by Ben Alderson
Did it work?
I waited for her to respond but she said nothing.
Nyah?
Still, she didn’t respond.
I felt a cold trickle, as if a droplet of water ran down the other side of the wall. Over and over it kept poking its presence into my mind until I gave in and had a look at what it was.
The block is strong, maybe a little too strong. Nyah’s awareness filled my mind again. You’re going to have to feel out for me when I want to contact you.
Was that you? The cold presence I felt on the other side?
Yes, it was. That was my consciousness trying to reconnect with yours. Think of it as me walking through the first door to your home but coming across another. Your wall will stop me seeing into your mind, but you will feel when I am trying to connect with you.
I mentally bricked up my wall once more. Satisfied it was strong, I opened my eyes and welcomed the sight of the dark library once again.
“You must remember to feel out for me. I will be expecting you to give me updates with how you get on.” Nyah closed the gap between us and wrapped her arms around me. My face pressed into her hair, smothering me whilst we said our goodbyes.
“Are you both ready?” Cristilia asked. “If you want to make it out, we must leave quickly.”
“Yes,” we answered together. Illera left Emaline with eyes rimmed with tears. Nyah sauntered over to Jasrov who wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively. I stepped forward, beckoning Illera to join.
“Take my hands and stay quiet. Keep to the shadows, and we will stay unnoticed.” Cristilia reached out for us.
“You think this will work?” Nyah couldn’t help but double check.
“Each step into this quest is a risk that must be taken. I promise to get them from this city. I understand the importance,” Cristilia said.
When I grasped her in one hand and Illera in the other, a rush of white noise wrapped around us like it had that night in Kandilin. I could see Emaline, Nyah and Jasrov still, but their expressions had changed, and their eyes searched the space where we stood, as if they couldn’t see us.
“Stay close,” Cristilia whispered again, moving towards the door. “Let us go whilst the night is still upon us.”
We moved throughout the palace unseen. Everything distorted around us as we passed buildings and patrolling soldiers. No one spared us a look or thought. We first walked in the direction of the palace gardens. I recognized them from when I had found Nyah with Jasrov earlier that day. Cristilia stayed ahead, moving her arms around in circles, keeping the bubble of darkness around us.
Illera looked my way every now and then, yet we shared no words. In the grasp of the shadows, I was building into a bundle of worry. Until a cold trickle ran down my mental wall and I knew Nyah was with me.
Once we were away from firelight, we stopped. Looking around, we were surrounded by trees and tall walls of foliage. My legs ached from the slight incline as we walked from the city. I knew Cristilia had dropped her shadows because our surroundings became clear and lost the wavering illusion that had followed us since we left the Queen’s library.
“Fly from here. Stay close to the rock face until you are out of sight. It is a long flight up, but do not give in. It is important you make it out before the scouts see you,” Cristilia said, her dark gaze looking upon us both.
“Here, give me your sack,” Illera said as she slipped it from my back. “I will hold onto it while you carry me. I have a feeling the design was not made for wings.”
Was it the cold chill that made me shake, or the nerves that raced alongside my blood? Looking up. I couldn’t see where the rock face stopped. I just hoped, with the lack of sleep and food, I would make it far enough.
“Keep our friends safe,” Illera said, her tone cold and untrusting. What was with everyone treating Cristilia with such disrespect? “If any of them are hurt whilst we are gone, I will hold you responsible.”
“Your distrust concerns me, Illera, is there something I have personally done to offend you? To make you feel like I am not to be trusted because it was you who worked alongside the Druid, not I,” Cristilia replied, matter-of-factly.
Illera didn’t respond to Cristilia, instead she turned to me. “We should get going. Dawn’s breeze is close.”
I turned and mouthed thank you to Cristilia who nodded, still shaken by Illera’s comments.
Then the beast was free. With a thought, I allowed my wings to grow through the slits in my uniform. It had been less than an hour since they last been free, and I could feel their reluctance to be out again. I willed them to calm and promised a rest soon.
“May the Goddess watch over you,” Cristilia called as I rose into the air with Illera in my arms. She held her arms around her waist, hugging herself. Even she looked worried or sad in the minimal light. I knew that expression. Regret.
She said something else that I couldn’t catch as my winds battered down, and we flew straight into the night. When I looked down, she was no longer beneath us, and the clearing of the gardens was empty once again.
ICY WINDS ATTACKED my face, wings and exposed skin.
The higher I flew into the night, the colder it became. Even Illera was shivering in my arms. I bit down on my lip and carried on, trying not to give into the exhaustion that flooded me. Away from the city light, it was hard to see my surroundings. I tried to stick as close to the rock face as possible, hoping to stay concealed amongst the thin clouds.
With each beat of my wings, we got closer to the tip of the wall of rock. I dared to glance down and regretted it. Illera hated this too. Not once did she stop pressing her face into my chest. I had to be careful I didn’t hold onto her to hard. My claws were free and a hair’s width from digging into her skin.
By the time we passed over the lip of the mountain wall, I had to stop and rest.
“You managed to fly for longer than I thought you would,” Illera said, pulling an extra cloak from her pack and wrapping it around her shoulders, then giving the next to me.
“I’ve surprised myself,” I said, shifting back into my elven form. I felt the relief of my wings that folded back into my skin.
“I’m going to scout,” Illera announced, dropping her sack before me and pulling a gleaming blade free from its holder. “Do you want to set up camp here? I don’t mind carrying on if you are feeling up to it. But we—you should rest.”
I admired Illera’s strength. After the flight, I wanted to curl in a ball and sleep, but Illera was making an effort to keep me focused and on track.
“I just need to gather some energy and then we will carry on.” I looked around, trying to gather my surroundings. The sky was still dark, dawn no more than a distant thought.
Illera nodded, her violet gaze intense. “Then I will be back soon.”
As she sauntered off into the night, I opened my mind to Nyah’s. Letting the wall in my mind down, I connected with her.
We are over the lip of the surrounding mountain.
And you felt the need to wake me to tell me?
We are friends. You sleep when I sleep. I tried to keep my inner voice light.
Is Illera not good company? Or is your missing for me too much to bear?
My laugh rang out in my mind. Illera is scouting whilst I gather some more energy. We aren’t going to stop for a while. Maybe until the sun is up.
Maybe I will wake you when you stop to sleep…
I don’t think so. I slammed my brick wall up, which drowned out Nyah’s sinister laugh.
I rummaged through my pack and pulled out some dried loaf. My stomach gave me a short pain as I chewed on the food. It had been many hours since I last put anything into my mouth, and this was not enough to fulfill my energy supply. But it was better than a slap on the belly with a cold fish.
“Zacriah, come look at this…” Illera’s voice sounded distant.
I jumped from the rocky ground and picked the two packs up. Running to where she stood, I saw what had
caught her attention.
We looked out over the sea of mountain peaks. An orange glow seemed to halo the farthest mountains, morphing into red as the sun rose from behind them. As the morning rays broke over the view, my skin warmed. It was beautiful, a field of snow and rock.
“I guess it is time to go,” I said as we watched dawn creep over the countless peaks before us.
“Can we just watch it for a moment longer?” Illera was lost to the view, the glow of the sun reflected in her wide eyes.
It was clear to see what we were about to deal with. In all directions, mountains stood tall, tipped with white and gray. Clouds moved slowly above, thick and full. Their color suggested more snow was close, and so did the harsh nip in the air.
“Before we go, I want to get something out in the open.” Illera’s voice was soft.
“What’s that?”
“To apologize.”
“If it means you would never feel the need to put yourself through it again, then go ahead. Although you do know there is no need?”
“What I have to say goes far beyond what happened in Olderim. We both know it sparked back home. I’ve had a lot of time to think about how I treated you, how I treated everyone really. Over and over I would replay conversations I’ve had with others, and it only makes my stomach turn. I really regret it. I should never have treated people the way I have. For that, I apologize.”
I turned to her, wondering why even after her apology, her face was pinched with sadness.
“Can I ask you one question?” I said.
“Yes.”
“I just wonder what triggered the great dislike you had for me. I’m not saying I ever tried with you, but I just wondered since we are rehashing the past.”
Illera sighed. “There is never excuse for bullying, and what I am about to say is far from an excuse. But in truth, I was jealous. Like most of those who live in Horith, I was a rage of jealousy.”
“But you were the wealthiest of us all? You have a life of privilege and comfort. How could you be feel that way towards the rest who don’t have anything?” It didn’t make sense. I wanted to tell her about the many times I wished for her life. I’d never need to hunt or go hungry again with her mounds of coin.
“I was rich with coin, but not with love. That was one thing I never had in abundance. Not like you. My parents blame me for the way their lives turned out. I am—was nothing of importance to them.” Illera’s head dropped. “Before I came along, they lived with triple the coin and a life of pure luxury. Because of me, we had to move to Horith and start a new life. They blame me for it.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. “Your parents are fools.”
Illera laughed through a blocked nose. “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Enough of that talk. You are no fool. What fool would risk their life and turn against a powerful being like the Druid? What fool would face their past and grow from it? We have all made mistakes and acted in ways that we dwell on and wish we had been different. But what is the fun in being perfect? Perfect is boring.”
Illera dried her wet checks with her sleeve.
“Emaline was right about you,” Illera said, picking both of our packs from the ground then handing mine to me.
“Do I even want to know what she thinks of me?” I replied.
“She said you had a kind heart; one that is open to forgiving.”
“Well, Emaline is wise.” I laughed.
Illera paused for a moment, a new expression covering her face. Her cheeks bloomed red and a smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
“Yes, she is, isn’t she?” she said with a lost smile.
I looked back to the breathtaking view and shivered with anticipation.
“Finding the Keep in this maze of peaks and snow could take days,” I mumbled.
“Do you have the map?” she asked.
I stuck my hand in my belt and pulled Gallion’s map from it. My cold fingers where numb and stiff as I bent down and unrolled it across the ground.
Illera gave me a look. “If this is the Keep, and it’s north, then we should follow the sun since it rises in the north. As long as we keep that way, we should find it…”
“Okay.” I picked it up, looking out towards our destination. “Then what are we waiting for?”
*
ILLERA WAS SURE footed and fast in her lioness form. I gripped tightly onto her fur, which had taken me a while to get used to. Unlike my flight from Lilioira, Illera showed no sign of slowing or fatigue. She powered on, leaping from rock to rock, boulder to boulder until we stopped for a rest. Even then she shifted effortlessly and made camp before I even had a clue how to help.
The weather had changed dramatically in the hours we travelled. The deeper we lost ourselves in the maze of mountains, the thicker the air became, and snow covered most of the ground. I had to pull my fur-lined cloak around my face to help protect myself from the chill bite. I even gave into using my magick to divert the air from us as we moved, but when we stopped, I regretted that instantly. I had gotten so used to the bubble of warm air I had kept around us that when I dropped it, I almost fell over as the true temperature slammed into me.
Shivering, I surveyed the small space we made camp within. I first thought it was the mouth of a cave, but as I explored I realized the cave only went so far until I reached a dead end. When I got it to the camp Illera already had placed our wood in a pyramid ready for the fire.
“I need some help,” she said, gesturing to the pile before her. “I am going to create some sparks with this.” Illera lifted a piece of flint and a bundle of dried straw Cristilia had packed for us. “When I tell you, I want you to direct a small stream of that magick you have into the straw. Once we get smoke, I will transfer it onto the pile of wood. When I do that, pump more air into it until we have ourselves an inferno.”
I was stunned. “You know so much about making a fire, I would have thought you had people to make them for you back home.”
“I did but that did not mean I never watched and listened.”
“Good point,” I replied, kneeling before the pile and readying myself.
Illera was right. She stuck the flint until small sparks came into life. We huddled close to keep the cold air from beyond the cave to hinder our attempts. Once she got enough spark onto the bundle of straw she gave me my cue and I raised a finger, directing air into the bundle for smoke to billowing. Fire soon followed. Before long, we sat before the flames. Feeling coming back to our feet and faces.
“What is it about Cristilia you don’t trust?” I questioned, feeding more air into the fire.
Illera broke some dried bread and passed me half. It was soaked in honey and wine, which gave it an incredible aroma. My mouth watered before I put the piece into it.
“I can’t put my finger on it. That and Emaline doesn’t trust her. I find that Emaline has good instincts.”
I shook my head, mouth full. “All she has done is help, not hinder. She is no different to Gallion.”
“Can I ask you a question then?”
“Do I have a choice?” I winked.
“Why do you trust her…?”
I sat back, bread forgotten. “I—I can’t put my finger on that either. I just do.”
She scrunched her lips and hummed. “Somehow I don’t think that is an answer.”
“Illera, I’m certain we can trust her. Without her, I’d never have found the Keeper. Perhaps we would never have been told about Heart Magick if she didn’t bring it up. You weren’t in Kandilin when this all kicked off, but Queen Kathine would never have brought up Heart Magick.”
“Once we retrieve this Staff and return, then she will have earned my trust.”
I raised my hands in defeat. “If that makes you feel better.”
She nodded with a sly smile. “It does.”
“I am going to get some shut eye for a few hours. Then we can get back out there…” Illera pulled the cloak around her and shuf
fled to the wall of the cave.
“I’ll join you. And when we head out, can I fly for a while? You have done your fair share of carrying me.”
“I thought you’d never offer.” Illera smiled through her cascading blond hair.
ZACRIAH, WAKE UP.
A voice rang out in my mind, blending with the dream I was stuck in. I brushed it off as I ran through the dense jungle as the cloud of darkness swallowed the world behind me. My heart pounded in my chest, my legs burned. I needed to survive. Hadrian was running ahead of me; I needed to reach him.
The roaring of the darkness grew louder the closer it got. My arms and legs grew heavy, as if I was running through wet sand. I couldn’t speed up. Hadrian was getting away.
Wake up!
I look up, but I can’t find the voice. Is it coming from the darkness?
The world around me melted away, and in the bright light stood Nyah. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face reflected her displeased stance.
Now.
I bolted up, the dreamland melting away from the realization it was not real. I look around the cave for a sign of the dark cloud, but all I see was Illera snoring with her mouth wide and the flurry of snow as it covered the land beyond the cave.
Nyah? I questioned in my mind.
Your dreams are distracting, you should see someone about them. I should have warned you about sleeping during the day. It is impossible to keep your mind’s protection up when you sleep.
She had been there. It was as clear as the day outside that Nyah was within my dream, trying to coax me out of it.
You saw it all?
Unfortunately, yes. It is just your worry for Hadrian?
I think my worries are justified. How is everything back in the palace? I sent my question out to her.
If you mean Hadrian when you say everything, then no improvement. Jasrov has been trialing an abundance of potions and concoctions, but Gallion senses no change.
Disappointment rang threw me.
How is it where you are? I hope you and Illera are getting along.