And What I Found There - Book Two

16. Why Are We Pretending This is Nothing

As the next few days trickle by, we cover ground, crest hills, gallop through valleys, and of course I've been training like my life depends on it. Which it does, of course. It does. Everyone pitches in with my lessons, even Adisonia in her own catty, mean girl way.

"It's step, step, slide. Not step, step, lunge," she corrects me with an eyeroll as she watches me brandish my training sword. It's basically just a glorified stick. "Unless you've already mastered your balance which," she chuckles smugly. "Keep dreaming, then you're only going to fall on your face." She says as I stumble forward and fall. "Mm-hm," she shrugs as she steps over me.

I roll my eyes but hop back up, keeping her less than nicely given advice in mind though as I resume sparring with Quill.

Now though our quest has led us to the eerie Valley of the Broken Graves. Apparently we follow this trench until it leads us to Ghost Hills.

"What is this place?" I ask as I look around, unnerved with how the gorge rises above our heads on either side, blocking our view of the forest beyond and makes me feel like someone -or something- is staring down at us. The very walls of the trench are made of mounds of broken graves and headstones. It looks like an entire cemetery was uprooted and pushed over.

"The cast offs of Ghost Hills," Cornelius says quietly. His horse moves farther away from mine before I can ask any more questions.

"Hey, why are we going to Ghost klupping Hills again?" Adisonia demands, clutching her bright red cloak around her neck more protectively as the chilly wind whispers through the broken stones. "That klupping place is cursed!"

"What are the Hills?" I glance between her and Quill, hoping either of them will tell me something since Cornelius isn't in the sharing mood.

"C'mon, Darie," Adisonia groans. "Even you have to know what the Hills are!" She snorts with a chuckle.

"Adisonia," Quill shoots her an annoyed look. "Adara wasn't raise in Raetri, remember?"

"Oh," Adisonia blushes briefly. "Sometimes I forget you're actually from another reality and weren't just raised under a rock. Of course," she tosses her head indignantly. "You still could've been, for all I know."

I grin a bit and shake my head, now glance imploringly at Quill.

"Ghost Hills used to be the Holy Hills before the Dark Ages -"

"Yes, the Holy Hills," Adisonia butts in. "But it was also referred to as the Staircase to Heaven back in its heyday, just so you know." She smirks. "It was a grand cemetery where only the most wealthy, royal, and powerful creatures of Raetri were brought to be laid to rest. The very land itself thrived off the riches and magic it absorbed from the bodies and the Hills were the most glorious and magical in all of Raetri."

"Yes, but stories began to spread about how the holy ground of those hills could bring back the dead under certain conditions," Quill carries on. "And... unfortunately, persons began trying out the rituals."

"OMG, did they work?"

He nods. "Yes, at first -"

"But there was a catch," Adisonia interrupts again. "You see, it required Dark magic to bring their souls back from the dead, and the resurrected could only survive as long as they were in the Holy Hills." I nod eagerly. "When they tried to leave, they were cursed into these disgusting, flesh-eating freaks called Myx that now prowl the Hills looking for anyone with a pulse to devour."

"Whoa, that is...horrible."

"I wouldn't call them freaks, Adisonia," Quill shoots the Princess a look. "The Myx are cursed creatures, resurrected by Dark magic."