Finding Elora

Chapter 6

ABBY

If there's anything I'm certain of, it's that I'm never going to sleep on wooden slabs again. Not if I have any say in it.

Every muscle in my back aches, and I stretch out my spine with a wince before shoving open the creaky cabin door and stepping outside. The temperature dropped slightly overnight, just like it would back in the human realm, but it wasn't anything my sweatshirt couldn't handle.

There's still a slight chill to the morning air, but I assume it will eventually warm to yesterday's temperature. In preparation, I shrug off my sweatshirt and shove it into my bag. I've got a lot of walking to do today, and I might as well enjoy the cool air while I can.

Caffeine withdrawals are already setting in, but it's not unbearable. If I were smart, I would've stopped drinking so much coffee last week, but I'm weak. The second I got to work, I was stepping into the break room to pour myself a heaping mug.

It couldn't be helped.

Magic still swirls in the air around me, but I'm very quickly getting used to it. My brain's blocking it out just as it does my nose in my peripheral vision. Soon, I hope I won't notice it at all.

I step away from the cabin and peer around, ensuring nobody's appeared overnight, but the field is just as empty now as it was yesterday. I suppose I should be relieved Lill's portal didn't draw any attention, but it sure would be nice to have somebody I could get directions from right about now.

There's a noticeable path where my walking yesterday crushed the long grass, and I stare at where the portal spit me out before sucking in a shaky breath and turning back to the cabin. To say I'm scared would be the understatement of the century, but I can't let it paralyze me.

I need to get moving.

"I should've brought some music," I mumble to myself.

My dumb ass didn't even think about bringing my phone. I'd bet my left kidney I wouldn't get any reception here, but at least I could keep myself occupied with the music and games. I've got three portable charges I could've shoved into the nooks of my bag, too.

It's too late to do anything about that now, though.

My palms sweat, and I wipe them on my leggings before taking off. I did a good amount of walking to get to the cabin yesterday, so I figure I should continue in that direction.

It takes only three hours for my legs to grow sore. I'm generally a good walker, but stepping through all this tall grass is more of a workout than I'm used to. Still, I force myself to take small sips of my water and continue at a decent pace.

The land grows wilder for a while, and large trees begin to appear and blot out the warming sun. They never get so dense that I feel unsafe or like I'm in a forested area, and after about forty minutes, the trees thin back out.

The grass grows slightly more tame, too. It still looks wild, but it's not quite as long.

I'm choosing to take that as a good sign.

After another thirty minutes of walking, I spot what looks like a path up ahead. It's too far away to get a proper look, and there's a decent chance I'm just imagining it, but I rush toward it anyway.

It quickly becomes apparent that it's an actual path, and I anxiously look around for any people or houses. I see none, and when I reach the path, I don't hesitate to step onto it. The grass has been trampled by somebody, or multiple somebodies, walking it, and I chew at my bottom lip as I look left and right.

What way should I go?

Neither direction looks better than the other, and I teeter back and forth before shrugging and taking off to the left. I'm really fucking hoping Lill wasn't lying all those times she said that faeries like humans. It's been a good twenty years since she was last here, and a lot can change in that time, but hopefully not too much.