Water {Elements of Power 2}

Chapter 13: Roxy

We journeyed by foot.

The whole village came along; it just uprooted, packed up and started hiking towards the capital city. It gave me an immense sense of self-importance at the very least, but didn't exactly do much to allay my fears that I would be killed when we got there. Why come along if not for a show?

I had no idea how far away the capital was and no one seemed willing to tell me anything—or speak to me at all, for that matter. The walk felt endless: the Sephans never needed to stop for breaks. We hiked relentlessly, trudging through the unchanging, tree filled landscape.

I was surrounded on all sides by green, gloom and shade. It was suffocating. Depressing. Every now and again I caught a brief glimpse of the sun through the branches above me, only for it to quickly vanish again beneath a thicker section of the wood, almost as though the Realm was toying with me.

The only warmth came from the campfire they would light in the evening, which I was always kept away from. Instead, they would bind me by my hands to a tree, out of the reach of the fire's heat. A small part of me was happier that way though; looking at the flames reminded me of Cinaer and the spark in his eyes as he would run flames up and down my arms in slow, endless torture.

I wondered what he was doing now, where he was looking for me. He had probably told my grandfather that I was the traitor; they would be scouring the Helian Realm for me. Unless they had caught Vincent... If they had convinced Vincent to talk, they could be on their way here even now.

Which would be worse? Being a Sephan captive or having the Helians catch up with me? I thought of my people—their fierce loyalty, their tempers, the flames, the Control—and shuddered. The Sephans, with their wild uncouthness, were definitely the safer option.

As we walked, I was relieved—once again—that I had undergone so much conditioning training back in the Helian Realm, else my steps would have faltered far more than they did. As it was, I was often shunted from behind if I slowed more than the Sephans deemed satisfactory.

The journey was as boring as it was endless. We passed other habitations, where Sephans would always be chopping wood, harvesting plants and berries or collecting flowers. They all gave me the same, suspicious stare, taking in my hair, my skin tone and finally my bound wrists. Then, more often than not, they would smile. They welcomed my Sephans warmly, sharing food and stories while huddled close to campfires and the warmth I was always denied.

The Sephans seemed excited about something. Perhaps it was my capture and the prospect of a public execution. Yet, for all their excitement, they barely glanced my way. Instead, many clutched brightly coloured badges and talked endlessly about something called a Tristan in their thick, almost incomprehensible, accents. Perhaps this was some kind of weapon that they were going to use to kill me. Then again, given the Sephans' simplicity, it could be a new flower or herb.

Many of the campsites—for they were closer to that than villages—uprooted as we came through, continuing on towards the capital with us.

After days of endless walking we finally reached our goal.

"The city in the clouds!" the Sephan beside me announced proudly in his thick accent, gesturing to the clearing we had just entered.

It wouldn't have passed for a hamlet by Helian standards, let alone a capital city.

We were facing a more or less empty clearing, covered in thick, green grass. In its centre was the largest tree I had ever seen. It defied belief and couldn't have grown naturally; it had a trunk thick enough to fit at least five hundred Sephans inside, which appeared to be the point of it, since there was a set of double doors at the front.