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This is it?” I scanned the field of withered stalks.
Mika nodded. “We’ve never been able to get a good harvest out of it. The last couple of years, it’s been getting worse.”
I sat on my heels and pressed a finger into the dirt. It stung. “It’s too acidic for grain. Nothing will grow in soil like this. You’ve overused it without replenishing the minerals.” I stood up straight and put my hand on my hips.
“So, what do you do?”
“We need to find some limestone.” I started down the dirt road that ran along the edge of the field.
“And where do we get that?”
“There’s usually a lot around hot springs. We can look there, or lake, rivers. Places with a lot of rocks. It’s not rare by any means.”
Mika sighed and thought for a moment. “I can take you to a waterfall, I know. If we can’t find what you’re looking for there, there’s a hot spring about a day’s ride from here.”
“Okay, let’s start with the waterfall.” I marched on toward the flatland.
“Terrin?”
“Hmm...”
“It’s the other way.” He motioned toward the distant mountain range. “It’s way back in there, so we’re going to have to get horses.”
My mouth felt dry. “I’m sure the council members will let us borrow their wagon.”
Mika shook his head. “No wagons. The trail is too narrow.”
My chest tightened as the mortal left me standing there. I’d never been on a horse. I’ve never ridden any animal before. It seemed risky to trust an animal to that extent. Staying on solid ground was safer.
Swallowing hard, I hurried after Mika. I didn’t say anything as we returned to the town and went to a large building. The smell of horses was thick inside. I waited at the door and watched as the mortal saddled two animals.
He glanced my way. “Have you ever rode before?”
“No.”
Mika chuckled. “You look like you’re going to throw up.”
I sucked in my lips. I was close to doing just that. The smell wasn’t helping, either.
“It’s not that hard.” He tightened the strap around the horse’s stomach. “I’ll tie your reins to my saddle, so all you have to do is sit there. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Besides”—he patted the brown horse’s neck—“she’s the calmest mare we got. I’ve never seen her buck once.”
Buck?
I was going to be sick. I hated animals—the smell, the unpredictability, and disregard for plants that were meant to be looked at and ones meant to be eaten. Taking in a steady breath, I closed my eyes. I could do this—for Mahkah. I’d be his first shifter. I would do it to prove that I was capable of meeting his expectations.
“Ready?” Mika led the horses past me.
“Yeah.” I nodded with my hands shaking.
“Come here.” He waved me over.
I shuffled forward and stood by the side of the animal. It swung its head, making me flinch.
Mika flashed me a grin. “She’s not going to hurt you. Put your foot in here, and I’ll help hoist you on.” He held onto the bottom of a loop.
“Is there another way we can get there? I’m not against walking.” I wrung my hands together.
“I’d rather it be a one-day thing. Walking would take too long, and I don’t want to pack for an overnight trip. So, let’s go.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.
Clenching my jaw, I braced myself as I put my foot in the holder, and Mika helped me swing my leg over. I sat perfectly still on top of the horse. This didn’t feel safe at all. Whoever thought riding another creature was a good idea was deranged.
He grabbed my hands. “Hold onto the horn and try not to fall off. I’ll take care of everything else.”
I snatched the little nob as Mika took the reins and tied them to a strap on the back of his saddle.
He mounted the horse and looked back. “Hold on.”
I nodded firmly. The mortal urged the horses forward, and we started to move. I nearly fell off as my lower body jerked forward, but I quickly repositioned myself. Mika laughed to himself. I didn’t find it funny at all. How would I know what the earth was saying when I was sitting above it on a wild beast? This wasn’t natural. The way mortals interacted and survived in this world was not natural. Shaking my head, I hoped this little adventure wouldn’t be all for nothing.
***
MY BACK, LEGS, AND ass were in excruciating pain. This trip was worse than I imagined. Why would anyone want to ride a horse if they were beaten up as the stupid thing trotted along? I rubbed my shoulder. I was ready to go back to the temple. The life of a mortal was not for me.
“How are you doing?”
“I can’t feel my butt,” I muttered.
“We’re almost there,” Mika chuckled. “I didn’t realize earth shifters were so delicate.”
I glared at his back. “We don’t ride things. We walk. The only thing that can truly be trusted is the earth. These creatures”—I looked at the horse in disgust—“you never know what they’re thinking.”
“She isn’t going to attack you,” Mika teased. “She carried you this far. I doubt she’s going to throw you now.”
“Hmm...” I examined the passing trees. The forest here was very healthy. It didn’t have humans sucking the ground dry of all its nutrients, so that could be the reason.
“You hear that?”
I listened for a moment and hurried a rumble.
“We’re nearly there. See”—he pointed down the steep trail—“there’s the river.”
“Thank the gods,” I breathed. “Stop the horse; I’ll walk the rest of the way.”
The mortal shook his head. “Alright, alright.” He pulled up on the reins and swung his leg over.
My dismount didn’t look nearly as graceful, but I was ready to be on the solid ground again. I adjusted my clothes and noticed Mika giving me an amused smirk. I marched past him, trying to hide the pain in every step. I had never been this stiff before—even after hauling up buckets full of fertilizer. Groaning, I tried to stretch out my back. I think this was what some of the shifters meant when they said they were getting old. My body felt like it was going to break.
Reaching the riverbank, I dropped to my knees and splashed water on my face. It was cool, clean mountain water, unpolluted by mortals. Letting out a sigh, I pushed my sweat-soaked hair away from my face. I really needed a bath. The dust was sticking to my skin. Taking off my shoes, I walked along the shallow edge to the waterfall. Mika tied the horses next to the river so the animals could get a drink.
The land here felt good on my feet. It made all the aches and pains go away. I loved the feeling of healthy dirt.
“Anything?” called Mika.
I shook my head. “No. Not yet.” I hurried on ahead as the mortal followed. He sat down under a tree as I continued the search. I found traces, but not enough to fix the field.
“Hey, Terrin.” Mika tossed me an apple from his bag. “I have more if you want it.”
“Thanks.” I wiped the apple against my shirt. Sitting on a rock, I took a bite and examined the rushing water. I ate it down to the core, thinking over what to do next. Maybe if I went closer to the falls, I’d find a bigger deposit. How was I going to being the limestone back, though? Twisting my hair into a bundle, I examine the ends. That was going to be the hard part.
I wandered across the river, trying to come up with a plan. Something darted through the shadows. I stood frozen. What was that?
It swam at me. I swore under my breath and dove for the bank, nearly drowning myself in the process. Soaking wet, I dragged myself onto a rock as the black flash darted downstream.
“What happened?! What’s wrong?” Mika stood on the other side of the river.
“There's something in it. There’s something alive in the water.” I spotted the creature. “Right there!” I pointed. “There it is.”
Mika bent over laughing. “You can’t be serious?” He wiped his face. “It’s a fish, Terrin. Like honestly, you’ve never seen a fish before.”
“I have to! That is not a fish. It’s huge. They’re not that big. The garden has plenty of them, and they are never that big. That thing could have bitten my leg off.”
“You’re being a little dramatic.” He shook his head. “It’s a good size one, but I doubt it’s going to attack.” He sat on his heels. “A really good one, actually. I’m going to see if I can catch it.”
I wiped my face. “Just keep it away from the waterfall.”
“Will do.” Mika grabbed a rock and tossed it at the fish.
It darted off down the river to a deeper section.
Giant fish, smelly horses, this part of the world was horrible. I slid off the rock and wiped my hair out of my eyes. This wasn’t turning out how I wanted. I was soaking wet, so there was no point in sticking to the shallows. Removing my coat, I spread it out on a large rock to dry along with my shirt and waded toward the waterfall.
Once there, I sat beneath it and let the spray pour over my head. My eyes closed as I hummed. I needed this.
“Isn’t that cold?” Mika came to check on me with a sharpened stick in one hand and a knife in another.
“No,” I took a deep breath. “It’s not bad.”
“Whatever you say.” He walked off. “Shifters.”
I climbed onto a boulder, so the water could pound against my back. Today might be a lost cause, but the waterfall was making up for it. Something glistened behind the wall of water. I ran my finger across it. My eyes grew wide—limestone.
A jolt of energy ran through my arm and straight to my head. Startled, I slipped and landed under the central portion of the falls. Sputtering, I emerged from the water and crawled to the bank. A stunned mortal stood on the bank. The fish wriggling on the end of a spear fell from his hand.
“Curse the gods,” Mika whispered. “What the hell happened now?”
A yellow-orange section of hair fell in front of my eyes. Blue covered the lower tips.
I smiled hesitantly at the man. “They obviously didn’t give you a warning beforehand?”
He shook his head. “Your hair changed colors?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged, sucking in my lips. “It does that on occasion.”
“This is some serious god shit.” He helped me to my feet. “So, you found the limestone?”
I nodded, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Yeah.” I took a deep breath. “I’m ready to go back now.”
Mika nodded. “I’ll get the horses.”
I gathered my clothes and wrung them out the best I could. Snatching my shoes, I hurried to catch up.
“Amazing, it’s hard to believe it can do that.” He reached for my head.
I dodged it. “It’s best not to touch. Mahkah would punish us both if a strand went missing.”
Mika nodded, swallowing hard. “We better get back then.”
“Um...” I glanced at the river. “Your fish—it’s dead, so don’t waste it.”
“Oh, yeah.” He hurried to retrieve it.
I waited near the horses, examining my hair. Hopefully, this worked, and my hair wouldn’t be stuck this weird color. It was currently my least favorite. Mika returned and helped me onto the horse. He put his fish in a damp mesh bag before leading us down the trail. Another long, bumpy ride ahead, and with this hair, I hoped we didn’t meet anyone along the way.