Sentinel

Chapter 35 - Where there's smoke

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Chapter 35 - Where there’s smoke

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The Silverborn reached Naisha’s border on the dawn of the third day.

Tayne stood in his stirrups, hoping against hope for a sign of Skye. The faint emerald trail they’d followed originally worried him. The direction had been off, veering east or west before tracking back towards Naisha. The closer they got, the more it swayed, until an hour ago when it’d disappeared all together.

Had she even made it here?

The doubt whispered through his mind, battling against the gut feeling that knew she was nearby. The feeling tingled through his fingers like he could reach out and find Skye’s essence.

He withdrew his hand from the air in front of him and clutched the leather reins. Wing tossed her head and looked back at him, curiosity in her eyes. He stroked her neck, tangling his gloved fingers in her mane.  

There was something else, he realised. Wing knew it too. She shifted, constantly on edge.

The air seemed... wrong somehow. Like the sky was holding its breath. Thick grey clouds hung over their heads threatening rain, but even they seemed reluctant. Tayne shook his head, banishing the thought.

Luke came up behind him and punched him in the shoulder. “We’re not going to find her unless we keep moving, buddy.”

“I know,” said Tayne. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Something’s wrong, Luke. Can’t you feel it?”

Luke bit his lip, unusually serious. “Yes. Something happened here. Something dark, like we’ve never seen before. Nothing’s ever felt like this.”

Tayne lowered his head and nudged Wing forward. A few moments later, the familiar sound of hooves on grass and stone followed behind him.

He led them through the glade of trees, past the ruined outpost where Skye had taken him. He spotted the dirt where she’d traced the keystone pattern and made him repeat it countless times until it was etched into his memory. Nearby, he saw the keystone which guarded Naisha. He looked at it from Wing’s back, suddenly reluctant to approach it.

Instead, he looked to the sky. The clouds seemed heavier. A storm was brewing, yet there was no humid smell to declare its arrival. No thunder rolling in the distance. Tayne tilted his head to listen. Silence met him.

He looked around. There should have been some kind of sound. Thunder, a breeze, anything. Aside from his own breathing, there was nothing. No birds or small animals. No bushes rustling.

The trees were still. Nothing changed, moved, made noise. It was like a bubble had been placed around Naisha, stopping time and space inside it.

No amount of power can stop time. You’re being stupid, he told himself, rolling a shoulder to stretch his clenched muscles.

Luke pointed to his left. “Tayne, look.” 

Tayne twisted in the saddle to see what had caught Luke’s attention. A curl of smoke wisped through the air, only visible a few metres about the tree tops.

Skye.

Tayne turned Wing and squeezed her sides. In a heartbeat, they were racing through the trees.

She’ll be okay. Don’t jump to conclusions.

Wing’s agility was unmatched by pursing Silverborn as they tried to keep up. She leapt and dodged the obstacles in her path until she burst into a clearing where the smoke was no longer obscured by trees.