Jax’s mouth falls open in mock shock, his eyes sparkling. “Have the audacity to lie! My fragile ego can’t take it.”
Against my will, I giggle.
Damn this man.
We findthe river not too far away. While Jax dives into the freezing cold water, I use a damp cloth to freshen up. Only watching him swim in the river when it’s this cold outside makes my teeth clatter.
After, we have a quick breakfast, refill our leather skins, make sure the horses have enough to drink, and we’re back on the road.
I’m giddy as we ride deeper into the mountains and the forests. Yesterday was a good day. We found the first evidence of dragons. I take it as a sign that we’re on the right path.
Unfortunately, my good mood sours fairly quickly.
The forest here is lusher and more dense. I can barely see anything past a few feet. I know it’s mid-morning, but because the branches above our heads are so heavy, and weave together so tightly, it feels as if it’s dusk again.
It makes my skin crawl.
The cold breeze that keeps rustling my hair doesn’t help either. Ekios is much colder than Wetra, and here in the mountains, the air is even crispier. But since we left the cave this morning, I’ve been shivering nonstop. What am I going to do during the night?
I keep listening to the sounds in the forest with a pounding heart. Any moment, the forest can fall silent. I want to be ready. Especially in this part of it.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the wooden posts signaling the path to the feeding grounds. I keep looking at my map, trying to orient myself.
“Jax!” I call for him. He rides a few feet ahead. He turns to look at me. “Have you seen any signposts yet?”
“Yeah. We passed 1043, like, ten minutes ago. Why?”
“Good. Nothing. Just checking.”
Jax eyes me with a frown, but once I roll my eyes, he turns away.
Maybe my human sight is so bad here I missed it. From the corner of my eye I keep seeing moving shadows in the forest, but when I turn there’s nothing there. The forest is lively with creatures, and the horses are calm. I need to relax.
We ridefor the whole day. Not a single sign of a dragon. And about an hour ago, we lost track of where we are on the map. One thing is clear—we’re nowhere close to the damn dragon feeding grounds.
“We should find a place to set up a camp for the night,” Jax says, looking up at the almost dark sky above our heads. “It’s too dark. We might have missed the signpost. Tomorrow with the morning light, we’ll find it.”
“Fine,” I mutter.
Worry claws at my chest. I don’t have time to get lost in the damn forest. While I’m roaming the woods blind, looking for a dragon who may not even want to bond me, Vera’s somewhere being tortured. And Caligos are preparing for something bad, just waiting for a moment when I’m weak to attack.
“Nix,” Jax says softly. It snaps me out of my spiral. I blink at him. “We’re not lost. We’ve been following the same path all this time. It may be that the signposts are simply hidden better here with the forest being so thick.”
I nod, biting the inside of my cheek. He’s just trying to help, to ease the anxiety that’s suffocating me. But there’s nothing that can help me right now.
“Where are we setting up the camp?” I ask, looking around. “The forest is too thick here.”
Jax cranes his neck and holds still for a heartbeat. “There’s water not too far. Let’s head there first. Horses need water.”
I glance around at the looming darkness. We haven’t stayed out on the road this late before. Unease tickles my spine. I roll my shoulders to shake it off.
Jax rides forward, and I follow. Soon, my human ears pick up the sound of rushing water, too. There’s a narrow path winding down on the left, towards the water. I follow Jax. The closer we get to water, the heavier my chest gets.
Soon, a small clearing next to a tall waterfall emerges in front of us. The water is dark as night. I get off Luna and approach the edge. As I look down, nothing but darkness looks back at me. A ball lodges in my throat and I take a step back.
“Are you okay?” Jax’s voice right behind me makes me jump.
I whirl on my heel. “Yes. I’m fine. It’s just…” I roll my shoulders. “It’s dark. I’m freezing. I just need to rest, I guess.”
