Born of Flames

Chapter 15 ~ Looking Beyond the Past

    They were nearing the edge of the Vidar Forest, much to Neeri's dismay. She hadn't missed the forest nearly as much as Arlon, but it was still nice to be somewhere familiar once again. After they passed beyond the treeline, there would only be plains and foothills all the way to Ophir.

    Not that she didn't enjoy that terrain, but it was too familiar. Too reminiscent of the home she had lost. One small blessing was that they wouldn't have to pass by the ruins of her old home.

    She didn't think she could handle seeing what had become of it. What Morana told her was bad enough. The village was in ruins, nothing but charred timbers and scorched ash.

    She shuddered to recall the horrible sight Morana had discovered when she returned to the village. The heads of every villager had been cut off and mounted on pikes, their bodies just piled on top of each other and left to rot. She knew her family had been among them without having to be told.

    She had dreamed of their deaths last night, a wretched memory she could never escape. Neeri often found herself wishing Arlon and Rehema had left those parts of her memories suppressed.

    She didn't want to remember how her father had died defending her mother. How her mother was torn off of the child she was shielding with her own body.

    Neeri could recall the frantic beating of her heart as she raced towards Nadav, witnessed their mother's blood drenching his thin body, and heard the terrible crack that resounded when the Corrupted Fae snapped her brother's spine.

    Her little sisters, Anesha and Cielle, were already running from the scene, but they were no match for the fully grown Shifter who chased them down in the form of a sleek, muscled lion.

    Cielle had been the younger and slower of the two. The Lion pounced on her first. He didn't even slow his pace when he crushed her skull beneath his paws. Neeri hadn't been able to stop either. Anesha was still running and the Lion had been in pursuit.

    She'd reached them just as Anesha hit a dead end. Neeri had flung herself at the Lion, but not before he flayed Anesha's stomach open with his claws. She was already dead by the time Neeri had incapacitated the Corrupted Fae.

    Neeri blinked swiftly and shook her head, burying the memories deep within the recesses of her mind. She'd fallen behind Arlon in her reminiscing and quickened her pace to catch up. The last thing she needed was for him to press her for an explanation about her behavior.

    "We'll camp for the night when we reach the next clearing," Arlon said as she fell in step with him. He pointed ahead where the trees thinned into a sliver of meadow. "We'll pass the treeline early tomorrow." Neeri just nodded and followed his lead.

    They reached the meadow in less than thirty minutes. It took very little time to set up their camp. While Neeri arranged their bed rolls, Arlon sparked up a fire and doled out portions of dried meat and a few chunks of cheese. She took her share and began to pick at it mindlessly.

    Arlon's shrewd gaze tracked her every move. "You didn't sleep well last night," he said finally. "And you've been distracted all day. What's bothering you?"

    Neeri's brows raised. If she didn't know better, she'd say his question sounded more concerned than curious. "I don't want to talk about it," she answered, and promptly stuffed cheese into her mouth to prevent her from having to say anything more.

    Arlon let out a dry huff of amusement. "All right. I can probably guess anyway."

    "Go ahead, but no cheating with your magic," she challenged in return.