37. Chapter 37 #2
The crowd’s cheers fell silent as Yareli walked across the arena’s threshold, their hollering replaced by the hushed murmur of the undulating stalks. She took a breath, hearing the chirr of insects hidden from sight. A bird squawked somewhere in the distance.
Sound was good, she thought. It meant it was unlikely there was a predator nearby.
She bit her lip; she wasn’t an outdoorsy person, preferring casual walks and an occasional easy hike. Yareli knew close to nothing about survival in the wild, and she would have to trust her gut.
She had seen a forest up ahead before entering the arena.
A higher vantage point of the prairie would be useful.
Whatever an egheur was, she hoped it would be obvious.
She stepped on a twig and flinched, afraid of drawing the wrong attention, but nothing pounced on her.
When she reached the forest’s edge, she scrambled up a tree.
Yareli didn’t relax until she settled on a low branch, looking out into the prairie.
The landscape was serene—picturesque, even.
She admired the rolling yellows, browns, and greens that stretched as far as she could see, broken occasionally by a lone tree or two, but she saw no signs of any animals outside of an occasional bird. Frowning, she leaned on the tree.
If the egheur wasn’t in the prairie, then it must live in forests much like the one behind her.
She scaled down the tree, eyeing the forest’s murky depths.
A spark ran down her spine. It was the perfect excuse to use her new power.
She debated not using it to keep it hidden from Allyah, then Yareli remembered that all Allyah had to do was cast a quick spell to determine her magic potential.
She would see it then—Yareli’s cracked magic core. Truthfully, she was excited to use it.
Yareli held her palm out, and her magic rushed to her fingers, like a biting wind in the winter.
She murmured to herself, conjuring an image of a flame in her mind, and the flame burst into existence, hovering above her palm.
The corners of her mouth twisted up, and a burst of adrenaline swept through her body.
I did it. I really did it! Her thoughts went to Augrys and how she would love to show him the dancing flame.
Her lack of focus cost her; the flame flickered and sputtered. Her eyes widened, and she hurried to feed it magic.
Focus, she scolded herself. She could replicate it later for her friends, when there wasn’t a risk of exploding. Right now, she was on the hunt. She entered the forest’s dark embrace, clinging to her flame—her little light would show her the way forward.
A few minutes later, Yareli groaned. She was confident she was walking in circles, having passed the tree with a quirky downturned branch three times now.
The forest had been a waste of time. If going forward was impossible, then the only answer was to return.
She extinguished her flame, stepping back into the prairie; the sun’s brightness forced her to close her eyes while they adjusted to the change in light.
Her anxiety grew. She wasn’t tall enough to see above the grass without walking on her tippy-toes; even then, the view wasn’t worth the extra effort.
Frustration bubbled up her chest, threatening to unleash a scream even a banshee would admire.
If she knew what an egheur was, she would know how to find them.
She cleared her throat and, for the first time, noticed she was parched.
A ding went off in her head; all animals needed water.
All she needed to do was head to a source of water.
From her brief aerial view from the tree earlier, there was a pond to her direct right.
She moved quickly through the tall grass, following the tree line until she hit it.
The pond was devoid of visitors outside of annoying gnats, but she wasn’t dissuaded.
Yareli climbed up the nearest tree; it would give her an unobstructed view, and it would hide her from would-be visitors to the pond.
She sat on the branch watching as the sun climbed higher in the sky, heat rising in hazy lines from the ground.
The first visitor was a large, skittish hare that spent longer watching for danger than it did drinking.
Yareli pulled her water bottle from her knapsack, taking a long gulp before throwing it back inside. The grass rustled, and she froze.
The long stalks parted, revealing a tall, tan animal with broad shoulders and a flat snout.
Its dark, red eyes glowed in the afternoon sun.
A mane of matching red hair crept down its neck.
It reminded her of a horse, only much, much larger and wider, and instead of a horse’s tail, it had a short nub.
She stared at its back. She was at the perfect angle; if she leaped off her branch, she could land on its back and grab onto its mane. She flexed her toes, tensing her muscles for the jump.
“Stop,” a familiar voice hissed. A hand shot out, latching onto her shoulder.
Yareli startled, but the hand kept her steady on the branch. She looked up, seeing the brown-haired Fae from the first challenge staring at her from the branch above. Had she been there the whole time? Her eyes glinted with urgency.
“Don’t jump.”
Ironic because the last time they had met, Yareli had told her to jump.
“Why not?”
The Fae released Yareli’s shoulder, raising a finger to her mouth and then to her forehead. Understanding came upon Yareli, and she lifted the barrier she had placed on her mind, allowing the Fae to speak freely to her.
Egheurs may seem harmless, but they’ve triple the strength of a single Fae. It will throw you off before you land and flatten your guts before you realize what’s happening.
Yareli slid her gaze back to the egheur still drinking heavily from the pond; her question was clear on her face.
A grin crawled over the Fae’s face. We assemble a team. Lucky for you, you’ve filled the last spot we needed.
A head popped above her, and a round, full-cheeked Fae stared at her, giving her an almost imperceptible nod. His face still had a boyish look to it. Before she could gape, another head popped above him. He was older-looking with a wider jaw and a friendly twinkle in his eye. He smiled at her.
Lieutenant Ines, meet Erbert and Dre.
Yareli nodded, giving them a short wave. The brown-haired Fae’s grin spread farther. And I’m Vanessa, the leader in charge of this pair of goofballs. Welcome to the team.