City of Mages

Chapter 20: Alara

Alara was over sharing feelings.

It was only on the third morning that Alara questioned what the hell they were doing. The land had continued to slope up as they followed the river deeper into the mountains, and her feet had gone numb from their days of walking. Her stomach ached almost continually, hungry for more than just fish and berries. The meager food supplies Quenti had stolen from the Haven had run out two days ago, and this was by far the longest Alara had gone without washing or changing clothes. So bad was it that she was getting a headache from the foul stench that emanated from her whenever she moved.

"Can we stop?" Alara finally asked, leaning against a nearby tree. Its trunk was five times her size, stretching wide and twisting up into branches. Quenti turned with a startled look. "I need a break. And not just to sit. I need to do something about my clothes."

Quenti looked around as if to ask permission. From who, Alara was unsure. "I guess that would be fine. My clothes could use a rinse."

Alara's smile was wide, almost giddy, as they turned to walk down toward the sound of the gurgling river.

When they got there, the sun had reached its zenith, the ground radiating heat. Alara sighed as she slipped out of her shoes and curled her toes in the warm soil. She had rinsed off at night a few times during their trip, but it had always been rushed and chilly in the setting sun. Now the air felt warm as she slipped her scarf, pants, and tunic off and jumped into the river.

The water was clear and shallow near the banks, although Alara could see it deepen toward the middle of the river. While not warm, it wasn't as icy as Alara expected, having absorbed the heat from the sun over the course of the morning.

Still on the banks, Quenti unabashedly stripped out of her pants and tunic before throwing off her undershirt and slipping into the water, almost naked.

The two of them dunked their clothes in the running water and laid them out on the shore in a sunny spot to dry. Neither of them moved to leave the river, though.

Alara stood in the water as it rushed around her thighs, savoring the combination of the warm sun and refreshing river. Quenti went out farther than Alara dared and dunked her head, hair plastered to her face when she resurfaced. Though, in stark contrast to most of the trek, her grin was wide.

Alara was about to ask why when a jet of water hit her in the face. She stumbled into the shallows of the bank, and slipped on a rock, falling with a clumsy splash.

"Stop being a wimp and get out here."

Alara bit her lip, preparing for the backlash. "I can't swim."

Quenti just shook her head. "Did you forget how much I helped you when I first dragged you in? I promise I won't let you drown."

Taking a deep breath, Alara stepped out farther into the river, feeling the bank dropping steeply away until she was standing on her toes, the water rushing by her face. Her heart leaped hard in her chest and she started retreating. But before she could stumble back, the water around her legs stopped moving against her, circling in a light current. After a few seconds, her toes lifted off the ground. She yelped, but her body only bobbed in the river, even as the water at the surface rushed by.

"Tada." Quenti stretched out on her back, floating gently, in stark contrast to the rushing river around her.

Alara tried to smile, but she couldn't shake the unsettling sensation that came with drifting at odds with the choppy surface of the water.

"Why do people do this?"

"Swim?" Quenti said with a laugh.

"This is not fun."