Retreat into Darkness

Chapter 17

Allaura Aislinn

We've been travelling all morning. We woke up and decided to travel west. Aleksandr never mentioned what was beyond the river. Because he never expected us to fall into the damn thing.

we've blindly have been following a trail through the trees. Our clothes were dry the next morning, but they were crisp from the cold. The longer we walk. The more ice starts to develop onto both the feathers of my wings, and my finger tips.

We aren't prepared for this. Our armour is heavy, and is wearing us down. We're tired and hungry, and fucking cold. It has felt like days, but in reality it's only been hours.

Throughout our walk, i've heard rustling in the trees, but I say nothing. Not until they have no grown louder.

"What the hell is that." I ask frustrated.
Caspian turns his head to me, eyebrows furrowed. "You're able to hear that?" He asks, "Of course i'm able to hear it, it's close, is it not?" He stares at me a few moments and doesn't answer, because something, an animal runs past us. I freeze on the spot and look around both of us cautiously. My wings flare out on their own, due to alert.

"It's fine. It's only the Rixian's." Caspian tells me. I furrow my eyebrows as I look in his direction. He doesn't say anything, instead he points in front of him to a creature.
I know that creature. It's the same one that was found dead in the human world. In my world.

The Rixian looked. . . disturbing to say the least but—but beautiful? So strangely beautiful. Yes i've seen it before. The same three legs, the green fur and it's towering horns. But I now see it in the flesh. And it's amazing.

The Rixian snorts and stomps it's single hoof in the front before stalking off. I speak before thinking, "Follow it." Caspian shoots me a look, "Just- just do it." I bite out.

He doesn't talk but he trails the Rixian.

I don't know how long we walk. I don't pay any attention to the aching in my legs, my back, my fingers that are frosting over. But the Rixian stops near a small cave entrance. It snorts and stomps it's single hoof before running off.

Caspian approaches the cave first while I follow closely behind.

We both freeze. At the sounds of chains being dragged on the pavement. Not one chain. . . It sounds like hundreds.

We both pick up our paces, but I stop. If someone is in there. They can't see me, not with the wings. But I have no clue how to put them away, or if they can even be put away.

"Who's there?" A voice calls out. The rattles of the chain intensify at the guards question. I hear the men's footsteps get closer and closer. Caspian has his back against the corner of the cave wall, readying for attack. But I focus on trying to retract my wings. Pull them inside me. They were there before, they have to be able to go back in. they have to.

The guards footsteps become louder, echoing throughout the cave.

But I focus on my back. Imaging my wings being folded into my muscles. Being shrunk back into my back, snapped back into my body, the same way Caspian said it came out.

"I said who's-" The guard calls out but the voice it cut off from the searing pain in my back. A small whimper escapes my lips, but I bite back my cry as I feel my wings snap back into my back. The clothes on my back tear even more and both the cold air and fresh blood hit my back.