Faerie Child (Dragons' Reign: Book 1)

Chapter 17

Out in the open, there was no hiding from the sun.

It was brighter than he'd ever seen it in the Spring Court. The grassland offered no protection that a forest would, and not a single cloud blemished the pale blue sky. Yet, he was surprised by how enjoyable the weather was despite the beaming sun. While it offered warmth, the air gently gave consistent cool breezes. It was the perfect mixture.

The nights were cooler. Enough to leave him reaching for warmth if he wasn't already huddled against Nalia. But sleep never came easy to him. He still saw Amara's face whenever he would close his eyes, and now the deaths of the bandits had been added to the weight of his burden.

After the fourth night of traveling, he simply gave up on sleeping. It left him weary, sluggish. By the sixth day he was passed out on the wagon until noon.

The older couple were starting to become concerned for his well-being. But he wouldn't tell them the truth. What those deaths were doing to him was something he wouldn't even share with his best friend, knowing the strain it would put on Tobias.

He wasn't about to unload on any strangers. Instead, all he could do was act normal and give any excuses he could think of. So far it kept them from prying too deep. And he was beginning to feel grateful that his journey with them would only be temporary. Excuses would only work for so long until they start to see through his mask. He feared what may become of that.

The wagon rocked and creaked as they followed a dirt path cutting across the plains. He stared off in the distance, taking in all the little things and comparing them with the Faerie lands.

The forest they'd come from was no more than a thin line of green in the horizon, while the white mountains behind gradually faded with the blue sky. To one side of the grasslands there were cliffs reaching near mountainous heights. A large stream followed the trail at a great distance, winding nearer and further like a snake.

And to the other side of the plains, endless grass. They were steadily climbing a hill, as if they were starting up a mountain. The angle kept everything on the other side hidden from his view, aside from the mountains he'd seen before, which were too large not to see.

He took in a deep breath and released it slowly through his nostrils as he laid back against the sacks of crops. They were hard and rough against his back, some poking his spine. But it wasn't beyond toleration.

Nalia kept her eyes on the land around them with her ears alert. Only one twitched as he rummaged through his personal bag until he found his magical book and charcoal pencil. When he opened it, he smiled with amusement at the words written where they'd left off:

Are you alive?

With a subtle shake of his head, he wrote back, For your information I can get along just fine without you Folk coddling me.

And then he waited.

He looked up at the birds flocking in formations, away from the snowy mountains and further east. Their songs were nearly drowned out by Emilla humming a tune of her own.

He'd learned that singing was one of her favorite things to do. Her husband explained that it's a little tic she had when she was happy or content. Even for no apparent reason. She'll begin to sing.

Thelron didn't mind, really. Her voice was sweet and soothing, and it aided with passing the time when they weren't carrying conversations. Plus there was a great curiosity for songs in the mortal lands. How they sounded so much different from the Folk songs he grew up with, how they told different kinds of stories.

He checked the book for a reply.

Nothing.

Perhaps Tobias was busy with his duties. It made him wonder how they were holding up against the shadows in the Wilds, if Titania was keeping them at bay or if they'd found some way to stop it. He couldn't see how, though. Titania was said to be the most powerful Faerie in the land. But that in itself was a loophole. There may be some other creature or being that's not Fae—something that could withstand the might and corruption of the dark magic.