It was warm here. Balmy.
Alianna tried to sit up, and quickly realised that Rionan was carrying her.
His feet moved silently, with the stealth of a predator. His face was a mask of pure focus, brows knitted together.
“Where are we?” Alianna asked, her voice a whisper.
“You’re awake,” he muttered. He cast his eyes down to her, and they softened for the briefest moment. “I was beginning to worry. We are deep within the mountains on the edge of my territory, which borders the North.”
“Can I stand?” Alianna asked, attempting to lift herself up. This caused her head to begin spinning, and she lowered it down again, nestling herself into Rionan’s chest.
“The jump is not pleasant, even for Xanthians. It is better that you rest. I can carry you as far as we need to go.”
“Did you pass out?” Alianna asked, her words strained and voice sluggish. “Like you did when you arrived in Porthan?”
“No,” Rionan answered, eyes remaining on the path ahead of them. The pathway was dimly lit, the rock faces around them casting shadows. Alianna tried to turn her head to look around them, and wondered if Rionan’s vision was any different to her own. “I fell unconscious when I arrived in your realm, because I had taken in one quarter of the powerthat flows through Xanthia only moments before. Returning here was much easier.”
“And where are we going?” she asked, groaning as whatever she ate this morning threatened to come back up.
“To find my people. Before I left, I encouraged them to go North. These mountains are remote, wild, and likely the safest place for a host of those wishing not to be found. While some scouts may have gone further North, the rest are here.”
“You know this for certain?”
“I do not know for certain, but I can hope that I am right.”
The night drew in, and the temperature began to drop, although it remained mild. The stars that shone overhead were brighter than Alianna had ever seen in her own realm, and shooting stars seemed commonplace here, too. After what felt like an age, but may have only been a few hours, Alianna felt strong enough to stand on her own two feet and walk with Rionan. He kept an arm around her, steadying her across the rocky footfalls of the mountain paths.
She had not realised how strong he was.
The mountains around them were void of any visible life, although Rionan assured her that a myriad of creatures did live here. Some wanted to be found, some did not. Some newer creatures that had appeared since the war began, would look for an opportunity to find you. Alianna shuddered at the visions of terror which manifested in her head.
The rocky pathways and peaks stretched as far as Alianna could see, although a larger mountain range began to define itself on the horizon, it’s silhouette ominous in the dying light.
“That,” Rionan gestured, pointing towards where Alianna looked now. “Is the Alaccaran Mountain Range.”
“The mountains you showed me before,” Alianna recalled, her mind cast back to those wonderful visions that Rionan had shared with her back in Porthan.
“Yes,” he said. “They stretch far along the edge of my territory, bordering the West from the North. From those mountains, you can see into some of my favourite places in the West. You can also descend into the North, if you wish.”
“Is there not a less–steep path to the North?”
“There are several,” Rionan nodded. “Although I am not sure how safe many of them currently are. Many creatures answer to Rannirr, and he has spies planted across Xanthia. Although a gruelling journey awaits anyone who tries to climb down those mountains, you are battling the elements, and less likely to battle anything else.”
Alianna heard a loud sound overhead, and she ducked into Rionan, stilling.
“That is one of the Amassa,” Rionan whispered to her, his body hardening as he sheltered her. She realised that he had also frozen, as if moving would make them easier to detect.
“Amassa?” Alianna asked, peering up into the night sky. She could make out a winged silhouette gliding through the air, calling out. It’s strange, eerie call was like nothing she had heard. It wasn’t like a bird – it was too loud for that. It wasn’t a roar, either. It was like an ethereal shriek, a soft sound that managed to cut through you.
“The Amassa are creatures of the wilds. They roam free and belong to Xanthia alone. Some dwell in the forests, while some take shelter incaves. There is rarely enough food in the mountains that they come here. You have flying creatures in your human stories, do you not?”
“Yes. Is it a dragon?”
“No, they are not dragons. The Amassa have large feathered wings, but a body like a lizard. Many are peaceful. Some even take Xanthian company and form friendships with certain individuals, who they allow to ride them,” Rionan paused, eyes scanning the sky. “Unfortunately, when Rannirrgrew in power, he was able to sway some of the more…antagonistic of the Amassa to his cause.”
“So they fight for him?” Alianna felt a chill run down her spine.
“Not all of them.”
