A Mirage Of Milk And Honey

Chapter 6 - Ride or Die

The next day, the journey had been very much the same. Zemira complained and Honey's bum hurt.

To distract herself, she asked Aedis more questions about the Myfs, the Ether and even Nileau.

He'd told her that there were hundreds of species of Myfs, all as dangerous as the last. Many mortals compared them to "Demons", saying they were creatures of the darkest depths of the Pénal Realm, a place in the afterlife reserved for the worst of the worst, but Aedis said that they were just creatures. Animals infected with Ether, corrupted by Chaotic Matter.

Honey found that rather sad. She knew that Myfs were bad—there was not any part of her that wished to encounter another—but the thought of it was sorrowful. They'd been poisoned by something out of their control, been captured and imprisoned, used for warfare, and were seen as evil despite it being instinct that drove them to do these things. She supposed she could understand Aedis' sympathy.

Flashes of the creature that had attacked her made her try to clear her thoughts.

Nileau, she'd been told, was beautiful. It was unlike any other land. There were beaches of black pebbles and sparkling blue ice. Bright green hills and dark grey cliffs where, at the bottom, the ocean slammed against their sheer surface, strong against the onslaught of the sea.

"It rains often." Aedis said "But I quite like the rain."

Honey smiled, and under the intimidation she'd felt ever since she'd woken up, excitement bloomed.

There was a lot of the world that Aedis, Zemira and Chip had seen and experienced, and Honey found herself envious of it.

The idea of travelling to unimaginable new places she couldn't even envisage was far more appealing than it should have been, given the circumstances. But it was a possibility that floated around her thoughts. One that she would seize, if she could.

When they reached Nileau, and she got her memories back, she would go and explore the world.

*

Twelfs Post was the second destination, and though they'd arrived earlier than they'd reached Shackles Post, the whole group was exhausted. Aside from dinner, none of them had the energy to do anything more than sleep and prepare for the next journey.

The horses rested, the group bathed, and the next day they were once again on horseback, their time at Shackles Post proving to be short and uneventful.

It was the third day that they'd been travelling, and Honey was beginning to find it just as tiresome as Zemira. She'd run out of questions to ask which was, in Aedis' words, "A first."

"Can I try horse riding?" Honey asked, deciding it was better to get the question out of the way and receive her answer. She'd been pondering the idea for a while.

They were standing by another creek, the snow dry underfoot. Aedis splashed some water on his face, the cold liquid biting at his skin and numbing it, but it was refreshing. Water droplets hung from his hair and clung to his eyebrows and lashes as he looked up at her from where he knelt.

He regarded her for a second, sitting back and resting a forearm on his knee, a protest at the ready.

"I think she should." Zemira interjected before he could reject the request.

"I don't think it's the best idea—"

"Aedis," Zemira cut him off, "She's a grown woman. We're making good time. It will be fine."

The two considered each other for a moment, a private conversation Honey felt awkward witnessing.

"Alright." He said.