaint has been addressed.”
Kessa gave a small, wry smile. “Honestly? It doesn’t bother me. Back home, it can take weeks just to get a doctor to return a follow-up call—so having someone check in on me like he's been doing several times a day, and then send you to watch over me, it feels...refreshing, actually."
"I am glad" continued Lyara. "I also wished to come. In addition to avoiding a 5th recitation of the same story in as many days, would welcome a brief respite from Faelina's company. Others of our kin were happy to attend to her when informed I had been asked by my mentor to observe your condition. Faelina is...enthusiastic in her affection, but also in examining every flower and rock we encounter, and is prone to straying from the path. When left solely to my charge, I spend half my time retrieving her."
David smiled. "Seems like kids are kids, regardless of species. I have a few younger cousins like that."
"It would seem so. Though I have little experience with human young ones."
With Lyara softly conversing with them, the first few hours of their trip passed quickly. She walked beside them on the wide path, her black braid catching the dappled light as she spoke lightly of the land—of the streams that cut through mossy hollows, and the ridge where wild goats could sometimes be seen at dawn, and of the healing plants that grew in such places. Kessa and David told her of their home in Colorado, of the high meadows and snow-capped peaks, and about the giant redwood forests around their university in their adopted state of California.
It was when Lyara pointed out a ancient signpost that she said once led to a human habitation, long abandoned, that David remembered to ask about the humans native to this world, and how they had arrived. For a moment, no one spoke. Lyara’s voice shifted, carrying the weight of tradition, as though she were reciting words preserved through generations. “Long ago, according to our storytellers, rifts opened between worlds. One of them… brought an entire human city into our lands.”
“An entire human city? Just…popped out of nowhere?”
“Yes” she continued. “A great island formed off the western coast of this continent, formed itself in a moment, not over millennia. Towers rose, walls materialized where none had existed, new voices echoed through our trees. The people who arrived were seafarers, mostly, though the new city was also inhabited by artisans, farmers and toolmakers."
"How did your people respond to that? It must have been strange, having beings that look so much like you just kind of falling out of the sky."
“We were happy to welcome other sentient beings, even though they were very different from us. They brought an energy that was alien to us, restless, somewhat chaotic, and unsettling, but which many of our ancestors found strangely compelling. Since then, we have established trading relationships, shared knowledge, and sometimes - such as at the University - humans choose to live among us for a time. A few choose to stay with us permanently."
Lyara's tales of inter-species relationships continued for the rest of the morning leg of their trek. Caelen joined them when they stopped for a midday meal, and to rest for a few hours in the shade, as the autumn day had been unusually warm. When the healer rose to get a second helping of his favorite roasted roots, his satchel caught David's eye. One of the straps was fraying, and looked like it could break with a hard tug.
David had some idea how important that satchel was. While he didn’t know exactly what was in it, Caelen was never without it. It hung at his side every hour he was awake. Once, the previous day, when David had been on his way to the privy, he had happened to glance into the healer's family cabin, where (after being nagged by Lyara again) Caelen was taking a short nap after finishing hanging herbs to dry, the door open to admit the breeze. David had noticed the bean-shaped bag positioned carefully within arm's reach of the healer's bedroll, like a fireman's boots beside his bunk.
David wasn’t sure he should say anything; it wasn’t his place to point out problems to their generous hosts, and the healer’s obvious connection to the supernatural still made him a bit nervous. But then he thought about Kessa’s father. Dr Ashburne would have been far more annoyed if he’d stayed silent about a flaw in an important piece of equipment than if he’d spoken up—even awkwardly.
As Caelen returned and resumed his spot on the log next to them, David shifted slightly, choosing his words carefully. “Um… that strap looks like it’s starting to wear out.”
Caelen evinced no annoyance, speaking with the same gentle calm as usual. “Indeed. I have noticed it before now. May the Celestials grant that it holds until Saltswreath. My kin have many talents, but sadly, leatherwork is not among them.” “I think I can fix it, if you can find me some strong cord. I always keep a few basic tools with me, and back home, just before the portal opened, I picked up some loose nails. I thought they might come in handy. You never know when you’re going to need something pointy.”
“I would be appreciative” Caelen said, handing over his satchel. He added with a faint, teasing smile, “it wouldn’t do for my kin to see their revered healer scrambling on the ground after spilled pouches of herbs.” Both Kessa and David laughed, but with David already examining the leather strap, judging where the best place would be to splice it, only Kessa noticed the healer’s sharp eyes had flicked to David’s face, and remained there, carefully observing him. When he heard David's chuckle, Caelen’s posture seemed to ease ever-so-slightly, as if the log upon which he was seated had suddenly become more comfortable.
David used the scissors of his multi-tool to remove the frayed section of the strap, cutting enough away to ensure the remaining ends had no imperfections, but not so much that it would greatly alter the length. Using a nail as a punch, a small river-stone as a hammer, and a stump as an anvil, David quickly produced a line of neat, even, diamond-shaped holes through both ends of the strap. Then, with cord Caelen gave him -which he also used to tie up the tops leather bundles containing healing herbs- he bound the two sides together using a leatherworker’s knot.
While David worked, his eyes had a look Kessa knew well. It was simultaneously focused and far away, as if the entire world, except for the project in his hands, had ceased to exist. The Nisse healer watched him curiously, his gaze growing warmer as the project neared completion. When David handed the satchel back, Caelen looked over the stitching carefully, making David nervous until he said “this is remarkable work. Even with the proper tools, I doubt one of the Saltswreath leather workers could have done much better.”
David's face warmed. “Thanks. I took a leatherworking class last year. The teacher said my technique was good. I didn’t think it was anything special. The leather felt a bit odd though, kind of more…springy than what I’m used to.”
“My kind avoid using the skins of dead animals when we can. This leather is made from valewyra—a plant with broad, fibrous leaves. Once cured and layered, the fibers become remarkably strong, flexible, and long-lasting. It can withstand wear nearly as well as hide, though it frays if left neglected. I should have had it repaired long before now, but I am familiar with the contours of this bag, and can tell where each of my remedies is by touch. I didn’t relish the thought of using another, even temporarily.”
Kessa nudged David. He was like that with his tools too; she’d seen him put off a project for a week if his favorite hammer wasn’t available, rather than use one he was less comfortable with. “I’m glad you like it. David is a better repair person than he likes to admit. I guarantee that stitching is going to hold.”
“I am certain it will” said Caelen. "Your craft has ensured that should anyone require my skill, they will not have to wait for me to search for the appropriate remedy in an unfamiliar container, nor will I risk the loss of any that may be crucial an unexpected moment. For that, I thank you."
Before David could figure out anything to say in response to being thanked by someone who could fix a broken bone in a few seconds, Faelina approached them and started chattering to Caelen about all the plants she had seen while they were eating lunch, enthusiastically informing him how she'd memorized their potential medical uses. Caelen spoke to her gently, praising her diligence in her studies, and as soon as they started moving again, she skipped off to walk with her cousins.
That night, Kessa and David turned in early, not long after the evening meal. The Nisse's leisurely pace and the long midday rest had helped, but neither were quite used to walking for so many hours, and they were tired. The camp steward graciously offered them a sleeping place at the far end of their campsite, away from most activities, so they would be less likely to be disturbed.
As they were laying out the sleeping rolls they'd been given, David turned toward her, voice low. "It was good to hear you laugh again. It’s been a long time." Kessa looked thoughtful. "Yeah…it has been a while. It feels good to be able to."
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