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17JAIDE
We were reachingthe edge of the forest, and I couldn't have been happier. There was nothing like walking through endless twilight to depress a girl, even a girl who was able to fly over the tops of trees and catch a little sunlight now and then. I wasn’t like the Synians, afraid of getting more than a suntan if they spent hours under a clear sky. I wanted to feel the air on my face—warmth, all of it.
And judging by what we stumbled upon once the trees started thinning out, it was clear I'd get plenty of both.
“It's pretty empty, huh?” Elliot asked.
I turned my head all the way to the left, then all the way to the right. In both directions, there was nothing but endless, rolling ground. It was hilly, rocky, covered in grass and moss. And there wasn't a single structure anywhere as far as I could see. Elliot had spoken of Biryg’s moors, but I didn’t have anything this massive in mind.
“I didn’t think we’d be out in the open like this,” Elliot added.
“So much for being able to conceal ourselves.” Parris said as he lifted his hood before surveying our surroundings the way I was. “We’re deep in Witch territory now, aren’t we?”
Elliot nodded, but at first, he didn't say anything. There was something strangely familiar about the way he looked. Like somebody coming home, only that couldn't be true. He wasn't a Witch. He had probably been at Healynas’ side his entire life.
“We might have to do what we can to push ourselves to hike after sunset. Not throughout the night,” Elliott assured me when my eyes bulged out. “But we should wait until it's absolutely necessary to make a camp. The village shouldn't be more than a day’s walk from here. We’ll more than likely be there tomorrow morning.”
I was about to express my relief until Elliot added something else. “Make sure you keep your eyes open. We can't get complacent now.”
“What are you saying? We're going to have Witches up our ass and building a fire might be a no-no?” I asked.
“Something like that.” Elliot didn't so much as smirk at my question, telling me there was nothing to joke about.
Wonderful. Just what this trip needed. Angry Witches popping up out of nowhere, wondering what we were doing in their territory.
The three of them formed sort of a triangle shape around me. Whether they planned it that way or not, I didn't know. It was sort of comforting, being protected by them as we hiked. The grass made things kind of tricky, since it covered up dips, holes, and extremely pointy rocks. It was like even the rocks had something against us.
“What else can I do with earth magic?” I asked Elliot after almost turning my ankle in a hidden hole. “Can I pry rocks out of the ground? Like the ones that are buried real deep?” I kicked one with the toe of my boot and regretted it, since the dang thing was jagged and uneven.
“Why don't you try?” Elliot asked.
“I don't want to draw attention to us or anything, though,” I replied.
“I'm not saying you have to fling it into the air or see how far you can throw it. Start small. Look up ahead, find something reasonably sized, and see if you can move it as we approach,” Elliot said.
“By all means, let me get out of the way,” Parris said, stepping aside, no longer standing in front of me. “I wouldn't want to end up flying.”
“You might find out you like it,” I teased.
“Please, don't you remember? He was barely two feet off the ground, and I thought he was going to wail for his mommy,” Garret said, only laughing harder when Parris snarled at him.
“Try it,” Elliot encouraged, pointing to a flat rock up ahead that could have been used as a bench or a table. “See if you can pry it out of the ground.”
The first time I tried, I imagined the rock rising up. I concentrated and focused all my attention on the image of it lifting out of the ground. I even saw bits of sod and grass falling from it, could envision all the little, creepy-crawly creatures that lived under and around it scattering in all directions.
The rock didn't move. If I didn't know better, in fact, I would swear it nestled a little deeper into the ground just to spite me.
“You can't use brute force,” Elliot said.
“How do you know I'm trying to use brute force?” I retorted.
“Maybe it's the way you're scrunching your face up, or the way your hands are clenched into fists,” Elliot said.
“I was going to say, you look constipated,” Garret offered.
“Thank you very much. That's extremely charming,” I huffed.
“Try again,” Elliot encouraged, “but this time, imagine moving the earth away from it.
