Ollie MacQuoid and the Journey To Rubius

Chapter Sixteen

The world came swimming back to Ollie in a mix of bitter cold and dull pain. He must have fallen over as he passed out, for he'd landed on a pile of roots, one of them possessing a large bulge Ollie felt he must have bounced his temple off of. A deep chill had settled into his bones, so much so that he barely noticed the hand on him until it came to gently rest in the crook of his neck.

"Hey!" Ollie drew his shoulder up to his ear. The hand retreated quickly. Alaudidae's worried face came into view above him. He was breathing heavily.

"Thank gods I found you," he heaved, "I heard you screaming, but the forest was so dark I couldn't see anything. Then I saw flames, and I—"

He paused and looked around them as if he noticed for the first time that there seemed to be no flames in sight. Before he had a chance to ask another question, Ollie pointed weakly into the shadows, where the outline of a bumpy pile was visible through the dim light reflecting off the snow. Alaudidae only took three steps in its direction before choking on his breath and covering his nose with his hand. Ollie thought he heard him curse. Alaudidae came stumbling back, wings bristling, and reached out a hand to help Ollie to his feet. "Come on," he said, "Let's get out of this forest."

Ollie stared vacantly at Alaudidae's hand until he pulled it back and started back towards the path with an awkward grimace. It took Ollie a couple minutes to get up; his arm throbbed horribly if he moved at all and the bump on the side of his head made staying balanced on his shaking legs quite difficult. Alaudidae watched him silently, resigned to the idea that Ollie would refuse any help no matter how much he needed it. Ollie liked it better that way. He could manage himself fine.

As dark as the forest was, it didn't take them long to find the path again. The moonlight was so bright it hurt Ollie's eyes (though he welcomed that feeling entirely) and nothing seemed to have attacked them in Ollie's absence. Ollie's heart quickened when Clementine came bounding towards them, but even she seemed to sense something was off and kept her distance from him. Calladin was awake and alert when they arrived, leaned up against a tree with a dozing Elora in his lap while his ever-present anxiety radiated off him like a heatwave. He relaxed a little when he saw them approaching, but his scowl returned when they drew nearer. "Why do you guys smell like smoke?" he said.

Ollie felt a sudden burst of aggression and kicked snow at him. Alaudidae made an uncomfortable noise and sidestepped between them before Calladin had a chance to do anything more than curse and wipe the melting ice off of his cheek. "Whoa, hey," he said firmly. Calladin was now staring at Ollie furiously. "We're not turning on each other now. Let's be civil."

He finished his sentence with a long glare in Ollie's direction. Ollie fought back the urge to kick him by digging the toe of his boot into the snow so hard he hit dirt. A look of irritation passed over Alaudidae's face. "Which direction are we going in again, Cal? I'm all turned around."

"That way," Calladin pointed up the path. "We've got another hour or so. Not too long, at least."

"Then we should get going," Alaudidae said. "Elora, you're with me."

Calladin held her back as she went to stand up. "I think it's better if I carry her. She hurts your wings."

Alaudidae's look of irritation returned. This time, it stayed. "You need a break. I can carry a 90-pound girl for an hour just fine."

Calladin's grip didn't relax. "You're just as tired as I am. Let me hold her."

"Cal, I'd really appreciate if you—"

"I just think it'd be better if I kept her."

Alaudidae closed his eyes and took a few long, purposeful breaths. "Elora," he said simply. "Get on my back, please. We're going."

Elora did as she was told without a word. Calladin didn't protest and stayed where he sat, seemingly rooted to the spot by Alaudidae's withering stare. Once Elora was settled on his back, Alaudidae turned away from them with a low exhale and began walking down the path. As if suddenly remembering he had the ability to move, Calladin stood up a little too quickly and stumbled forward. Not even bothering to hide the frantically nervous expression he bore, he passed by Ollie without so much as looking at him and jogged up to Alaudidae's retreating figure, Clementine following at his heels.

Things continued to be tense for the next long while. Alaudidae looked to be in no mood to talk with anyone and marched ahead with a frown Ollie thought made him look a lot scarier than it should. Elora was just as silent, though she looked more sullen and uncomfortable than angry. Ollie stayed at the front of the group with Calladin, though neither of them did as much as acknowledge each other's presence. Calladin had the habit of violently cracking his fingers when he was upset, and Ollie found it a bit difficult to ignore when he did so — quite loudly — every couple minutes.

"There's only so many times you can crack your fingers before you just break them, you know?" Ollie hissed quietly, as to not let Alaudidae hear.

Calladin side-eyed him hatefully. "I'll break something of yours if you don't shut your mouth."

"I'd like to see you try." Ollie retorted.

"Go drown yourself." Calladin cracked his thumb and sped up. The sense of panic coming off of him was practically palpable and made Ollie want to bash his head into the nearest tree. He wouldn't be surprised if Calladin felt the same way. While Ollie wouldn't consider it to be feeling bad for him, he did feel the urge to hold his tongue and let him be. At most, he didn't want to be blamed if Calladin suddenly lost his mind and went running off into the forest, never to be seen again.

It took awhile for Alaudidae to calm down, but he did eventually. His agitated march slowed as the minutes passed in silence and the hard expression set on his face gave way to a worn-out glower. When Ollie passed close to his side, overcome by a need for comfort and reassurance in the awkward silence, Alaudidae smiled gently and talked with him for a little while about his life in Swynland. Calladin never managed to muster up the courage to interact with Alaudidae himself, but he ended up not needing to. After his conversation with Ollie ended, Alaudidae stopped. "Cal?"

Calladin was so focused in marching forward it took him a couple moments to stop. He turned, forcing a smile that looked unnatural on his twitchy face. "Yeah?" He cracked his knuckles again.

"Would you like to take Elora now? My back is a little tired."

Calladin blinked and looked hesitant. "Only if you want me to take her. I don't want to force you."

"I think I'd like to have a break," Alaudidae said smoothly, "My wings need a little stretch."

He stretched his arms as if to prove his point. Calladin nodded, though still looking unsure, and darted over to Alaudidae as he helped Elora down from his back. Ollie noticed her ankles were red.

Calladin grabbed his sister's hand and pressed it to his neck. "She's freezing."

Elora grumbled sleepily and yanked her hand away. She wasn't shivering anymore. "I don't really feel cold anymore. My toes are a little numb, but it's not too bad."

"That's not a good thing," Calladin removed his coat and let Elora clamber up onto his back. "Keep your feet inside my jacket. You need to warm up a little."

"If you say so."

Elora didn't seem to notice at all how much she slurred her words when she spoke. With an almost contented expression, she laid her head on Calladin's shoulder and closed her eyes. Even the feeling of Alaudidae's cold hands cupping her cheeks didn't make her stir. Calladin and Alaudidae shared a glance.

"We should get going," Calladin spoke quietly as if to not let Elora hear, "It shouldn't be too far anymore. We could be there in half an hour."

"Want me to go check?" Alaudidae asked.

"No!" Calladin voice cracked. "No," He repeated, "We should stay together."

A look of sympathy softened the remaining irritation on Alaudidae's face. He grabbed Calladin's hand and held it tightly. "Alright. Let's go, then."

Alaudidae didn't let go of Calladin's hand until the glittering surface of the lake shone through the thinning trees. The massive bay, which stretched for miles into the horizon, was covered in a layer of glassy ice that glimmered like a jewel in the moonlight. Alaudidae practically leapt to the shore and Ollie followed at his heels, spellbound by how beautiful the sight was. The sand was frozen beneath his feet and dusted in a thin layer of snow that crunched under his boot. Calladin stayed by the treeline, looking lost without Alaudidae's hand to pull him along. He stared out at the great expanse of water before him much as Alaudidae did, but there was no wonder in his eyes, only a deep sense of foreboding that gave Ollie the chills. Behind him, Alaudidae slipped on the ice and fell on his back with a dull thud. Ollie looked away from Calladin only for a moment, but when he looked back, Calladin was gone. Elora sat where he'd stood, wrapped in his jacket, looking even sleepier than before.

"Where did Cal go?" Alaudidae asked worriedly, rubbing the wing he'd crushed while falling.

Elora looked around her as if only then realizing Calladin was missing. "I dunno. He went into the forest somewhere."

Something flashed across Alaudidae's eyes. "Alright. I'll go look for him. You stay here, Ollie."

Ollie nodded, and Alaudidae disappeared into the forest. Without the protection of his older companions, Ollie felt a little nervous. Elora wasn't much comfort, given that she'd fallen asleep again, and Clementine had seemingly followed Calladin when he'd disappeared. He felt unnervingly alone at the water's edge, the bay now a looming presence filled with thousands of eyes that bore into the back of Ollie's neck when he looked away. He knew what monsters hid in the Nordenbound forests, but what lurked in the black waters of the Nordenbound Passages was completely unknown.

A small noise from within the forest caught Ollie's attention. He stilled and listened for any more noise over Elora's breathing and the hum of the icy waves. It came again —a snippet of a voice, a sob — and Ollie felt the urge to go follow it. He left his jacket with Elora and promised himself he wouldn't let her get out of his sight. Somehow, he knew nothing would harm her there.

Finding the source of the noise did not take long. Ollie quite literally stumbled upon it. It was Calladin, hunched bonelessly against Alaudidae's side with Clementine strewn over his legs like a blanket. Ollie realized with a jolt that he was crying. He had a hand pressed to his mouth and not even Alaudidae's tight embrace could keep him from trembling. Violent sobs jerked his shoulders back and forth. He lurched forward with a choked gurgle and vomited. "I can't," He screamed, "I can't, I can't do it. It's too much."

Alaudidae answered in gentle, wordless murmurs. One of his wings came to rest on Calladin's back. Calladin let out another anguished moan. "Dee, I can't do this—"

"You can," Alaudidae said into Calladin's shoulder, "You can, I know you can. We're going to do this together."

"I'm going to kill all of us!" Calladin shrieked. "If I mess up, we're dead! All of us!"

"You're not going to mess up. I'm going to make sure. We're going to be okay."

Oh, Gods—" Calladin pulled at his hair, his body shaking so badly he looked like he was convulsing. Alaudidae gently guided his hands back down to his lap. Calladin's face twisted in grief and he swung his fist into one of the nearby trees. "Elora's dying! She won't last another two days!"

"Ollie's with her right now," Alaudidae assured. "We're going to find her help as soon as we can."

A hot stab of guilt shot through Ollie's chest, but he was rooted to the spot. The most he could do was pray neither Alaudidae or Calladin saw him watching. He could still see Elora from where he stood, and she hadn't moved. Ollie didn't know if that was a good thing.

"I can't let her die, Dee! I can't, I can't—" Another series of sobs cut his sentence in half —"She's all I have left. She's my only family! What am I going to do if she dies?"

"She won't. I won't let her." Alaudidae put a hand on his back. "Lie down, Cal, lie down. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."