Lux [h.s]

thirty-five

The next day was one of those rare occurrences in which Cora woke up before Harry.

She forced herself not to look at him, wanting to spare herself from heartache so early in the morning, and got off the bed. She paused for a few moments to make sure she hadn't woken him up and then went to the door, grabbing her black cloak on the way out.

The sky still carried the deep pink hue of the by now fading dawn. She took a deep breath, the cold air making her nose tingle, and wrapped the cloak around her shoulders. She walked along the circle of carts, passing by the remains of the fire from the night before. A ridiculous laugh bubbled up between her lips when she recalled the conversation she'd had with Iris the night before. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's playing with you, Iris had told her. What's the point of pushing you away when he's the one that keeps crossing the line? Cora had been quick to defend Harry, and she knew she was right. But did it really matter, in the end? After all, whether it was intentional or not, Harry's continuous push and pull hurt all the same. She kept redefining her expectations, and he kept making her believe that, maybe, one day, he could fulfil them and more. In the end, she was the only one being stung by the gap between fantasy and reality.

"Why are you up so early?"

Cora's head snapped up. Arnold was coming from the gap in the woods where they'd left the horses. She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe it was the sun."

He nodded, a twinkle in his amethyst eyes. "Nature always finds a way to wake us up when it believes there's something we should witness. Do you have unfinished business with the woods?"

Cora laughed. "I don't think so, no. Unless that lake daemon from a few days ago is missing my presence, that is."

Arnold made a face. "It would be best to leave it be if that were the case. I'm afraid lake daemons don't make good pets. We have some horses if you're feeling lonely, though."

"I am feeling lonely today," she admitted. "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer."

"You know where they are." He scratched his red beard. He was the tallest man Cora had ever seen—even taller than Harry, with large shoulders and a thick frame that reminded her of the lumberjacks that occasionally made a stop at the hostel on their way back home.

"Are we leaving soon?"

Arnold looked up at the sky. The cotton pink light was now pale salmon, losing saturation and gaining brightness with the passing time. "It should still be two or so hours. Don't think anybody has woken up yet."

Cora nodded. "I'll go for a walk, then. I think I spotted a river nearby yesterday." And hopefully you'll clear your mind too, a thought floated through her head.

"Don't go far," Arnold told her as she walked past him and into the line of trees. "It'll be a trouble if you get lost."

"I'll be careful."

The man walked towards one of the carts and straightened a bag of walnuts that threatened to spill over, leaving her to the embrace of the woods. With a glance to the Fair to remember its position, Cora went.

She'd passed the river while coming back the day before, but she couldn't remember its exact location. All the routes Harry had taken her on had made her lose her sense of direction.

In the end she ended up walking around the area never putting too much distance between herself and the Fair as to avoid getting lost. The scent of fresh water hit her nose and she halted, trying to understand where it was coming from.

There was a flap of wings behind her.

"Hello, little fay."

Cora didn't need to turn around around to know who it was. "Hey." He glanced over her shoulder, spotting the crow sitting on a branch with some difficulty. While it was very cold, the first snow still hadn't come, leaving the woods to look like a bleak, dark mess, naked trees jutting out of the ground covered by the skeletons of leaves as if someone had shoved them in there with little care for aesthetics. The beautiful orange-red woods she'd come to love were nowhere to be found, and the dreamy bright greenwood Harry had taken her to once was well behind them.