Without another word, we leave Caralina in the clearing. Cedar, who hadn't involved himself this morning, promised to travel with Caralina back to their village. Quentin doesn't attempt to acknowledge this, as he begins walking into the woods to the north toward the mountains. As the rest of the group goes to follow, I approach Caralina, and gingerly place a hand on her shoulder. Her tear stricken face, devoid of emotions, looks up through me.
“I will do everything I can to protect him. This won't be the last time you see him.”
She acknowledges me with the smallest nod of her head, and watches as her son becomes obscured by the foliage.
“He'll forgive you, I know he will,” I softly mutter as I stand and move to catch up with the rest of the group. I stop for a moment to look over my shoulder and see her begrudgingly pick herself up, wearily grabbing the handles of her cart and turning the other direction, trudging away. Creaks and groans come from Cedar’s trunk as he uproots himself, his roots forming giant legs and the ground trembles as he thuds along behind her.
With a sigh, I turn and catch up with the others, falling in line next to Silven. I look ahead and see, in little groups, Raina and Gontu ahead of us, then Kendrick, Hrithika, Joffrey, and Oswin in front of them by a few paces. Quentin and Emil lead the pack as we trek into the fields. The yellow grass is up to my chest for as far as I can see, the wind whipping waves across the meadow, the morning rays shining over everything gives the illusion of a golden sea.
As we make our way across, my eyes begin to wander around. I notice little breaks in the grass and can only assume critters are scampering about. The blur of a squirbunny hops by in front of me and I leap away with a yelp, directly into Silven’s arms. Startled momentarily by my outburst, he catches me haphazardly, finding his balance and holding me in his arms, and with a chuckle that fills my cheeks with warmth, he looks right into my eyes.
“Whoa, hey, you okay?”
“Uh, He- hey!” My body tenses up. Crap, how do I always end up so close to him! I chuckle awkwardly, “Yeah, just, uh, hoppy… I guess.”
“Good thing I was here to catch you then,” He gingerly sets me back down on my feet. I nod sheepishly, my gaze averting from Silven, focusing on the fields. I turn back and Silven is extending his hand out to me, “Would holding my hand calm you down?”
I stare wide-eyed at his hand for a second, then up to his face, then back to his hand. Oh god, what do I do? As I back away, Silven’s expression becomes dispirited, his head tilting to the side slightly.
“Did I do something wrong? It feels like you’ve been avoiding me more and more lately,” I see his eyebrows draw closer together, his stare piercing into my eyes.
Crap. I shake my head vehemently, squeezing my eyes shut, “No, no you haven’t. I-I… I’m not, I just…” As my words trail off, my eyes sluggishly open and I gaze off into the distance, my hand going up to rub the back of my head, “I think, uh… my head’s just not on right still… y’know, uhm… from the coma.”
“No, something is bugging you. What is it?”
“It’s nothing. Really.”
“Please, you don't have to lie to me.”
“I just… I don't know. It's like… whenever I'm near you…” my face begins to flush, and I try my best to hide my expression from his view, “I don't know, I feel… warm… my head goes fuzzy and I can't think straight…”
I glance up with a wince and see Silven's face is turning red also, averting his gaze with a small, “O-oh…”
“I-I promise. You didn't do anything wrong, I swear. I… I don't know why I keep feeling this… I've never… I haven't felt like this before and…” my babbling is cut off by Silven pulling me into a tight hug and my body tenses up, before the warm feeling spreads through my chest and my body relaxes into his, my eyes beginning to well up. “I'm sorry… I don't know what's gotten into me.” I grit my teeth as tears run down and stain his shirt.
“You’re alright, it's okay,” his hand holds the back of my head, pulling me tighter in. “It's a normal feeling. There's nothing wrong with it.”
“Th-then why,” my voice muffles against his chest, “Why does it mess with my head so much? What is it?”
“Well, uh…” I feel his body tense up for a moment before he continues, “It, uh, normally happens when the person likes someone.”
His statement catches me off guard and my crying stops abruptly, my voice still muffled by his chest, a hiccup escapes as I try to talk, “Like someone? I mean, I like all of you, but… I don't… I don't really feel like this… around the others, like I do with you… I mean, I can't think straight and it feels like my heart is jumpi-”
“Hey,” he pulls back a little bit, enough to look me in the eyes, “I tell you what, why don't we talk about this later? I can tell it took a lot out of you to bring that up. Maybe once we reach the Zephyrian kingdom? How does that sound? Then we can talk all night.”
Without a word, tears staining my face, I nod tenderly and another small hiccup slips out. He takes me by the hand and we follow behind the rest of the group. I hear Oswin holler from up ahead and Silven and I exchange a worried glance before jogging to catch up. As we get close, I see, perched on his shoulder, is a Glider Fox.
I remember seeing one a few years ago in the Kingdom, scampering across the slapped-together roofing in the poor district. They have webbed skin that stretches from their front legs to their hind legs that they can use to catch wind and cover great distances. I remember gawking at it before I got caught smuggling a bread loaf. I got beat pretty bad for that one, by the stall keeper and by my parents.
I stop and stare at the creature. It sits on his shoulder and cleans its face with its front paw, all the while Oswin is crouched down with his arms extended and frozen in place. Another hiccup escapes me and I see the fox tense up, its head swiveling around. Oswin lets out a strained grunt as the claws of the fox dig into his shoulder slightly. Everyone coos a little at the fox’s reaction and Oswin, through his clenched quiet groaning, manages to spit out a soft, “Yep, I’m fine guys, thank you.”
“How are you doing that, Oswin?” Joffrey utters quietly.
“Well, how should I know that?” He mutters through gritted teeth, trying not to move an inch, “I suppose animals just really like me.”
“But, this?” Joffrey gestures to the fox, and it looks in his direction almost understandingly, “Something is definitely going on.”
“Wait,” Hrithika steps closer, elongating her index finger toward the fox. It sniffs her finger a few times before going back to grooming its paw. “Come to mention it, on our way through the woods, there were quite a few animals that definitely wouldn't normally approach people. I wonder…” Her finger outstretches further and she begins to scratch under the chin of the animal, and it rolls its head into it, squinting its little eyes. “Yep, that's it, Oswin is the animal whisperer.”
“Don’t be ridiculous Hrithika, as if I could communicate with animals,” He counters, and slowly reaches up toward the fox. Without a blink of hesitation, it crawls down off his shoulder and into his lap, rubbing against his hand. I catch a look of awe on his face as he stares wide-eyed at it. Another hiccup slips out of me.
The moment is short lived, as the monstrous bellowing of a Stalker comes from nearby. The fox skitters away in a flash, disappearing into the sea of grass, and our attention turns to the direction of the sound. Peeking above the grass, we all see a group of five Stalkers stamping through the field, about a hundred yards off in the distance.
Joffrey, Raina and Silven draw their weapons without a second thought, Emil and Quentin ready themselves as well, unsure what they're up against. I try to cower down and cover my mouth as another hiccup comes out. As I crouch, catching my eye is the fact that Oswin, Hrithika, and Kendrick are confusedly staring at the rest of us.
“What's goin-” Hrithika starts to speak but her mouth is quickly covered by Joffrey.
With a whisper, he mumbles, “Hush, these things are incredibly dangerous. They nearly took out the village we were in.”
“But,” Oswin starts, matching Joffrey’s volume, “We’ve seen these before, they never tried bothering us.”
Silven looks in his direction, letting out a confused, “Huh?”
Before he can continue explaining, a large grunting sound comes from behind everyone. All of us whip around and freeze in place as, just about twenty feet away, a Stalker stands staring at the group. It is easily nine feet tall, and can very clearly see us. I glance over and see Silven with his bow fully drawn, arms trembling, aimed at the beast’s head. I feel the tickle in the back of my throat and pray for it to stop, but it doesn’t help as another sharp hiccup fills my lungs.
“Salem, we really need you to get that controlled, bud,” Joffrey mumbles quietly.
“I-I’m trying,” my body begins shaking as another hiccup leaves me, my hands flying to cover my mouth as my eyes begin to well up.
The beast grunts, smoke billowing out of its nostrils, and leans down closer to my face, only a couple of feet away. I feel the heat radiating off of its breath. Another hiccup and the beast comes closer, mere inches from me, sniffing and gruffing out puffs of smoke a few times right into my eyes. Tears are streaking down over my knuckles as my face begins stinging from the grip my hands have around it.
As this beast stares me down, I feel the tickle in my throat growing again, my body unable to move as I try to swallow it back down. Oh god, is this how I die? No no no please. Please. Despite my best efforts, a loud squeak of a hiccup escapes me and I squeeze my eyes shut. This is it…
I wait for a moment, but the lack of being obliterated has me cautiously peek through one of my eyes. Am I dead? At least it was painless… I look around and see the beast has pulled away, and started to walk off. I stare into space for a moment before looking at Joffrey and Silven, their faces ghostly white, and with tear-filled eyes and voice I break the silence, “Wh-what the…”
Joffrey runs over and pulls me into a tight hug, “Oh my god, Salem, are you okay?” I nod in response.
I see Silven still stuck in place, his gaze distant, his hands still wielding his bow at the ready.
Oswin stands fully upright, brushing off the dirt from his knees, “As I said before, those creatures never paid us any mind.”
I hear a distinct smack sound, but I’m too dazed to see what happened.
Joffrey lets me go and I walk over to Silven, placing my hand on his trembling arm, lowering his bow and breaking his trance. His gaze slowly returns to us, to me, and he speaks with a soft murmuring voice, “I… I’m sorry…”
I throw my arms around him and begin crying into his shirt, another muffled hiccup escaping me. “It’s okay, I’m alright.”
His hands let go of his bow and arrow. They thud into the dirt quietly, as wind whispers through the grass, the distant grunts of the herd of Stalkers as they slip into the woods. His hands slowly move up and he returns the hug in a slow squeeze, and after a few moments, we pull apart.
Joffrey speaks up, grabbing everyone’s attention, “Let’s take a break here for a bit. Shake off the nerves before we continue on. Hrithika, do you think you could chop out an area in the grass for us?” She nods and bounds a few feet away as he continues, “We’ll use the clippings to start a fire and make some lunch. Just try not to make it too big, I’d hate to draw too much unwanted attention.”
“I’ll make some calming tea,” Kendrick says, pulling a kettle out of his pack and pouring some water from his flask inside, waiting patiently for the fire to be started.
Hrithika pokes her head through the tall grass, “Fire’s started.” And her head disappears again.
The group moves into the clearing she made and begins finding places around the fire, Kendrick sets his kettle on top of it.
Raina reaches into her side bag and pulls out a couple of squirbunnies, “Maybe we can prepare these?”
Emil opens up a pouch on his waist and produces five fist-sized, bulbous mushrooms that I don’t recognize with a burnt-orange color to them, also pulling out a large knife and a stained wood board, “These should also work well, they’re quite good. They’re Orinbal Mushrooms from Zephyria.”
I see Oswin’s eyes grow wide at the sight of the mushrooms and him quickly running over to examine them, and I notice Raina turn her nose up at them with a sour expression. Huh, so she doesn’t like mushrooms.
Oswin blurts out, “These look fascinating! I’ve never seen this variety before!”
Emil proceeds to cut the mushroom into small cubes, the inside of which being stark white, and slide them into a stone bowl to place on the fire, “They’re only grown in the Zephyrian kingdom from my knowledge. Nearly a hundred years ago, a man named Sir Orinbal had the peculiar ability to mutate plants. Most of his tests didn’t lead anywhere, mostly ending in plants that wouldn’t survive, be toxic, or just otherwise unsafe, but these mushrooms were his glory. They grow at a tremendous rate in the kingdom, and taste incredible.”
“Amazing…” Oswin ogles the mushroom cubes.
My attention turns to Joffrey having a conversation with Quentin, so I decide to go over to them.
“Have you felt anything since the tree showed us your power?” Joffrey inquires calmly.
Quentin scratches his head, lost in thought, “No, nothing really… all I remember is a weird feeling, like my muscles were rumbling? Throughout my body? I can’t think of a better way of putting it…”
I step up and interject, “Really? Mine felt like my body was burning, but like… not hot?”
Joffrey’s eyebrows furrow, “Interesting…” He pulls out his new book and pen from the festival and flips to the first page, scribbling down something, “So each one of you seems to go through different effects from using your powers… For Quentin it’s his muscles… For you it’s in your veins… and for Oswin it seems to be his head… That must have some significance… They don’t seem to be overly adverse effects…”
Quentin rolls his shoulders, “Yeah, I mean other than being a bit sore, I feel pretty alright.”
“And my burns… I think they’re slowly going away,” I say, looking at the black scars in my palms.
“Oh, right, thank you for mentioning that,” He averts his gaze and calls out over us, “Hey Kendrick, would you mind coming over here for a second?”
Kendrick grunts as he slowly picks himself off the ground, and shuffles over, “Everything alright?”
“All good, you think you could do a bit of healing on Salem’s hands again?”
“Yes, of course.” Kendrick crouches next to me and holds out his hands with his palms open.
I give him my hands palms up, and he moves in closer, examining the scars.
He reaches into his side satchel and pulls out a little vial of a thick orange liquid, “This is Gelderberry extract, I found some at the festival. Have you ever heard of it?”
I shake my head, “No, what is it?”
“It is an unmatched burn serum. In the right hands, at least. This should do the trick.” He pops the cork out and gently pours a few drops from the vial into each palm, recorking it and noting there’s two-thirds left. He then places it back in his satchel, and takes my hands once again. Using his thumbs, he begins to massage the extract into my palms, and I see a green glow emanate from the thumbs as the liquid absorbs into my skin. After a few more seconds, he stops and we both look again. To his surprise, the scar remains noticeably unchanged. “Or… I suppose not. Peculiar…”
“It’s alright, sir,” I say, “I didn’t expect it to work anyway.”
Kendrick looks slightly taken aback, “What makes you say that?”
“I think it’s because of my wall,” My eyes fall back to the scars.
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I follow,” Kendrick’s brows draw together, I see a look of confusion on Joffrey’s face as well.
Strangled words escape me as I try to find the best way to explain, my eyes flitting around to the members of the group whose attention is on me, “I, uh, well, I couldn’t sleep last night, So I talked with Cedar for a bit.”
“Oh? What about?” Joffrey inquires.
“Well,” I start, “I told him I’ve been, uhm, struggling… with my power. I don’t feel it anymore. He told me that Infernia’s power is connected to emotions… and because of what happened, with the… the village, there’s a wall blocking my power…”
“I see… a trauma block,” Kendrick growls under his breath, “Unfortunately, no amount of burn medicine can heal those. Trauma is trickier to deal with, and there’s not a lot of remedies known to help with it.”
“He told me,” I interject, “That no one’s answer would be enough except for one I find myself… what, uh, do you think he meant?”
“Hmm…” Kendrick begins scratching his beard.
Joffrey says, “I think that maybe he meant there would come a moment in time where that answer would, uh, present itself to you, but that no one else could know what that would be. Does… does that make any more sense?”
“Uh… Kind of?” I stare at him for a moment, hoping to find the answer in his expression but drawing a blank, “But I still have no idea what he could be talking about.”
“Well,” Quentin pops up beside me, cheek filled with berries like a squirbunny, “It probably just hasn’t happened yet.”
“Great,” I say, my voice monotone, “That’s gonna keep me up at night.”
I see Quentin stifle a chuckle and can’t help but to crack myself, a small laugh emanating out of me. Silven walks over and sits down next to me, still shaken up and distant, absentmindedly holding a section of the squirbunny and some berries. I rub a few circles on his back, and his distant attention draws closer.
“Hey, it’s okay Silven, we’re all alright. Right?”
His stare falls down to me and like a snap, draws in a breath like it’s the first he’s had in years, “Hey. Yeah… everyone’s safe, you’re right.” His mouth turns up into a clearly feigned smile. I think to ask what’s wrong but this feels like the wrong time for that. I need to make sure to ask later.
I stand up and move to grab my own portion of the food, and I hear Emil to Oswin.
“-true that you’re a king? What was it you said it was named… Brindovia?” He asks without looking up from stirring the mushrooms around, a golden color forming along their edges.
Oswin coughs, choking for a second on his food, and quickly reaching for his canteen. The water spills down his chin as his haste makes him miss his mark, greedily swallowing it down. Wiping his face with his sleeve, he clears his throat, “Uhh, well, yes. I am. And, it… it is,” Oswin’s gaze is anywhere but toward Emil.
“Is that a bad thing? You sound ashamed,” Emil pulls the bowl from the fire, quickly and carefully setting it down beside him to not burn himself, and then looks toward Oswin.
“I… am, yes. I’m… starting to speculate that I was not the actual king of my kingdom. I feel it was mine and my queen’s advisors, Viralia and Dolores, or perhaps it goes back further to previous advisors… And that the King and Queen are merely a farce, a figurehead. Now that I’m thinking back on it, I can’t really remember a time when I made any major decisions for the kingdom… Not to mention that they created a form of horrendous torture that they masqueraded as a time of celebration.”
“How so?” Emil watches Oswin’s expression closely.
Oswin’s head hangs down, explaining quietly, “By using the age that children develop their abilities, fourteen that is, they hold an annual Ceremony and by… using…” His words trail off and after a moment of silence, he shoots up into a stand, exclaiming loudly, “They have Brindovia’s gem!”
All eyes around the camp fall on Oswin.
“Damn it all, it’s so obvious now,” He begins pacing around the fire, muttering rapidly, “They were using the gem as a means of determining the power the child would use in the future, the crown acts as a controlling mechanism to prevent any magic beyond just mere glimpses of their abilities…” Oswin makes a full stop and spins around, continuing to pace in the other direction, “Of course… of course! And that pendant they forced upon me during my coronation must have been to control my powers and connection to the gem. They knew. They knew I was the Disciple of Brindovia, but… how? If I didn’t even know it myself…? The secret tower! Hrithika!” He runs over and takes her by the shoulders, shaking her around, “Viralia and Dolores must have specifically kept those documents from me! Who knows what other information they may have that we don’t!”
Hrithika’s hands grow five times in size and grasp around Oswin’s waist, lifting him a foot or so off the ground to stop his deep thought rambling. His trance fades away and he looks around.
“Right, thank you Hrithika,” Oswin clears his throat as she sets him back down, “Salem, do you remember that letter I showed you, not long after you woke up in the village?”
“Uhm, the one from Cayna?” I tilt my head at him.
“Yes, the one that Cayna had left,” he begins once again gesturing and pacing.
“Wait a second, what letter?” I hear Joffrey on my left ask.
“This one,” Oswin produces the parchment and hands it to Joffrey, the curious ones in the group coming over to read the letter as well.
Silven starts, “So Cayna knew that this other girl Bela was going to kill her?”
Oswin responds, “Her youngest sister, yes. The seven goddesses were all sisters, and they abandoned Bela for fear of her potential power.”
“So,” Emil says, “What became of this last sister?”
“The village Elder we spoke to mentioned Deidamia as being the name in reference to Bela.” Oswin stands staring at the letter for a few seconds, before another inspiration strikes him, muttering under his breath, “The gem… We’ll… need to return to the kingdom. Oh gods… I could only imagine Viralia’s reaction to seeing me again.”
“Deidamia… I feel I’ve seen that name before…” I hear Emil whisper quietly.
“Wait,” I draw everyone's attention, “Cedar told me something else last night… about Brindovia’s gem. He said it was taken and someone bad has it, and because of that, the world felt a… wave of negative feelings? Or something like that?”
I stare at the group as they all process this new information, and after a moment I see Hrithika’s face light up.
“Oh my god,” Her hand grabs Oswin’s shoulder, spinning him around to face her, “Oz, I think… I think you’ve been protecting us without realizing it.”
Oswin’s expression shows that he isn’t following her train of thought, made clearer even further by the strained creaking seemingly escaping his throat. She groans and goes on to explain.
“Think about all of the suffering we only got a glimpse of your people going through during our escape, and surely all of you have had a constant nagging feeling in your head. I know I have.” Hrithika states, a few of the group nodding in agreement, “If the gem being in the wrong hands caused this worldwide… itch in the back of our minds, wouldn’t it make sense that you, as the Disciple of the Mind, calmed down creatures around us? I mean it’s the same power, just on a much smaller scale. Why do you think these guys were petrified by that thing? What did you call it, A , uhm, Stalker?” her head spins toward Joffrey and flips back around before he can respond.
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“Because it’s scary looking?” Oswin looks into Hrithika’s eyes blankly. Hrithika closes her eyes and purses her lips.
“No, Oswin–” She says with the sweetest voice as she reaches up and caresses his face before abruptly smacking him, “–it’s because those things have tried to kill them before.”
Oswin’s hand moves to his cheek as his mouth falls open and eyes grow wide, slowly turning back to face Hrithika.
“Ow!” He shouts as he rubs circles on his face, “Kendrick, could you heal my face?”
“I’m not getting involved here.” Kendrick grunts.
“You really need to learn some normal social cues, your highness,” She says with a little hiss at the end, throwing a smirk at him as the flush on his cheeks deepens.
“Sorry to interrupt…” Raina swirls her first finger, gesturing toward Oswin and Hrithika, “...whatever this is, but, that’s why that Stalker didn’t attack us?” Raina’s eyebrow raises, glancing toward Oswin,”Because of him?”
“I mean, it’s just a theory, but I think so,” Hrithika shrugs.
“But…” Oswin says, “Animals despised me when I was in the castle. Why would they be different out here?”
Kendrick is the next to jump up with inspiration, “Your pendant! When it shattered outside the Kingdom! That must have released the hold on your power. And in turn your power started radiating this… calming energy. I haven’t had the itch in my mind Hrithika was referring to since we left.”
Oswin looks over himself, uttering quietly, “Fascinating…”
“So,” Silven goes, “As long as you’re nearby, then those–” He gestures in the direction of the Stalkers “–won’t… bother us anymore?”
“That’s the idea at least,” Hrithika says, “But, let’s not test that theory before we have to.”
“Agreed,” Some of the group says in unanimity.
Everyone continues chatting for the next few minutes as we finish our food, and then Emil grabs all of our attention.
“If everyone has finished eating, we should begin our journey again. It would be ideal to reach the top of the mountain before nightfall.”
I look up and see the sun a little ways past midday. Hopefully we can make it.
Hrithika extinguishes the fire and everyone pulls on their miscellaneous packs, moving together as a group through the remainder of the field.
As we walk, I notice that everyone is grouped together closer than before and are all conversing as one large group. A thought occurs to me and I sidle up next to Raina.
“H-hey, Raina?”
She looks over to me, her look almost annoyed, “What is it?”
“I was just wondering what the Infernian Kingdom is like?” I ask hesitantly.
I see the question throw her off her pace and rhythm, “O-oh,” She turns her face up and away slightly, “It’s… nice. I like to relax there.”
“Relax how?”
“Uh, well… There’s a… It’s- uhm…” Her voice trails off, finishing with a quiet, “It’s a spa.”
“Oh, that’s so cool!” I jump up a bit, which startles her backward. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Pfft, scare me? You’re not scary.”
“I could be!” I state almost instinctively defiantly.
She smirks derogatorily, “Yeah, sure kid.”
I furrow my brow for a moment but shrug it off, and we walk a few paces quietly. “Soo… what’s a spa?”
She groans to herself, “It’s like… a natural hot bath.”
“Ohh,” I draw out, “You’re right, that does sound relaxing.”
“Yeah, it is,” She says shortly, rolling her eyes.
I lean forward, staring at her and putting myself in her eyesight, further and further until I manage to reluctantly pull her gaze.
“What, kid? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why are you so mean?” I stare doe-eyed.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re so angry all the time, what’s wrong?”
“I- Th- You don’t-” I see her brain visibly misfire, thrown off completely again, and I see what looks like a flash of contemplation. Gone just as it came, she huffs, “Whatever.” and quickens her pace to make some distance.
Huh, it looked like she wanted to say something… maybe another time.
A short time later, the sun still overhead, we finally reached the base of the mountain. Emil turns to the rest of us and speaks loud and clear. “This mountain was made to protect the Kingdom. As such, there is plenty of danger ahead of us. You all have me, so that threat should be minimized, but it is most certainly not zero,” As he gives his speech, he begins marching back and forth in front of us as if he were commanding soldiers, “There are animals that live on the mountain that rely on this specific ecosystem and are not found anywhere else on this continent, so please refrain from any hunting of them. Our Kingdom sustainably maintains the population across the entire mountain range, and the animals are very respected in life and in sacrifice for our wellbeing.” He goes to turn around but whips back, “Oh, one more thing, try to walk single file behind me. Some parts of the path are a tad narrow, and well…” he makes a diving motion with his hand, “... So… watch your step.”
Everyone nods assuredly, and just as we are about to begin our ascent, Gontu speaks up.
“You all go on ahead without me, my old bones aren’t made for climbing. I will meet you all back here when you’re done.”
“Are you sure, Gontu?” Joffrey turns around, “Will you be alright?”
“Oh, you needn’t worry boy, I can handle myself. Run along, find the girl!” Gontu shoos us off and begins walking off into the grass in a different direction than we came.
“Who, uh… Who is that man? Is he Brindovian?” Oswin mutters to Joffrey.
“Not as far as I know. He found me not long after my banishment, around six or seven years ago now. I… don’t really know much about him. He doesn’t talk about his past.”
Oswin whispers, “Does… Does he do this often?”
“Yeah, yeah he does,” Joffrey sighs.
We all stare off at the old man for a moment as he hobbles away into the trees, Joffrey breaking the silence, “Well, let’s not waste more time.”
“He’s right, we need to make the most of the daylight, we should continue.” Emil states, turning toward the mountain and taking a confident step forward. “Okay, listen everyone,” He calls over his shoulder as we march, “Breathing is going to become more difficult as we approach the top of the mountain, when we get there, try to take in as much air as you can with each breath, and exhale it slowly.” Everyone follows behind closely, quietly awaiting Emil’s instructions.
At the beginning of the trek, the slope of the mountain didn’t prove much of a challenge. We could see little ponds forming in the land from streams higher up where the snow is melting and I spot a few Orretts splashing around in the water, their coats are noticeably more gray and their horns larger than the ones that were in the zoo.
Oswin turns to Emil and inquires, “Why do those creatures look so different out here?”
“The Orretts in the zoo are a field variety that are bred in captivity, they desired those specific traits over the more natural counterpart, which I personally find to be insane. I mean, look at how beautiful these animals are.”
The groups’ movement slows as we watch a romp of Orretts scurrying in and out of a small alcove den, carrying small bushels of berries to store away inside.
The mountain began growing steeper, the air dipping colder and colder as we ascended and as we started reaching the lowest hanging clouds, every step had to be precisely calculated so as to not slip off of the icy terrain.
Soon enough, a perch large enough for all of us to fit comes up as we climb higher and everyone takes a seat, panting and trying to catch their breaths through the bitter cold.
“I have an idea, can I try something?” Joffrey hollers over the wind and pushes himself up.
“What did you have in mind?” Emil’s eyebrow raises.
“If I can focus on this right… Salem, can you give me your hand?” Joffrey reaches out toward me and I silently extend my hand. “Okay..”
I watch his eyes grow distant as he stares intently at my hand, and a visible purple energy radiates from our hands. The glow grows, creeping over my entire body, and as the aura fully encapsulates me, the wind whipping against my skin suddenly feels like a gentle brush across my body.
“Now take a deep breath.” He says.
Drawing in the air, my breath I could hardly manage before comes to me with ease. Unable to form any words, an incredulous laugh escapes me as I look over my body. The purple aura fades, its effect still in place.
Joffrey then goes around, doing the same for the rest of the group. By the time he reaches the last person, I can tell that it’s taken a lot out of him, his breathing staggered and his movements sluggish.
“That is a very impressive ability Joffrey, though you look dreadful,” Emil says, putting an arm under his to help keep him upright.
In between breaths, Joffrey mutters, “The effects… aren’t permanent… We should keep going.”
Kendrick places his hands against Joffrey’s chest, a green glow slowly revitalizing the worn man.
Joffrey nods, “Thanks,” and Emil lets him loose.
We press on, climbing further up. Closing in on the swirling clouds overhead, the winds grow in intensity.
I remember the gloves that Joffrey purchased for me back in the village and quickly produced them from my pack, slipping them on and wiggling my fingers. These fit so nicely, and they’re so warm…
The sky above was dreary and gray, flecks of snow beginning to sting against our face as Joffrey’s enhancement slowly began wearing off. Emil pushes onward, grabbing hold of a ledge around the height of his head and pulling himself up. One by one the rest of us climbed up behind him, Hrithika using her power to lift those of us who couldn’t quite make it up on their own.
“Thank you,” I mutter sheepishly as she pulls me up last.
“Anytime,” She says with a smile.
After another hundred feet of climbing we reach the cloud layer, and I glance around at this near solid shifting void encompassing us. Cyclonic winds threaten to yank us off of the mountain should we lose our footing, and our visibility is next to nothing. I keep my eyes peeled on Silven just a couple feet in front of me, trying not to lose sight of him in the thick fog. My foot reaches for the next hold, and as I go to put weight on it, my toes slip off the icy rock. The sudden jolt of my foot causes me to scramble and my grip loosens. Desperately trying to grab hold of the ice, I topple backwards, and the world moves in slow motion as my mind goes blank.
I watch as the icy wall fades out of view, a slurry of gray filling my vision, my focus honing in on individual flakes in the air. I hear the lashing wind like screaming around my head. I feel… calm. The gusts begin throwing me around as I descend further. I close my eyes, revelling in this brief moment of internal silence as the frost batters against my body.
A small yelp escapes me as what feels like a living rope wraps around me a few times, abruptly stopping my descent. My eyes fly open, and through the dense fog I can barely make out Hrithika’s hand resting on my stomach. I feel myself being towed upward as she starts swinging me back and forth, using the momentum to heave me back up toward the cliff face. I hear her let out a faint strained yell over the roaring winds, and I’m pulled up to under her arm.
We make it up a few dozen more feet and break through the cloud layer.
Golden orange rays blind me momentarily. The wind halts, and a thick, damp warmth fills the air. My eyes adjust after a moment and taking in my surroundings, my jaw drops as I see the sun cresting the horizon. The light cascades across the sprawling field of clouds surrounding the mountain beneath us in a mosaic of gold, orange and red. Looking upward toward our goal, my eyes widen as I see another cloud layer another hundred feet above, massive tangles of green, algae-covered vines protrude from the underside of the clouds, and off to the side I notice what looks like a cluster of different small clouds flying around almost erratically.
“Hey, Emil? Do clouds normally do that?” I say, pointing toward them, unable to peel my eyes away.
He follows my finger, and chuckles, “No, those aren't clouds. They're Shroudfish. They use the dense air moisture to create a coat that makes them look like clouds.”
“Wow, that's amazing,” Quentin says a couple feet behind me, “Why do they do that?”
“It’s a defense mechanism. They group up together to look like a big cloud when they’re away from the algae forest so the Zephyrfish, their predator, have a harder time seeing them.”
“So,” I ask, pointing up at a couple of stray Shroudfish floating between the algae, “What are those ones doing?”
“That’s where they lay their eggs.” Emil grunts as he climbs onto the next ledge a few feet high.
“Well why don’t-” Quentin starts to say, but pauses to pull himself up the ledge with a laboured grunt, “-the Zephyrfish just go into the algae to get the Shroudfish?”
“Because then they’ll get tangled up and trapped. Those vines and algae are quite tough with plenty of thorns and places that get caught on their flared and pointed scales.”
“So,” Joffrey starts, pulling himself up a ledge, “How is all of this even possible? I mean, fish in the sky? These cloud formations?”
“I’m not at liberty to answer that, I’m sorry, you’ll learn more inside the kingdom walls,” Emil assures him, much to his dismay.
The massive mountain peak gradually began flattening as we approached the next ceiling of clouds, much calmer than the layer before. We’re high up enough that the vines above begin grazing the earth as we weave our way through. I run my hands along one of the vines, taking in their rough texture. I flinch away as a stinging fills my hand, sucking air through my teeth, and upon removing my glove and checking, I see a pinprick of crimson form in my palm below my index finger. I watch the bead of red form, entranced as it begins trickling down my hand and leaves behind a bright red trail. As I stare, for the tiniest glimpse of a moment, I see a glint of orange light in the droplet swirling around.
A hand cups around the underside of my wrist and snaps me back to reality. I jolt up and meet Silven’s gaze, his deep oak colored eyes sending electricity shooting through my body, forcing me to look away as my cheeks grow rosy.
“Hey,” I feel his grip tighten ever-so-slightly, “Are you alright?”
“U-uhm… yeah, yeah I’m okay. No need to worry.” I say with a feigned smile.
His grip grows tighter as his eyes fall to my hand, “You’re bleeding. Here, this-” he pulls out a small rag from the inside of his tunic and begins wrapping it around my palm “-should help it stop.”
“Th-thank you…” I sheepishly mutter, my eyes searching for any place to look except at him.
He takes the glove from me and carefully slips it over the bandage, “There we go, all better.” I feel my will to look away break, snatching a quick glance at him, and seeing that same warming genuine smile grow on his face, his gaze as warm as the oak logs fueling a fire.
For just a moment it felt as though the world stood still. His expression, mixed with this innocent small act of kindness, flush my body with warmth, and I feel my cheeks beginning to burn up.
Without missing a beat he twists around, his hand deftly catching my own, and he pulls me forward, drawing me out of my trance as we move toward the group who had stopped to wait a few paces ahead.
“You okay Salem?” Joffrey and Quentin ask nearly in tandem.
“Yeah, just a little scratch. One of the thorns got me.”
“Do you need me to heal it for you?” Kendrick offers.
“No, it’s okay. Thank you, though.” I smile and gaze at my bandaged hand for a moment, warmth growing again as I snap my attention back to the trek.
He nods and I look over to notice Raina following me with her eyes, an expression I can’t quite discern on her face. She quickly adjusts her gaze, straightening her clothing almost ritualistically.
We approach the second layer and as the sound of our feet crunch against the gravelly earth, a comfortable silence settles as the sun rays fade and disappear behind the shifting gray wall. The air is thick, and looking around yields only a blank canvas bathed in shadow. Focusing my eyes on the ground, I can make out Silven’s feet in front of me, and do my best to not lose sight of them as I tread carefully behind.
The bleak gray gives way to a deep blue as we pass the second layer. The mountain plateaus and I can’t help my jaw go slack as we set our eyes on a twinkling wonderland, an entire civilization resting upon a layer of clouds, sitting behind beautifully intricate stark-white trees grown and trained in a lattice pattern, shaped and molded over many years to form a set of massive natural walls into the Zephyrian Kingdom.
Looking beyond the doors, I see a forest of the same white trees, their crystalline leaves creating a translucent mosaic as the last rays of sun graze the treetops. From what I can see out here, the trees have been hollowed, converted into homes for the Zephyrian people. Hundreds of little orbs of white light dot the treeline as the citizens go about their evenings.
As we approach the gate, two guards in sleek, bright silver armor cross their lances, one of them shouting with a growl in his voice, “Halt!”
Emil sighs and turns to the group, “Just a moment.” He steps closer to the guard, “Geremaine, can you let these kind people and I pass through?”
The guard furrows his brow, eyes flitting between Emil and the rest of us, “You may enter, but they must have express permission from the Queen to go beyond these walls.”
Emil lets out a frustrated but controlled groan, and comes back over to us. “You all will need to wait outside the walls while I go and speak to Queen Olympia. She has ruling over who may enter, and I feel I may have a strong case considering you lot are here attempting to save the world. No thanks to Geremaine.” he throws his eyes over his shoulder at the guard.
“How long will that take?” Joffrey inquires.
“I suggest you get comfortable outside, it may take me until the morning.”
“Very well,” Kendrick states, moving to a good flat space and pulling some timber out of his backpack, quickly throwing together a firepit with a rock ring around it.
Emil waves to us as he disappears through the gates, everyone waving back as we all begin sitting around Kendrick’s fire pit. The air above the cloud layer here has a chill about it, though not as bracing as before the first layer. I sit close to the fire, extending my mittened hands out. Quentin takes the spot to my right, giving me a little nudge with his elbow and holding his hand out with some berries. I take some and start popping them into my mouth, the sweetness of them bursting has me melting.
“These are so good, where did you find them?”
“I picked them before we left Cedar and… my mom,” his expression shadows over.
“Right.. What, uh, what do you think about what she said?”
His gaze bores through the fire, a long silence fills the air between us. Just as I’m about to backpedal, he breaks it. “I… I don’t want to believe her.. but what reason would she have to lie about it, y’know? I just, she… She gave me a good life, even after my dad passed away, I should be grateful, but… I have a sister. Somewhere out there and who knows if she’s even still… I don’t know…”
I put my arm around him and silently draw him in for a hug. His arms shoot up around me and he burrows his face in my shoulder, tears stain my shirt as he breaks down without a sound, his grip tight around me. Joffrey comes over but I gently wave him away, to which he nods.
A moment goes by and I hear Quentin sniffle, and his arms loosen up uncertainly, taking another few seconds to let go and pull back. With a deep snuffle he recomposes himself, wiping his bleary eyes on his sleeve. “Sorry…” he says as his eyes fall to the stone underneath us.
“No, don’t be, it’s alright. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your mind, just.. you can talk to me okay? And I’m sure anyone else here would be there for you too. We’re all in this together, right?” I rub a few circles on his back.
“Right… Thank you Salem,” Quentin's lips upturn slightly. The green of his iris shimmering with a glint of hope.
Joffrey comes back over upon seeing Quentin and I separate, sitting down near us. He rocks side to side uncomfortably as the three of us sit in silence for a moment. Eventually he breaks the awkward air, turning to us.
“Hey you two, I just wanted to check in. You feeling alright?”
“I’m good Joffrey, a little shaken from my fall, but I’m okay.”
Quentin stays quiet, his gaze clouding over. After a minute or two passes, like a switch flipping, he sits upright with a smile that looks a bit unnatural, “I really liked those sky fish, the animals up here are incredible.”
Joffrey and I exchange a glance of concern, but silently agree not to push for an answer. I look around and see everyone has taken up spots around the fire, Silven is mingling with Hrithika, Oswin and Kendrick, while Raina sits on the edge of the ledge we’re on.
With a light couple of pats on Quentin’s back, I stand up, “I’ll be right back.”
They both nod, and I walk over to Raina, placing myself on the ledge next to her, my legs dangling off. She glances in my direction and rolls her eyes, looking out into the distance. I look out as well, watching the sun dip down below the clouds beneath us. The last rays sending a deep red and orange light scattering across the surface of the cloud layer.
“It’s really pretty isn’t it? It’s like the color of your hair.” I say softly without looking in her direction. Out of my peripheral I see her shift uncomfortably before sighing.
“Yeah. It is pretty.”
“So why is your hair such a bright color? How’d that happen?” I ask as I look over to her.
“I’m… not really sure.” she whispers, pausing for a moment to pull a few strands into her sight, then continuing, “... I’ve had it for as long as I can remember.”
“That’s so cool, maybe that means you’re a Disciple too!”
I hear something of a stifled chuckle from her, “Not likely.”
“Why not?”
“That’s not important. Just.. take my word for it.”
“Huh.. Okay,” I shrug, looking back out at the sunset, fading into deep purples across the sky, “I have a question…” I pause, waiting for her response.
After a few seconds, she answers, “Sure. What is it.”
“What's your Specialty?”
A long silence fills the air. I draw my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around, resting my head on them, watching the last shades of purple give way to a deep navy blue. A smattering of white glowing dots paint across the sky, more stars than I have ever seen before come together into incredible constellations.
As I’m stargazing, I hear Raina’s voice, “This is my Specialty.”
I turn to her, expecting to see her doing something but she is sat facing forward, still like a statue. I tilt my head, raising my eyebrow.
“What is?”
I see glints in her hair, red strands that seem to glow brighter than they should, grow in intensity and she says “This is”.
Except, her lips didn’t move.
It dawned on me that I was hearing her voice in my head, and my jaw hangs low. I’m just about to erupt in excitement before I hear her voice in my head again.
“No, please, don’t tell the others. I… I don’t like using it.”
Her sudden shift in demeanor throws me off and I settle myself down. “Oh… Okay, yeah. I understand… I don’t.. like using mine either.” My eyes fall instinctively to my palms, the black scars shrunken a bit more than before. “I think your Specialty is really cool though.” I say quietly.
“Oh...” I see she hides her face behind her hair, “Thanks.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll, uhm… Thank you for showing me.” I say as I get up, “Your secret is safe with me. Good night Raina.”
She doesn’t move, still gazing out across the moonlit hills and crests of the white clouds. “Yeah. Good night kid.”
I walk back over to the others, everyone getting ready to settle in for the night, and I see Silven has laid out a small cot for me between him and Joffrey. I walk over, setting my bag neatly at the foot of my cot, and sit on my bedding. I see Silven already curled up fast asleep in his bed. I feel a warmth grow in my body, He looks so sweet when he’s asleep.
I shake the thought from my head, opting to lay down and pull the cover over my head.
Sleep comes with relative ease, the cool air soothing me into a deep slumber.
L.. i. f….
I bolt up, the sun shining bright in the sky. What was that? Looking around, I see a few of the others up and around, namely Joffrey, Kendrick, Hrithika and Raina. Silven, Oswin, and Quentin are all still asleep as the ones up are preparing a meal.
Joffrey comes over quickly, “Salem, are you alright? You kind of shot up there.”
“Uh, I think so… I thought I heard a voice?” I say uncertainly.
“Well, what did it say?”
“I… couldn’t hear it. Not clearly…”
“Hey, that’s alright. Come look at what Emil had sent out for us, he’s still caught up on something inside but we’re hoping he’ll be here soon.”
I crawl out from underneath my cover, slogging myself up to my feet. I rub my eyes lazily as I walk over to the fire, seeing a large farmed Shroudfish with its cloud coat mostly stripped off, revealing a deep blue scaly body under. A guard waits nearby, collecting the cloud puffs in a large basket and returning to the kingdom once all of them are plucked.
“Wow, so… they really use everything, don’t they?” I say.
“Yeah, seems so,” Joffrey goes, “I imagine it makes good cloth.”
“Whoa. I bet they’re really soft.”
“Yeah, I bet. Anyway, looks like Hrithika is done cutting up the fish, shall we go get breakfast ready?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
We spend the next twenty minutes cooking the fish and waking everyone up. As everyone gets their portions, I take mine and sit on my cot. I stare deeply into the light pink flesh, saliva beginning to pool in my mouth. I gingerly tear a piece off, the fish flaking effortlessly, and pop it into my mouth. The taste is buttery and sweet, with a hint of saltiness.
This is so good!
I begin devouring my fish greedily, scooping it into my mouth and finishing my bowl in record time.
“Looks like you really liked that, Eh, Salem?” Silven chuckles seeing the little flecks of food on my cheeks.
I feel my face heat up, and begin muttering, “Ye- W… W-”
“It’s okay, I did too,” He says, showing me his empty bowl, and I look up to see a few specks of food on his face as well. The warmth slips away, and a laugh escapes me.
Silven laughs too and pulls a plain handkerchief from inside his tunic, carefully kneeling down and wiping the food from my face. The heat inside returns and grows until it feels like it’s nearly boiling in me. Silven is so close to me right now. Oh my god. Act normal, this is normal.
He finishes, and folds it up, taking it to his own face, smiling at me with his silly grin. God, why does his smile make me so warm…
Before I can say anything, we hear the gate doors groaning open and Emil walking out. He heads over to us with his arms outstretched, “Alright everyone, shall we head inside then? The Queen will see us now.”