Stopping Yesterday

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Scotta

Scotta packed armour and weapons faster than she thought possible with shaking hands. In fact, all of her was filled with quivering nerves. She could still feel the press of Augusts lips on her forehead. She took a deep breath and tried to tug the zipper shut, but her hands were shaking too much.

Castin reached around in front of her and pulled the zipper closed in one movement.

"Nervous?" he asked. Scotta nodded and forced a smile. Castin put his hand on her shoulder, and automatically warm calmness spread throughout her. That was one of his powers: he could influence emotions and horomones, which could seriously be a problem when he was more into girls. Not that he'd use his power for...that. Good luck convincing his girlfriend of that, though.

"Thanks," she said, sighing as she felt the tension drain out of her. He smiled.

"Of course," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Everything will be okay."

* * *

After they'd all packed clothes and what all they'd need, they met up in the lobby at around two-thirty. Somehow, August had managed to drag Herrion out to see them off. She stood, wrapped in a white robe, looking around at them with her burning eyes, looking half-awake.

"Is everyone ready?" August asked. He looked around at the small half-asleep ground in front of him. When his eyes landed on Scotta, he winked at her. She blushed and grinned.

"Yeah, I think we're ready," Castin said, frowning at Scotta, no doubt wondering what was going on between her and August. Honestly, she herself wasn't real sure yet.

"Then let's go."

August led them all out the front door, then paused in the front yard. From here, you couldn't tell there was a glamoured fence around the building. He pointed to the north of the building, towards a mountain.

"That mountain-which, by the way, is smaller than it looks; more of a big hill, really-is our ticket across," August announced. "At the top is an entrance to the Faerie Realms. That whole mountain/hill is pretty much magicked, and no one, mortal or otherwise, goes up there for fun. It's full of nasties, and as such, is protected by the Fog. Just be careful when we're going up there, and you'll be fine. Let's go."

As they made their way over to the mountain, Elf fell into step beside Scotta.

"I'm glad you're here," Elf said to her. Out in the mortal world again, in the Fog, her skin was a regular human skin color, her vibrant orange locks now dull copper corkscrews. "To be honest, I'm kind of surprised August chose me and Dayja to come along. We're kind of friends, but not really close. I heard it was an on-the-spot decision, so he probably just listed the top five people that came to mind." Scotta shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said. "I don't really know August very well, but I can tell that he doesn't often make random decisions. We all have something he needs on this journey."

As they ascended the hill, there was a noticeable change in the landscape, and it wasn't just that it went uphill. The plants, rocks, even the dirt in some places was different, changing a little bit more every few yards. Soon, the boulders and even the smaller pebbles were brilliant jewel tones, tree trunks and branches silver, gold, and various creamy color, leaves and petals unearthly hues. Even the five imps were soon starting to look more like themselves.

And it was also deceptive, and quite frankly, not unlike the nearby Faerie Realms. Once, Scotta reached up and plucked a piece of silver from a tree limb and studied it. A few moments later, it faded from a shining coin into a silvery leaf, before sifting away between her finger. At a loss, she looked up into the trees...and met a green, slit-pupiled stare. The cat hissed a laugh before turning and vanishing among the branches even further. It's gray tabby fur had streaks and swirls of green in it.