In the Mist

It had been three days since our encounter with Katriana. It had taken longer than planned to get to Resistance Camp because we had to spend time covering our tracks. Corb said this would help prevent anyone else that may have been following that spriggan from finding us. His words hadn't seemed genuine at the time, but I didn't question it.

My first glimpse of the site was on top of a large hill, a few hours back. For miles the earth was covered with shabby tents and tarps. Most were around the same size –small—and very close together. There had to be at least five thousand tents, maybe more. I was never very good at estimation. Making decisions just wasn't my strong suit.

Corb placed his hand on my shoulder as we sat for a break atop the hill. “This is going to be your home for the next while, Josephine. It’s going to be overwhelming, but you’ll be fine. We’re staying in that tent, over there,” he said pointing to the middle section of the encampment. “In the big one with a green canopy.” My eyes settled on a tent much larger than the others surrounding it; noticeably so. The others were not much bigger than specs from here, but this one had a clearly defined shape.

“Why do we get the big one?” I asked.

Corb looked at me seriously. “Because you are the one who needs the most protecting.”

I folded my arms around myself awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if I believed all of this, let alone understood it. I had been here for 5 days, and I still had no knowledge of why or how. During the walk here Corb had explained various types of plants and trees and how to discern them, but other than that we didn't talk about much.

When I had started to talk about the spriggan he immediately shushed me and continued walking. The same thing happened when I asked about Katriana and who she was to him. It’s really no fun walking for four days without any real conversation whatsoever.

It made me feel as if he didn't trust me enough to share this information with me. This of course, was completely stupid; because, here I was entrusting my whole life to this creature that I just randomly met in the forest. This thing that could be lying to me for all I knew. Could be leading me to a burning pit where he’ll feed me to an angry balrog. I was too young to be fed to a balrog!

We were about to enter the camp when I stopped. Corb looked back with a questioning look on his hulky face. My eyebrows knotted together with worry.

“How do I know you’re not leading me to some ancient summoning circle where you’ll sacrifice me to the good of war or something?” I whined.

Corb looked at me like I was a complete idiot. “Josephine. That is not my intention… I do not worship any God. Nor do I know anything about… Summoning. I’m taking you here to protect you. You are going to be surrounded by thousands of fearless warriors dedicated to keeping you alive. Why is it now that you are questioning my true motives? You have been with me now for nearly a week.”

Yet again, I didn't know how to answer. The whole idea of going into a soldier camp just made me feel uneasy. Fighting and weapons. It just wasn't my thing. I didn't like them, I didn't like being around them. In fact, I didn't want to be protected. I just wanted things to go back to normal.

“Why can’t I just go home?” I sniffed sadly.

Corb had remorse in his eyes. “That was never your home, Josephine. I’m sure deep down you felt that. That family wasn't yours. You weren't theirs. They didn't want you and you didn't want them. This, Feywild, this is your home. Your true home.”

“How do you know any of this?!” I groaned. “How do you know about my life? About me? I need answers! I can’t stand just sitting in the dark like this. Do you know something about why my parents kicked me out?” I started to advance on him when he remained silent.

“Do you?!” I screamed, voice cracking. The anger inside me had bubbled up and boiled over. I couldn't contain myself now. “What do you know?! Why did they abandon me? This is your fault, isn't it! You did this to me! You made them hate me!” I had begun sobbing and banging my fists on his chest. Corb didn't seem all that effected by it. But there was a deep sadness in his eyes that I couldn't explain. He took my hands into his and gently dropped them to my sides.

“Yes,” he answered quietly. “I know why. But I can’t tell you, Josephine. Not now. It’s going to take time, but soon you’ll know everything I do. There are a lot of things that even I can’t figure out. I’ll tell you one thing, though. I was sent to the human realm to bring you here; to protect you. I am not a bad being. Unlike what you may think from my outwards appearance, or what you come to see of others like me. My only motive is to keep you alive.”

And just like that, all my worries were erased. He had this calming tone that soothed my whole body. Relaxed my tense shoulders, loosened my balled up fists. I believed him. I felt it in the fiber of my bones that he meant what he was saying, and that I should trust him.

“Okay,” I said shakily. “Take me in.”