The Awakening

Chapter 4

Gooseflesh ran through Kiel. Unbroken by hills, the bone chilling wind tore through every being on the plains. The sky was painted a matte gray, and the world a blinding white. A thin layer of snow lay on the ground, unsullied due to the lack of travelers. A sole set of tracks were imprinted in the otherwise fresh snow, one of two travelers on horseback.

A chestnut brown horse with a long and shaggy mane shook its head as Kiel gently fed it a partially frozen apple. "There, there..." Kiel spoke with care to his new and unexpected horse.

Thala had given Kiel a horse to use while he traveled; it had been living in the stables just outside Iriel before Thala bought it for him. The stablemaster seemed rather surprised at Thala's presence and sold the horse for so low that he couldn't have turned a profit.

Once again, Kiel turned his head to look at Thala, she was clearing an area of snow using wind magic. With an outstretched arm, and a flick of her wrist, a circle about 30 feet in diameter was instantly free from snow. The grass that was underneath was steaming and radiating vast amounts of heat.

Kiel chuckled at himself in disbelief, Thala had done this sort of thing casually everyday since they had set out. One day she would snap her fingers and light a blazing fire, another she would freeze over the spot they had stayed the night before. In the morning after they had slept, Thala would make it seem like no one had even stepped a foot where they camped. It was almost as if she peeled the snow away, and when they were done, just folded it back again.

Kiel was no longer surprised at her casual use of what seemed like complex magic, but just chuckled at himself whenever she would do it. Kiel had asked Thala about her magic in disbelief the first night after they left, when she used it for the first time. "How did you do that? I had no idea you were a mage Mrs. Thala!"

Thala gave a soft smile and looked over at Kiel. "There's a lot that you don't know about me kid." Thala paused for a moment. "Although I'm sure we'll get to know each other much better over the next couple weeks." Thala's tone had shifted for a moment, from a lonely one to one that alluded to more.

Kiel gave her a strange look as he picked up on her odd behavior. With a soft sigh and a nod of his head, Kiel concluded that he wasn't going to get any more out of Thala that night. The two took turns keeping watch, if Iriel sent any troops after them, they would have to fight. As Kiel fell asleep on his wooden pallet covered in animal furs, he relaxed far more than he ever had in the inn. With a sense of security in Thala, Kiel dozed off into the world of dreams.

The sky was still dark, but the pale light from the large crescent moon as well as the countless stars illuminated the field of white. Large clouds floated ephemerally through the sea of stars, from the clouds, flakes of snow drifted through the air slowly. With a wall of wind covering them, the flakes swirled around their makeshift campsite. Kiel had fallen asleep hours ago, it had been just about time for a shift change.

Thala gazed at Kiel with care as he lay curled up on his pallet. Taking a shaky breath, Thala's lungs burned in the cold air. Her light chocolate brown eyes gazed up above them as she exhaled a semi-translucent plume of warm, visible air. Preparing herself for the rest of the night, Thala decided not to wake Kiel. She couldn't bring herself to do it, the boy was too precious to him.

Maybe that's why I've gone to such lengths already. I'm finding myself coddling him more and more... Thala sighed lightly as she gave a weak smile at no one in particular.

The sun rose in a brilliant fashion, illuminating the world with bright oranges and luscious reds. A world temporarily stuck in a pale shade of white had begun swimming with color once again.