The Woven Crown (Completed)

Chapter 25

Ryla worked the stiffness out of her muscles on the next day's trek through the forest. Killian seemed his normal self once again, and neither of them brought up the conversation of the night before. Instead, they threw their energy and focus into traversing the most amount of land in the least amount of time.

Killian led the way, only stopping every so often to figure out a way around the villages and towns they encountered. Each time they came too close, Killian would have to strike off in a different direction, coming closer and closer to the border of Religo and the Tapestry itself.

The wind picked up considerably and each day dawned with a threatening promise of storms in the afternoon. Ryla couldn't be sure, but she began to feel like the farther they went, the more intense the storms became. Too often they had to stop under the shelter of a tree or overhanging rocks from the wind and rain. It seemed every time their clothes finally dried out, another deluge would break from the sky with rolling thunder.

During one such afternoon storm, Ryla found herself squelching through the mud in sodden boots, her hood pulled low and Killian's back the only thing in her line of vision. She thought of nothing besides putting one wet foot in front of the other.

"Stop," came Killian's muffled whisper ahead. Ryla came up beside him and stood still. Through the gray sheets of rain, she could just make out what had made Killian come to a sudden stop. There were buildings up ahead, their edges and lines blurred from the rain, but buildings sure enough.

"Another village?" asked Ryla. "How could there be another one? We've gone so close to the edge, I didn't think anyone lived out here."

"They don't," said Killian. "This must be one of the towns abandoned when the Anguish became too much for them. Andor told me a little about them. Once things started coming through the Tapestry, no one wanted to live near it." Ryla swallowed. If they were that close to the Tapestry, they were more in danger than she thought. They were stuck between being too close to people and too close to the Tapestry.

Just then, a bright flash of lightening bathed everything in acid white followed by a peal of thunder that shook the ground beneath their boots. A sudden gale whipped her hood back and twisted the branches of the nearby trees, bending the tops low. Another crash of thunder and she found herself ducking beside Killian.

"C'mon!" yelled Killian over the raging storm. "We can't stay out here in this!"

As if in answer, the another flash of lightening lit up their surroundings and the storm unleashed small pellets of ice that stung Ryla's face and hands. Killian grabbed her hand and they both ran, stumbling for the outline of buildings in the distance.

Once they entered the town, they realized finding shelter would be more of a problem than they thought. All that was left of most buildings were a few jagged frames and crooked chimneys. There was not much hope for a roof. They ducked from one building to another, looking for anything substantial enough to wait out the storm.

Finally, near what looked to have been once part of the eastern gate, they found a stone tower that rose a few stories into the tumultuous sky. The top ramparts had been demolished years ago, but when Killian kicked in the already splintered door, they found the ceiling of the ground floor was still largely intact.

Once inside, Killian tried to replace what was left of the door to block the wind. The tower was narrow with a few small holes that whistled with wind and rain. It was better than sheltering in the forest and at least they could hear each other now.

"Maybe we should try to light a fire, warm up a bit," suggested Ryla, nodding to an empty hearth. Now that she was standing still, her teeth began to clatter and shivers ran up and down her spine.