Wingless [Complete]

Chapter 20: Night in Wasser

We were all getting ready. Well . . . everyone else was. Since I hadn't set up a tent or anything last night I did not have anything I needed to pack up. Instead I just sat there on a log and stared at the dying fire. I was not as tired as yesterday morning from holding up the fire-wall.

I do believe the only reason I was really tired was because of the ungodly hour everyone woke up at because we had wanted to get to Erde on time. I could still see the fog covering the ground so well I couldn't see anything beyond this camp. Waking up early might have been normal for everyone else here, but it really was nothing for me.

I hear the snow crunching as someone approaches me. Shortly thereafter, Lucas appears in my line of sight. He crouches down and looks up at me. Then he sighs.

"Princess, you've done it again." He says, almost surprised.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"You don't know?" He asks, and when I shake my head he continues. "You have managed to hold up a sky-high wall of fire for an entire night in your sleep. This time you don't even look so tired."

"So? It is just a fire wall."

"Princess . . ." Lucas shakes his head in disbelief. "Most fire-fey I know cannot maintain a huge, high fire-wall throughout the night while sleeping and fully function the next day. I'm not even sure they could maintain a fire-wall for that long."

"Your point is?"

He pauses for a moment. "I believe I just wanted to point that out and say . . . good job."

He then abruptly stands up and walks away at quite a brisk pace. I stare after him in disbelief. Did Lucas Dalton just go out of his way to compliment me? I shake my head and stand up too. I don't have a goal or something I want to do, but know I cannot just sit around.

Before I can make it two steps, a hand clasps my arm. I spin around and come face to face with Corrin. I stumble back in surprise but my foot catches on a rock and I go crashing to the ground. As soon as I hit the ground I feel the cold seeping in.

"Ah! It's cold! It's cold! It's cold!" I shout multiple times.

After a moment of shock, Corrin recovers and pulls me up out of the snow. He then proceeds to brush me off quickly.

"Are you alright?" He asks. "I did not know you would have that reaction. Is it so horrible to see me?"

"Yes." I snap back, still feeling the cold. "I am totally fine and was really excited to see you. That's why I fell on my butt and I'm shivering right now."

I turn around and stomp off.

"Why is she in such a mood?" I hear Corrin ask some one.

"Oh don't worry." Lina responds. "This is her normally."

"But she was so . . ."

"Different? Nice?" Lina asks. "Yeah. She was tired. I on the other hand, was worried about her acting so nicely." She laughs. "Everyone has been acting strangely. We'll go back to normal."

"Are you acting different?" Corrin asks.

"Yes." Lina laughs again. "Normally . . . I'm crazy."

"Good to know."

. . . . . . . . . .

"Where's Lina?" Lucas grinds out. "I liked it when, for the last few days, I could easily find her. Then she had to go and disappear again."

I could hear the clear irritation in his voice. Lina had been missing for quite a while. Whether intentional or not, she was not to be found. Since she could also just walk through my fire-wall, she didn't have to be in the camp.