“ComeON… Just tell us!” Ojore raised his hands in frustration.
Roya cleared her throat and smiled warmly at Benny and Seda. “The Corvids say your father is alive. They saw him walking through Joro.”
Both Benny and Seda’s jaws dropped, causing a berry to fall from Benny’s mouth.
Seda couldn’t believe he had survived the Camp. She saw all the men gathered that day… but her father…wasn’t there.
“Are you sure it was him?” Ojore asked. “What if they got it wrong? I don’t remember the last time a man made it back from that place.”
“They know who Jason is, Ojore,” Ferona deadpanned. “They saw him. He’s alive.”
Ojore, Askold, and Benny sighed in relief, but Seda felt a sense of confusion churn her stomach, as if she were trapped in a maze of wavy mirrors.
How had he escaped the Camp? Was he injured, like so many others, after being in that place? Was he with her mom now?
“Well, is he okay or what?” Benny snipped at Ferona.
“He’s fine. No injuries…nothing. Same as he was before. They saw him smiling and walking to the Gardvord with your mother.”
“Can you ask them to continue checking, please?” Seda asked eagerly. This didn’t make sense. She couldn’t believe it. If her dad was taken to the Camp, he had to have injuries. There was no safe way out of that place.
Maybe his role was significant enough to earn him freedom? Seda smiled as a faint flicker of hope grew in her chest.
Both Corvids nodded, their brows furrowed, as they gazed out at the horizon. Then, they relaxed their expressions and stood up.
“We should head out,” Roya said, shifting into her Corvid form and taking to the sky.
“I suppose we should get up now,” Askold complained, stretching and reaching for Seda’s hand to help her stand on her aching legs.
The group climbed the steep, snowy slopes of Mt. Ebenveil. Seda appreciated the rest she got the night before, but her nerves tingled more as they pressed on. She kept trying to think about what to ask, what to say, and how to say it all.She had so many questions, but was also afraid of their answers.
What does all of this mean?
The mountain grew steeper and foggier the higher they climbed, forcing them to take several breaks to catch their breath. The group supported each other as they navigated tricky inclines and steep rocks hidden by the haze and snow. Elco and the Corvids had taken to the sky, but they couldn’t travel far because visibility was so poor. Elco offered to carry Seda the rest of the way, but she declined, not wanting to arrive before everyone else or leave her friends behind to hike the rest of the way alone.
They reached the top of the mountain by midday. Seda pulled herself over the last rock and stood on unsteady legs, wheezing for breath.
She gasped, taking in the breathtaking view and warmth that surrounded her.
The mountain’s peak was free of snow, as if the frigid weather from below couldn’t touch its surface. The peak was shining in the daylight, and the green foliage glistened with dew. The fog had transformed from its usual white haze to a gentle pink.
It was still hard to see, but she could spot fluttering cerulean shapes in the distance, moving between the blooming trees.
“Are we here?” Seda asked Roya as she landed beside her and shifted into her human form.
Roya nodded. “Those are the Wisps.” She pointed her finger at the fluttering shapes. “We’re right here. Go on…”
Seda hesitantly stepped forward on her weak legs and then paused to look back at her friends.
Benny was smiling at her reassuringly, while Roya and Feronaappeared tense. Ojore and Elco were scanning the area for signs of danger, while Askold nervously fidgeted.
“You’ve got this, Seda. They called on you,” Ferona encouraged.
Seda turned around and slowly moved into the dense, pink fog toward her answers.
As she approached, she noticed the fluttering shapes were coming from tiny, butterfly-winged pixies, with sparkling dust swirling around them.
Their small, nude bodies danced through the air, circling her.
