“My entire life, I have done everything for everyone else. I only ever learned how to follow directions, never to give them.” She was so resigned. The line of her shoulders dropped, curving inwards to protect the softness within.
“You could always learn.”
“Well, now I don’t have to.” Ayla smiled, so heartwrenchingly sad that my own heart pulsed in response.
Théo came back, then, startling us from our quiet conversation. I had the distinct feeling that there was more to say, but Harkin and Safiya were already donning their packs and readying the horses.
The second day of travel was largely uneventful.
Trees appeared to move closer, then farther, in an endless sea of green. Great boughs blocked the clouded sky in places, adding to the encroaching darkness which crept in as a storm approached on the horizon.
When sleet began to fall through the frigid air, Harkin and I worked together, using our mágik to dispel the onslaught from our companions' prone bodies. The last thing we needed was for one of us to fall ill due to exposure.
I shivered, and Harkin untied his cloak, adjusting it so it wrapped around both of us. His warmth soothed me, and I leaned back into him. The steady sway of Equinox lulled me into a light doze, and soon, we had arrived at our destination for the night.
Darkness was a living creature, stretching its talons toward us with the sharp rocks that jutted through the treeline. The trees themselves were gnarled, nearly colorless in the grayscale land before us.
“Is this…?” I dismounted, glancing about warily.
“The brink of the Sárkhona Draum,” Théo confirmed, his lips tipped downward in the slightest of frowns.
“It certainly is…” I was at a lack of words yet again.
“Unsettling,” Ayla finished for me.
We all nodded in agreement. A shiver ran down my spine.
Wrongness permeated our surroundings. I was reminded of the barrier between Ordelés and Acsilla—the desire to turn back had been so strong. I had a similar feeling now, perched on the edge of the Váracis Erva and the Sárkhona Draum. Something evil lurked here, I was sure of it.
We made camp for the night, but I still could not shake my unease.
Théo was the first to confirm my fears. “This is where our journey takes a more dangerous turn. The Sárkhona Draum was once the home of the Drakány, but they were hunted to extinction. Such violence upon creatures of the heavens has left a permanent mark on this land, and it is rumored to have drawn in darkness in the form of dangerous spirits and the like.”
Ayla groaned, resting her head against Théo’s shoulder. She reached for my hand, and we squeezed our palms together once before releasing.
“It will be fine. We’ll look out for each other,” I insisted, feeling much less confident than I sounded.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Harkin offered, and after a hasty supper, we retired to our tents. It seemed we were all eager to hide from the ominous darkness that surrounded us.
“Do you want me to stay up with you?” I asked, lowering myself to the ground beside Harkin and lacing my fingers through his.
Harkin brought our joined hands to his mouth and kissed each of my fingers. Warmth tingled down my arm. He shook his head, hair falling into his eyes. “You should get some sleep.”
“Ayla is right, though. It is ominous. I’m worried about you being out here alone after Théo’s less than encouraging speech about evil creatures stalking the night.” I scrunched my nose.
Harkin laughed. “I’ll be fine, Ren, but I appreciate you worrying about me. Safiya will take the next watch in a few hours. I will join you then.”
I nodded, pulling my hand free and leaning over to kiss him gently. “Goodnight.”
Sleep evaded me until Harkin finally joined me some hours later. We drifted to sleep quickly, side by side, but it was so unnaturally quiet on the outskirts of the Sárkhona Draum that an audible crack had us both leaping from our bedroll.
Safiya’s cry spurred us faster as we reached for our weapons, summoned our mágik.
It was so uncomfortably dark, the moon shadowed by heavy rain clouds which threatened to pour down upon us at any moment. Every branch and rock appeared as an adversary, and my heart pounded far too loudly.
Safiya was pinned against the sharp rock on the Sárkhona Draum side of our camp. She was surrounded by creatures I would never forget. Sziravit—seven by my count, with their unnatural, ghostly bodies and their reeking, dirty claws—stalked toward Safiya.
It reminded me of that first night in the Váracis Erva, when I had not yet trusted Harkin or even myself. I had hated mágik then, and I had feared it even more.
