“Time passes differently when you’re deep in your magic,” said Altair.
Her head whipped towards him. “Get out of my head!”
With a soft chuckle he replied, “I’ve told you, I’m not in your head. Your face scrunched up in an adorable way when you noticed the sunrise, and I made a guess at what you were thinking.”
Iyana squinted at him, unconvinced. In the burgeoning dawn, she gazed upon him openly. His face was more beautiful in profile, if it was possible. He still had a faint glow about him during the day, but now, with the sunrise behind him, he was absolutely radiant. He looked like a god. While she was drinking her fill, she tripped on a rock, stumbling forward. Altair caught her by the elbow to keep her upright.
“If you’re quite done gawking,” he said, amused, “I believe that is the village on the horizon, is it not?”
Affronted, Iyana jerked her arm out of his hold. There was no possible way she was…gawking. But he was right. It was the village on the horizon—the snowcapped Forgotten Mountains serving as a backdrop. Legend said the old gods resided beneath the mountains, in a deep slumber. The elders passed down stories on how the mountain range between Athusa and Istora was named. While the Aula Pass offered relatively safe passage—although wolves, deadly drop-offs, and rockslides were ever-present dangers—those who strayed from the Pass were never seen again. Children were told during bedtime stories that should they need to cross the Forgotten Mountains they were to stay on the Pass. The old gods were hungry, or lonely, or bored (the story changed depending on who was doing the telling) and would snatch any wanderers, dragging them beneath. Not only were these poor souls never seen again, but they were forgotten by their loved ones. Names, faces, memories were all erased. All that remained was an empty feeling, like there was something they were supposed to remember but couldn’t, a name on the tip of their tongue. If the prospect of being forgotten did not scare the children enough, it was said that the souls the gods stole were unable to go to the Everlands or the Nine Hells, instead staying with them for an eternity. Iyana shuddered. She’d never had a reason to cross the mountains before. Hells, she’d never had a reason to leave Imothia before.
She and Altair continued their walk in silence. He didn’t suggest any further practice, and she clenched her jaw to keep from complaining excessively. The asshole walking next to her did not need more fodder to tease her with.
They reached the edge of the village as the sun reached its zenith, and the heat of the day was becoming oppressive, even for Iyana. Altair wasn’t sweating, and she hated him a bit for it. She, however, was panting, with her hair plastered to her face. In other words, she felt a mess.
A representative greeted them and guided them towards a guest dwelling. Traveling through the desert at night was the smartest decision, but when it came to the Aula Pass, one wanted to walk it during the day, despite the heat at the base. They would stay here through the night and leave at dawn, attempting to climb high enough before the sun rose fully to avoid roasting their skin. Iyana didn’t even notice there was only one cot where they were staying. She had only enough energy to drop her pack on the floor and flop onto her temporary bed. Sleep found her immediately.
She only woke when Altair nudged her gently. Rubbing her gritty eyes in an attempt to wake up, Iyana sat up to stretch.
“What time is it?” she asked groggily.
“It’s almost dawn,” Altair said. “I thought you may want to wash now while you can. Not sure when we’ll have use of another bathing chamber.” She wrinkled her nose in anticipation of all the aspects of this journey she hadn’t envisioned. Shitting in a bush with a man nearby was definitely not something Iyana was looking forward to, so she appreciated the privacy while it was available.
Thanking their hosts and slinging the still-heavy packs over their shoulders, they walked towards the Forgotten Mountains side by side.
The beginning of their journey was uneventful. The base of the Aula Pass was still in the desert and gradually warmed as the sun rose. But as the sun climbed higher, so did the duo. Tall evergreen trees gradually replaced cacti, scenting the air with pine instead of desert sage. Cooler temperatures came with the higher altitudes. To Iyana, it was reminiscent of a lovely winter’s night at home, one that was not too cold, but enough to justify lighting a fire. She’d curl up in front of her hearth like a house cat and sleep there instead of in bed, warm and content.
Despite the lack of desert heat, she felt as though she was sweating twice as much. The Pass was much steeper and wilder than she’d expected. She assumed apasswould be a well-maintained trail meandering through the mountains, but the pleasantly easy trail at the base swiftly steepened. Now she had to hike and rock climb to clear the giant boulders in their path—two things she had never done before in her life. It was becoming difficult to breathe, and her pack weighed her down. Was it possible it had gotten heavier? Many times she stopped to rest her hands on her knees, heaving deep breaths, fighting the urge to give up and turn back. Altair continued walking forward without offering assistance, or even acknowledging her distress. Bastard. He also dispelled another assumption of hers, that it would take less than a day to travel through the pass. Apparently, it would take closer to three.Especially at the rate you’re walking, he’d said. Iyana had flipped him off behind his back.
As the sun started its descent and the wind began to rise, Altair announced the need to find shelter for the night. Iyana blurted out, “Thank the fucking gods.” Which earned her a wry look from the never-tiring star.
“You realize,” said Altair, not even breathing hard, “you could use your magic to boost your strength. Then this wouldn’t be so arduous for you.”
“How am I supposed to do that when you’ve barely talked to me this entire climb? I thought you were supposed to be my all-knowing guru, or some shit.”
He smiled widely, teeth fully on display. “I love it when you swear.”
“Fuck you, you fucking glowing bastard.”
“Exactly like that,” his voice deepened. “It’s so fucking cute.”
Flipping him off again earned her a loud, true laugh from Altair. And suddenly she forgave him for dragging her along on this journey. “Come,” he said. “There’s a cave over this way, and we can stay for the night.” Lightly resting his hand on the small of her back, he steered her towards a cave entrance she hadn’t seen.
Once inside, they found shelter from the wind, but the cave itself was dark, cold, and dank. Iyana shivered. Wrapping her arms around herself, she wished she owned heavier clothing. Imothia was always warm. The winters were not harsh, as they sometimes were in other desert climates. She preferred the weather she grew up in—extremely hot summer days, pleasantly cool winter nights. All her clothing consisted of linen. Hells, she didn’t even own a cloak. As she surveyed what shecould see of the cave, which wasn’t much, she saw a spark behind her and a sudden flare of heat. Turning, she noticed Altair had started a fire. She squealed as she ran over to warm her hands and toes.
“You’re going to need shoes to travel any further,” Altair said.
Iyana shook her head emphatically. “Nope,” she said. “Not gonna do it. I’ve gone my whole life without shoes and I’m not going to start now.”
“My star…” he said disapprovingly. “You’re going to get frostbite. What would you do if your pretty little toes fell off?”
She was too proud to admit she hadn’t thought of the repercussions of walking through a mountain pass barefoot, so she shrugged, continuing to warm herself at the fire. The fire itself was a wonder, as it burned without wood or tinder, yet stayed contained in a small area. Flames danced around, changing from orange to yellow to white, just as a proper fire would. There was a powerful urge to touch it, to see if it burned flesh the same as well, but Iyana resisted.
Altair sat next to her, knees drawn up to his chest. “You could keep yourself warm with your magic.”
“How?” she asked.
“Try to touch your magic again. Just touch it, learn it, earn its trust. Once you’ve accomplished that, we’ll move forward with more specific magics.”
