AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What?” she asked, raising a sharp eyebrow.
“A seer in my village called me that, right before I was to leave with the Ongahri.” I mentally traced back what the old woman had said to me that night, and I remembered she had mentioned a sister—the other words I’d have to meditate on later. I had forgotten all about the crone.
“She said to tell her sister hello and that she forgives her.” Could it be Auria?
Auria had a strange expression on her face. “Thank you, Sierra,” she said after a long moment.
Feeling awkward, I turned away, looking over the cabin one more time. The only things I’d be taking with me were a few dresses, two shifts, and the hand-mirror and brush set, all of which were in Demos’ saddlebags, along with a bit of food. Demos had somehow gotten some slippers and a cloak for me on one of his outings that week, and Auria had found some hairpins for my mass of white hair. At least I’d look somewhat presentable when we met up with Fadon.
We said our goodbyes one final time, and I mounted Argenis, Demos doing the same once I was settled in the saddle.
We passed the pond and the little path to the stream that led to our nest, and then headed to the thick pines tucked away further back and into the early morning fog. My eyes took it all in, memorizing each and every branch and bird, saying farewell to this lovely place of healing. I would always remember it with bittersweet feeling.
Argenis was steady, her stride relaxed as Demos directed her to a clearing in between two tall pines that were hiding in the thick mist. In seconds, my ears popped, my muscles quivered, and my body felt the cold air as we stepped out of springtime and straight into winter. Frost covered the forest floor, and clumps of snow sat heavily on dark branches. The air was crisp, fresh, like the mint ices my mother and I enjoyed on hot days.
The effect my body had in this wintry scenery was more proof that I was Omega. The old me would have been freezing in this temperature, but instead, I felt comfortable. In fact, my hands remained warm the rest of our journey that day.
We camped near what Demos said was the forest’s exit. He got a fire going, while I laid out some food.
As we ate in companionable silence, I felt more myself, my mind not so full of conflict and chaos. I thought of Auria, about her being an elemental. I wished that I’d had more time to learn about her. It was still unbelievable to me that she was a real being, that her kind existed, and part of me still didn’t believe it. But then I thought of my hair, how its color had changed almost overnight, my eyes and their luminescent turquoise, and of that deep cut on my finger, healing in minutes. It made me think what else was possible. Would I encounter a unicorn now? Or a giant made of gold?
I must have made a sound, because Demos said something, his eyebrow raised in question.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked, pinching off the corner of a bread roll before putting it in my mouth.
“I asked if you were all right.” He reached over and handed me a jug. Water, as usual.
I chewed thoughtfully, then drank, handing it back to him when I was done. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking about how life is full of surprises.”
He nodded and poked the fire with a stick. A spark flew in the air, its ash floating down onto the ground. “That it is, my lady.”
“Demos, how do you know Auria?”
“That’s a very long tale.” He stood and walked over to Argenis. I watched as he pulled out some blankets from a saddlebag. These he spread out onto the ground, creating two bed rolls about two feet apart from each other. “And not a tale I plan on telling tonight. Hurry and finish eating. You need sleep. We’ll be riding out early.”
Frustrated with his aloofness, I almost rolled my eyes, but I stopped myself. It was just as well that he wanted to create distance between us, I thought. The more I got to know him, the harder it would be for me. He needed to remain at arm’s length. Stay the enigma, the fantasy. Because if I saw him as just a man, I’d care even more about his rejection.
With a sigh, I finished my bread, then found an area behind a tree to use the privy. When I was finished, I laid down, instantly missing the bed back at the cabin. Demos kept the fire stoked but only enough to see by and receive a little warmth. Both of us had a blanket for covering, and thankfully, with his thick Owl robes and my body’s high internal temperature, neither of us would freeze.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I heard no insects, no doves, no squirrels. Every so often I picked up the hoot of an owl, the high-pitch squeal of a furry bat. Mostly the sounds were from the fire and the softs huffs of Argenis nearby. Winter had set early in this part of the world. But I had a feeling more time had passed than I’d been led to believe.
“Demos,” I said.
“Yes, my lady.”
“How long have we been gone? Since that night at the cave.”
“Nineteen days.”
Had it really been that long? I still couldn’t make any sense of time. It felt like no longer than a week. Did Auria have something to do with that? Or had I been “sick” that long, lost in a haze of lust?
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but apparently I had. Demos woke me in the darkness, saying it was time to go. We ate a large meal, packed up, put out the fire, and mounted Argenis once more.
About three hours into our ride, Demos pulled on the reins and dismounted. He held out his hand, and I got down, curious.
We stood on a trodden path of forest floor. Tall trees looked down at us, and the wintry air was fresh and quiet. I waited at Argenis’ side, wondering what Demos had in mind. He told me to open my cloak, which I did, and he placed something around my neck. That familiar clasp clicked. He buttoned up my cloak at the throat, finished.
My choker. The symbol of my belonging to the Ongahri. I’d forgotten all about it.
