Shadow's Advent

Chapter Three

"Then, I guess we have to wait," said Aaralynn.  

"Yes, you do," said Caraka. "Pushing her for the answer will only cause her to fidget and harm herself. So, it's best you leave her alone." 

Kytheran looked at her. "How do you know?" 

Caraka paused and then tilted her head. "Everyone knows." 

"What do you mean 'everyone knows'?" he asked slowly. 

She lifted her chin up slightly. "As I said, everyone knows how Cipher's abilities work." 

"Caraka..." Cipher began. 

"Shouldn't we be off now? Just because we can see the edge of the mist, does not mean that we are close to the city," she said. 

"Wait, correct me if I'm wrong but, wouldn't we be at the top of the city? I mean, it's built into the cliffside," said Aaralynn. 

Caraka narrowed her eyes. "What's your point?" 

"How am I supposed to get down? The three of you can fly. I can't," she said. 

Caraka stuck her lip out. "Oh, sucks to be you then." 

"You aren't leaving me up here in that mist!" 

"Aaré!" Kytheran cried. "Calm down, do you really think I would just leave you up here by yourself? Of course I'd carry you around." 

Aaralynn pointed at Caraka. "It's her I don't trust." 

The Atherien crossed her arms. "You honestly believe that I would either leave you here or knock you out of his arms or something? Really? What's wrong with you? Are you seriously that threatened by me?" 

Aaralynn's face went red. "Of course I am. I have met plenty of sorceresses in my life and none of them had any resemblance of sanity." 

"Well, there is a first for everything, isn't there?" Caraka said. 

"Are the two of you done now?" asked Cipher. "I would very much like to get a move on and get this over with. Plus, I would also prefer not to have to listen to your incessant bickering." 

Caraka snorted. "Well, I didn't start it." 

Cipher snarled. "I don't care who did. Now, let's go." 

They walked up towards the wall of mist and stood in front of it. There was a mixture of fear and curiosity on their faces. 

"Is it solid? Can we get through?" asked Aaralynn. 

"There is only one way to find out," said Caraka. She shakily raised her hand, slowly moving to touch the mist. Her fingertips past through the barrier unharmed. 

"Hmm." Caraka pushed her arm into the mist up to her shoulder. "I think we are good." 

"Be careful, though," said Cipher. "It may not be a solid, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy to walk through." 

They entered the mist; Cipher going in first, with Kytheran close behind her with Aaralynn grabbing hold of his pack, while Caraka lazily came in last. 

Cipher did not overestimate with her warning; the mist thickly hung in the air, making it impossible to see barely a foot in front of them. The trees sat like ghostly sentinels, their branches and vine-like growths, before innocent and harmless, hovered above them like ropes and gnarled, grasping hands. 

The forest had gone deathly silent. No birds chirping in the trees, no insects singing from the ground, no game slinking through the underbrush. It even seemed that the mist stole the very sounds their breath made.