Stranger (The Aevyanthis Chronicles, Book One)

Chapter Ten

For the next few days, Emm fell into a sluggish, autonomous rut. Fallon was always thirty yards ahead of her, scouting for any signs of travelers, whilst she remained in comfortable silence with the invisible Yasashiku, who was in what she came to believe was a deep, restful sleep. They kept off the trail, and would stop for lunch when the sun was high or when she found she couldn't walk any further.

Setting up camp had become a shared job; Emm would gather the stones for the fireplace while Fallon found the lumber. He taught her how to use his dagger and flint, and it dawned on her that he had always known she couldn't start her own fires, but she too tired to be embarrassed these days. He would catch a hare or quail for that night's dinner, drying whatever was left for later, and would entertain her with stories of his adventures in Arduenn as they rested under the open night sky.

They had come across a pond, and she was glad to stop and watch Fallon catch fish to smoke that night. As she washed her face and rested her blistered feet, she noticed her reflection in the water's surface. What used to be slim was now gaunt, with a hollow look around her eyes. Her pale skin now had a golden tinge that reddened around her cheeks, and her long brown hair was tangled in knots.

A bird's nest, she imagined Luke saying. The thought brought a smile to her face, but only for a moment. The rest of the day was filled with dread of what had become of her friends. Where was Sara, with her fiery, devil may care attitude to life? And Luke, the only person she could call family... it pained her to not know where they were.

"Winter is coming faster than I had anticipated," Fallon said, looking up at the night sky. The chill in the air had fallen over them long before the sun had decided to set.

"Does it snow here in winter?" she asked.

"Aye, it does." He tossed another piece of wood into the fire. It crackled and popped, sending a cloud of embers into the air. "Winter is the most beautiful of all the seasons, but it is also the most deadly. It is almost as if the land draws in a final breath of autumn before it sleeps, succumbing to the cold and allowing a wave of white to wash over the realms. It would be wise to find shelter before that time comes."

"I've never seen snow," she admitted. "I heard it's like wet sand."

That made him chuckle. "It is much prettier though. You will see it soon enough."

There was a long silence, but the night was full of her thoughts. Luke's never seen snow either.

"Are you thinking of your friends?" He asked, still gazing into the fire. It made Emm wonder if her thoughts were written on her forehead for the entire world to see.

"Yeah."

"It is normal for you to miss them. You must not dwell on it so often, though."

"I can't help it," she groaned. Luke had once called her the queen of worrying about nothing. "Luke's the only family I have. If anything happened to him... I don't know..."

"Is he your betrothed?"

Fallon asked the question so casually, she did not have the answer straight away. Instead she let out an almost unnaturally loud, nervous laugh that sounded strange even to her.

"No, no. nothing like that," she reassured after settling down, shaking her head. "Luke is... no. He's closer than that. When I was younger, there was... I mean... I lived with him and his family for a few years, until I was able to find a place of my own. He's like a brother to me."

Fallon, who had been watching her with calm, non-judging expression on his face, nodded solemnly but did not question her any further; she had come to learn that he could read not just into what she said, but what she didn't say. Even Yasashiku's presence seemed to stir from within her shadow, silent and listening.