“A Sand Priestess told me similar words once.”
“You see, I must be right, then. Right?” she said, nudging me with her elbow. She even managed to make me smile.
I just hugged her. I may have squished her a bit too tight but she hugged me back.
Marshen carried our bags outside, then strapped them onto our bridled and saddled mares.
“You’re leaving so soon?” Emika asked. “You are bleeding and a storm is approaching from the south. It will chase you all the way north and it will not be easy to outrun. Stay for another week at least, until the storm passes and you no longer shed.”
I looked up, towards the bright blue sky and an unobstructed bright yellow sun. It didn’t look like it was going to rain to me.
“Thank you for your kindness and hospitality, but we have to deliver an important message to King Ryvar. I’m afraid it cannotwait. We have life-altering news and people that need us.” She nodded in both confusion and understanding.
“Well, I certainly cannot get in the way of that, can I?” she said, giving me a small smile. “You know you can visit here whenever you’d like. I hope that the next time you do, you will be accompanied by a different male.”
“Thanks, Emika,” Marshen said as he approached us, hearing her last few words.
“I’ll take it that you are thanking me for my hospitality, and for that you are welcome.”
Indeed, we should thank her. As if she wasn’t already kind enough, she asked Braun and Vinnie to escort us all the way to the Florentine Port.
She handed me a small burlap bag filled with leaves of red raspberry tea for the pain. She also gave me a blue furry coat. “For when you arrive at Silch,” she said. I gave her another tight hug, hoping that I would get the chance to see her again one day.
CHAPTER 63
Emika was right—we did end up outrunning a storm.
It was partly my fault. I held us back during the first couple of days. But travelling on horseback while bleeding required frequent breaks. We also had to stop for tea, which was my only source of temporary pain relief. It did nothing compared to Aegir’s healing powers. I often felt like an addict, craving even the smallest of hits.
Day three started off much better.
I nestled my cheek against my folded arms that rested on the wooden edge of the boat as I looked across the Neverglade River. Cool wind caressed my face and whipped at my loosely bound braid.
I paid a handsome fare for us to travel on a boat large enough to carry our horses, but it was worth every coin. The greenish-blue river was placidly pristine—crystal clear. So clear that I could see schools of fish swimming beneath the shimmering surface. I imagined the river to be different—dull and uninviting—knowing that it coursed east towards the creature- and monster-infested brown swamps. This was the complete opposite of that.
A background of green mountains stretched from afar, their tips hidden beneath the thick grey clouds. I had never seen so many colours at once, so much life thriving in air, water, and land alike. Birds soared in synchronous flocks along their coast; they, too, seemed to be evading the nearing storm.
The tranquillity around us—ignoring the approaching grey clouds and the shouts and orders bellowed by the crew members—was both mind and soul calming. I took a deep, fresh inhale.
Our journey was oddly but perfectly quiet. None of us spoke. We all appreciated the beauty before us in complete silence; even Marshen seemed lost in this thriving world.
Though I did get the sense that the farther we travelled north, the quieter he was becoming. After all, he was returning home with something different than what was asked of him.
Yes, definitely quieter.
By the fifth day, he was close to being called speechless by his own standards, and whenever I looked at him, he glanced back with a blank face, then shunned his eyes away.
Should we have gone to Aegir first? Should we have specifically ensured Marshen’s end of the bargain?But I carried the scent of hisbrother, for gods’ sake. That should be enough. More than enough, in my opinion.
The condensed cloud coverage with scattered thunderclaps had us seeking shelter beneath a rocky overhang for the night. The sky’s doors finally surrendered and the hissing sound of pouring rain started right before we slept.
My eyes slowly opened.
I reached for the pocket flame and rose to my feet, snuggling in Emika’s furry coat. I took slow steps towards the rain and stopped only when occasional raindrops splattered against my cheeks. I could make out the shadow of the silver moon gleaming beneath layers of dense clouds. Small puffs of cool, wet air brushed my face. I opened the pocket flame and watched the cascading rain fall like a silver curtain. Streaks of lightning cracked across the night sky, illuminating the wet, shimmering forest before me. The night dimmed and a rumbling roar echoed seconds later.
“Can’t sleep?” Marshen asked from behind me.
“I wanted to look at the rain,” I replied quietly.
