“I’ll give you something far more useful that you actually need.” Was his only response.
They traveled the rest of the way in silence, the women trailing behind him. They ventured down a small pebbled path, the overgrowth of thick forest shieldingthe small cottage from view. Vines covered the thatched-roof cottage, with only small spaces making it evident that there were windows. Smoke rolled heavily into the evening sky, filling the air with a smudgy darkness.
“Is this the Twisted Willow?” Nymiria asked.
Aziel shook his head and slipped his pack from his shoulder. “This is an old friend’s house. I’ll be back shortly—it won’t take but a moment.” It seemed that he was still fit with rage, his words clipped and his eyes focused anywhere but them. She didn’t have it in her to question him. Her head was starting to pound and she was starting to feel the bite of hunger in her stomach.
She needed water. Andfood.
Desi waved her over to a large boulder jutting out of the ground beside the cabin, both of them heaving a sigh of relief as they settled onto the surface. Her friend waited quietly until Aziel disappeared behind the far side of the earthy home before turning to her.
“The relationship the two of you have is rather odd.” Desi chuckled. “You act as if you hate one another, but your body language says otherwise.”
Nymiria scoffed into the air, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please! I don’t think I’ve experienced a single moment in his presence that he isn’t glaring at me.”
“He glares at everyone.”
“Or insulting me.”
Desi frowned. “He didn’t insult you back there.” She jutted her thumb in the direction of the path.
“Just give it a while, I’m sure the moment will come.”
“Nym…” Her voice softened in that same way it always did when she was going to say something sentimental or encouraging. Nymiria wasn’t particularly in the mood to listen to what her friend had to say, but Desi always meant well. And her voice was far more soothing than the confusing thoughts that threatened to plague her mind. “I don’t know exactly what you are feeling, but I see you. And just as I have learned Aziel and his expressions, I have also learned yours. Don’t deny yourself something great just because you fear it will be taken from you.”
Guilt. That was what she felt. That guilt that buried itself so deep inside of her that—
Nymiria groaned at the warmth that was now surrounding her shoulders, that delicate embrace that had been acting as a mild sedative to all of her pain and heartbreak for the greater part of two days.
“What on earth is the matter with you?” Desi laughed. “You’re acting strange.”
Nymiria looked down at her hand, at the iridescent vines that crawled up her palm and twisted around the base of her finger. “We made a deal.” Her voice was quieted, eyes flickering to the part of the cabin he’d disappeared behind. “He took my weakness away so that I might be able to finally kill Dorid. That's why I have these." She pulled up her sleeves to show Desi the iridescent markings that covered her arms. "Thankfully, majority of them can be concealed by clothing, otherwise I'd probably be dead by now."
There was a moment of silence before Desi drew in a deep breath and released it. When Nymiria looked at her, she did not seem surprised, just disappointed. “What sort of deal? What is your weakness?” She seemed almost too afraid to ask.
It was not easy to answer that question when she, herself, was still trying to put the pieces together. She couldn’t hear Owen anymore, her self-berating was now cut short, and all thoughts of her past regrets were being wiped from her mind the moment they sprang to life in her head. If she had any guess as to what her weakness may be, it would be her heart—how deeply she felt things and how terrified she was of regretting her decisions. Fear, guilt, and heartbreak. All of those things combined seemed to be the ingredients to the chaotic makeup of her soul.
Before she could muster a response, Aziel returned. He was looking at his gloves as he approached them, inspecting them as if there was something wrong with them.
She couldn’t explain how she felt when seeing him. There were moments she looked at him and saw him as an annoyance. But others, there was this small flickerof excitement inside of her,fearalmost, that made her stomach tie in knots. It made her skin feel like it was on fire.
And she hated it more than anything.
“Desi, Trio is waiting for you on the path back to Yaar. You will stay with Dieve for a few hours while Nymiria and I finish our mission.” Aziel explained.
Desi didn’t argue, she simply nodded and looked between the two of them before skipping off in the opposite direction. As if she’d been dying to make her escape as quickly as possible. Nymiria watched after her retreating figure, scared to turn and face him.
Why? She had absolutely no idea. But she could already feel him watching her. In a room full of people, she’d still be able to know if he was looking at her or not. It was like the hands of death, themselves, were picking her apart piece by piece.
When he began walking again, Nymiria followed close behind, taking in each small detail of their surroundings to see if she could recognize where they were.
It was evident that they were nowhere near Yaar's Wander—it seemed to be further south, closer to the South Mists that were said to be uninhabited. One could never take someone's word for truth. Especially Dorid's. The South Mists were below Yaar, a land completely covered in the same misty fog that lightly blanketed its neighboring kingdom, only Yaar's mists were far less dense.
Nymiria had heard stories of the Mist housing mystical beasts that were far more dangerous than the ones Dorid and his ancestors had captured and imprisoned. They were inhuman to the most degree, animalistic and large with great powers that made them nearly impossible to capture. There were some people who claimed to have breached the border of the Mist, but were run off by horrifying screeches and talons slicing through the air that were nearly the size of one's head.
She believed those stories. Nymiria played a good fool, but she certainly was not. She knew that those creatures had done their best to protect their own. The South Mist belonged to them. It should stay that way.
Confirming her suspicions, the further they traveled into the forest, the thicker the light mist became. She reluctantly allowed Aziel her hand, letting him guide her through a terrain that he seemed to be an expert at navigating.
