Hush

Chapter Twenty-One

A mass of pinks, purples, and blues, even some greens, seemed to shimmer and move in front of him. The colors blended in waves, making a beautiful lake in the sky.

The Aurora Borealis. Hush never thought he'd actually be able to see it with his own eyes, much less be so extraordinarily close to it. He could feel the magic coming off of it, warming him, strengthening him, calling him.

"Hey, want some help up?" a voice asked. Hush yelped, startled. It had been so quiet, yet he hadn't even heard the stranger approach.

"Um, yeah, sure... yeah..." Hush muttered, looking up. The stranger outstretched a hand to him and he gladly took it.

Once up, Hush's knees almost gave out, but the unknown boy held Hush so he wouldn't fall. Hush thanked him and looked him over, an old habit. The stranger had silver hair, surprisingly dark skin, and, most surprisingly, silver eyes that were practically identical to his own. Blue and purple were around the rim of Hush's own eyes while this stranger had blue, purple, and green.

"Are you okay?" the stranger asked, looking over Hush as if inspecting him. "No limbs lost, right? The cold does that sometimes."

"W-wait," Hush said, watching the silver-haired boy, "People have lost limbs here?" Hush twisted his fingers together and shivered slightly, the cold starting to leave completely.

The other boy chuckled and shook his head, ruffling Hush's hair. "No no, I was joking. No one has lost a limb here, as far as I know."

That didn't sound entirely convincing to Hush, though he supposed he'd have to take the stranger's word for it. "So..." Hush started, his eyes looking back towards the Aurora Borealis and then back at the boy. "Um... What's your name?" Hush asked, tilting his head slightly. He was genuinely curious about... well, everything. He didn't even know that Magi lived this far out. Hush could only imagine how strong their magic was.

"I'm Silver, you know, because of my eyes," he said and chuckled. "Real creative, huh?"

Hush smiled a bit. This guy, he seemed pretty friendly, trustworthy, even. And after everything, Hush was glad to have someone to talk to, to anchor his mind down.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Silver asked, giving Hush a lopsided smile. "Well hey," he says and patted Hush's shoulder, "at least tell me your name."

"Oh, right," Hush muttered, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck. He hated it when his mind wandered off while he was talking to someone. "Hush. My name is Hush, I mean..." His cheeks warmed slightly, he had never exactly been good at with meeting new people.

"It's nice to meet you, Hush," Silver says and smiles. "I don't see many people around here, seeing how it's the North Pole."

Hush nodded, noticing that the distinct pulling feeling was all still present. The magic from the Aurora Borealis was so strong, Hush could practically feel it floating there, hovering in the air.

"Your magic must be really strong here, huh?" Hush asked, then remembered the door which he came through. "Also, did you, uh, know about that door?" Hush gestured towards it.

"Of course," Silver answered, chuckling a bit. "That door has been there for as long as I can remember. People don't come through it very often. As for the question about our magic, I would say that it's probably a bit stronger."

"I see," Hush murmured, his mind continuously switching topics. How long had he been in there? How did he get there? Is Rune okay? "Do you... do you know what's behind that door?"

Silver sighed and took Hush's hand, leading him towards the Aurora Borealis, the snow coming up to their ankles, though it had no coldness to it at all. "You mean the living house? Yeah, I know what it is. Not many people escape it, which is why not many people come through that door."

Hush felt warmer as they got closer to the sea of color, yet inside, he felt colder. The pull also got stronger and Hush managed to keep up with Silver, despite the long strides the other boy was taking.

"How much else do you know about the house?" Hush asked. Silver lightly squeezed Hush's hand and Hush quickly added, "If you, uh, don't mind me asking, that is."

"No, no, of course not," Silver said, smiling a bit. "That house has been around for centuries," he started to explain. "In general, all we really know is that it feeds off magic and changes every time you turn around, like a never ending maze. I'm surprised every time someone comes out. One person every, what? Twenty-five years? That's what I've been told, at least."

"Only one? Really?" Hush asked, looking at Silver again. Was it even possible for Rune to still be alive?

"Mostly, yeah," Silver said, pulling Hush a bit closer. "Once, two came out, but..."

Hush had already figured it out. Two came through but only one made it through the cold. Maybe it was a mortal. The could explain it, but Hush, for some reason, didn't think that was the case.