Page 61 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Yes, I’m good. How long will it take to get there? And where are we landing exactly?”

“It’ll take most of the day. We should land on the coast of Cinder Territory just before nightfall. I can’t risk landing inland. I don’t want anyone seeing Quazie, or us for that matter.”

I shake my head to acknowledge him rather than yelling over the wind.

“You should try to sleep some more if you can. I won't let you fall. Once we get to Cloudrum, remember I won't be able to channel us. We’ll have a bit of hiking to do before we find Aidan. You could use all the rest you can get.”

I try to settle into his chest and rest my eyes.

At some point I fell asleep, but it isn’t very restful. It’s a fitful tangle of images and voices digging into my mind. Even now I feel the claws of unease sinking in and souring my stomach.

“Sleep well?”

I feel Nyx’s breath on my ear. “Er yes,” I mutter. I don’t know when I became such a liar, but I don’t want to worry him. I need to keep my own thoughts under control.

“Hungry?”

I nod, and he wrestles through his pack and hands me a bite-sized square purple cake.

“Thank you,” I say, biting into it without question. He gives Chepi a piece of meat, and Chepi scarfs it down. “What kind of cake is this?” I ask, finishing it off.

“It’s called a plum cake. Twig made them for us. It should help calm your nerves for the flight.”

Interesting. I can’t tell what time it is or how long I was asleep for. “Are we getting close?”

“Little more than halfway there.”

My stomach sinks at the thought. My legs are sore, and as much as I appreciate Quazie flying with us I can’t wait to have my feet back on solid ground. “Do you know how to find Aidan once we land?”

“I’ve been to his place once before, many years ago. I’m pretty confident I can find it again. Bim has spies everywhere, and he got word yesterday that Aidan’s been there all week, so I’m hoping he’s still there when we arrive.”

Bim has spies everywhere. I wonder who else has spies everywhere. Surely Samael probably has spies too. Let’s hope we stay ahead of them. I’ll not let him take me back to the castle, not until I’m ready to finish him once and for all. Nyx still doesn’t know my history with Aidan, and I play with the idea of confiding in him, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t want Nyx to know Aidan forced himself on me. I don’t want him to see me differently, and I don’t want him to kill Aidan, at least not until after we get any useful information out of him that we can. Then I’ll happily kill him myself.

“Why are you so quiet?”

I don’t answer him for a minute, then finally I say, “I’m just . . . afraid.”

“I told you I won't let anything happen to you.”

“I know you did, and I’m not just afraid for me. I’m afraid for you. For us.” My voice breaks a bit.

His hand slides under the warmth of my sweater, his skin meeting mine in a rush of heat that spreads through my body. As his fingers press against my tummy, I can't help but tense up with fear. He notices and his voice, filled with understanding, cuts through the air. "It's okay to be afraid," he reassures me. "After what you've been through, I'd be surprised if you weren't afraid coming back here, but it's going to be okay, Lyra. Nothing would keep me away from you."

As he continues tracing lazy circles across my stomach, I try to will myself to relax, to let go of the fear that has taken hold of me. I focus on the comforting warmth of his touch, wishing his fingers would trail lower and sink into my flesh.

We fly on in silence for a long while until the sun starts to make its descent from the sky and the air around us changes. Quazie dives lower, and the familiar scent of Cloudrum’s pine trees rush toward us—it smells sweet, sharp, and a bit like chimney smoke. A chill creeps up my spine, and I have to hold back a shiver. It’s full winter now in Cloudrum. I know it’s going to be a cold trek through the snow.

“Hold on tight. We’re about to make our descent.” Nyx wraps his arms tightly around me while holding onto the reins, and I grab Chepi once again, holding him close.

Quazie dives, and so does my stomach. I don’t know what was worse, the takeoff or the landing. There’re no high cliffs here, and Quazie brings us down onto a little rocky beach dusted with snow. Nyx grabs me, and we hop off Quazie, whose magic makes our landing slow and easy on the knees. Once we hit the ground, everything happens so fast. The reins disappear, and Quazie takes off straight into the sky, disappearing into the clouds like he was never here at all.

Chapter Twenty-Five

As I hike through the woods, I can feel the chill of the night settling in. The sun has long set, and even the moon is obscured by the thick fog, making it difficult to see ahead. Despite the snow not being too deep, it has covered the ground, making it easier to walk, but tripping hazards like tree stumps, roots, and rocks are scattered everywhere. This is no paved path, and I’m sure Nyx thinks I’m the clumsiest person alive. I constantly stumble, and he has to reach out to steady me. If we were trying to be stealthy, I fear I’ve failed us. My clumsiness has certainly alerted every creature within earshot of my clunky approach.

“How much further to Aidan’s village?”

Nyx has been quiet the last couple hours, although I don’t know why because his whispering can’t be any louder than me falling all over the forest.