"Three to five days on horseback." He replies. "What is that sound?"
"Music." I reply, turning up the Indie Rock song. "You don't like it?"
He snorts. "It is not a hymnal to me."
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. "Heading east, it might be forested."
"It will be," He replies. "You're talking a lot again, I haveto concentrate. Quiet now."
"Rude." I mumble, but when he stares at me, I shut up and peek from my peripherals.
Athanasius leans his head back, eyes closed, and I start thinking about the feeling he gave me when he stepped close to me. Why did he do that? Was he testing me? Trying to see what I would do? What did his past avatars do? Did they just let him use them like toys to satisfy his urges and then make him food? Crazy.
As the area gets more wooded, we're a little over an hour into the drive and Athanasius wakes up. "Take this road on the right."
"It's a service road." I reply, jerking at his sudden voice.
He doesn't reply, but as I do so, he hums softly. "Slow down," There's no one else on this road. "Stop."
As the car rolls to a stop, Athanasius closes his eyes. "Follow me closely, Ione."
Oh he's using my name. He must be serious. He exits and I'm scrambling to keep up with him. This area is heavily wooded. It's alive with the pulse of spring. Tall oaks and maples stretch skyward, their budding leaves unfurling in a bright, almost translucent green, catching the dappled sunlight that filters through the canopy. The undergrowth is thick—ferns, brambles, and wildflowers pushing up through the rich, damp soil that gives slightly underfoot, exhaling the deep, loamy scent of the earth.
Birdsong fills the air, warblers and thrushes calling from the branches, punctuated by the rustling of unseen creatures moving through the brush. Squirrels chatter from above, and somewhere deeper in the woods, a woodpecker drums against the bark. It’s a place teeming with life, and for a moment, I feel welcomed by it, comforted by the soft, ceaseless hum of nature.
But as most good things do, it ends. As we step between the trees, the world hushes. The birds fall silent, their calls cut short as if swallowed by the looming presence of the deeper woods. The air feels heavier, thick with something unspoken, and a shiver crawls up my spine. That primal fear creeps up the back of my neck as my fingers twitch with the impulse to retreat.
Athanasius, already a few steps ahead, glances back at me, his red eyes steady and knowing. His voice is firm.“I know your kind are inclined to flee,” he says, his words low but certain. “But don’t. You are with me.” He extendshis hand.
For a heartbeat, I hesitate, staring at the space between us, at the threshold I've just crossed. What is happening, what is going to happen? I can feel the weight and warmth of the ring on my finger. It's pulling me towards him. With a steadying breath, I take his hand, warm and sure against mine. Athy pulls me close to him, holding my arm under his as we step deeper into the trees.
Chapter eight
She's Riding a Wolf
Athanasius
Icanfeelmytwin near. She's somewhere in these woods, she arrived not too long ago, doing whatever it is that makes her happy. I have no clue, she's all sunflowers and love and some other bullshit. We are on opposite ends of the spectrum, born at the same moment.
As everything lives, it dies, wasting away into the nothingness from where it came to recycle back into the wave of life that continually washes over this realm. Ione's arm is under mine, her body pressed close to me, and I look down at the top of her head. Her scent is thick there, warmed by her skull, I wish to lean my nose on her head and smell her. Not now, I am on a mission, and I will not have her feminine wiles trying to distract me.
"How will you know when you've found your sibling? What do they look like?" She asks softly.
"Why are you whispering?" I ask, stopping in my tracks. "It is only us here."
Ione stares up at me, shrugging. "I don't know, I'm scared, well, I'm not scared." She jumps as an animals breaks a branch to her right. "I'm nervous."
"You are scared," I shake my head, pulling her along. "I can smell it. Your heart is racing, and you are starting to sweat."
Ione snatches her arm from me. "Fuck you Athanasius."
"Not now, we're busy." I try to grab her, but she steps backward. "Come, woman, now."
"Say please." She hisses. "You're being rude and mean. You do know how to comfort a human don't you? When we feel fear, just hold us closer, especially a woman."
"I do not care for these trivial feelings." Throwing my hands up, I growl at her. "What do you need to fear when I am with you? I am death. I am darkness personified! I—"
"Athy, I do not care. Apologize."
