Elements of Emotion

Chapter 11: The Depths

Caelian woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He groggily sat up from the nest he constructed on the bed, rubbing at his eyes. It was still cold indoors, but with the blankets and pillows, he had been just warm enough to fall asleep through the night, and apparently half of the day.

Damien opened the door with an annoyed sigh. "Did you ever plan on getting up?" He asked.

"Yeah, But I was still sleeping," Caelian said with a yawn.

"It's almost 2 o'clock, get up," Damien said before walking away and leaving the door open.

Gale had guided them to a house belonging to someone named Jeryl, allowing them to rest. It was a large, upscale house with multiple rooms, and many people were staying there together, sheltering from the cold.

Caelian still hadn't eaten, and his rumbling stomach reminded him of that fact. He sighed as he slowly climbed out of bed, shivering as he left the warm embrace of the blankets. He tugged on the hood of his jacket as he exited the room and took the winding staircase downstairs.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," Damien said as Caelian entered the living room. Some other spirits that were there glanced over to Caelian, but quickly went back to what they were doing.

"Good morning, Birdie!" Evelyn said with a grin.

Caelian wordlessly sat down next to them.

A moment later Gale entered the room, a box of crackers in her hand. She knelt down to Caelian and handed it to him with a smile.

"Your friends mentioned you hadn't eaten in a while, so I wanted to give you this. I'm sorry it isn't much, we're starting to run low on food."

"Oh, that's fine," Caelian said as he took the box from Gale. She stood as he struggled to open the packaging.

"So, will you be heading to the palace today?" Gale asked, looking towards Damien.

"If that's where Leviatha is," they said.

"Then please, allow me to come with you," Gale said, placing her hands on her chest. "I may not look it, but I know how to fight. I'd like to escort you and make sure you arrive safely."

Caelian ripped open the bag, causing crackers to spill everywhere. He wordlessly began to pick them up and stick them back into the box.

"If we can't handle what's on the way to the palace then I don't know how you think Caelian can handle a god," Damien said.

"That's true." Gale frowned. "But I just can't sit and do nothing. This is my people's problem, after all. It doesn't feel right to let outsiders handle it by themselves. So please, let me accompany you."

"Evelyn thinks it's a good idea!" Evelyn said. "Let pretty fish lady come! More help the better!"

Gale let out a soft laugh. "It's settled, then."

"I hope you actually do know how to fight, then," Damien said as Caelian began to stuff crackers into his mouth. "We're not going to have time to bring you back here if you don't."

"I may be a priestess, but my elemental abilities are well honed, don't you worry," Gale smiled.

The group waited for Caelian to finish his meal of crackers. It was awkward listening to him loudly crunch them with little table manners, so they ended up chatting to pass the time. Eventually Caelian stood up, having finished the whole box. He felt a little better, though crackers weren't really the nutritional meal he would have preferred. At least his stomach should quiet down now.

"I can't believe I'm going through all of this just for research purposes," Damien sighed as he stood up. "Evelyn, are you sure you still want to come along with all of this? It's not going to get any easier."