Grumpy as ever, Anya bellowed, ‘I am now. What?’
I couldn’t bring myself to feel sorry for waking her. ‘I’m coming to you; I want to see the caves.’
Huffing, the beast offered, ‘I will come get you.’
I refused, ‘No, I need a walk to clear my head.’
‘It will take your pathetic legs hours.’
‘Then it will be very refreshing.’
Though stuck in the turmoil of heightened emotions, sense prevailed, and I rushed inside to grab a coat and a slight packing of snacks and water.
‘Lady Ava, is everything alright?’ Maddie’s scrutinising gaze fell on my bag. ‘Going somewhere?’
I squeezed a water bottle to the remnants of space left inside it and answered, ‘Yes, just heading out because I have a few things to take care of.’
As considerate as the last time I had seen her, she offered, ‘Can I provide any assistance?’
‘Not where I’m going, thanks, Maddie.’ I squeezed her shoulder in a sign of sympathy and left her behind without looking back.
A woman on a mission.
A woman going to see her dragon, whom she had been neglecting for the past few weeks.
A woman who felt bad for her bonded’s isolation when we had been so close.
A woman with a lot of regrets.
Looking from afar, I had never noticed the number of small hills one needed to get through to reach the Cave City. The long walk would serve as a great opportunity for contemplation.
I recalled the first time I met River. So much had changed since then: my outlook on the kingdom of Fogoya and my own. My distrust towards my people had grown enough that I wasn’t sure there was any reconciliation for them in the future.
They cursed the Fogoyans. Made them kill each other, kill their families. It wasn’t just evil; it was demented. I wanted no part in such a kingdom, nor the family where my mother allowed it to happen.
No, she didn’t just allow it; she ordered it to happen. That much was obvious.
‘Are you done with your hike yet?’ Anya poked fun through our bond.
‘I’ve only been walking for fifteen minutes; have some faith.’
The journey to her created a great opportunity to delve into the forest that was so clearly fond of me. The trees welcomed me by humming a song of energy as I walked by and let my fingers caress some of the greenery. Though as I reached a tiny clearing, before I could react, a serpent the length of my leg crawled up my arm and tightened, not daring to let go.
‘Okay, little guy. Get down and everything will be fine,’ I promised, taking deep breaths. Each time I reached for it, my hands vanished into the swirling black smoke like it refused to be touched.
What kind of magic was that?
I attempted it once more, and the same thing happened. Trying to assess the situation, I used flames as a source of light and nearly passed out as I noticed that it consisted purely of dark shadows as if it were a fugitive from the pits of hell. It encircled my arm and started to move towards my neck.
Neither my fire nor witchly abilities could remove the sentient gathering of black coils, as it rested on my neck like a scarf with no care in the world.
A weightless chill seeped into my skin, indifferent to the panic beneath it. Not caring at all that I had been trying to torch it, squash it, and throw it off me.
Trying not to panic—a fresh resolution, considering my life’s recent descent into chaos—I let go of my grip on the magic and allowed the creature to remain. If it meant harm, surely it would’ve struck by now.
I continued marching towards the mountains.
Anya wasn’t lying about how far the caves were. The hike felt like over two hours, but I needed it. Yet, it would have been nicer if I hadn’t had to worry about the mysterious creature adamant on serving me as a necklace.
