Gift of Gold (The Year of Churning Bloods) (63 page)

Totara had chosen possibly the easiest most debris free spot on the property.

I walked around the perimeter of the tree and squinted. The only major hazard was the hut and that was far enough from the tree that even the top most branches couldn’t scrape it. Taking a deep breath, I swung, however the axe slipped in my hand the second that it came in contact with the wood.
I threw my
arms
skyward
as the
whiplash of the
handle had ricocheted
painfully off of my hands. It was quite fortunate for both Totara and I that the axe hadn’t gone flying when I let go. Instead, it merely stuck itself in the tree trunk and bobbed up and down slightly as if laughing at my feeble attempt to do any damage. Anger suddenly surged through my body,
erasing
the
uncertainty I had before. Gripping the wooden handle like my life depended on it, I swung the axe with
as much power I could muster.

              Although I still had less than perfect aim, the satisfying thunk of iron bashing through lumber made me smile with the thought that I was making progress.
I jumped back
as a
cold breeze swept through the clearing
and rattled my tree. After a few strong gusts, I reluctantly returned to my work, realizing that the wind was only going to get stronger throughout the afternoon.

              Finding breathing to be suddenly diffi
cult, I slowed my strokes and tried to concentrate more on technique. I repositioned my hands, and struck from odd angles. I tensed all the muscles in my body, yet nothing seemed to be improving the efficiency of my work. I reluctantly let my mind wander as fatigue slowly inhabited my body.
I remember
ed copying an old book which mentioned something called a
soliloquy. Apparently it's when
someone starts
rambling to themselves
to feel smarter than they actually are
. Some people claim to have found
peace
of mind doing this
. Somewhat curious, I began talking, wondering to myself what might happen.

              “Hello? Is anyone there?
” I began uncertaintly.
“
This is Jacob speaking. I'm here for my peace of mind? No-no, not a piece of a mind, that
’s just gross
.You haven't got any? Well, that
can’t be right
because I just
placed
an order for it nearly
thirty seconds
ago.”

              “Mortal, I think you’re missing the point,” Umber sighed, drifting into view. “Furthermore, why would you bother talking to yourself when you know I could just as easily be speaking with you.”

              “Oh what fun is there in talking with you?” I snickered before lazily brushing the spirit out of sight. “Anyways, I am technically talking to myself. What am I doing wrong?”

              “Well, You’re supposed to be talking about important things like death, your meaningless existence and all that philosophical nonsense.”

I blinked stupidly and wretched a little on the spot. “But who’d want to do that when you can talk about
interesting
things?”

              “Intelligent people apparently,” Umber responded quietly.

              “What was that?” I asked, angrily raising the intensity of my thoughts.

Before Umber could respond, The tree before me suddenly splintered, causing my thoughts to race back to reality. I expected the tree to simply sway back to its original position however not a moment later, the front of the tree had completely enveloped my vision. As Totara tackled me to the ground, an empty scream escaped my throat only to be drowned out by the rumble of the earth. Instinctively, my hands fell to my head.

              Once I’d assembled myself, I sniffed loudly and stood, looking upwards to prevent the pool of tears gathering in my eyes from leaking. From the edge of my vision, I could see Totara clamber to his feet and brush his legs off as if nothing had happened at all. I refused to look him, knowing that I had put him in such a dire position. I’d failed while endangering the person who was nice enough to keep me in his own home.

              “Jacob,” Totara began uncertainty.

Unable to contain myself for any longer, I turned away from him and tumbled to the ground. It was every bit my fault that I was this stupid.

Totara
fell to his knees and gently laid a hand across my back
.
“
Jacob, listen to me
.”
I refused to answe
r, hoping that
he would realize I only wanted to be left alone.

              “
You did a much better job than me on my first tree,” he admitted bashfully.

My face opened up in amazement, yet even then I felt committed not to speak.

Totara seemed to understand. “I’ll get you some food,” he said quietly. “Your veins could do with some hearty broth and nothing cures a grouchy face better than a cup of pine tea.”

              “I
’ve never
really liked pine tea
,
” I admitted
, keeping my eyes pointed straight towards the spot of earth where I had landed.

              “Nonsense!” Totara roared. “Everyone loves pine tea! Especially me.” I looked up, and found myself trying not to smile at his twisted expression of mock shock. “When I was looking for Rimu, It was the dried pine tea that prevented me from getting scurvy out at sea.” Totara suddenly
jabbed a stern finger in my shoulder
. “And it will save you from being such a grump.”

I made gagging noises like I was on the verge of choking
which caused Totara to double over in a fit of laughter
.

“I guess you'll develop a taste for it over time.
”

              “We'll see
,
” I muttered under my breath
but
Totara pretended not to hear me.

              Remarkably being true to his word, Gregor continued to work from that day forward, although he did so begrudgingly. Every opportunity he got, he would try to stare me down as if I was something worth stepping on. The longer he stared at me though, the more I noticed the subtle ways he tried to intimidate me. Every glare would begin as a casual look of disbelief before malforming into disgust a few seconds later followed by rage. Although there was nothing I could do to him in return, it did give me some satisfaction in knowing that I was keeping him here against his will.
 

             
“
So we miss a month to build his little army. Is that such a bad thing?
”

Umber looked mortified
at my comment. “Mortal, you undervalue the idea of having an entire army on your side. One little packet of luck cannot compensate for the vast wealth of services an army could provide. Furthermore I would like to remind you that we are on a deadline, regardless of whatever strange sense of time you possess.”

I smiled broadly and casually flicked him away.
“It
’
s mighty bad luck for you that you're in my body and not Gregor's
,
” I
replied without any remorse
.
As time went on however, it became apparent that I had underestimated just how much Gregor wanted to be elsewhere. One early morning, I awoke to the hushed noises of someone deliberately trying to be silent. Cracking a single eye open, I gave an instinctive yelp as I saw Gregor trying to sneak his hand into Totara’s chest pocket while he slept.

Gregor immediately leapt back at the sound of my squeal, however misplaced his feet and ended up tumbling to the floor with a loud clunk.
Totara sniffed
slightly
, smacked his lips twice
and
then rolled over in his bed
while
still asleep.
Gregor wordlessly swooped to my side and clutched my throat as if he were going to choke me. I felt his cold thick hands start to close off my windpipe and for a terrifying moment I honestly thought he was going to follow through with it.
He stared me down for a full five seconds before throwing be back onto my bed and giving me
a rude gesture along with
his worst glare yet.

I considered warning Totara that Gregor was keen on pickpocketing him for the luck powder however decided against it at the last minute, for fear that he might not believe me. Fortunately for me, Gregor showed no more inclination to steal throughout the stay and instead spent his time sharpening his already thorny gaze.

One surprisingly warm afternoon after I had finished my work, I sat on a bed of snowy grass and bided my time by silently observing the valley with weary eyes. From where I was sitting upon the small hilltop I could see Totara bustling about in the side hut, looking incredibly busy. “Now what is he doing?” I asked, taking a few cautious steps forward to see if I could catch a glimpse. Maneuvering to a small tree, I peeked through a nook in the branches and gasped as I saw what he was working on.

              Standing as tall as a short man, was a splendid wooden carving that Totara was effortlessly shaping with a small chisel and strip of sandpaper. The sculpture was a swan with its wings outstretched to extent where the soft light of the afternoon almost seemed to be passing through the delicate feathers.
From the crest of the bird upward
,
was the
face of a woman
. Her braided hair was carelessly flung down over one wing and although it was
simple, I found it was terrifyingly beautiful.

“This was what was under that woolen blanket,” I realized suddenly. All this time I had thought it was more firewood, or more tools. “I have to tell Totara I’m a Grimlar,” I said, surprising even myself. Maybe it was looking at the carving that inspired me, or the warm passion with which Totara tended to the sculpture. Either way I mysteriously felt myself advance forward.

Umber lingered back in an attempt to stop me. “
You don't know what you're doing Jacob
,
”
he
warned in desperation.
“
This could
shatter your chances of getting the miracle powder back
.
”
Try thinking for a change
,
”
h
e suggested optimistically.

              “I can't keep lying to a friend
,
” I said simply.
I sidestepped the man, who was hunched over
his creation and pouring over every last detail
. His eyes were focused
and
his body was relaxe
d
. Now that I was a few feet away from the carving, I noticed
the odd way it
seemed to be drawing in the surrounding light, turning all my focus towards
itself
.
Although notably lifeless, her eyes gleamed with bittersweet happiness, which was highlighted by her kind and lonely smile far down her face.
I noticed she was wearing a pendant identical to the one Totara had showed me earlier.

              “Do you like her?” Totara asked, stepping back. “I couldn't remember what her body looked like, but I think I captured the face
pretty
well.”

              “
It’s
extraordinary
,
” I replied breathlessly.
“I honestly can’t believe that anyone like this ever lived.”

With a great amount of effort, Totara t
urned his attention from
the carving and stared at me. “Is there a reason you're here
a
nd not preparing for
dinner
?”

My lower lip trembled, I wanted to avert my eyes, but Totara's piercing gaze had latched onto my field of vision.
“
I’ve been lying,
” I blurted out suddenly.

              “What
now
?” Totara
asked, looking completely abashed
.