Hidden Spirit

•Part Two• Chapter Sixteen: Voerr

Leaves rose up behind her in a whirl of movement as her feet sprinted through the woods. Her hair was carried back easily, out of her way now that it was long enough. She was breathing hard, fighting to keep the smile off her face.

The frame of a thin woman drifted by her side, extremely pale in her silver light and hands pushed at her sides to keep some sort of speed.

Her features were not definite, but she was as beautiful as any spirit.

She was a dryad; a reflection of Feren's dryad Kerragin. New to Amelia.

Which meant the girl was stronger already and oh, what power she felt.

She was sprinting to try to beat Feren and his spirit as they raced toward the prize, but something distracted Amelia.

From her right the dark spirit lunged at her, and in her attempt to dodge it she slipped and rolled in the leaves. She started to laugh as she slid to a stop, and in a great breath she called out, "Cheater!"

Feren's chuckle came as he slid to a stop beside her. "No such thing."

He offered his hand and she immediately grabbed his wrist and lurched him down to fall beside her, crying out to her spirit, "What are you doing?! Go!"

Her laugh mixed with Feren's in the same moment as he yelled the same to his dryad. Her hand was still gripping his wrist and he quickly turned over her, planting his hands on either side of her frame on the ground. He held himself an armslength above, his breathy laugh brushing her neck.

When Feren looked down into her eyes she looked back to him, and her smile lingered in the look as it faded from her lips.

In that brief moment... everything was silent, and the world did not move.

Amelia held the moment as long as she could.

Then she shot off to the side and escaped his shadow, starting into her sprint in the same direction.

Feren barked in objection and ran after her.

Amelia thought she was in the lead and then Grey darted past her. She gasped. "Hey!"

At the wave of her hand, Larka burst forth and charged after the dog.

Amelia was breathing hard already and sweat was crawling down her back. She would definitely be sore. Voerr were not particularly strong as far as physical fitness went. Of course, all had to be beautiful in their own ways, and so many were obviously of some elvish descent, but in strength and speed, Voerr would be somewhere between the Humans and the Elves.

She had to train just as much as anyone else in order to be fit.

Feren came to match her speed a length away, his breathing fairly normal and his pacing flawlessly smooth.

Then the shade broke and they tumbled into a creek, Amelia laughing as well as she could breathe as they were suddenly slipping in mud. She sucked in a few deep breaths before she and Feren stood to race again along each muddy side. The noises from their spirits were carried to them just before the creek turned into a larger spring, then the sounds of falling water. The clear pool was cut on short on one side and had a small waterfall rushing to another clear pool of spring water not two lengths below the first.

Amelia didn't slow as they ran at the stream and, barely noticing their spirits as they jumped through each other to merge, she leaped across the feeding spring to Feren's side, pushed herself off a tree, and barely brushed her prize from the tree branch a hairsbredth before Feren.

She fell and rolled and he did too after losing his balance after the jump, making them both roll down the side of the grassy bank.

Amelia flopped onto her back, chest heaving in gulping breaths. She held her arms straight up and admired the new prize: Feren's necklace.