“As you wish.”
CHAPTER 44
The echoes of the rumbling ocean grew louder by the minute. Marshen ordered me to stay by his side. He said that the noise and the smell of the seawater were overriding his senses. I could already tell he was concentrating by how often his pointed ears twitched. His odd silence, too, gave it away.
A wide cliff stretched out to our left, and I beamed,finallybeholding it from afar. I could see it in disturbed images—a blue horizon in between tall tree trunks. Furious water crashed against the cliff expanse, sending trails of froth that sprayed into the blue sky. And the closer we neared, the more I could see, smell, and feel the rush of the colossal waves. It was majestic—a sensation of power, beauty, and freshness.
Then I flinched. It snuck up on me—an instant hit that reminded me of him. I realised then, what Aegir’s skin smelled like, what his mouth tasted like—his scent. The same scent I was so uncontrollably drawn to. It was this—the refreshing smell of sea mist.
Wait. Was this how I, too, smelled now?
Beyond those raging waves was Mistgeil Island. I could still make out its outline, despite the fog veiling most of its barren landscape. To our right were the woods. Most of the trees were lush and unburned, leaving a trail of green along my right vision.
Blue sea to my left and green terrain to my right.
“And when blue sea meets green terrain,
will the hidden truths be unchained.”
Hope fooled me. For a second, it made me believe that my answers were soon within my grasp. I even replayed the Seer’s haunting song in my mind. I remembered it by heart now.
“By the power of the lune and the main,
Nothing but the second shall remain,
All else hidden never to unveil,
Only when death is near—”
And as if my own thoughts summoned death itself, before our eyes—kneeling on the sun-kissed cliff, foreheads to the ground—were two dozen Naari soldiers.
Marshen and I stilled. We faced each other with wide eyes. He only dared to tilt his head, motioning it to our right. I gazed at the thick woods. We needed to hide, quickly, then sneak our way around. We took small, silent steps. One eye on the soldiers—currently lost in worshiping and praying to their goddess, Pyrona—the other, on the path before us. But one of the soldiers lifted his head. Shit!
The “Hey!” that growled out of the soldier’s throat made all heads turn.
We bolted into a sprint.
I knew Marshen was holding back, remaining at my side as I pushed my legs, forcing them not to falter. We dodged trees, branches, and logs, but so did the Naaris. Their snarls grew louder and nearer. The hissed sizzle of fire being wielded came from somewhere behind us, causing the hairs on my neck to bristle. A jolting sensation ran through my body, similar to what I’d felt when Mounir chased after me—my dear friend, adrenaline.
“Can you wield ice?” I asked, my breath heavy.
“Nope.”
Fuck. We had to outrun them, then. But they were so fast. Three of them drew uncomfortably close. I had no choice but to nock an arrow. I memorised the land before me, then turned,letting the string go. The arrow struck the nearest soldier’s thigh. He tumbled to the floor.
“Nice trick,” Marshen said, grinning.
“They’re finite, you know. I don’t have enough for all,” I breathed, hitting another one in the knee. Only one drew dangerously close now.
“Then make each one count.”
He didn’t have to say that. My mind had already been replaying Aegir’s words:Do not fire unless you’re certain you’ll hit. Don’t waste any arrows, not even one.
I saw a clear path before me and I half twisted, my side facing the closest soldier. I aimed for his thigh. It went through his side.
Better than a miss, I told myself.
I begged my legs to keep on going, but my steps almost faltered when I realised the forest before us was shrinking, rock gradually encroaching on the trees. We were forced to veer left, scrambling ever closer to the Falls and to the intense sound of grumbling water.
