The Raven and the Wraith Book 2 (Completed!)

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 16

The Raven and the Wraith 2 Chapter 16

I grinned at that. I didn't like to consider myself as food, either.

"Ok. That's good to know. So are there any other dangers we should know about? Besides the obvious danger of those little red rivers everywhere."

"That is not dangerous. That is how we live. It is the Way of Life that's woven throughout all things, living and inanimate. We will walk along those when we're hungry, and it will replenish us."

Chan spoke slowly, like he could hardly believe he was having to explain such a perfectly obvious concept.

"Oh here we go again. I told you what happened when I touched that stuff. It may be Life itself to you guys but to me, it's the Enemy itself. So you guys just walk into that stuff and then you're not hungry anymore? Must be nice being surrounded by food no matter where you go."

"Yes, I remember what you said about it now. It is...exceedingly strange and worrisome. And it is not food, we still need to eat. It just replenishes us. But it is just as vital as food is. We cannot survive with only one or the other."

I considered that. It reminded me of how we had to have both food and water. And the way it ran everywhere in little rivers reminded me of water, too.

"Do you drink water, too?"

"Drink water? Of course not. But we will use it to rinse out our mouths once in a while."

Kiera looked both confused and irritated. "Why would it be "of course not"? All living things must drink water in our world."

"What...how is this done? Doesn't it kill you when it returns to itself?"

I had known from the beginning that this land, this reality, was very different than ours. Now it was becoming much clearer exactly how very different it really was.

"Follow me. We'll find a river or stream and you will understand why drinking water here would kill any living thing almost immediately." Chan said, setting off down the nearby hillside.

We walked for about fifteen minutes before we came across a small stream of water splashing through the rocks on the barren hillside. One thing both Kiera and I had been glad for was the abundance of cold, clear streams here. I just then realized that the streams of water I'd found had all followed similar jagged, winding paths and patterns as the red streams of raw power.

Chan scooped up a handful of water, walked a few feet away, and poured it on the ground. We all sat quietly as we watched the small puddle of water. After two minutes of us all solemnly staring at some water, I began to feel a bit foolish and started wondering if maybe Chan was playing a trick on us. 

Then, just as I opened my mouth to ask Chan what we were waiting for, the water suddenly rose up from the ground in a sparkling, faintly reddish mist and darted back to the stream.

Chan smiled at our shocked expressions. Clearly water doing this was as normal to him as leaves blowing in the wind was to us.

"As you can imagine, drinking water and having it do that after a few moments would end in a very unpleasant death. Water always finds its way back to its home, no matter what vessel you try to contain it in."

I glanced at Kiera, and she grinned and nodded at me. I scooped up a double handful of water and poured it into my mouth. It was as cold and crisp as the other streams I'd drank from since coming here.

I heard Kiera burst out laughing and saw why. Chan looked so aghast that I half expected him to collapse in abject horror.

"What..." He spluttered.

I found it very satisfying seeing the normally so stoic warrior so shaken.

"We've been drinking the water here ever since we got here." I told him.

I then bent down and filled my travel water pouch, tying it tightly shut and hooking it back on my belt. Chan watched my water pouch intently for about three minutes, and when nothing happened, he sighed.

"I do not understand you two. You are so very...different."

He stepped over and motioned at my water pouch. I handed it to him, wondering what he was planning. He dumped out the water, then bent down and refilled it, and hooked it onto his belt.

"Watch." He said.

It was unnecessary instruction, as both Kiera and I were staring at the pouch with unblinking curiosity. After a few minutes the pouch suddenly swelled, then ripped into pieces as a fine mist of sparkling reddish water burst from it and darted back into the stream.

"This is how water always behaves here. I've never seen it contained in any way, like you were just able to do."

"So...if you swallowed water it would do that to your belly?"

Chan nodded. "Yes. There are a few old stories of those who died brutally due to swallowing water."

"So why does the water have that red tint when it's in a mist, on its way back to the stream? Does it always do that?"

Chan looked amazed, then shook his head with another sigh.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you can see it in motion. But you should know this: only a few of our greatest spellweavers are able to see that connection between water and Life."

"So there is some connection between the two? But it doesn't make sense...of course water is critical to Life, at least in my realm. And here it seems like it will kill anyone who drinks it, besides Kiera and I.

"All reality is connected to all Life. Even from one realm to the next."

I opened my mouth to reply to that, but then closed my eyes and tilted my head as a slight sound in the sparse trees nearby caught my attention. It had sounded like something big trying to move stealthily.