Chapter 75 At Long Last
As I opened my eyes, my head felt fuzzy, and I realized it was way too early and I had gotten way too little sleep.
The stars were still out, though I had the feeling we were nearing early dawn.
Groaning, I sat up. As I looked around, I realized everyone else was still asleep.
Well, everyone except Otsiano. He was sitting near our camp, keeping watch.
I scratched my head, then pushed myself off the ground and wandered over to him.
“I’m tired,” I said.
“You need more sleep,” he said. “It’s still a couple of hours till dawn; why don’t you go back to bed?”
I shrugged. “I barely slept last night. I don’t know if it would do much good.”
“I can help,” he said, reaching into his pocket and then handing me a tablet. “This is an herbal remedy. Take it and you’ll sleep deeply for a few hours and wake up refreshed. I seldom offer it to anyone, but you’re going to need your sleep today.”
I hesitated. “Is it safe?”
“Yes, it’s safe as long as you don’t take it too often. I make it myself,” he added.
I nodded. It seemed natural that a bear shifter would make something for sleep—or so my sleep-deprived brain rationalized. I took the pill and looked around for some water, but he shook his head.
“Just chew it—it tastes like peppermint.” He said.
I popped it in my mouth, waiting for a bitter taste, but to my relief, it did taste like peppermint, with a faint, sweet tang. I chewed it up and swallowed it, and immediately felt my body begin to relax.
“Damn, that works fast,” I said, standing. “I’ll get back to my sleeping bag. Just…don’t leave, okay? Please?” I felt safe as long as he was with us, and since we were heading toward Devastey’s prison today, I knew he was right. I needed sleep, and I needed to be clear-headed.
He watched as I crawled back into my sleeping bag, and before I had barely settled on the ground again, I fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.
When morning came for real, I woke bright and refreshed. Whatever it was that Otsiano had given me, I wanted a bottle of it. I hadn’t slept that well since we first arrived. As we prepared to leave, I headed over to Otsiano.
“Thank you. I needed the sleep,” I said.
“I know you did. Now, today we reach the edge of the prison. I can’t go in with you. I can’t do anything to Devastey, but I can help you as much as possible. And I will.”
“Why hasn’t Zaran freed her yet, since he had the key? Is it only because he didn’t know where she was?” I asked.
Otsiano nodded. “He’s been looking for a long time—since she was first locked away, but the Summer Queen has shielded the location from him. But he’s following you and he knows you’ll lead him right to Devastey. And he plans on taking the key from you and freeing her.”
“How close is he?” Reggie asked.
“Too close,” Master Ashelainn said. “I cannot tell you where he is—I don’t know—but I can feel that he’s nearby. You must not delay.”
“We should get moving, then,” I said. “We can’t let him free her.”
“Let’s go,” Thornhold said. “Don’t worry, Erenye, we have your back and we’ll do whatever we can to protect you.”
“Here, take these,” Otsiano said, handing me a quiver.
The arrows in it had arrows with silver feathers on them, and silver tips.
“They work against anyone who works with the dead, or who’s undead themselves.
They aren’t a guaranteed kill, not by any means, but they’ll do more damage than you would with regular arrows. ”
Master Ashelainn called me over. I approached the Glass Unicorn. His gaze seemed to penetrate my soul. I realized that I had grown terribly fond of him.
“What is it?” I asked.
“When you complete this task, you will all become stronger. But be cautious—that strength can lift you up, or it can cloud your judgement. Keep alert and watch your party.” He paused, then said, “Take one of my flowers.”
“Your flowers?” I asked, but then saw a basket of flowers at his feet. They were stalks of lavender. Suddenly feeling shy, I took one of the spikes and stepped away. “What should I do with it?”
“Keep it in your pocket. I cannot tell you why, but you’ll figure it out,” he said, then went back to his breakfast.
I stuffed the lavender into my pocket, making sure there was nothing else there at first. If the Glass Unicorn said it was important—it was important. Slinging the quiver with the silver arrows over my shoulder, I turned to the others.
“Are we ready?” I asked. After everyone nodded, I turned to Otsiano. “What next?”
“You follow this trail through the woods. In about five miles, you’ll come to a walled-off area—it will look like a wall of thorns.
You must break through the briars, and then you’ll find yourselves at the edge of Devastey’s prison.
The keyport is there, and you’ll recognize it when you see it.
Insert the key, the bubble will fall, and then the rest is up to you,” Otsiano said.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to the others. “Let’s go. And let’s hope we don’t meet Zaran along the way. We have to get there before he does. I don’t want to find him waiting for us.”
I glanced back at Otsiano. “Are you coming with us?” I asked. I wanted to beg him to join us, but I had the feeling he wasn’t going to say yes. And I was right.
“I cannot. But we’ll be watching over you, Erenye. Best luck to you, and may fortune hold your back.” He and the Glass Unicorn turned away, and then vanished into the woodland.
As we headed off on the trail that Otsiano had indicated, I held onto what hope I could that Zaran hadn’t reached us yet, and that we’d manage to see this through without too much trauma.