‘Your watchdogs aren’t too watchful,’ she said, as he came to stand beside her.
He frowned at her comment until she waved at the glacies sleeping serenely by the hut. ‘I’m never here, so I think they’ve become lazy,’ he said, with a small shake of his head. His eyes weren’t focused on the creatures though, and his mind seemed like it had drifted to another galaxy.
‘Where have you been?’ Sloane asked. ‘It’s late.’
‘I know,’ he replied. ‘It’s almost like the council knew you and Kai would be attempting to leave tonight. They’ve been holding discussions in the town square with other villagers since the suns went down.’
‘Have they finished now?’
He nodded. ‘Though it won’t be long until the suns rise again. They’ve been talking half the night.’
‘Your people are worried,’ Sloane guessed.
‘Yes,’ he said, slowly exhaling. ‘But if you and Kai can find a way to close the rift safely, they will have nothing to worry about.’
Sloane reached out and lightly brushed his arm. ‘We’re going to do our best,’ she replied.
He stared into her eyes, and though it was dark, she could see his inner turmoil. She could almost feel the worries and tensions that were thrumming through his veins. ‘I know you are,’ he said.
She wanted to comfort him in some way, but she wasn’t good at easing other people’s worries. He cleared his throat and continued before she got a chance to try. ‘I told Kai we would meet him at his hut. Are you ready to leave?’
‘Yeah, I’m ready,’ Sloane replied.
The two of them were silent as they began to make their way through the village. Even with Rhyn close at her side, Sloane still scanned her surrounds closely. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with walking around the Unfaih village at night, especially after a Braky had attacked her near Orelle’s home. But she was more concerned about being seen by other Unfaih. The world was silent though and the night was still. It was such a peaceful evening, Sloane felt like she could have heard the smallest scuffle of movement from a mile away.
‘Do you believe what the elders said today?’ Sloane asked, breaking their silence. ‘That my father is some Braky follower?’
Rhyn hesitated before he responded and kept his gaze on the path before them as he considered her question. ‘I don’t know what to believe,’ he replied. ‘It’s only a theory. There’s no way we can know for sure.’
Sloane frowned at his answer, but nodded and focused back on the pathway. The question had been plaguing her ever since the meeting of the elders, but like Rhyn she didn’t know what to believe. The only thing she knew was that her father had found out about the Liftsal somehow and that he seemed to have travelled to Aeris in search of it. She didn’t want to jump to any conclusions about how he knew until she had the whole story.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Kai’s home, and Sloane was surprised when they arrived to find two horses standing in front of it. She’d seen the horses that the Unfaih kept before, but she’d almost forgotten how beautiful they were. Even in the night, their pure white coats glistened. They were such majestic beasts, and Sloane paused as she took them in.
Kai was standing next to one of the creatures, smiling as he fed the horse a piece of rashi. It felt strange to Sloane, seeing Kai so comfortable handling the animal. He had always been so weird about touching people, but she knew it was only because it affected his abilities as a magus. She still wasn’t even totally certain what those abilities were. He’d never exactly explained them to her. All he had said was some mumbo jumbo about connecting with the ætherial. Though what that meant, she had no idea.
‘Are you ready?’ Kai asked, glancing up at Sloane and smiling as she walked towards him. She was cautious as she approached and felt a little wary of the large horses that stood before her.
‘Totally ready,’ she replied, refusing to show an ounce of apprehension. ‘I hope we haven’t lost too much time.’
‘Some, but we can make up for it as we ride,’ he replied, passing her the reins to one of the horses. Sloane almost dropped the rope in surprise. What exactly did he expect her to do with it?
‘We’ll lead them for now,’ he said, catching the look of worry in her eyes. ‘We’re heading for the balcony that overlooks the cliffs.’
She frowned at the directions he was giving her and shot another apprehensive look at the horse at the end of the rope she was holding.
‘Have you ridden a horse before?’ Rhyn asked.
‘Define ridden,’ Sloane replied, pulling her lower lip between her teeth as she looked between Rhyn and the animal.
‘It’s fine if you haven’t,’ he said. ‘They are well trained, and this one has been taught to follow the other, so it won’t need much direction.’
She nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that the horse knew what it was doing. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen a horse back on Earth, and they certainly hadn’t been part of her training at the Academy. She was a quick learner though and had no doubt she’d pick it up fast, but the horse was so big she wasn’t sure how she’d handle it if it decided to do its own thing.
‘I guess I’ll see you in a few days,’ she said to Rhyn.
He gave her a funny look before he took a step towards her and pulled her in for a hug. His body was so warm in the cold night, and she found herself naturally huddling in for more of his heat.
‘Ride safely,’ he murmured in her ear before he pulled back. ‘And try not to give Kai too much grief.’
She shot a scowl at him but found Rhyn was grinning. Instead, she rolled her eyes. ‘Kai happens to love my grief, don’t you Kai?’
‘Please don’t drag me into this,’ Kai grumbled.
Sloane laughed at his response and shrugged. ‘See? He loves it.’
Rhyn shook his head at her, a smile still on his lips. She wished she could joke around all night, but her stomach was already tying itself in knots at the thought of leaving. And it wasn’t just because of the huge horse she was supposed to ride. Fears were crawling around in her gut like festering worms, and she could feel them beginning to darken her expression as she looked at Rhyn. ‘Just make sure she’s okay.’
‘I have scouts watching the camp, so I’ll know if there’s any trouble. Just worry about getting to Joran and finding out about the rift. I’ll make sure Rowe is safe.’
Sloane stared into Rhyn’s eyes, and she knew she could trust him; that he meant every word he had said. It wasn’t the same as if she were there to protect Rowe herself, but having Rhyn watching out for her sister was the next best thing.
‘I’ll see you soon,’ he said, his blue eyes looking deeply into hers.
Sloane almost felt like he was telling her something important with the look. It was like he was willing her to be safe, and to return to him unharmed.
‘Sure, I’ll see you soon,’ she replied.
She gave him a nod and started to walk down the path away from Kai’s hut, leading the horse as she went. She didn’t turn to wave goodbye, and she didn’t look back to see if Kai was following. Instead, she focused on the snowy path in front of her and tried to push out the all-encompassing worries and fears that filled her head and felt as dark as the night surrounding her.
The horse seemed to follow her happily enough, and she kept sneaking glances at it to check it wasn’t about to try and nip her ear, which felt all too close to its mouth. Kai was quick to catch up with her, and he took the lead so they could avoid pathways where they might be heard. Sloane and Kai may have been able to move quietly, but the horses could not.
It took them a while to reach the large balcony of ice that overlooked the frozen sea far below. It had been gradually growing lighter since they left Kai’s house, and by the time they reached the balcony, the suns were already beginning to rise.
Soft hues of pink and purple burnished the sky and reflected along the ice that extended to the far horizon. It was a beautiful sight, but
one that made Sloane’s heart skip a beat. Another night had passed, and they were one day closer to the ship landing on Aeris.
Kai led Sloane past the balcony and over to a large group of rocks. It was off the main pathway, so Sloane had never ventured that way before, and she felt her curiosity buzzing beneath her skin. Where the hell was Kai taking her?
He steered his horse past the rocks, and when Sloane reached him, she found he was kneeling down in the snow, brushing it away with one hand. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw there were wooden planks beneath the layer of snow that covered the ground where Kai knelt.
Kai continued clearing away the snow until he came across a metal handle, which he grabbed hold of and yanked upwards. He pulled the wooden door up into the air to reveal a large tunnel leading downwards.
‘You want to take horses down there?’ Sloane asked.
Kai glanced up at her and nodded. ‘It’s only for a little way,’ he said before he turned and began leading his horse down the slope and into the darkness.
Sloane hesitantly ushered her horse forwards, not particularly liking the idea of being wedged between two of the huge animals in a dark tunnel. But she trusted Kai, so she blew out a quick breath and began to follow.
The horse snorted and shook its head as Sloane tried to guide it down the ramp. It seemed as unhappy as she was about entering the dark space. She gently rubbed her hand over its muzzle and muttered a series of hushed nonsense words to try and calm the creature. Sloane wasn’t great with animals, but her tactics seemed to work, and she was slowly able to coax the horse down into the tunnel.
As soon as they were inside, Kai pulled on a rope, which closed the wooden door they’d entered through shut behind them and plunged the tunnel into darkness. Sloane wanted to thump him for not giving her any warning. But once her eyes adjusted, she found the darkness in the tunnel wasn’t total, and there was a source of light up ahead, which slightly lit their way.
The tunnel continued to brighten as they ventured downwards and eventually they reached a ledge that looked out onto the frozen world beyond. From the ledge, Sloane could see that there was some kind of pulley system built into the side of the cliff face. It was attached to a platform, similar to the ones that men would use to traverse up and down the faces of tall buildings while they were cleaning the windows. Although this one was slightly more archaic and looked to made mostly from wood.
Kai opened the gate to the wooden platform and directed his horse onto it, before indicating for Sloane to follow with hers. She obliged without question, though her stomach dipped as she stepped between the ledge and the platform. There was a slight gap between the two, and she could see the open air below her and the long plummet down to the frozen ocean far below. She really hoped the thing was sturdy.
‘I had no idea this was here,’ Sloane said, as Kai swung the gate closed behind them and pulled a lever that caused the platform to start descending slowly.
‘There’s a lift up the cliffs to the castellum as well,’ he said. ‘How else do you think we can move supplies up there from the village?’
Sloane felt herself blush as she considered his question. ‘Well, you guys are all really strong,’ she muttered, making him laugh.
‘Yes, I suppose we are,’ he agreed, smiling at her warmly. She smiled back at him. That was the thing she liked about Kai. He didn’t relish in her failures, of which she felt like she’d had many in the Unfaih world, and he never tried to make her feel stupid. She could only imagine how Rhyn would have responded if she’d said the same to him. He would have just loved the fact that she’d assumed the Unfaih carried everything.
The lift was slow to descend the side of the cliff face, but Sloane quite enjoyed their journey down. She liked getting to look out at the frozen sea, and she found she was excited to get close to the beautiful motionless waves that looked like they had been frozen midway through the act of crashing against the shore.
When they reached the bottom, Kai opened the gate and pulled his horse through before holding it open for Sloane. She smiled in thanks as she followed but was quickly distracted by the beauty before her.
One of the suns had just peeked over the horizon and its light pierced through the frozen waves, creating a glittering refraction of light. Sloane felt like she was looking at a long line of sparkling sculptures that extended along the snow-covered shore, and she almost forgot to breathe as she relished in the beauty.
Hues of pink touched the clouds, and a wash of orange saturated the sky at the edge of the horizon. She truly felt like she was in an alien world, but surprisingly to Sloane, it didn’t give her a feeling of displacement. Rather she felt an attachment to the world like she’d never felt back on Earth.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Sloane said, finally turning to look at Kai who was also taking in the scenery.
‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘The sea has always been one of my favourite views. It always appears so endless, and it makes you feel like anything is possible, if you continued past the horizon.’
Sloane was intrigued by Kai’s reaction and wondered what made him feel that way. For the first time, she felt like perhaps he wasn’t as happy living with the Unfaih at the Whispering Cliffs as she had first assumed. He’d always stood apart from everyone else in the village, and she suddenly realised how truly lonely that must make him feel.
His expression grew sad as he continued to look at it. ‘It is both terribly beautiful and a terrible beauty.’
Sloane frowned at his words. ‘Because it wasn’t like this before the rift closed?’ she asked.
He let out a long breath and nodded, his eyes still looking into the distance. ‘It represents a mistake that I hope we are not about to repeat.’
‘We won’t let that happen,’ Sloane said.
She wasn’t sure if Kai heard her though because he turned to his horse and began to mount it. ‘We should get going,’ he said.
Sloane watched his every movement carefully and copied him exactly as she moved to climb onto her horse.
The horse seemed even larger than she’d first thought as she sat on top of it, but she didn’t have a chance to worry about it as Kai started out ahead of her and her horse quickly moved to follow. She lurched forwards and grabbed a tight hold of the reins to balance herself. The movement of the horse beneath her felt unsteady, and she clenched her legs tightly to try and keep herself from falling.
‘You’re going to need to relax if you want to be able to ride again tomorrow,’ Kai said, watching her.
She immediately adjusted her position, though she didn’t feel particularly safe. ‘Will it really take two days to reach Joran’s home?’ she asked. They only had two days now until the ship arrived. It seemed like an impossible task to be back in time.
‘We can reach it by tomorrow night if we ride hard and take fewer breaks,’ he replied. ‘We’ve lost a night of riding, so we’ll have to hurry.’
Sloane frowned as she did the calculations in her mind. There was no way they would return before the ship touched down on Aeris. Even if they went as quickly as they could, they’d still be arriving back the night after the ship was due to land. But the ship’s arrival didn’t necessarily mean the humans would attack straight away. Sloane and Kai could still get back before the fight, but only if they didn’t waste a moment.
‘Well, we better get moving.’
‘Yes,’ Kai agreed.
He dug his heels into his mount and increased his speed, and Sloane’s horse instinctively widened its stride to match the pace Kai had set. Sloane gripped her reins tighter as she tried to adjust to the more rapid movements the animal was making. She was focused on riding, but she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder to look at the village at the top of the cliffs.
She hoped that nothing bad would happen while she was gone, and her thoughts journeyed to her sister who felt so impossibly far away. Sloane yearned to be with her, but she knew that she couldn’t go to the human settlement even if she wanted
to. With a heavy heart, she turned back to Kai and continued to follow him towards the endless horizon in the distance. Rowe had better be okay, or she’d never forgive herself for leaving her sister behind.
Chapter Eight
Rowe bent down and rubbed her ankle. The raw skin was chafing, but there was nothing she could do to alleviate the pain. Her hand dropped, and she stared at her ankle, wishing she could make the thick metal manacle that was wrapped around it disappear just by glaring at it. She longed to be free of the post she was chained to and the settlement she had foolishly returned to the previous night.
Standing tall again, she leant her back against the thick wooden post she’d been bound to for hours. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath in before slowly blowing it out. With one hand she lightly touched the scars on her cheek. She’d been through far more painful experiences before, and her scars reminded her of how strong she could be. This was nothing compared to the torment she’d endured in the past. Not that she wanted to dredge up those memories.
Rowe lowered her hand and opened her eyes again to take in the moonlit square before her. Large tents surrounded it, and there were several benches carved from felled trees that once bordered the settlement.
During the daytime the open space Rowe was chained up in was a hub of activity, and not a moment had gone by yesterday when she hadn’t felt eyes observing her every move. There was nothing she hated more than being watched by people, and the Captain knew that—so this was the perfect punishment for her. At least it had become silent once the suns disappeared from view, replaced by the two moons that now hovered above her.
She lifted her head back to look at the sky. Her eyes were sore from a lack of sleep, and her body ached from being chained to the post all day. She couldn’t worry about herself though. Not when there was no sign of Jack, when she was still confused by her father’s reception to her return, and when she couldn’t understand why her brother had stood by and watched as men shackled her to a piece of wood like an animal.
The Oblivion Stone (The Liftsal Guardians Book 3) Page 8