Three Lies, All True || ONC2021 Longlister

Chapter 7: Fun

Adrien furrowed his brows. "What's wrong?"

"The Black Feathers. They're catching up." She stood up and dusted the snow from her clothes. "Wake Peter up. And tell him to be quick."

If Adrien said something, then she didn't hear it. Petra jumped down from the house and landed on the snow with a small thump. She dusted any remaining snow from her clothes and wore her hood over her head again.

Her chest ached, and she was tempted to consult her star map once more. But she didn't want people to see her using magic. Not when they could report them to anyone--be it to the Black Feathers or maybe to Nuryyn's Army if they would be here.

After a while, Adrien and Peter both dashed towards her. Her brother yawned and scratched the back of his ear before asking, "Where are we heading to next?"

"Just north of here," Adrien replied. "Then, we'll stop for a short while so I can double check the map."

Petra crossed her arms and huffed. And maybe I can check the star map, too.

Fortunately, Peter didn't say a single word. He just nodded and let Adrien lead the both of them. Petra turned around, slightly glad that there was no sign of the Black Feathers behind them. Still, she couldn't suppress the growing feeling in her stomach, and it was even harder to ignore once they were able to leave Elderis.

By the time they managed to leave the small town, the snow started falling once again. Fortunately, it wasn't harsh. They were just enough to send winds and let snow fall from the sky, but they were bearable.

In front of her, Adrien stopped and sighed, fog forming in front of his face. "I think we can reach Alejandro's house easily. We might be able to make it in a day."

Next to him, Peter shook his head. He wrapped his arms around himself as his hands glowed orange. "A- Adi, it's getting cold. I- I think we should stop t- to rest."

"Where are we, anyway?" Petra asked as she looked around, surprised to see trees around her. "And how far have we been walking?"

Adrien pressed his hand in the air, making his map reappear. Despite the fact that everything was as white as snow, there were still a few details that stood out. First was the split in the middle, probably a ravine. Second was the lesser white and more grey on the right. Adrien scrolled the map and spread his palms, allowing it to zoom in.

"We're almost in the Burning Fields." He swiped the map away, making it disappear. "Like I said. We either don't stop and reach Alejandro's house in a day, maybe even less, or take stops and risk getting caught."

"I- I'll take the risk." Peter shook his head. He opened his mouth, though he knelt down before he continued. "Adi, p- please. I kn- know that you two are used to the Nuryyn's cold, b- but I'm not!"

"Peter--"

"I don't care if we risk getting caught! Adrien, I--"

"Peter!"

Before Peter could fall from the ground, Petra grabbed him by his shoulders. Unfortunately, his entire weight dragged them both downwards, making her kneel down on the snow next to him. Her brows furrowed as she stared at her brother's face.

His eyes were slowly closing, but she could still see that he was conscious. He reached out his hand, his shaking hand, and held her face. "P- Petra... I'm..."

"You're burning up." She placed a hand in his forehead. Even with her gloves, she could feel his hot skin. "A- Adi, he's heating up! He's--"

"Godsdamnit, Peter." Adi knelt down next to her and held his forehead. He furrowed his brows before snapping his fingers, making a flask appear in his hands. "Make him drink this. It'll warm his body up until we cross the other side."