Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
It felt like hours later, even though it was more likely that only a few minutes had passed, when Aislan slipped back into the crevice in the boulder later that evening. He pressed two firm but delicate forms into Sierra’s hands, paired with a quick apology.
“There weren’t many options that would fit you. These are slippers, but they will protect your feet from the ground a little, at least.”
Sierra assured him it was alright as she slipped them on her feet. After the events of the last few days, the last thing she was going to complain about was the availability of suitable footwear for their midnight forest trek as fugitives.
Sierra began to rise to her feet, testing the shoes. While they weren’t the thickest, they would at least protect her from thorns and rocks as they traversed the forest, and they fit her well enough. She moved toward the crevice in the boulder, but Aislan stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“I have to warn you. Because we don’t eat animals here in Sidhe, they aren’t as scared of people as they are in your world, and it is likely we will see quite a few.
Some of the breeds that exist here are large.
Most of them are harmless. Unless I tell you, never run, as many of the harmful ones are motivated to give chase. ”
Sierra gulped.
“In most cases, just stay still. Most of the species we encounter won’t hurt you.”
“But some will?” Sierra’s voice was shaking.
“Yes, but I will direct you in those situations. Most animals are just curious. While there are some predators, they must all be dealt with differently, and we don’t have time to go through all the ways to deal with them before we leave.”
Sierra felt cold fear seeping through her veins, but she knew that if she wanted to survive this world and rescue Aodhan, she didn’t have much choice.
She quickly shook out her limbs and flexed her fingers, a tactic she had learned during her undergrad studies to quell test anxiety.
Sure, this was much different than an anatomy test, but she hoped it would at least help settle her nerves a little.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Sierra replied, and slipped out into the night. It was a dark night, the moon shrouded by clouds, and Sierra couldn’t see at all. “Is it always this dark?”
“No. I had hoped we would have some moonlight to help you. But since we couldn’t count on it, and you don’t have Fae night vision, I have prepared a backup plan.”
Aislan slipped a cloth around her wrist, tying it loosely.
“I am tying the other end to my wrist. There’s some space so we can walk comfortably.
If there is an emergency and we need to hide immediately, I will tear the fabric.
If this happens, hide anywhere you can manage and stay there. I will find you when it is safe.”
Sierra nodded, and once Aislan was sure the wrist cloth was secure, they were off.
It quickly became apparent that traversing the woods this way would be more difficult than they anticipated.
Not only was Sierra nearly blind, but she was constantly tripping due to not being able to see the ground in front of her.
While Aislan tried to catch Sierra as much as he could, there were several times when Sierra’s hands met the ground in front of her, and within a few short hours, her hands and knees were covered in cuts and bruises.
Regardless, Sierra didn’t complain, doing her best to remain quiet lest they attract some animal she would rather not see.
Still, the sound of them breaking through the underbrush covering the forest floor filled the night to the point that Sierra hoped that no one was looking for them, as it was painfully obvious where they were.
The night was cool, but not cold, and sweat coated Sierra’s arms and neck as she struggled to keep up with Aislan’s quick pace and stop from tripping over her dress.
At some point, they broke through the tree line into what looked like a meadow in the moonlight, which was finally breaking through the clouds. Aislan pulled her to the side, keeping them in the shadows of the woods as he pulled out one of the water skins. “Drink.”
Sierra gulped down the water, sighing as the cool liquid calmed the pounding of her chest.
“I have an idea,” Aislan whispered, but before Sierra could ask what the plan was, he leaned down, ripping off some part of Sierra’s dress. The cool evening night brushed up against her ankles, indicating he had made her dress shorter, stuffing what he tore off into his rucksack.
Sierra wished she had thought of this sooner, as when they started moving again, it was much easier to lift her feet, and she only tripped about half as much as she had previously.
As they crossed the meadow, Sierra made the mistake of glancing around to notice numerous eyes glowing in various colors from the forest around them.
While she had never been afraid of snakes or spiders like many women were, she was pretty sure she could see teeth gleaming in the moonlight, and she shuddered.
She was so busy trying to think of what kind of animal with pink eyes could be watching their journey that she didn’t notice Aislan had stopped, and she collided with his back. As she was flung backward, she looked up, eyes widening as she realized why they had stopped.
In front of Aislan, a herd of large animals was crossing the meadow. They were as tall as an elephant and equally as wide, but unlike the large animal she had seen in the zoo as a child, these elephant-like creatures had curled tusks and eyes that gleamed cerulean blue.
“Holy shi—” Aislan’s hand slapped over her mouth as the creatures paused their crossing, and all turned to look at the pair of them.
“Don’t move,” Aislan whispered harshly, trying to stop her limbs from shaking. Whether they were quaking from fear or exhaustion, she couldn’t be sure.
The blue eyes evaluated her and Aislan for what felt like an hour before they turned and resumed their journey.
Once the creatures had left the meadow, Aislan dropped his hand from Sierra’s mouth.
“What were those?” Sierra gasped for breath.
“Elipags.” Aislan helped Sierra to her feet. “They’re not carnivores, but they can be dangerous if we get too close, as they are very territorial.”
“I’m guessing they are similar to elephants in the human world?” Sierra whispered back as they began walking again.
“I’m not sure. I’m not familiar with elephants.”
Sierra realized it was unlikely that the Fae had ever encountered one in Ireland, even if they had left Sidhe. “Do the Fae ever leave Ireland if they leave Sidhe?”
“I’m not sure. No one I know ever has. But I don’t know everyone in Sidhe.”
That reminded Sierra of another question she had been meaning to ask. “How many people live in Sidhe?”
“It’s not like your world. We don’t count. But we also don’t procreate as prolifically as humans, so I suspect our population hasn’t changed much over the years.”
It wasn’t the answer Sierra wanted, but she could sense she was annoying Aislan with her constant questions, so she decided not to ask for a more specific answer, though she was itching to know.
“I will say there are 13 seats on the council, one of which my father occupies. There is one seat for every region of Sidhe.” Aislan offered, clearly sensing Sierra’s dissatisfaction with his previous answer.
“And what region is this?”
“Fuinseog, a region known for its enchanting forest and ecosystem of beautiful creatures.”
They approached the edge of the meadow ahead, indicating the small amount of vision Sierra had was about to be obscured by the trees once again.
Just as they were about to step into the tree line, two shadows emerged from the trees to block their path.
Panic sank in her gut, like a stone in the water, as Sierra realized that they may be about to be captured.
Just as she was preparing for Aislan to cut the cloth so she could make a run for it, one of the shadows spoke.
“It’s good to see you again, Sierra.”