The Ride West

Chapter Three

After Eulanthe and Justice and their aérylle friend crossed the Syvötta river, they came to a rolling and rocky heathland. Far on the horizon was a line of dark blue shadows. It put an ache and longing into Eulanthe's heart, causing her to walk faster.

"Ah, the air here is lovely!" Sang the aérylle, jumping up high and then swooping down.

Eulanthe could feel the aérylle's joy and excitement, and bounded to keep up with it. "This is a beautiful place, isn't it?" She asked it, grinning. She glanced back at Justice, but her friend seemed sad and thoughtful. "What is it?"

"I remember being here with my siblings. We were trying to stop the Traitor from stealing the King's land, and it was such an awful fight... These hills were burnt and bare when I left for the marsh."

"But they're alive now! They're all healed up," Said Eulanthe, who held out her hand for Justice to take. They grasped it, looking into her eyes with an intense sort of love and pain. For a brief moment in Justice's karòn, Eulanthe saw Justice looking down at her as she first awoke, and felt how these two moments were now connected for them. The way was challenging, with loose rocks hidden beneath the shrubs; the scent of the bushes was strong and wholesome, and encouraging. Now being closer, the shadows on the horizon proved to be mountains, slowly rising up like the dawn. They too brightened up, becoming more colorful and majestic; they were rugged and handsome and imposing.

"We're almost there," Said the aérylle, pausing to point with a talon. "I've never been all the way over, but I know the Wild Lands are past those mountains."

"Past the Border Mountains and the Great Chasm, to be more specific," Justice added. They had the map out, and Eulanthe could see the Great Chasm connecting one end of the mountain range to the other, like a bow string. Justice rolled the map up and put it back in their pack, and looked out towards the mountains again, shading their eyes with their hand. "The Traitor did so many terrible things, but the land they stole outside the mountains is growing again. I think we'll just have to trust the King's Son won and go in through the pass."

"Oh well," Lamented the aérylle. "Mountain updrafts are so cozy, but I suppose it'll be faster to go that way." And so they went. The ground became rockier as they walked through the lowlands, the hills getting steeper. The lowlands and mountains had their own sort of karòn: Eulanthe could see mighty warriors clashing all around, with arrows raining down and war cries echoing; she even caught a glimpse of Justice, wearing gleaming armor and carrying the banner of the King as they rode on a horse.

So, at last, they came to the pass through the Border Mountains. The mountains stood tall on each side of the valley like proud gates. Dark birds circled overhead. Though the mountains seemed wild and growing, something about the place made Eulanthe feel a little sad. The air was drier, and the lonely calls of the birds overhead echoed faintly. Squinting, Eulanthe saw something that seemed like a tree at first. "Can you see that?" She asked Justice, pointing.

"Yes, but it's hard to make out what it is from here." Answered Justice.

"Aha! Us aérylle have good eyesight, you know. It's... an old board on a post."

"That's all?" Eulanthe wondered. "Hmm. I know: why don't we race to it to see what it is?" With a smirk Justice took off, Eulanthe close behind. The aérylle soon overtook them and pulled ahead by flying, but she didn't mind, and gave the race her all. When they reached it, panting and out of breath, they could see the board was a very large sign, damaged by the wind and weather, with arrows stuck in it and big chunks rotted away. There were faded letters on it, but they were in a language Eulanthe couldn't understand. "What does it say?" She asked Justice.

"Kymas velémma," Justice spat out, absolutely furious. "It means 'welcome home'." Eulanthe was confused for a moment because she knew Justice wasn't an angry person. She wondered if it had something to do with the Wild Lands, and the Traitor that Justice had mentioned.