Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 21: A little thing called Science

Chapter Twenty-One: A little thing called Science

The sun was just beginning to rise when an odd concussion struck against the air like a drum.

Xaphile twitched awake, confused by the strange swaying sensation between his stiff legs and the odd warmth against his right side.

Without opening his eyes, he yawned and shuffled a little, head sinking lower and lower, and he was almost asleep when another concussion filled the air, making him twitch back to awareness a second time. It lacked the jarring impact of the first, but something about the sound made his hair stand up so he listened, ears flicking involuntarily.

Only the chirping of the birds could be heard, which disturbed him a bit, so he opened his eyes and sleepily looked around. Behind him, Gus was struggling to keep his own eyes open, and ahead of him, Ella was riding as stiffly as ever, but when he glanced around for Amelia, he realized why his right side was so warm.

Large blue eyes closed and mouth slightly open, the bespectacled brunette was sleeping against his side with his reigns in her hands and a strange glow radiating from their interlocked arms. He stared at the abnormal luminescence for a long moment, feeling genuinely puzzled about its source, but because his brain was still partially asleep, he couldn't figure it out.

So, he decided to ask someone who could do it for him.

"Hey, Gus," he croaked, making the blonde man look up, "what's wrong with my arm? Why are we glowing?"

"Hm? Amelia is mildly proficient with curative and warding magic," he said gruffly. "She bound the two of you together with a small shackle spell so you wouldn't fall off your horses while you slept."

"Really?" Xaphile groggily asked. "Magic can do that?"

"Apparently so," Gus grunted, then let out a yawn. "I assume we'll be stopping soon for some real rest, though, so you're more than welcome to continue napping until then."

Xaphile nodded even as his eyelids drooped and slid closed since he was still tired and didn't want to wake up just yet. The saddle beneath him almost seemed to have molded to fit the shape of his body, and the motions of the animal beneath him were lulling, rocking him to and fro. He was just about to conk out when another far-off concussion split the air.

His ears drew back and slightly sank down in irritation.

"What is that?" he grumbled, scratching at his hair.

"Drums."

It wasn't Gus, but Ella who answered his question, but the baldness of it made him stare at her.

"Drums?" he slowly repeated. "Those huge booming noises are drums?"

"Yes," she grunted, then turned around and gave him a dark look. "Whenever you hear that sound, you should be as quiet as you can since it means that there's a large tribe of migrating demons nearby."

"A migrating demon tribe?"

"Yes," Ella confirmed, nodding twice. "I was initially concerned about their close position to Chisago, but I've been listening to those drums for hours and they seem to be heading away from us and any known populations."

He couldn't help but remember his first encounter with demons and nervously peered around when the juddering sound came again.

"Are you sure?"

"Again, yes," she snipped. "We're already out of any immediate danger, since we passed them by not long ago but we're still too close to where they've migrated to not use caution. We won't stop to sleep until we've put enough distance between us and that ghastly camp to be safe."