Burned

Chapter Thirteen

     “You know,” Clarity gasped, leaning over onto her legs as we came to a rest. “Somehow I thought this place wouldn’t be that bad…”

     I offered her a smile as Xantho handed her a small bottle of water.  The little sprite had managed to find us as we were on the way to the Airen Lands and continued on with us the whole way. I wasn’t too surprised—he had a way about things.

     “These are fey lands,” Valin said evenly. “Nothing will be what you expect. You should know that by now.”

     I glanced towards Valin who leaned across the rocky outcropping of the mountain. His demeanor was calm and collected but I could see the turmoil twisting far below the surface—and he wasn’t about to enlighten any of us on his thoughts, either.

     “How much farther do you think?” Clarity asked, tilting her head back and looking skyward. “I can’t see anything past the clouds.”

     “Very few people know the answer to that,” Tidal sighed, pulling her legs up to her chest as she curled into a ball.

     We’d been trekking up the mountain for a good hour or two and it was likely that it was longer than I thought. No matter how high we went, the area seemed to be surrounded by the dense, misty clouds that were iconic to the area. It was infuriating to see the lack of scenery change. After two hours we should have seen something else past rocks and the occasional plant.

     “Come on. We need to get moving.”

     All of our gazes turned to Valin as he straightened, dropping his arms and headed back towards the trail we had been following. He’d hardly said a word since we had left the Spiriten Lands and, though I wasn’t surprised, I was starting to worry about him.

     I mean, I was used to his quiet and stoic demeanor. But this silence was on a whole other level—a very unsettling one that made me shift uncomfortably when I looked at him. Even Clarity and Tidal had noticed that he was off in some way.

     Clarity stayed towards the back, arms hugging her body as Xantho bobbed around her, asking questions and poking at her. Every now and then she would give the little sprite an annoyed glare before shaking her head and smiling.

     Tidal moved at the head of the group with Valin, occasionally trying to start a conversation with him. It failed each time. Especially when she brought up his brother. She wasn’t doing so well in the department of speech.

     I fell in the middle, a hand shoved in my pocket as I kept my surroundings in check, not doubting that one of the natives would attack us. No one really knew the Airen people and, as far as I knew, they were helping the Icen Queen.

     Even now I couldn’t figure out why the Hell we were being told to go into enemy territory. I knew why…but I didn’t see the full point.

     “This is Hell,” I muttered.

     “Watch out,” Valin growled, putting an arm in front of Tidal.

     A spear of some sort cut through the mist half a second later, landing and rooting itself deeply in the rock. The earthy material crumbled and collapsed, falling apart and melting like acid had been poured over it.

     Tidal’s eyes were wide, her gaze lifting to Valin and I saw the slightest traces of a blush before she broke the contact, stepping away from him. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to tame the array of blonde strands that the wind had thrown everywhere.

     “Th-Thank you,” she whispered quietly, almost shyly.

     Valin didn’t even spare her a passing glance as he touched the wooden shaft of the spear. He gave it a fierce tug and all of us let out noises of disgust and repulsion, jumping away as a thick blob of black goo spilled from the indentation.