A Blaze in the Dark (A New Dawn #1)

Chapter 13 - Fox

If all fails, a good round of swordfighting should suffice for him to embrace Humility again. Yes, brother, having a son means rising from your emerald cushion more often. I'll eagerly await your letter.  All seven blessings to you, Lana, and Crystal. Bran.

"Kid, come here," Leo grunted. "Ride in front of me."

Fox shifted in the saddle. The urge to glance over his shoulder was much stronger than following these men onto the steep mountain pass. One last peek of home. He was as much a Greenlander as the tall grass and the wide open forests that he had known all his life, but he wasn't allowed to stay. His own King would kill him if he did.

Would the Silvermarkers really be kinder? They too had killed.

Absent-mindedly he kicked Katla's spotted mare into what should have been a slow gait, but the horse lurched forwards and threw him backwards. With his heart hammering wildly in his chest, he grabbed the cantle to avoid the embarrassment of falling off completely.

"You scared her, kid. Be gentle—she's a real Lady." Leo's grim blue eyes followed him as he passed by.

"She can't be a Lady. Only wives of Lords are Ladies, and Princesses too." Fox grabbed the reins and held them more tightly. He was in control again.

Leo snorted, the corners of his mouth slightly curling upwards. It was the first smile since Phoe had woken him up by dropping a pair of quails onto his head. "Shut up and ride."

"It doesn't make any sense. Katla isn't doing anything." Fox gestured at the road ahead, where Katla was standing in front of a large rock that blocked the remainder of the path. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

Phoe, who was riding just in front of him, let out a snigger. "There's no such thing as the right way to Silvermark. These passes have been made hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. Most have long been reclaimed by nature. To get over the mountains, you have to find your own way."

"But that's impossible."

The young warrior threw him a wink. "You're in for a treat. The show is about to begin."

Just as Fox motioned the horse to trot, Katla took a step back. He twirled his body around, twisting his hands, like he was performing some strange kind of ritual dance. With a light crack, the rock was lifted from the ground and began floating. As his foot stamped against the rock, it fell apart into thousands of pebbles.

Fox's mouth hung wide open. The trick with the flames had sure been special, but this was the most spectacular thing he had ever seen.

"You make it seem easy, Katla." Phoe patted him on the back, laughing loudly.

Katla glimpsed at his friend, wiping the drops of sweat from his entirely white fringe. "Wanna try?"

"Phoe? A magician?" Leo jested. "As if our country isn't going downhill already..."

Katla threw his head back and laughed, his hair instantly turning back to black. Fox chuckled, not understanding what was so funny about it, yet as he grabbed a strand of his own hair, it still hadn't gotten its red colour back. He was doing something wrong, but he wasn't going to ask for their help. Oh no.

The mountain pass was littered with rocks, great and small, but thanks to Katla's magical dance they managed to steer the horses through the maze of stones and further onto the slippery slope.

The higher they climbed, the harder the wind bit him in the nose, turning his body into a lump of ice. He huddled deeper into Katla's cloak but it made little difference. It wasn't fair. While he was shivering, sweat was pouring down Katla's forehead. He too wanted to send the skeleton of a burning bush into the chasm, even if it was just to keep warm.