A Deadly Bite

27 || Puppet

Stood upon a hilltop perch with Lo Dasi at his feet, grey cloak fluttering restlessly around his ankles, Fiesi watches the sun sink lower in the sky. His stomach sinks along with it, thick and heavy with dread. Another day gone. Has it been five now? Six?

It's all moving too fast, and he can't keep up. His heart thrums, an unnerving echo of Rigel's beating wings someplace nearby, fluttering on endlessly with a fear that never fades. Prickling flame crawls up his arms. He clenches his jaw and forcibly subdues it, determined to hold himself steady for just a little longer.

The lake glitters below. A dry, salty tang fills his jaw, though he knows the sea is miles away. This sheet of water is clear and fresh, innocent, devoid of movement. Its surface sparkles a deepening blue.

Irritation clouds his mind. It shouldn't be blue.

"This seems like a good place to rest," someone says from behind -- Dalton, maybe, though Fiesi doesn't care nor linger long enough to confirm. He's already striding down the slope.

"Nope. No resting," he calls.

They scurry after him, the little trio of earnest, good-willed Cormé. Jaci lingers somewhere at the back, silent and agreeable, not half as argumentative. A hand taps his shoulder. "Fiesi, it'll be getting dark soon. We get nothing done by marching blindly into the night."

The morning will be too late, Rigel whispers. You are already late. Hurry, please.

Fiesi stiffens. Rigel never says please. He speaks in orders, not requests. He doesn't beg.

He doesn't fear, either, and yet here they are, both choking on bitter terror.

"We have to hurry," Fiesi says aloud, quickening his pace, some unfiltered part hoping they will all fade away if he walks fast enough. Maybe he should run.

The town clusters at the bottom of the hill. A few buildings climb up the lower slopes, the path cutting a shallow, boot-worn dip into the earth between them. He skids down the last of the incline and keeps going, his head ducking. If only the quickest route to Lake Katai didn't drive him through this ragged Cormé settlement. The light is fading, but he still feels illuminated somehow amongst them, his skin on fire and his weaknesses flaring amongst the heat like darkened scars. Every tiny spark of a window is a judgmental stare, chasing him like watchful stars.

I used to want this, he realises. There's a kind of fame that comes with the sensation, a spotlight he so vividly remembers craving. Perhaps if he still wore azure, that light wouldn't seem so harsh. He'd enjoy it rather than wishing he could disappear.

The quicker he moves, the sooner he can be out again and on his way, but instead a fist curls around the edge of his cloak and wrenches him back. He stumbles and whirls around, armed with a glare.

"Fiesi, stop," Sarielle snaps. "You can't keep behaving like this."

"Like what? Like I actually want to catch up with Nathan?" He lifts his chin, fists clenching tight over the sting of awaking flame. "I'm terribly sorry for interrupting the lovely family adventure you and your father would prefer to have. I'm busy caring about something actually important."

Her expression flares, fury lighting in her gaze, and he almost revels in it. It stirs his flame and matches the ceaseless roaring in his ears. "How dare you," she hisses, prodding a finger at his chest. "You--" She cuts off sharply, jerking her head to the side, and sucks in a deep breath. Her fingers curl into a loose fist she drops at her side. "That isn't fair, Fiesi. All of us care. That's why we're here."

"Then stop holding me back."

He turns away from her, but she rushes past him and blocks the way, her stance formed of steel and irritatingly effective. The sun is beginning to set behind her, its amber light glittering in the wild, blonde strands of hair that have scattered from her ponytail and hang in her face. He sets his jaw and lets his gaze fall briefly to his feet. Maybe it was unfair. She looks as tired as he feels; dark circles line her eyes, and her sand-coloured skirt is stained with dirt, the usual faultless poise she holds cracked at the seams. She cares about Nathan more than anyone, but it doesn't mean she knows how to save him.