Chapter 44

Evening Under the Tree

After a long day of completing odd jobs, Zedd, Elara, and Reina had finally managed to gather enough coins to support themselves for the time being. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the town. The sky transitioned from shades of orange and pink to deep purples and blues, as evening set in. A light breeze danced through the trees, rustling the leaves above and carrying with it the earthy scent of the nearby forest.

The streets were gradually quieting down as people returned to their homes, leaving the town to take on a peaceful, almost sleepy vibe. A few vendors lingered, still trying to sell their goods, but the bustle of the day had faded, and only the occasional footstep or quiet conversation broke the silence.

Zedd, Elara, and Reina had made their way to a quiet spot under a large tree on the outskirts of the town. The shade offered a bit of relief from the warm day, and they had decided to take a moment to rest. Elara had already drifted off to sleep, her head leaning gently against the trunk of the tree. Her long, fiery red hair cascaded over her shoulder, a stark contrast to the deep green of the grass beneath her.

Reina sat beside Zedd, her legs stretched out in front of her, picking at a small twig she found lying on the ground. She appeared lost in thought, her mind still processing the events of the day. Zedd, on the other hand, was wide awake, his thoughts swirling around. He glanced at Elara, then turned his attention back to Reina.

"Reina," Zedd said, his voice quiet, almost as though he didn't want to disturb Elara. "Can we talk?"

Reina looked up from her twig, a little startled by his request. Her brow furrowed in curiosity, but she nodded. "Sure, what's up?"

Zedd shifted slightly, trying to find the right words. He had been thinking about it all day, and now it was time to ask. "How did you meet Elara?" His question hung in the air, the weight of it a little heavier than he intended.

Reina blinked, clearly surprised. "Why do you want to know?" she asked, her voice softer now.

Zedd paused for a moment before answering. "I'm just curious," he said, his tone light but sincere.

Reina considered him for a moment before her gaze turned to the ground. She took a deep breath and began, her voice becoming more reflective as she spoke. "Well, it was about a year ago..." She hesitated slightly, as though gathering her thoughts.

Zedd stayed silent, watching her carefully.

"I was an orphan," Reina continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't have any family. I don't remember my parents. Not their faces, not their voices—nothing." She paused, a bitter edge to her words. "I was just... alone. And people took advantage of that. I was naïve. People tricked me. I would end up hungry, cold, sleeping on the streets sometimes."

Zedd's heart twisted at her words. He didn't say anything, though, letting her continue. Her pain mirrored his own past in many ways.

"Then one day, Elara came to the village," Reina said, her expression softening. "I met her by chance, and we hit it off right away. She told me she was from another village and that she had run away from an orphanage. We stuck together. She was strong, confident. She took care of herself, and she took care of me."

Zedd couldn't help but watch her intently as she spoke, her eyes distant but warm.

"We started working together. We did small jobs here and there, whatever we could find. And after a while, we managed to save enough to build a little hut. It wasn't much, but it was our own place. It felt like we had something to call home." Reina's smile softened at the memory.

Zedd nodded slowly. He could picture it—two young girls, lost and alone, trying to carve out a life for themselves. It wasn't a life he had ever experienced, but it wasn't too far removed from his own struggle.

"But then..." Reina's voice dropped, her smile fading. "I trusted the wrong people again. I let my guard down, and we got cheated. We lost everything—the hut, our savings—and ended up back on the streets."

Zedd's jaw tightened, and he kept his thoughts to himself. It wasn't just her misfortune that struck a chord with him—it was how quickly she let herself trust people. Zedd couldn't help but feel bad for Reina at that moment he silently decided he won't let anyone hurt or cheat her again 

"So, when you came to town, we were curious about you," Reina continued, her voice quieter now. "Elara and I. We followed you around for a while, just to see who you were. You seemed different. Mysterious. And then we ended up here."

Zedd processed her story, his mind working through the layers of it. He glanced at Elara again, still sound asleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath. There was something unsettling in her story, something that didn't sit right with him.

Reina is too innocent. She's just repeating what Elara told her, Zedd thought to himself. But there's something more. Something Elara isn't telling me.

As much as he wanted to dismiss the thought, Zedd couldn't shake the feeling. He had spent too much of his life observing people, reading between the lines. Elara had been hiding something from him since the first time they met. He just didn't know what.

He stole a quick glance at Reina. She was tired, her eyes drooping, but there was an air of innocence about her that he couldn't deny. She trusted too easily. She hadn't seen the cracks in Elara's story, hadn't felt the nagging sense of something being off, like he did.

But Zedd couldn't ignore it. There were too many things about Elara that didn't make sense—her strength, her reflexes, the way she'd reacted when he first introduced himself.

She said "Humans give each other weird names." Why would she say that?

Zedd remembered how she had caught his wrist that night, as he tried to leave coins beside their sleeping forms. There had been something in her grip, something unnaturally strong for someone who was supposedly just another runaway orphan. And today, as they worked, he had noticed how she didn't seem to tire, while Reina was clearly worn out.

There was no way Elara was just a regular girl.

Zedd shifted his gaze back to Reina. She doesn't see it. She's too innocent, too trusting.

But Zedd couldn't afford to be blind. Elara was hiding something.

"I... I understand," Zedd said, breaking the silence between them. "Thanks for sharing, Reina. I just... I've been thinking a lot about everything."

Reina nodded, a small, weary smile on her face. "It's okay, Zedd. I'm just glad we're all together now."

Zedd didn't respond immediately. His mind was still racing. He knew one thing for sure: something about Elara didn't add up.

And he would get to the bottom of it—no matter what it took.