Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

25

aaaaand yup, I made another trailer again. This time, for Creatures of the Night! and yeah, I used some of the same clips for the one I made for this book because finding good copyright-free clips for fantasy books is really hard hahah 

25.

Elias isn't hard to find. Though the path he took seems barely touched, there's only one direction he could've gone—up. It's a slow and gradual incline until the last couple meters, where it's a hands-and-knees clambering situation. I brush my hands on my pants once I reach the top. There are barely any trees, and those that are here are thin and spindly. Amongst the shrub, Elias sits with his back to me, surveying the surroundings below. He doesn't acknowledge me as I walk over to him, even though he knows I'm there. I sit down a few feet away and turn to face him, holding out the remains of the rabbit.

"You know," I start, "somebody once told me that starving yourself doesn't solve your problems."

"You should listen to the other things they say," he says. "They sound very wise."

"Oh, they are. But if they don't take this rabbit, they're also a hypocrite."

He half-smiles, taking the rabbit from me. "Thanks."

The sun peeks through the mountains in the distance, casting shadows across the tops of the trees. I lean back on my hands and close my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin, the smell of the air. Over on the coast, the air felt thicker somehow. Here, so close to the mountains, there's a sharp bite to the air that I missed. It hasn't been long since we were back here, but everything feels so different. And even if we have to go home and prepare for an attack, we have Elias back. That's so much more than what we left with.

"Malik and Cassia went to get water," I say.

He eyes the smoke swirling from our fire below. It isn't dark yet, but it's still a signal to anyone close enough to our exact location. "Once they're back, we should probably get moving."

"How do you feel?" I ask. "About going back?"

"I quite liked Cassia's idea, actually."

"Me too." I lie back and stare at the sky. Elias looks down at me, the tips of his hair burning copper. "Just imagine a nice, warm bath, clean sheets, a bed."

"The weather's warming, we could go swimming in the lakes in the mountains," Elias suggests.

"And maybe while we're there, we could visit Malik's village too. It's over that way, right?"

He nods. "His village is very beautiful in the spring. There are meadows close by filled with wildflowers."

I don't usually entertain such peaceful ideas. Dreaming of a future that is so uncertain seems dangerous. I always thought hope was the fuel that keeps you going, but I'm starting to wonder if it's actually a fire that eventually fizzles out and leaves nothing but ash. But sitting next to Elias on the hill, I allow myself to imagine a world where we really can go back and do these harmless tasks. Not one where we have to go and plan for an attack.

"You could learn to read, I could sketch," Elias continues. "No more enforcing lockdowns, no more looking at maps or making plans and life or death decisions."

His eyes dance, alight with joy at the thought of such a world. I sit up, edging closer. I'm here imagining a world where we aren't at war, but it seems like his fantasy is much bigger than the war we're facing. "Elias," I murmur, "why do you lead the village?"