Vuroth's Tear: Even the Gods Cry

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The day passed slowly. Verik led the others north, through the enormous farmlands and fields surrounding Ravdian. It took most of the day to make it to the tree line of the forest and they were only able to travel another hour before the sun got too low to see and they were forced to make camp.

"Here should be a decent place to camp for the night," Verik said while sweeping at the brush with his foot.

Analda sat on a big rock that stuck out of the ground, she was exhausted. Her feet throbbed but she refused to give even the slightest hint that she wasn't suited for the journey. What Donovan had said had upset her, but only because he was right. She was already slowing them down. There were several times when they had to wait for her to catch up, Aven had convinced them to stop and take a break more than once, saying he had seen something in the distance but she knew the truth, he had stopped for her and offered a weak excuse to cover it up for her sake.

She sat on the rock with her knees to her chest, watching Verik set up sticks and lighting the campfire while Aven and Donovan went off for firewood and something to eat.

Analda felt useless, she didn't know how to hunt, she was confused by the woods and would have easily gotten lost trying to help gather wood. She started to feel unsure about her choice to leave with them. She wondered if she should have just stayed in Ravdian and let the others go on without her, but she knew staying wasn't an option. Aven wouldn't have left without her.

She looked at Verik using flint to start a fire, "You're a Mage, can't you just use magic?"

"Oh, no, my magic is attuned to ice," He spoke casually and dismissively while he blew on the brush he used for kindling as it caught.

"Why ice?"

He laughed louder than he intended, "It wasn't really my choice. You see, there are Mages, who's magic is weaker, diluted but generalized. They can use any element. Then there are Elementals, who are extremely powerful but are restricted to just one element, mine is ice."

Donovan and Aven stepped into the clearing and dropped the gathered branches in a single pile.

Aven sat down next to Analda, "We couldn't find anything to eat, I hope you can go without eating for the night."

"I'm always hungry so I'll try to find something before we leave tomorrow," Donovan reassured Analda before dropping to the ground with a sigh, "so, why do you look like that?"

Verik ignored the tone of the question and answered, "Well, think of magic as red wine and my body as a white cloth. The wine passes through, but the cloth also becomes saturated and dyed red. The same principle goes for an elemental and magic. The stronger the magic, the faster the body changes. That's why normal Mages never look any different, their magic is too weak."

Analda stared at him, looking at his vibrant blue eyes, she thought they were beautiful. She took her time admiring his Mage features, his hair looked dark, but she couldn't tell through the layer of frost that covered it and reflected the light of the fire. His skin was smooth and flawless, pale with a slight sheen.

Aven pushed closer to her, "Are you warm enough? Are your legs sore from the hike?"

She faked a smile and lied, "I'm fine, I had fun." It made her legs throb to think she had to wake up and continue walking again all day. It was only the first night of an adventure, leaving her home, and she hated it. She was miserable, but that all melted away when she looked at him.

Aven leaned close with a smile, "You don't have to lie to me, I'm not going to think badly of you for being sore. To be honest, I'm proud of you, you did much better than I thought you would." He put a hand on her knee, "The first night I walked like you did today, I cried myself to sleep."