Starborn

Chapter 14

Two days of climbing in the frigid weather have made me irritable and restless. My toes feel frozen solid, cradled within my wet boots. The wind keeps stinging my face like tiny razors scraping against my skin. To make matters worse, nothing interesting has made this journey more pleasant- all we've seen is more snow and rocks. Me and my comrades haven't even spoken to each other for a day. I have been thinking about Alistar. His words before leaving were heartfelt and thorough. I told the others his intentions, and everyone, even Roland, wished him well. Their faces showed discouragement. Charlotte wanted to pray for his safety, so we sat back and allowed her to speak.

Several times I thought I saw something amid the wind- the silhouette of the enormous dark beast we had witnessed before. It has yet to attack us, as all it does is wander. Thankfully, we've yet to come close to it.

Now, after climbing for so long that my legs feel as soft as butter, my eyes widen when we finally come across something welcoming. It catches me so off guard that I almost jump in excitement.

"Look!" I say while pointing forward.

"It's a Well! Thank goodness!" Charlotte says as she trudges through the snow as quickly as she can.

We gather around the Well, and I look down into the dark crevice. I almost forgot the feeling of looking down into a cold Celestial Well before it alights with fresh Vim. So I waste no more time and call upon my pitiful Auryn, then toss the ember into the hole. It takes longer than usual, probably because of the cold, but Vim roars to the top of the Well.

Praying to the fire refreshes my Auryn to its fullest, and the wind feels less bitter against my face now. Charlotte and Roland also pray to the Well, giving content sighs after a moment. But Duncan stays behind, staring off into the distance with his arms crossed.

"Aren't you going to pray to the Well?" I ask him. "It's probably the last one we'll find up on this mountain-"

"I mean no disrespect," he says abruptly. "But I've lost all hope in ever getting anything out of one of those things."

When he sees me staring at him, Duncan frantically puts up his hands. "It's nothing personal! I've just never really had much of a connection with... 'the Mother.'"

"You've never prayed to her?"

Duncan looks away, lost in thought.

"I've tried, of course. I've read every tome I could find, attended mass religiously, and spoken with several Heralds, but none of them can understand why I just... can't feel anything when I pray to a Well."

That baffles me slightly, but after I think about it for a moment, my eyes gradually widen as I can only think of one answer.

"You... don't have an Auryn, do you?"

"Is that a bad thing?" Duncan says with a drawl.

"I... just didn't think it was possible to live without an Auryn."

"Me neither. And yet here I am after all these years without the fire." He shakes his head. "'Makes me think the Mother overlooked me when I was born. 'Wouldn't surprise me one bit."

"Duncan..." Charlotte says, patting his shoulder.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Duncan says while adjusting his belt. "Auryn or not, I'm still as loyal to the fire as anyone else."

"Loyal..." I hear Roland say with a scoff. "I could name a million words better suitable for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Duncan says.

"You were supposed to be loyal to Lady Westfall, and then you went and left her without saying goodbye," Roland says with a scowl. "Lady Westfall was so devastated. It was a chore to get her out of bed for days afterward."