“Not long now!” Tynan shouted.
I nodded, forgetting that he could not see me.
Suddenly, my head snapped up when I realized that I was leaning into Tynan as we lowered down to the ground. My frozen fingers clenched to his neck. Tynan sighed and turned his head to look at me.
“Are you alright?” he asked and I nodded, not trusting my voice to respond.
I examined the cliffs below and noticed the flat surface of the carved rocks. There were stairs going down the edge of the mountain, the sharp points of the black misty surfaces looked almost surreal.
I slid down to my feet, and stumbled when my legs went completely numb under me.
Everything was quiet, there were no signs of people, but the others acted like we were not alone.
“Who are you and why did you come?” a loud voice hollered, and it echoed in my ears.
Tynan transformed to his human form and stepped forward, raising his hand.
“We came to ask for shelter and protection.” He moved his head surveying the rocks around us.
“Why would traitors expect that from us?” the same voice returned.
“Darragh never leaves its own behind!” Tynan shouted back.
Silence followed his statement and the next moment, a group of five separated from the black wall and approached us. They wore dark leather suits and I quickly spotted swords and knives strapped to their belts. One of the men, who was older than the others, approached us and examined our weapons before speaking directly to Tynan, as if the rest of us did not exist.
“Any infected?” the man asked.
“No,” Tynan said.
“Your brother will decide if you can stay,” the man continued.
“Is Quirin in charge now?” Tynan asked.
“Quirin? No, Hanoch is our leader,” the man replied.
“Hanoch? How is that possible?” Tynan furrowed his eyebrows.
“I am not here to spread gossip.” The soldier turned away and made a signal to the others.
We followed the men to the stairs carved in the black rock. I bit my lip, directing all my mental efforts on not taking a tumble down, because no one would be able to survive the drop that stretched out for what looked like miles below us.
“Can you walk?” Tynan paused, waiting for me.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
Instead of answering, he took my hand and helped me navigate the slippery rocks.
The warmth of his skin, the calm confidence of his posture made me feel strangely protected. I did not want to examine why my body reacted that way, but it was as if after a long time of searching, I had found something that was final and inevitable. Every time we touched, the wildfire of my emotions subsided and I experienced peace.
“This way.” The man ahead of us pointed and I could feel the tension that spiraled through the whole group.
We descended the steep wall, lower and lower, and it almost seemed like it would never end. After yet another turn, an explosion of bright green made me stop and Tynan paused, turning his face toward me. The valley that opened up in front of my eyes resembled the image from a dream I had many days before. The low clouds and the sun that managed to shine through the thick, misty air turned into the bend of an iridescent half rainbow. The luscious grassand the expansive space, the magic and beauty of the sight made me want to stay glued to this spot forever.
“Gods,” I whispered.
Tynan’s eyes were on my face, he stood two steps below, looking up at me as if he had encountered something he could not quite interpret.
Heat rose up to my cheeks and I lowered my gaze, not ready to explore what I was feeling. It was too much, too soon, and I was tired. So tired from running, hiding, and being scared. I wanted to put everything on hold and stop worrying, stop thinking. In the past weeks, months, years, I had lost who I was and I did not know if I could find my way back. I did not know if that girl was still within me or if her very existence was no more than a distant memory.
