Chapter 5

Food and rest helped her reset. Anya sat near her small cookfire and enjoyed a prepared meal. It was simple fare, but delicious all the same. Spiced stew, with chunks of meats and vegetables. It really hit the spot, as the warm food filled her belly. The endless question never left her though. How would she resonate? Can she force it? Should she try and force it?

She churned the situation through her brain. Different people had different theories on the process. Honestly it all made sense, and all were probably right to some degree. Resonance was a uniquely personal event, and people were different. Why wouldn’t the methods vary as much as the people? Some folks, like her neighbor’s parents, who were water harmonics, came by their resonance effortlessly. They just… let it happen. There was no struggle, no forcing it. It just occurred. They ‘went with the flow’ as they liked to joke. Water was a common resonance out on the islands, for obvious reasons. They were surrounded by it. Spent time in it. Everyone was an excellent swimmer, as your life and livelihood most likely depended on those skills in some shape or form. Truthfully, Anya felt more like the fire folk. They weren’t angry people by nature, but they were known for having short tempers, and little patience. When she had talked to them, they always described their process as outrage at the sheer thought of denial. Evoking strong emotions triggered their resonance. Earth she never understood. Those people were too calm and steady for her to relate to. Darkness harmonics were secretive, saying mysterious things, and Anya had always written them off. Air harmonics were flighty by nature. Impulsive. She was somewhat similar in that regard, but she refused to even consider it. She generally thought of air as a useless harmony. Who cared if you could blow over a table? She would rather explode it with a bolt of lightning.

One question remained. What did her process need to be? She felt like she was onto the something here. What would feel right to her, that might grant her success in her specific situation? Destruction, charged energy, random, forking, instant, no hesitation. These were all qualities of lightning. She was all of those, even if not as destructive as the element itself. She just had to find the thread that linked all these together and follow it. It would come, there was no doubt in her mind. Keep going Anya. You’ve got this.

She refilled the fire, to keep animals at bay, before drifting off and getting some sleep. She startled awake, sometime later. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she took in her surroundings. The campfire had burned down to embers, with a little smoke blowing on the stronger winds. Looks like the storm would be here faster than she thought. It was moving quickly towards landfall.

Why was she so uneasy? She was alone, in the wilderness. That was probably it. She was also stressed about this whole trial. All those things surely added up to a bad night’s sleep. But something was different. Where did the crickets, the sounds of the birds, the night-time animals go? Except for the wind, the night was eerily silent. That meant one thing. Predators in the area. She stared at the jungle ahead of her. Nothing but a dark wall in the distance in these early morning hours. It looked like the first sun would rise in the hour, but it wasn’t up yet. Only the green moonlight illuminated her world.

Anya rekindled the fire with some work, keeping a nervous eye on her surroundings. She made a makeshift torch and packed her things, preparing to move as soon as first light made travel possible. If she moved in only the moonlight, she would just as likely break an ankle in a hole or something. No use taking that risk. Still, the hour wore on her nerves, as she sat in the silence of the crackling campfire, imagining something watching her, waiting.

The sun’s rays did eventually shine, and she put out her torch, smothering the fire. Laughing at her childlike fears, she scanned the jungle. How to find the path? They had described it to her in general terms, and had provided a hand drawn map, but it was hardly to scale, just using rough landmarks. The only thing she knew for sure was that it was located East of where the stream left the mountain. They did warn her it was subtle, and easy to miss. Nothing more than a game trail really, but if she could find it, it would save her two days of weaving around the jungle.

Stepping right up to the tree line, she began walking alongside it to find her entrance. She stayed a few dozen yards away. The vegetation was lush and thick. You couldn’t see more than twenty feet in. It would take hacking away with a knife to get through some of the vines and tangles without a path. The unease of the morning still hadn’t fully left her, imagining all sorts of childhood monsters leaping out at her. Boy, lightning could probably make a path through this place easily. Of course, I might accidentally start a fire. Eh, the jungle would eventually recover. Maybe on the way back? Imagining herself wielding awesome resonance powers helped keep her mind off scarier things.

Her heart skipped a beat. The sound of a verdantail crashing out of the nearby thicket startled her, until she caught sight of it bounding into the grass. Her nerves were frayed. Growing angry, she scolded herself. Stop being a child! You are about to become a harmonic. Time to grow up Anya! You will have responsibilities!

A throaty growl sounded, interrupting the moment. It was somewhere behind her. She froze, turning and drawing her knife. Scanning the tall grass, she saw nothing, it was just too easy to hide in. She scanned the nearby jungle next, but there was nothing noticeable. Suddenly, her fears didn’t seem so ridiculous. Something was nearby, and gauging by the sound, it was big. Not having a better plan, Anya turned, running away and hoping to find the path. She could lose it in the jungle.

Sprinting ahead she burned through her stamina quickly. Life on the island made her moderately athletic, but running as fast as you can wasn’t sustainable. She bent over winded, and turned back, looking for any sign of danger. She didn’t know what she expected to see, but there was no sign of any movement. Just the stillness of the wilderness. Only allowing herself moments to catch her breath, she moved forward much more quickly than she had before. She intended to put as much distance between herself, and whatever that was, as she could. It probably wasn’t interested in her anyway. Most animals were smart enough to stay away from humans. They were never easy prey, and humans tended to fight back. It was a lesson nature had ingrained. No reason to take any chances though.

Time to resonate Anya! You need it! Time to defend yourself! She thought really hard. She felt for the lightning, which was now flashing in the dark clouds out in the distance. She sighed loudly. “Come on! If there was ever a time, impending mortal danger seems like a good one!”

She had to rest at some point, so she snacked on trail rations, and fashioned herself a small torch. She soaked it in oils, and strapped it to the back of her pack. She kept her flint and steel in easy reach, so she could light it if needed. Most living things feared fire, and for good reason. If anything approached, she would drive it way with her torch. This was meant to be a solitary journey after all, no need for unwelcome company.

Several hours later her luck changed. Finally finding a small opening into the thicket, she relaxed. This was the trail she sought. She could be through the jungle within a day, and summit the mountain by nightfall tomorrow. Should she risk it? Travelling in uneven terrain at night was risky. It was already past midday. Entering now would leave her with two choices – camp in the jungle when night fell, or continue on risking injury in the darkness. Moonlight probably didn’t even penetrate this thick growth. What should she do? A glance around revealed no danger, but she wasn’t comfortable staying here until morning. She would spend hours worrying, and probably not get any sleep anyway. Head in it is then.

She stepped onto the trail, enclosing herself in the thick tangled growth, both nervous and excited to continue her trial.