The Icy Quest

Chapter 5

After what felt like a millenium of walking, Pagoniá and Pozhar staggered into the village, panting. They were grateful for the traction the solid ground of the oasis gave them after miles of trudging through shifting sand. They decided that their first order of business was to satisfy their parched throats with a long drink of water.

After that, Pozhar set out to acquire the supplies they needed. Pagoniá, with nothing else to do, chose to explore the village while trying not to think about everything that had happened in the past week.

Pagoniá paused her walk to browse through some of the village shops. For the first time, she realized that the humming noise she had been hearing since meeting Pozhar had vanished. Coincidentally, it was also the first time she had been apart from him. During one of her stops, a girl casually strolled by Pagoniá and grabbed her hand. The humming noise restarted.

"Could we talk in private?" the girl whispered under her breath, tugging Pagoniá by the hand. "I want to tell you something."

"I guess," Pagoniá uneasily agreed, her muscles tensing as she reluctantly followed the girl. It would be rude to refuse in such a public place, but she really didn't want to go. The girl led Pagoniá into an alleyway.

After a quick glance around to make sure they were alone, the girl burst out, "You need to take down the fire people, and I want to help."

"Wait! What?" Pagoniá asked, taking a step back. "What are you talking about?"

"I know that you are an ice person. I know that Pozhar is helping you. I know that you were betrayed by someone claiming to be associated with an anti-fire organization. Also, I agree. Kryasavara is cute. In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a mind-reader," the girl bravely admitted.

Pagoniá gasped. Mind-readers were rare. Any that were discovered by the fire people were never heard from again. Mind-readers were in as much danger as ice people, but Pagoniá was still reluctant to trust the girl.

"What number am I thinking of?" Pagoniá asked with narrowed eyes, thinking as hard as she could about eggplants.

"You're not thinking of a number. You're thinking about eggplants. And, thank you for asking me my name," she added sarcastically. "It's Tilepátheia, by the way. Also, my coming isn't optional. Either I join you or follow you. Your choice."

"Umm, okay, I guess," Pagoniá stuttered. She was taken aback by Tilepátheia's spirited statement. "I'll have to tell Pozhar, but I'm sure he'll agree that you should come. Plus, if you're telling the truth, it eliminates the possibility of betrayals."

"I had a feeling that you might say that," Tilepátheia giggled now that the tension was broken. "Let's go find Pozhar."

Pagoniá led Tilepátheia down the street to where Pozhar was shopping. She squinted to get a good look at the object in his hand.

"Are you seriously buying a hat?" she asked him with a confused look.

"Yes I am," Pozhar declared proudly. "I also bought a wig, a fake mustache, and sunglasses. They're disguise materials."

"Who's she?" he asked, gesturing to Tilepátheia.

"It's rude to talk about people like they aren't there," Tilepátheia informed him, scowling.

"Pozhar, this is Tilepátheia. She wants to join us," Pagoniá explained.

"You told her?" Pozhar burst out, looking worried.

"No. I didn't. She's a mind-reader," Pagoniá countered.

"Will you please quit talking about me like I'm not here!" Tilepátheia exclaimed grumpily.

"Well, since you are going to come with us, do you have any ideas for transportation?" Pagoniá asked. "Walking isn't going to get us everywhere we need to go."

"Well. Where are you going? You need a destination in order to know how to get there." Tilepátheia pointed out.

"You make a good point, but maybe we can figure it out in the morning," Pozhar reasoned. "The sun is setting."

Pagoniá looked up. Sure enough, the sky was turning orange and the temperature had begun to cool slightly. Everyone reluctantly agreed that it was time to settle down for the night.

Pozhar had purchased a tent along with the disguise supplies earlier in the day. They decided to set it up under an abandoned shade arbor just outside the village. It wasn't much, but they hoped the arbor would provide at least a little bit of extra protection from some of the elements they faced. As they pounded in the last tent stake, Pagoniá realized just how tired she was. It had been an exhausting few days. She did not want to continue thinking about what would come next, so instead she laid down and slept.

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Posting the whole rest of the story today. Again, please comment and vote.