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“On my word.” Balfor said, his mouth turning up in a small smile that had Nayome huffing irritably.What’s with this guy?
“Here.” Nayome bit out as she approached the trees. As she got close, she spotted a small dangling piece of string from one branch and pointed it out.
“I squeezed through here, probably about a few feet, then stumbled into the clearing.”
“After you.” Balfor motioned for her to enter the brush.
Sighing, wondering if this nightmare would ever end, Nayome squeezed through the trees, shuffling her way forward slowly.
After about five minutes of struggling through the dense branches, Nayome pointed to the last string.
“Here, this was the last one I tied off. Then I tripped while I was…”
“While you were what?” Balfor asked from behind her. She wasn’t sure how he had squeezed his wide shoulders through after her given the lack of space between trees, but he was so close now she could feel the heat off his body as he closed the small gap between them, sliding up so that he was nearly pressed up against her back…
Nayome glanced back at him and moved silently forward. The clearing should be just ahead, then this would be over.
“It should be right here.” She said, glancing around in confusion.
“Nayome.”
“Stop. It was right here! I tripped and fell right into it.”
“Look around, the forest is dense in all directions, there is no clearing.”
“But there has to be!” Nayome was feeling frantic. She couldn’t handle another thing that didn’t make sense.
“Come, let’s return to the path.”
“Not until we find it. I want to go home, and we need to find it for you to bring me back.”
“Nayome—”
“No! I don’t want to hear any more. It has to be right here!”
“Nayome,” Balfor repeated. “What were you doing when you tripped?”
“I was following the fireflies,” Nayome whispered, defeated.
Balfor rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Nayome turned to face him. She had to crane her neck to look up into his eyes.
“What’s happening to me?” She asked quietly, letting the fear and confusion seep into her voice as she gazed up at him. Balfor’s eyes seemed to soften as he looked down at her, his hand tightening on her shoulder for a moment, before he released her.
“I can’t be sure, but I have an idea. If you would let me, I would help you figure it out.”
