ZINNIA

“I don’t deserve this,” Zinnia said, handing back the coins.

“Why not?” Eldin didn’t move to take them.

“I didn’t stay with the horses like you said.”

“You saved lives, Zin. That’s worth more than sitting with horses.” He closed her fingers around the coins and urged Kūma forward again. They were back in Alarya, riding through the Forest of faery. Moss covered the ground, interrupted by dense rings of mushrooms, which Zin was careful to avoid, not knowing which held the tiny faery critters the forest was named for. She didn’t much fancy their sharp teeth. A stream bubbled along next to them, giving growth to fine light green grass that popped back up eagerly after the horse’s hooves trod on it.

Zin slipped the coins into the pouch Eldin had given her, and stuck it into the satchel on her hip.

“That old woman, the one with scars all over her hands and face. Did you know her?”

“The one Donal tried to strangle? I do not. I don’t know many people personally. What about her?”

“I don’t know.” Zin chewed her lip in thought. “She was different. I hope they figure out how to make it off that island. Slavery is a terrible practice. If I could, I’d force them to stop. No one should have to work in the mines, ever.”

She spit over the side of Azra, her knuckles white on the reins. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Eldin watching her.

“What?”

“I’m not big on talking, but if you need to, I’ll listen.”

Zin felt her face burn and she averted her gaze. “Can we stop for the night? I know your Ghost meeting thing is important, but my legs hurt from riding all day.”

“Of course,” Eldin said. Kūma stopped as if understanding, and Azra followed suit. The sun had fallen below the tree level, but it was still bright enough to see by. Zin helped him collect wood and found several large rocks. She cleared a spot of leaves and twigs and placed them in a circle, then threw the kindling into a pile. Eldin placed a few larger branches on top and returned to Kūma, digging through his saddlebags.

He pulled something out and tossed them to Zin, who fumbled and dropped a piece. She picked it up and inspected what he had given her. One was a gray rock half the size of her fist, and the other a steel bar.

“Flint and steel,” Eldin said. “Try it out.”

Zin knelt next to the fire pit and struck the rock against the steel. It sparked, and she almost dropped it in surprise. Eldin chuckled, and she glared at him.

“Do it the other way around.”

She did, and on the second try, the sparks caught.

“Blow on it.”

The smoldering leaves caught, and a tiny flame raced from leaf to twig to branch. Despite her annoyance, she grinned.

“Master of fire,” Eldin said. When she tried to give the flint and steel back, he told her to keep them. Her satchel was beginning to fill up, and she imagined the fancy new saddlebags she would soon buy.

When Eldin refused her offer to share her meat and fruit, she pulled enough out for herself and laid the meat by the fire to warm up.

“It’s not poison, you know.”

He shrugged. “Ghosts don’t eat.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Then how do you stay alive?”

Eldin shifted uncomfortably, pulling his cloak closer around himself, even as he sat close to the fire. “We… aren’t.”

“You aren’t alive? What, like a walking corpse?”

“Yes, and no. More like on the brink of death, but the spirit of the god inside us keeps us from dying. Shouldn’t we be talking about you?”

Zinnia fell silent, watching Eldin as he stared into the fire. There was something different about him. She had seen the other Ghosts at the slave rebellion. They all had the same deadly efficiency, but Eldin lacked the coldness she had seen in the others. There was something behind those clear eyes of his she couldn’t quite place. Hurt? Confusion? She shook her head, unable to come to a conclusion.

“My dad, he died when I was ten. He worked in the Malachite Mines for as long as I can remember, and one day there was a cave in. He saved his friend's life, but it cost him his leg. I had to get a job. I think he blamed himself for not giving me the childhood he thought I deserved, because one day I woke up to him missing. The people of Greenrock said it was an accident, but I don’t think so.” Zinnia’s voice cracked and she turned her head as she wiped away a tear. “The rule was to never leave town at night because monsters roamed the skies back then. He proved that to be true. I found what was left later that morning. I left. All I have of him is this bead.”

She tugged on the strand of hair with it. Eldin sat extremely still, his head tilted to one side, watching her. She had never seen anyone sit as still as him before.

“I’m sorry, Zin.”

She shrugged and grabbed the meat, tearing off a chunk and chewing slowly. “Did you have parents before you went Ghost?”

Eldin’s eyes went from tender to completely shut off. The change was dramatic, and he almost looked like the other Ghosts again. A chill fell over Zinnia, and she didn’t say another word.

“Ghosts lose all their memories unrelated to being a Ghost,” he said mechanically. He rose without warning and walked out of the circle of firelight. When he didn’t come back, she stuck another thick branch on the fire and curled up under a spare cloak and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for sleep to take her.

Hooves stamping on twigs and leaves woke her with a start. The fire burned low. A dark figure moved around Azra. She squinted, but the horses didn’t seem disturbed. The figure turned, and the firelight caught his face. Zinnia sighed. It was Eldin, cloak thrown over one shoulder, and his hood pulled down while he brushed down Azra and checked each one of her hooves.

Zinnia kept her eyes half closed, pretending to be asleep as she watched. Although he still wore the mask, it was as if seeing a different side of him. Thick black hair hung over his face as he bent over Azra. He moved differently when he thought no one was looking, more like a real person and less like an impenetrable statue.

He dropped the hoof and stumbled forward, one hand on his head, the other on Azra’s back to steady himself. A grimace crossed his face and his hand slipped down her flank as he fell to his knees.

Zinnia threw back her cloak and jumped to her feet, rushing to Eldin’s side. He was breathing heavily, his fingers tangled in his hair. She touched his shoulder, and he looked up, but his eyes didn’t see her. They were watching something far from the here and now.

The next moment, they refocused, and his hands dropped. The look on his face was nothing short of terrified.

“What happened, Eldin? Are you okay?”

“I–” His eyes widened, and he groped for his hood, pulling it low over his eyes. “I’m sorry for waking you. Please, go back to sleep. We must leave early.”

Zinnia nodded and reached for him, but he stepped back and faded into the shadows. A frown crossed her face as she brought her arm back across her chest and watched the empty spot, hoping he’d come back. He didn’t, and she went back to the fire, curling up under her cloak again.

Eldin woke her with a touch. He said nothing as she put her saddle back on Azra, and the silence continued as they passed out of the forest. To their right was a lake, sparkling in the morning light with a river leading off towards the sea. They rode around it, Eldin always just ahead of her. Zinnia wanted to say something, but didn’t push him, feeling like she did enough of that yesterday.

The day was more than half over when Eldin finally spoke. “Others will be coming. It's inevitable that we will come across other Ghosts with so many of us returning at once. We will have to hide Azra, and you’ll have to sit behind me while I hide you.”

“Why not leave me with Azra?”

He cocked his head. “I could, but it would hurt.”

“Oh. I’d rather come, then.”

“Just up ahead is a cave system. They aren’t deep, but they are big enough to hide a horse.”

Eldin turned and started forward again. A gentle hill rose on their left, and if Zinnia squinted, she could see it turned into a cliff face as it climbed higher. The closer they got, she could see he was right. The rock wall was littered with caves, most of them barely big enough for a person, let alone a horse.

The farther they walked, the bigger the caves became, and Eldin stopped at one twice as tall as her, but just wide enough for Azra to fit through. Zinnia slipped off the horse and led her between the rocks. Inside was the size of Zinnia’s old sitting room. Stalactites and stalagmites reached towards each other, one of them dripping. The splash of water on rock echoed in the small space.

“Stay here, girl. I’ll be back soon.” She patted Azra’s neck and slipped the reins over a stalagmite. Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out a dragon fruit and gave it to Azra. The horse crunched it up and nosed Zinnia’s hand in thanks. It was hard to leave her. It had only been a day, and yet she was already attached to her horse. Eldin waited just outside. As she exited, he held his hand out. She took it and clambered on to Kūma. The horse stood as still as Eldin.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Skatē, Zinnia.”

A cool tingling flowed over Zinnia’s skin. She looked down at her hands. There was a weird, dark shimmer about them.

“No one else will be able to see you now. But keep still, keep quiet, because they can hear you. I must warn you, though. The monsters from your story are called kimera. Once we enter the Abyss, they’ll be everywhere. But don’t worry. The Rite on your hand will shield you from them.”

“Kimera? The Abyss?” Zinnia felt sick to her stomach.

The cliff face rose higher the farther they went. It curved around and ended suddenly. An enormous chasm wrenched through the middle of the cliff, splitting it in two. Zinnia couldn’t stop staring and she nearly missed the Ghost materializing out of the woods on a horse. Her heart stopped as he trotted toward them and nodded to Eldin. He wore a similar outfit, black hood, black mask, black cloak. A sword handle poked above his shoulder.

Eldin returned the gesture and turned Kūma into the gap. Little light penetrated, and it took a moment before Zinnia’s eyes adjusted. The second Ghost trotted past them without a word and was swallowed by the darkness. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

High-pitched chattering and shrieking echoed from above. She bit her lip and scooted a little closer to Eldin, wrapping her arms around him. Wings buffeted the air, and it rustled her hair. Glancing up, a flash of silver scales reflected the rays that penetrated the darkness. The blue sky was like a crack in a world of rock and shadow.

Burying her head in Eldin’s cloak, she closed her eyes and didn’t look up until the clatter of Kūma’s hooves changed and Eldin sat up straighter. She looked up and discovered they were no longer walking between two rock walls, but through a town carved directly from the walls. The gap above them was much wider and the last of the sunlight filled the chasm with considerably more light. Ahead, against the back walls, were double doors at least twice as tall as Eldin with pillars on either side.

Enraptured by the scene, Zinnia didn’t realize Eldin was getting off Kūma and almost fell. She caught herself by grabbing the saddle and slid down in a more controlled manner. Other horses, just as black and shiny as Kūma, stood outside doorways, tails swishing. She counted thirteen in total, plus another who walked out of the darkness of the chasm and stopped several doorways back.

Eldin glided toward a door on the first level with a flower carved into it, and slipped through, leaving it open. Zinnia didn’t dawdle, following Eldin as close as she dared. The interior was as far from the outside as she could imagine. The red rock was polished to a shine, showing streaks of color otherwise invisible. A huge, creamy white rug covered the floor and a couch with fluffy cushions sat in the middle.

“These apartments have two rooms, in case we get an apprentice. Mine’s on the right, you can have the one on the left. No one will come in here. Just keep the door closed and don’t leave.”

“You live here?”

“Only sometimes. I must go. I’ll bring you back something to eat.”

“Wait,” Zinnia cried as he turned. His light eyes rested on her.

“You have to go now?”

“I’m expected. Don’t go anywhere.” He shut the door behind him, leaving Zinnia by herself in the unfamiliar room.

She snuck over to the window and peaked out. Nearly forty Ghosts glided through town and into the giant double doors. When the cloak of the last Ghost whipped out of sight, they boomed shut. A breeze blew through the chasm, creating a low moan that made the hairs on Zinnia’s arms stand up. Nothing moved. It was as if the town was dead.

Zinnia poked her head out the door, looking both ways. Only the horses stood, their tail swishing back and forth. At the other end of the wall was a set of stairs leading underneath the buildings. Wall sconces with torches lit up the tunnel, but the rock seemed to close in around her.

The sight that greeted her was entirely unexpected. A giant underground spring took up the entire room. There were three pools surrounded by stalagmites covered in glowing mushrooms.

Zinnia gaped as she walked alongside the pools. Steam rose steadily and flowed around her feet. Halfway around the second pool, near the back of the chamber, it gathered in a niche in the rock. As she watched it swirl and eddy, a tiny puff sent it scattering.

She knit her brow together and walked over, kneeling by the niche. A breeze rustled her hair and when she put her hand out, she discovered a cave. On her hands and knees, Zinnia crawled into it. The glow of the mushrooms quickly disappeared, but she could see a small square of light hovering on the edge of her vision.

Flipping back her cloak, she crawled towards it. The tunnel angled upward and it didn’t take long for her hands and knees to gather tiny rocks and bruises.The light patch grew the farther she crawled, and a sound like murmuring voices reached her.

She slowed, but didn’t stop. The light ahead looked to be some sort of window. The murmuring turned to whispers, and she froze when movement caught her eye.

“Who’s there?”

The voice sounded young, twelve or thirteen. Probably not a Ghost. She hoped.

A tiny flame flared up, and she caught sight of a boy's face with dark hair covering his forehead.

“Put it out! They’ll see it!” Another voice hissed, and the flame went out.

“But there’s someone there.”

“Where?”

Zinnia felt before she saw the face swim into view inches from hers.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

“I’m...uh...” Her mouth was dry. She had not prepared to run into anyone, least of all a bunch of boys in a cave.

“You’re a girl.” The dark-haired boy lit another match, hiding it from the window with his body.

Zinnia felt her heart drop, and she grabbed the boy's shirt.

“Hey, hey,” said the one in the shadows. “We’re all friends here.”

“Don’t you dare tell anyone I’m here.”

“No worries,” Dark Hair said, patting the hand clutching his shirt.

She let her fingers uncurl and he scuttled backwards.

“Come over here! It’s the important part,” a third voice whispered. She followed them to the window, which was little more than a hole in the wall, and huddled next to them to see.

Through the window, a forest of black cloak hems impeded their vision. Not a single Ghost swayed, shuffled, or fidgeted. Zinnia could hear the speaker, but it was in a guttural language she couldn’t understand.

“What’s he saying?” she whispered. Dark hair turned toward her and began to translate.

“...as many of you may know, this is my one hundred and seventeenth year as Sahmȳl–”

“–that’s their name for leader–”

“–and this is my last year. After the next passing of Yrridan’s Comet, we will host the Trials for those of you wishing to participate in the running to take over. Kirtley, I believe–”

“That’s enough, now it’s just boring normal stuff,” the boy's friend said, gesturing down the tunnel.

Zinnia scooted down the tunnel, and the boys followed her one by one. As soon as they tumbled from the cave, they exploded into excited talk.

“There’s only been two Ghost Trials in all of history!”

“And we get to see it happen!”

“What is it exactly?” Zinnia asked. The three boys turned to her. There was dark hair, one with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and another with red hair and freckles. They were all pale and shorter than her, if only by a hand span.

“You really are a girl,” Freckles said, his eyes wide.

“We won’t tell anyone, but you have to tell us why you’re here.” Blondie crossed his arms and glared at her.

“Do you swear on your mother’s graves?” She glared back.

“Swear,” they said in unison.

“Fine. I came with one of the Ghosts. I may have accidentally let him mark me with the Rite.”

“Let me see!” Freckles said, pushing to the front.

Zinnia held out her hand, showing the Rite symbol.

“Whoa.” The three boys stared at it.

“I didn’t know girls can be apprentices,” said Dark Hair.

“They can’t,” she snatched back her hand. “Which is why you three need to be quiet about this. If they find me, they’ll kill me.”

They all looked at her, mouths open.

“You don’t want them to kill me, do you?”

They shook their heads.

“Good. Now tell me what they were talking about.

“The Ghost Trials.”

“It’s how they choose a new leader. It’s super special because–”

“–it doesn’t happen very often.”

“Did you say the leader led for over one hundred passes?” Zinnia asked.

They glanced at each other, and freckles nodded. “Ghosts live for a long time.”

Zinnia opened her mouth to say something when Dark Hair’s face paled even more.

“They’re finished, we gotta go, now!” He pushed Zinnia forward, and she raced toward the steps, taking them two at a time. Peeking out the top of the stairs, she could see the giant doors opening.

“Hurry!” she whispered, waving the boys up. She turned right, and they left.

“Bye, girl! Good to meet you,” Dark Hair said as they split and ran.

Zinnia slipped back through the door of Eldin’s apartment. Out the window, Ghosts were drifting off to their horses or into apartments. She hurried down the hall, couldn’t remember which direction her room was, and went right.

She crashed through the door and realized immediately this was not her room. The biggest indicator was the lack of bed, but it wasn’t empty. Maps covered the walls, and in the middle of the room was a desk. On it was a single map with a dagger stuck in it.

After a tortured second of indecision, Zinnia turned to leave. She wouldn't have enough time without being caught. As she went for the door handle, she glanced up and froze. Carved into the back of Eldin’s bedroom door was a single name. Rowan.

Her eyes widened. Reeling, she crashed through and into her room, shut the door behind her, and threw herself into bed. Next to it was a bedside table with a few books stacked on top. Grabbing the second one in the pile, she flipped a few chapters and began reading about the dragons on the Isle of Dragons.

A sharp knock at her door made her jump.

“Come in,” she said breathlessly.

“Did you survive?” Eldin’s head poked around the door.

“Oh, yeah, just reading.” She waved the book.

Eldin narrowed his eyes at her. “Would you like something to eat?”

“I thought you didn’t eat?”

“We don’t, but our apprentices do. They’re still human.”

“Oh. Where are they?”

Eldin shrugged. “Probably in their own homes. Now that the meeting is over, they’ll probably be out. That’s why you need to stay hidden.”

“Hurry back, it’s boring here.”

Eldin rolled his eyes and left again.

When she was sure he was gone, she sighed and put the book down. It had been close. It might still blow up in her face if those boys in the tunnel said anything.