"Sebastian?" Unease slid through Eva as they flew straight toward it.
When their path didn't veer, Eva shifted as she realized Sebastian didn't intend to avoid it. They were going straight through.
Eva's heart thumped. Adrenaline flooded her system.
Fear wasn't the right word for the cocktail of emotion thrumming in her veins. It was more jittery and complex than that. Apprehension mixing with anticipation.
The mist wasn't a place humans ventured voluntarily. At least not unless you were a pathfinder and as crazy as Shea and Reece.
Eva was no different. Yet for some reason the mist before her didn't hold terror. Instead, she felt as if a piece of her that had been missing was waiting inside.
Don't be afraid, Eva. I'm with you the entire way. I will never abandon you,Sebastian promised as Polaris and the chestnut were swallowed by the mist.
The bank of mist grew until it eclipsed everything else. If Eva leaned forward and stretched out her arm, she would be able to run her fingers through it.
Eva's inhale was shaky as her nod. "Okay. I believe you."
Damp enveloped them. No turning back now; they were already inside.
seven
Evawasalmostfullyprone on Sebastian's back, her chest pressed tight against him. Her hands shook as she placed them on either side of his neck. The warmth of his coat offset the damp of the mist.
Others described the mist as a cold and dark place that left you feeling disconnected and alone.
Eva felt none of that. Only peace stemming from a place deep inside herself. As if the mist was a long-lost friend she'd unexpectedly found again.
If she listened hard enough, she could almost catch the low-pitched hum of voices. The wind whistling through the grass and the faint whicker of a horse.
None of which belonged here where the mist existed outside of time and place.
There was a hazy feeling in Eva's head as if she was in a dream. Only the constant beat of Sebastian's wings and his breathing told her this was real.
Eva lifted her head as she straightened from Sebastian's back, taking a long look around her. All she found was endless gray haze that gave the illusion that she and Sebastian existed alone.
Not even a shadow of Polaris and Theo was visible.
She could hear them though. The small sounds they made as they traveled. The mist bounced the sound around, making it impossible to pinpoint where the noises were coming from.
Despite that, Eva was almost certain they were close. Polaris directly to the front and slightly to Sebastian's right. Theo was off Polaris's left flank, almost even with Sebastian.
Human, what do you feel when you're here?Polaris's voice was deep, seeming to echo in the mist.
Eva glanced toward where her instincts told her he was. "I'm not sure I have the words to fully explain."
Eva tilted her face to the sky to take in the unrelenting gray above her. The mist thick and impenetrable. If Eva's legs hadn't been wrapped around Sebastian's sides, she would have sworn she was all alone.
"It's like a call, only not." Eva paused as she struggled for the right words. "It feels like home."
There it was. The truth, as impossible as it sounded.
A part of her couldn't help but think she was imagining things. Humans and mist weren't compatible. Even pathfinders weren't crazy enough to seek the mist out.
She'd asked Reece once what he felt when in the mist. He compared it to being a homing pigeon, some sense always pointing his way out and toward home.
There was nothing about a sense of longing or familiarity. For him, the mist was a well-known foe. Dangerous if one wasn't careful enough.
Her experience was much different. There was no internal compass guiding her way because she didn't need it. The mist wouldn't keep her, because she was part of it.
