CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 3 - Part 1

Elidana caught his gaze and frowned. "Haven't you finished with tying those shoes yet?"

"Yes, yes... I'm going for a walk," Cora blushed and stumbled as he moved. He ran past a carriage full of rolls of fabric and ran off without caring if anyone was in his way. He slowed down next to the knight guarding the clearing.

"Boy, you can't wander off," the man ordered, bringing the torch closer. His armor creaked. The face, partially hidden in the shadows, was as square as an anvil. "Between the beasts of the night or the smugglers that swarm in this area, I don't know which is worse."

Cora nodded briskly. "I just need to take care of something and I'll be right back." He ran and left behind a half dozen trees, jumped over a fallen trunk and sat down with his back against it. He couldn't let the others see him in that state, they would immediately realize that something was wrong.

He took a few deep breaths for a moment and lost himself in observing the foliage.

Hoping for a bit of silence with the chirping of insects seemed impossible, but he found himself staring at the starry sky, so vivid and full without any light around. Something caught his attention. A sudden movement and a shift of shadows a few bushes away. Cora stretched his neck to see better. He was tempted to stand up and go check, but a second rustling of leaves made him jump from his spot. He was sure, something really big was moving in the middle of the vegetation. He quickly returned to the camp and diverted from the fire to head quietly to the wagon.

"Cora!" exclaimed Elidana with her eyes just above the novel's cover.

"Even here?" grumbled Cora as he breathed out. "You know that if Fez and Aran saw me doing that, they would make fun of me for the entire trip?"

She gestured for him to come closer. "I don't care, a deal is a deal."

Cora knelt down, with his gaze low. Once again she kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight, Cora."

He stretched out his arm on the side, "Goodnight to you, Elidana." And he stared at her for a brief period of time. This time, a grip on his throat prevented him from speaking. A simple game that he had repeated countless times in the past had become difficult to carry out without showing all the embarrassment of the moment. She made a small expression of incomprehension and frowned doubtfully. "May joyful dreams accompany you until dawn," he said. He stood up, leaving her happy to resume reading.

"Never again..." he mumbled, leaning down to grab a handful of stones from the ground as he reached their wagon.

It took a day and a night for the caravan to reach the Golden Fields in the province of Clodia. During the journey, the knights had taken a rough shortcut: a path that cut through the woodland and that had been recently finished. Once they had crossed through the thick vegetation, they emerged onto a promontory from which they could admire the capital of Lamia and the Sado river flowing close to the border.

The city was an immense brick stain in the middle of the green forest. Nestled in the valley and at that moment of the day overshadowed by the Twin Mountains. From it, dozens of roads radiated outwards, crowded with carriages and travelers ready to pass under the fortified gates.

Cora, Elidana, and Marmorel walked in front of the caravan. "That's the old gate and it was the first to be built when the city was founded," the knight at their side explained. He pointed to a wide archway where people were crowded with their means of transportation. "Have you ever stepped on the cobblestones of Clodia?" The sun's reflections made the armor sparkle.

"Yes, I came with my mother," Marmorel replied. "This time, however, I will finally be able to visit it all and it will be magnificent."

Fez arrived at their backs. "Aran needs to explain some things to us." They followed him.