Dawn of Faith

Chapter 7

I glared angrily down at the mountains passing below me, my initial sorrow having manifested into rage. Why did he do this? When I believed he was finally free...why was I so stupid? Blood dripped from the wounds on my neck, soaked up by the fabric of my jacket or dripping to the ground like crimson rain. I had risked my own safety, as well as his, by going alone. Not only had I endangered us both, I had failed to get the information I had been sent to retrieve in the first place. I was foolish, so foolish, believing I could possibly save him.

My gaze softened as I passed over a small township, my eyes picking out small colorful figures standing out against the green valley. I saw twins chasing each other; parents holding hands and fondly watching their little ones. A small boy crouched by the river, playing with the dragonflies. A young girl sat on her porch with corn husk dolls. Laughter bubbled up through the air to reach my ears. There was something among the laughs of children that was purifying, healing, the way it was so free and unrestrained. A smile crept across my face, and it was hard to ignore the growing feeling of joy that rose up in my chest.

My mind felt clear, like a cooling rain had washed over my burning thoughts. No, I was not foolish. He could be freed. There was more to this situation than I saw. Something mysterious was happening. He had been there, if only briefly. I had not imagined it. He had mentioned...

Even now, his desires...his needs...

What did that mean? Was he referring to the sickness? Or was this the same person who had attacked us at the Pole? But that was a woman, I was sure of it. Were these two different people? Or was there something more to this already complicated puzzle?

He referred to it as a disease. As a plague. No mere sickness, but something terrifying. Something...chronic. Why, then, had he been free from its grasp for so long? Why had he been freed at all? Had it simply played with Pitch's consciousness to lure me into its trap? A stab of pain shot through my neck, and I swiftly dispelled the thought from my mind. I turned my attention to the sprawling mountainous landscape ahead of me. Sharp peaks broke through the blanket of clouds, dusted with powdery snow. Tall pines grew stunted towards the top of the slopes, and large boulders stuck out from the earth at jagged angles. I steered around a large outcrop.

A lake loomed into view beyond the rocks, nestled high into the crook of a cliff. I descended towards the outline, stumbling on my feet as I dropped to the earth. The surface of the lake was clear and bright, reflecting the rays of the sun like tiny mirrors. Sinking to my knees, I scooped a handful of water, shivering as the cold droplets washed over my neck. Red swirled beneath my hands as I cleaned the blood from my skin, dissipating into the crystal blue liquid.

I allowed the water to percolate through my jacket. A chill settled down to my bones. I watched the wind stir the surface of the lake, allowing my thoughts to wander as I rinsed the wounds on my wrist. Helping Pitch was going to be difficult. There was something I didn't know, something evading my awareness that kept him locked away. If only briefly, I had seen him, soon ripped away and replaced with a persona so foreign to me. My breath escaped my lips in icy puffs. This wasn't something I could figure out on my own. I was too close, too involved in the situation to have a clear head.

Spreading my wings, I launched into the sky, feeling the air currents tugging on my feathers. There would be time to debate the meaning behind my encounter. Until then, I focused on making it safely back to the North Pole.