Half Magic | Book 2

Twenty One: Follow the Birds

"Mmm, food." That finally got Schula moving. I reached over for the nearest bag and began pulling out things we would need. Our cooking pan and some dried prickly pears. Kai pulled out a knife and went to cut some plant parts up for a fire.

It was a melancholy meal. We used the best bits of food we had left, and we took our time cooking and eating. Puko was fed scraps until he fell asleep on Nassir's knee. We slowly packed, and when it was time for a final goodbye, I'll admit to being misty-eyed. 

Kai had a smile but sorrow in his eyes as he hugged each of us. 

"I had better see you three when you come back through the desert," he said. 

"Of course." Schula smiled. "You just make sure you stay out of trouble. No more curses, okay?"

Kai laughed and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. Moonrise guide you safely."

"And you as well, Kai," Nassir replied.

With one last grin and a nod, Kai turned from us and began the slow trek back through the desert to the celebration. We watched him. Puko even flew overhead with him until Kai disappeared over a ridge. When Puko came back to us, he landed on my shoulder.

Schula sighed and picked up a bag. "Well, we had better make up for the time we spent dragging our feet."

"Agreed," Nassir said. "To the south then."

I slung a pack over my own back, disrupting Puko for a moment. He squawked at me and resettled over the leather strap.

I filled my lungs with the air of the new landscape. Scraggly plants had turned to budding shrubs. Trees were not too far ahead, and I looked forward to whatever game lived in them. I had been craving fish for a month now, and hopefully I'd have an opportunity to catch some.

"It's certainly a change of pace from the sands," Nassir said. "There is so much life out here."

"Caw!" 

"It's different from the Wyldes though," Schula sighed. "I miss them. I've never been out of them for so long."

I reached out to hold Schula's hand in comfort. I knew exactly what she meant. There was a certain charge in the air of the Wyldes, and it just wasn't present outside of it. It didn't bother me much. Maybe because I wasn't fae, maybe because I hadn't lived in the Wyldes long. But I still understood it, it would be refreshing to feel it again.

"Find the witches, find the elves, get answers, fix the barriers. Simple enough, that's just four things." Nassir chuckled. "That's all, Schula. Four things and we can go back to the Wyldes."

Schula snorted a laugh. "Right four things. Simple."

We went on peacefully after that. The ground turned to hills. The hills sprouted trees. Animals were all over the place by the time the sun came up. We decided to keep going. It would be better if we could go a ways into the daytime and transition to a normal schedule again. The daylight was harsh to look at but not as bad as the few times when we had to look at it against the bright sand. 

Day faded to afternoon. We were quiet and contemplative for the journey, but it was a comfortable quiet. It was similar to the trip from the Wyldes to Sulls.

It was on the evening of the second day that it happened.

~

"I can't believe how long it's been since I've had rabbit stew," Schula moaned into her plate as she took hearty bites. 

"I'll miss the delicious spices from Sulls though," Nassir commented.

"I think Daai sent us some good stuff in that bag, I can always add some next time we stop," I offered.