Stone Sacrifice ✔️Chronicles of Grey BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Chapter Nine

I stumbled onto the shore and nearly fell into one of the spikes laid out to prevent the creatures of the mudwaters from traveling far, but Arion caught me with a glare.

I sighed but said nothing. It's amazing how much bad luck you could have while sitting on a raft and doing nothing at all. Just as I suspected: quite a lot. I had dropped my bladder into the water, almost fell off thrice, found a leach on my arm, ate the only piece of meat that had rot on the inside which had me ill for three days, and I had even fallen through the raft at one point on my one dare to try and stand to stretch my legs.

Luckily, my bad luck did not extend to the others, so during our two weeks of travel, we did not run into any other deadly creatures. Except a hydra, but it was so young it was more intent on playing with us then eating us, it's necks tangling in excitement upon seeing our raft.

First, I wondered how everyone could not possibly know that I was under the curse of a bad luck spell. How could we come from a witches home and then I suddenly have the most clumsy, uncoordinated body, yet they not know? But over time, I realized they thought I was simply needing a fix. They blamed my clumsiness on distraction and shakiness. Everything else they blamed on my lack of attentiveness. Therefore, they said nothing and simply kept me from rolling off the raft in my sleep and watched warily as I drank their water.

It was starting to wear off now, I was sure, but seeing as I'd nearly impaled myself, it was apparently still gripping onto my ankles, lingering as long as it could. I was glad only a drop or two had gotten into my mouth. This had been a powerful spell for it to be lingering for as long as it was. If I had gotten more into my mouth, no doubt it would have killed me.

I eyed the spikes and gripped Arion tighter, just in case. Arion's mind seemed to be of similar thought because he simply lifted me and carried me around the spikes, setting me down on the other side with an irritated huff.

With our bags on our shoulders and our weapons on our hips, we trudged on.

This wood we walked through was a rare one in the north, it was quiet and simple and genuinely normal. There were wolves and bears amidst the trees, but those creatures were nothing in comparison to what we could have come across in the past so it was peaceful. 

I walked warily however, dodging the occasional root and stumbling over my own feet.

We walked in this wood for three days. And each day, I felt my stomach tightening in knots of excitement.

We were almost there.

The more excited I became, the grimmer the others seemed to get, as if I were sucking the good mood out if them.

Then, right when I was begining to look ahead for the base of the mountain, we abruptly stopped.

I tripped and slammed into Rian's back. "Why have we stopped?" I asked as Rian turned to steady me. "It's barely past noon, we can reach the mountain by nightfall."

"You're not going near that mountain in your state." Arion said simply as he started setting up camp by way of making a fire. Jaz was already heading off into the trees with her bow to catch sup.

I let out an exasperated sound. "Look, I'm fine!"

He picked up a pebble and tossed it to me. I went to catch it and it somehow slipped through my fingers, hitting me on the nose. I rubbed it, grimacing; maybe he had a point.

There was a small stream nearby which I went to bathe at. I stripped myself of my clothes while I still wore my cloak, keeping it to cover me. I washed myself as best I could, then began to scrub my filthy clothing. Washing weeks worth of filth from the worn cotton and leather both with a vengeance.