19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter nineteen
New things I would've loved to never learn: two days out of the saddle has a bigger impact than expected.
My inner thighs have been rubbed raw, and my face is stinging from the wind.
If I can't handle sitting while a horse does most of the work, how am I ever going to manage when we split from them in the morning?
Then again, I barely handled all the looks and comments when I showed up in my new leathers at whatever ungodly hour it was when we left. After battling with the clothes for half an hour, Willa eventually got sick of my shit and somewhat gently shoved me out the door.
Thank the Goddess for the two tonics tucked away in my bag, and for Felix's refusal to leave my side. His incessant commentary about the members of what I guess is now our new squad is the only thing stopping me from focusing on the pain consuming the lower half of my body.
"Turns out, they always travel together, and Djalira, or Lira, as she goes by, rides with Nav, since she doesn't have her own horse and, obviously, they can't be so far away with no healer.
At least there's three of us non-rangers, so it won't just be you and me slowing them down.
" He smiles, not in the least bit bothered by the hours of riding.
He's being generous; it won't be him slowing them down.
The road narrows ahead, completely enclosed by towering pines.
Jeska turns off, calling out from the front, where she's guiding her horse to stop in a small flat grassy area.
"This is the last section we'll be able to ride, and, as you can see, it's steep.
" She waves a hand toward the huge green foothills behind her, shrouded in mist so thick the tops aren’t even visible, let alone the mountain range they lead into.
"You inexperienced riders might want to shorten your stirrups. You and your horses will be doing a lot of leg work for the next few hours. Oh, and make sure your packs are secure. If anything falls, it’s rolling all the way down, and we don't have enough daylight left to make this trek twice. You've got five minutes."
Felix jumps off Grange and walks over to Willa while I take Jeska's advice and slip my feet out of the stirrups to adjust them. Your horses. I still can’t believe I really have a horse of my own.
"Ready to do a little jumping?" Hendrix interjects, bringing his brown and white mare up beside me.
"What are we jumping?" I ask, not bothering to hide my trepidation.
"Oh, you know, fallen trees, gaps in the path, the usual. Last time we went this way, the snow was up to the horses' shoulders too. At least it's only knee height this time, because that was miserable."
"Oh joy," I groan, and he laughs.
"Not what you had in mind when you asked to play tagalong?
" I give him my best unimpressed face, and he shakes his head.
"You'll be fine. The exposure will just suck for a bit.
Grab your fingerless gloves. They make it easier to grip, because I'm not entirely sure Cayzenn would actually stop if you fell off.
Hell, I'm not sure you'd survive the fall. "
I smack him on the shoulder. "Thanks for the pep talk. So motivational."
He laughs again, holding his hands up in surrender. "Kidding, kidding. You'll be fine."
"As if I would let you fall," Aven snorts. "We Amplifiers are made for terrain like this, even if you are not."
The thought does nothing to comfort me as we follow the winding, narrow excuse for a path up the base of the hill.
Every leg muscle protests each time I have to lean forward and push up onto the balls of my feet as Aven clears obstacle after obstacle with an ease and grace I envy.
Nothing breaks the silence except hooves thumping ground and the occasional bird call.
There's not even a sunset to admire from up here.
We can't see the sky, only swirling grey in every direction.
The air feels thinner by the time Jeska finally calls back that we're reaching the summit, and the relief I feel is mirrored on Felix's paler than normal face.
As much as I don't want him to suffer, I'm glad it's not just me struggling.
By the time we make camp, my body is screaming for rest. I don't even care about the lumpy, too-thin bedroll or the prospect of spending the night out in the open with a group of almost strangers.
There's no privacy to sneak mouthfuls of tonics, but even the pain can't keep me conscious, fatigue dragging me into sleep the second I curl up under the thick blanket without bothering to eat.
Instead of caverns lit by glowworms and endless mossy stairs, tonight, my dreams are filled with miles and miles of white-hot earth, burning trees, and strange shapes in smoke-filled skies.
What feels like only minutes later, I'm jarred awake by the muscles in my calves cramping painfully.
Pressing my lips together to keep from crying out and waking anyone, I rifle through my pack for the salixa essence, trying not to worry I've already been through quarter of the bottle.
The liquid is potent, relief instant as it hits my bloodstream, and my legs stop twitching.
Hiking up the mountain tomorrow is going to be interesting.
With that thought and the pain mellowed, I lie back down, hoping for more sleep despite the sharp rock digging into my ribs no matter what position I try.
As if she knows this is the only night we'll spend out in the open, the Goddess is putting on the most incredible light show in the inky dark skies overhead, and I can't bring myself to close my eyes and block out the swirling ribbons of pinks and silvers and greens.
And the millions of sparkling stars stretching out in every direction.
A strange hissing noise has me bolting upright again, my attention flying to the fire where I see a cat-like creature closer to the size of a hunting dog lurking in shadow, staring back with huge green eyes.
"How the hell did you get in?" I'd managed to stay awake long enough to see a couple of the Shields raise the silvery bubble around our sleeping area.
The animal lets out another soft susurration before shifting its gaze to the orange glow of the dying fire. Too quick for me to stop, it darts out a striped grey paw and bats one of the fiery embers clean across the pit, then darts around the other side and knocks it back again. It’s playing.
Whisper-shouting and shaking my hands, I try to scare it off, not wanting to wake the others and not wanting the cat to burn itself.
Maybe if I throw something next to it, the animal will get enough of a fright to leave.
I reach for my pack again when the creature turns its foxlike face toward me and steps right into the fire, curling up in a tight ball.
Its stripes light up white hot as it lets out a low, contented purr and kneads two of the glowing orange embers with its paws, just like the castle cooks when they knead dough to make biscuits.
Leaning closer to get a better look, I can see waves of heat radiating off the cat, but, unbelievably, its grey fur isn't the tiniest bit singed.
"Ok, I guess you're spending the rest of the night there," I whisper, watching its eyes open and close a few times before it falls asleep.
I, on the other hand, have no hope of doing the same.
"If you're going to keep me awake at this ridiculous hour, you could at least come over and have a proper conversation." Aven pushes into my already noisy head, sounding so snarky, I can't help laughing.
"Is this a breakthrough for us, you actually wanting to talk to me?"
His snort is overwhelmingly loud, making me grab my cloak, suddenly thankful I slept in my boots so I can stumble toward the sound before he does it again and wakes anyone up.
The light from the moons is just bright enough for me to make out his outline standing on his own next to a large trough, all the way across the small plateau where we set up a makeshift camp last night.
I found out they don't bother with tents when only stopping to sleep for a few hours. It's not worth the effort. "What are you doing so far away?" I think at him, exhaustion eradicating my already limited patience.
"Trying not to wake the whole camp, unlike you, apparently."
"Not sure you deserve this after that comment," I joke, giving Aven a few squares of hardened Teyleoss sugar.
The kitchen staff at the inn had looked at me like I'd grown an extra head first thing this morning when I went looking for a few apples or carrots, momentarily forgetting sugar is a resource far more easily accessed than any kind of fresh produce that has to be sent from the city.
He crunches on it appreciatively then lowers his head to the trough for a long drink.
I lean over it next to him, wondering how it's possible the water isn't frozen solid when every one of my exhales is a visible puff of white and the ground is coated in snow.
Ripples distort the reflection of the trio of moons, making it look like there are five of them floating around my reflection.
When the surface eventually stills, I see exactly why: two are long-lashed, luminescent silvery amethyst eyes, each the size of my head.
I slam my hand over my mouth to cut off the surprised scream, only intensified by the spike of pain flaring up from the base of my skull until it feels like a vice has my temples in a death grip and I think I might pass out.
The possibility of that increases when a gravelly, feminine voice takes over every corner of my mind.
"Well, you certainly feel much closer than you did last time I attempted this. "