—- The book of Tevye
Airess
“I’ll be right back,” Taryn said as he dismounted his horse, gripping the waterskin he intended to fill at the well. Airess nodded, peering at him from under her cloak hood. It was the first time they both had ventured out anywhere public since the incident inside the caravan, and she was especially nervous being around other citizens in the daylight.
Upon their waking this morning, Airess made it clear to Taryn she didn’t want to talk about what he had seen in the dreamworld. It was intrusive. It wasintimate. He had seen more of her than anyone else in such a short time. Of course, he didn’t press the matter further, which she was thankful for.
Airess dismounted, stretching her legs before another traveling sprint.
She rested her hand on her horse’s mane and stroked it for comfort. She had begun to grow fond of the horse that had carried her nonstop for three days now. Airess blinked her Sight forward, entranced in the warm oranges and yellows that made up the horse's aura. The energy of an animal was always light, always pure compared to other people’s –
A cluster of hooves sounded from behind her, ripping her out of her thoughts. She turned, heart dropping as she took in the group of Luciena guards, their golden armor glistening in the daylight. Airess’ heart almost stopped beating entirely when she saw her and Taryn’s wanted posters gripped in their hands as they neared.
Oh, Gods.
She turned back around and faced her horse, keeping her hands busy with the contents inside her bag, hoping to appear casual enough for them to ignore her as they approached the well Taryn was retrieving water at. Taryn returned as they neared, approaching his horse calmly and stuffing the waterskin in his bag.
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice a low whisper. “Don’t make any sudden movements.” They both mounted their horses in unison.
She grabbed the reins hard to keep her hands from trembling, seeing one guard on horseback approach them in her peripheral vision.
“You two, drop the hoods, then you can be on your way. We’re searching for a couple of fugitives that could be in the area.”
Words lodged themselves in Airess’ throat.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Taryn replied innocently, but the smirk Airess glimpsed on his face under his hood said otherwise.
She swallowed. She had seen Taryn’s attitude towards the guards when they were locked up, his persona full of spite and stubbornness. She hoped he wouldn’t say anything irrational.
“There won’t be any trouble if you aren’t who we’re looking for. We’re interrogating everyone in this town.Drop the hoods,” the guard commanded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
“Go fuck yourself,” said Taryn.
Oh, Taryn.
The Guard drew his blade and charged.
Gods, why did he have to say that? Airess was starting to realize Taryn had a reckless tendency, his stubborn, arrogant behavior always landing him in an even worse position.
The smirk on Taryn’s mouth deepened, and Airess tried her best to ignore the physical reaction she had to seeing it, her body heating at his wicked mouth. With a flick of his wrist, Taryn sent a gust of wind barreling towards the guard. The guard fell off of his horse with athud. Taryn titled his head back and laughed–a stark contrast to Airess’ growing anxiety.
“Windborne Fae!” the guard cried out as he landed on his bum.
Taryn looked to Airess with a satisfied grin. “Time to go.” They nudged their horses forward into a sprint. The other guards quickly caught onto the commotion and chased after them. As the horse surged forward, a gust of wind tore her cloak hood back. With her white hair exposed, her cover was blown.
Airess let out a strangled cry as they sprinted through the woods. She heard the guards behind them yell out, “It’s her! Airess Haeleth!”
A streak of blackness shot towards Taryn, followed by a hissing of whispering voices. He banked left and missed it narrowly, the blackness landing on the ground andseepedinto the soil like a dry cloth soaking up a puddle of liquid.
Confusion and fear settled in her chest. Were they Shadow Wielders? She didn’t have enough time to think further as terror gripped her by the throat, the possibility of them getting caught scaring her more than anything, and growing more real by the second. The fear grew, fueling her usually muted-power, traveling down her arms and sizzling underneath her palms.
Gold power began to glow at her fingertips, dripping off her fingers like she had just dipped them in a bucket of glowing starlight. She stared at her hand gripping the reins before whipping it backwards towards the guards in a moment of instinct, hoping that she could make use out of her Magick.
She looked back for a split second, catching a glimpse of a guard falling off his horse–a glowing hole burned through the chestplate of his armor. She turned to face Taryn’s back as he rode. He pointed forward and shouted, “To the forest!”
Beyond them was a forest of hundreds of skinny, gray trees cloaked in a sea of darkness, the thick treetops blocking out the sunlight entirely. She kicked her horse to go faster as another bolt of darkness swam toward her. Airess veered left but the shot narrowly missed its mark, grazing the top of her shoulder.
She expected to feel hot pain, but instead she felt an icy sting that crept into her veins, spreading through her body like a sickness. The voices of whispering spirits filled her ears before fading away, just as her body began to slow. She tried moving her arm, the motion feeling heavy. Her vision blurred with patchy blackness, like someone had dipped her eyes in ink.
