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"Yes," I sighed. "There's no sense putting this off."
I reached into my satchel and handed out thick, shiny capes. They were made of animal hides covered in a heavy layer of tree sap. Somewhat water-resistant, but better than nothing. I had spent the last of my gold in Stone City getting them. The merchant, sensing my desperation, marked the price up to a laughable rate until I threatened to rip his throat out.
I secured the cape around my shoulders and pulled up the hood. Then I stepped up to the wall of pouring water. It was as if an invisible barrier separated the two lands, keeping the water from spilling into the barren land. My feet still planted firmly in the desert, I held out a hand and breached the unseeable wall. The moment my fingers touched the rain, I jerked them back. A piercing pain ripped up my arm and settled inside my joints.
I hissed, examining my skin. I expected to see it burned or bleeding from the stabbing sensation that radiated up my arm, but my hand looked no different. I turned to Lex and gave him a sympathetic look.This was not going to be easy.
"Tzidal," I said. "Remember, the rain might not affect you as badly as us, if at all. You will need to be prepared to protect or even abandon us should things get too hard or dangerous."
"I understand," she nodded, calm as ever. A fucking mountain in a sea of chaos and uncertainty.Fuck,I adored her.
My brave Omega. Even if she didn't belong to me.Not yet, at least.
Into The Cursed Lands
Tzidal
I held out my hand,breeching the invisible wall of water, and waited. A slow, uncomfortable burn radiated up my arm, but I could bear it. I didn't have a choice. I nodded at Joon and Lex before stepping from the cracked, thirsty desert onto the sopping wet grass.
My cape protected my head and most of my body, but my bare feet couldn't be helped. Pain stabbed into my legs, where the rain fell against the earth then splashed up, hitting my skin.
Lex crossed the threshold and almost immediately doubled over. He caught himself before he fell, but his body stayed slumped over as he pushed forward. I eyed the siren hard as he slowly passed me, not confident he wouldn't topple over.
Joon wasn't much better. His tan complexion was already washed out and sickly, and his chest heaved as he followed Lex.
I shoved my fear aside and stepped inline behind them, scanning the distance the best I could through the hammering rain.
As we walked, the vegetation around us became thicker and bigger. We passed mushrooms, fat and red. Tall enough to be used as comfortable seats. And flowers shaped like bells leaned upward as if trying to kiss the sky, falling over when they became too heavy with rain, then bouncing back up once all the water spilled out.
I stumbled many times as we moved. Vines were so thick, stretching lazily over the ground, that there were many places where I couldn't even see the grass because of them.It felt like they were trying to coil themselves around me and suck me beneath the soil.
It was hard to believe how colorful everything was. It stormed so hard, pulling at my skin and cape as if it were trying to force me to the ground. It felt as if the pummeling rain could have stripped the color off of anything it touched. There was also no sun. The light grey sky offered nothing but an onslaught of water and the occasional rumble of thunder. How anything grew here, I just didn't understand.
As the day wore on and night approached, I had no idea what to do about food. Lex ate during our last night in the desert, but Joon needed something soon. I walked over to a heavy, yellow plant hanging low on a tree. It looked harmless enough, but so did the rain. The second I plucked it, the tree branch snapped upward, making me jump. I cradled the heavy melon-like plant and walked toward Joon.
I asked the Alpha if we could eat it, but it was as if no words left my mouth. All sound sucked into the pounding of water on grass, trees, and plants. I frowned, my ears giving up on ever hearing another sound again.
Slowly, I grabbed Lex's upper arm and guided him to a cluster of trees. They would provide a decent amount of cover for the night. The siren, wrapped tightly in his cape, looked smaller somehow. He was a thin creature to begin with and only a little taller than me, but he walked as if he had shriveled into himself. I tried leaning down to look up into his hood, but he bowed his head further, avoiding my eyes.
I guided him onto the ground and sat the melon next to him. Then I turned to retrieve Joon. He was walking toward me as if in a haze. His steps were unsteady and his direction a little jolting. He looked...confused.
Once I had them both sitting under the trees, I pulled off my cape, becoming instantly drenched. Pain burrowed into my skin, and I hissed at the sensation, every breath pinching my ribs.
I draped the waxy fabric over the ground then heaved Joon on top of it. I hoped it would provide at least a little protection against the wet grass. I shoved Lex into Joon's arms and situated their capes to better shield them from the water dripping between the branches.
My whole body shook with a deep, dull ache that pulled at my muscles and twisted my bones. It made me dizzy and queasy.
I grabbed the melon and tried pushing my nails into the flesh, but it wouldn't break. I snuck over to Joon and pulled his hand free. A broken moan drifted from the Alpha, but I ignored it, too hungry. The Alpha’s claws slipped into the fruit and I laughed when it tore open quickly. I tucked his hand back in the safety of the cape, then ripped off a chunk of the fruit's flesh. It was orange in color, like the sunset back home, and it looked innocent but terrifying at the same time.It looked delicious.
I popped it into my mouth and held it there, waiting. No pain spread across my tongue. I chewed and swallowed. No pain ran down my throat. I paused, wondering if I'd simply fall over dead or if the stars would be kind enough to let me finish the whole thing before it killed me.
Fuck it, I thought.
I took a huge bite, feasting wildly. Sticky juices ran down my chin, and I was thankful for a liquid that didn't burn my skin. I finished almost half of it in no time before moving back to Joon.
I adjusted his hood to better see his face then placed a small piece of fruit in his mouth. I patted his cheek, trying to wake him enough to get him to eat. He slowly chewed and swallowed, not appearing to be in any more pain than before. It was pitch black by the time I finished feeding him, but he would need as much strength as possible come morning.
I had no idea how long it would take to get out of these lands, and I had every intention of all three of us making it to Vaesen safely. No matter what I had told Joon, there was no way I would abandon them.
