I don’t think any of us know what to do with that because we all fall silent as we carry on walking, lost in thought.
Suddenly there’s a low growl, and we all freeze as Poca melts from the darkness to stand protectively next to Farren. Laikynn is not too far behind him and is equally as tense.
The muttering that has become a constant companion again becomes louder, more frantic, but still completely indistinct, and is distracting me more than anything else.
The whole of my left side becomes cold, like I’m standing next to a block of ice. It’s particularly noticeable since the realm is actually pretty warm at the moment.
I’m not concerned, not about that. I know that’s a fragment of my broken mind, it’s not a threat to me.
It never has been, but that growl says that there is a threat nearby that we need to deal with.
“We’ve got company, moving in quickly from left. From their scent, they are members of your compound, but considering what you told the others about them, I thought that it was wise that you were warned. We will be fading into the background, where they can’t find and attack us. We will be within hearing distance though, so if you need assistance, we will come,” Laikynn explains.
It doesn’t escape my notice that Laikynn wasn’t actually inside when I was talking about the compound, so he either is guessing from the other things that I’ve said about them or he somehow knows exactly what I explained to the others in the house.
Now is not the time to ask him about that though.
“Thank you,” Farren replies and then worriedly adds. “Now quickly, go and find somewhere safe to be. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”
Laikynn nods once and quickly disappears.
Farren looks at Poca, “You too, go and keep them safe. I assume that Oryn is out there somewhere?”
Poca nods once and then reluctantly agrees and starts to move back into the surrounding darkness. Before he can get too far though, the little creature that Farren calls Meri flaps its tiny wings, launching itself off Poca’s back and then settling itself on Farren’s shoulder and under her hair.
“How do you want to handle this?” Storm surprises me as he asks me.
The cold spot that seems to be following me again practically hits me in the face. I have no idea what the fuck it is, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there’s some sort of warning in it.
I mean, it pretty much slapped me across the face. That’s certainly what it felt like.
I’m going to ignore the fact that the mumbling buzzing, which sounds so much like voices far away and underwater, has also started to pick up again.
Quite frankly, I don’t have time for a mental breakdown, and I am aware that I have been saying that for years.
“Let me do the talking, and whatever happens, do not go with them,” I warn quietly.
I’m not sure why I told them that, but instinct tells me that it’s really important that none of them go to the compound that I came from.
In fact, they are screaming at me, and I’m not going to be stupid enough to ignore them.
That new magic, the one that was gifted to me when they did the ceremony, stirs within me, powerful and deadly. The compound has been the governing body, the knowledge, and my home of sorts, at least for the entirety of my life, and because of that, I have always held a certain sense of fear toward them. It’s not respect as such because I don’t respect them or anything that they have put people through, but there has always been a fear of going up against them.
That they are so much stronger than me, with more influence, and more backup and support than I will ever have.
My new magic completely crushes that fear.
I haven’t had a chance to truly explore it yet. I’ve only managed to test it a little bit while I was searching for the team that I was supposed to find, but I know that there is so much more that I can do.
There hasn’t been a true Ferryman for thousands of years, and the knowledge about them has been lost. At least, as far as I’m aware, the knowledge has been lost. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that the compound leaders had all of the information hoarded in their fancy homes and marble-built offices.
“Just to be clear, I can’t kill them?” Farren asks, one of her brows arching in question.
I grin, “No. Or at least not unless they attack first.”
“Let’s hope they try to attack first, then,” she replies simply.
“I’m not risking anything,” Reaper says, his voice dark and full of suspicion. “I struggle to believe that it’s a coincidence that they have found us.”
