Threads of Fate

Chapter 30 ~ The Bravely Afeared

    Kaius kept a close eye on Tissaia the remainder of the day, and Talarion too. The former had been acting off since morning, and her odd behavior seemed to have latched on to his mate too following their conversation. Talarion was constantly looking back at him, as if to make sure he was still there, and feelings of fear and apprehension had pooled within his own chest from the bond stretching between them.

    He hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Talarion alone yet, as Tissaia was now riding with him and had lent her own horse to Vael so he could ride on ahead, but he was determined to do so the moment an opportunity presented itself. Kaius was drawn from his disgruntled musings when Kahari fell in step beside him.

    "The tea must be working well," she remarked. "You don't seem to wake up during the night."

    Kaius shook his head. "I haven't been dreaming at all either."

    He pursed his lips, his mouth running dry. He'd been considering this all day, but to open himself up to the possibility of being trapped in one of those visions again... But they were relying on him to guide them to what they sought, and he couldn't do that if he didn't learn more about what it was and where exactly they might find it.

    "What happens if we make the tea weaker?" He asked.

    "You will have a lighter sleep, I imagine."

    Kaius drew a steadying breath, stamping down the fear that threatened to flood his mind. "Let's try that tonight. Just to see if it helps before we test your theory about being able to wake me or soothe my reactions."

    "All right. We can start by reducing the number of leaves to two and steeping it less than we have been. That should keep you relaxed, but you will probably dream."

    Her tone was entirely too nonchalant and it set his teeth together, before he reminded himself that she had never witnessed him having a vision. This female had no idea what she was in for. And on second thought, maybe he wasn't ready for her to know yet.

    All too soon, the sky began to darken again, but it wasn't sunset. Kaius watched the clouds billowing together and a dull wind began to pick up. The first cracks of thunder were deep enough to pound against his chest. Another storm blowing in from the Mouth of Hadeon, he surmised. They would want shelter, but their options were bound to be limited here.

    He perked up as hoofbeats galloped towards them. Lightning arced overhead and Vael reined his mount in. "There's a house up ahead," he called. "The owner is an older Human woman and her children. She offered us shelter in their barn."

    "Thank Nepenthe," Tissaia sighed. "I was not looking forward to camping in this." A few light drops of rain pattered against Kaius's face, the first signs of the coming deluge.

    Vael took the lead and they all rode close together up the next rise. When they crested it, Kaius could make out the house he had mentioned. It was sagging under the strain of its years, and the barn didn't look to be in much better condition, but they were both surprisingly large.

    Perhaps the Humans had not been their original owners, or they had once been much better off than they were now. Rain stung against his eyes and he swiped a hand across them as he trailed the others down a slickened decline.

    A woman towards the middle years of her life was waiting outside the barn to greet them, along with a younger girl who Kaius guessed to be about seventeen. He dismounted when Tissaia and Talarion did, and watched as Vael approached the Humans, beckoning for Kahari to come with him.

    At the sight of the female's rounded ears, the Humans visibly relaxed, likely assuming her to be one of their own. They conversed in low tones, inaudible amidst the drumming rain and booming thunder, but it was clear that arrangements of some kind were being made.