No way in Heaven or Hell - Afterlife Series Book 1

Chapter 6 - That painful sense of déjà-vu - part 2

She tried to focus on keep her eyes on what was in front of her. They had flown through most of the night, keeping away from main roads and highways, which were busier and brighter than the smaller routes. Eliana and Khyros were virtually invisible in the dark, using their enhanced vision (Cethielites had it too). The wind whipped through their hair, rushed through their wings and around them. It felt strange for Eliana to be in the world she'd lived in what felt like an eternity ago, and know she could never go see her mother or brother, or her friends. The reason was obvious, of course. She was supposed to be dead. And she couldn't just walk back into their lives like that and throw the past months out the window like they never happened. They needed to be able to grieve and move on. But maybe, when all this was over, she would go back to Atlanta and just check on them. She wouldn't speak to them or do anything to indicate she was there, but she had to admit she wanted to know if they were okay. There was nothing wrong with that, right...? She sighed and glanced around. The sky was growing lighter to the East. They were heading south from Chicago towards South America. But it would take a while. And now that she came to think about it, Eliana was beginning to feel the strain of the hours of flight.

'Hey, why are you slowing down?" came Khyros's voice.

He, of course, she noticed, didn't seem weary at all.

"I'm tired," she said. "We've been flying just about all night."

He thought for a moment.

"I guess we do need to rest eventually."

"Yeah. We'll need all our strength if we're to find that heart. The only problem is where."

"We could ask someone." Khyros suggested.

Eliana shook her head.

"What?" Khyros asked. "We could, couldn't we?"

"We could, but I think it would be best if we don't let too many people see us. I'm wondering if we shouldn't have kept hidden in Chicago rather than walk around in the open. What if someone we used to know saw us?"

"Doubt it, they'd have shown themselves, wouldn't they?"

"I suppose so," she agreed, though frowning.

They had stopped every now and then to figure out where they were and had just reached the borders of Tennessee. Eliana didn't mention it, but she was painfully aware that she was just closer to Georgia than she'd been in a year. Closer to her home, to her old life. And she didn't think she'd ever felt so sad at being near the place she'd grown up in.

They eventually stopped by an isolated farmhouse. After checking no one was there (they probably looked like burglars, both dressed in black like they were), they slid into the barn. The smell was a little strong, but it was better than nothing. They hid in a corner behind the hay on the mezzanine, so if someone came back early they were (slightly) less likely to find them.

"Let's just hope they don't need hay," Khyros commented as they climbed up.

Eliana found a few blankets in a corner.

"They're normally for horses," she said as she lay them on the hay. "but it's not like we're in a position to be picky."

"Horses?" Khyros asked in surprise. "I didn't see or hear any."

"There are stables on the other side." Eliana said, aiming her thumb over her shoulder. "The horses are all asleep. These blankets must be spares for winter or if they have an extra horse or something."

"How do you know?" Khyros asked.

"My grandparents lived on a farm. I went to see them every summer when I was little. I loved it there."

"... you slept in the barn?" he asked.

Eliana wasn't sure she'd heard right. That couldn't have been a hint of tease in his voice. Right? No, she decided. It couldn't have been. She crouched down, rolled two covers up to make bolsters, then lay two more on the ground to avoid the straw poking into their skin all night, and placed the last two on top. She stepped back to look.

"It's nothing fancy, but..."

"It's more than anything I could have thought of."

Eliana glanced at Khyros, slightly surprised he'd admit that. He'd always seemed so... not full of himself exactly, but... not the kind to admit he couldn't do something.

"It's just that you didn't grow up the same way I did," she said.

"Well anyway... I'm exhausted. We should get some sleep."

His mask was back on.

"Uh..." Eliana was slightly taken aback. "Yeah, we should."

He was a Thendarian though, so she wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of being unconscious with one so near.

"But... Just to be safe, I think we should alternate keeping watch. I'll do a few hours, then you..."

He must have guessed where her mind had headed because he said:

"I'm not going to smother you in your sleep or anything like that," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're even more tired than I am."

She flushed slightly. She had hoped she wasn't too obvious. Apparently, she had been.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll leave my sword with you." Khyros offered. "Deal?"

Khyros was turning out to be more and more different than what Eliana had ever imagined a Thendarian to be like. But was it really him? Or was he just telling her what she wanted to hear? She couldn't tell. But he was consenting to relinquishing his sword...

Probably because he has another one stashed away somewhere or a dagger in his sleeve, said a sly voice in her mind. He'll probably kill you as soon as you're asleep.

Shut up! She told herself. He's done nothing to suggest he wants to hurt you yet and he's had plenty of opportunities to.

"... Okay." she said.

He held out his sword with the hilt pointing to Eliana.

"Thanks..." she said.

"Well, if we're going to work together, we both have to mix water with our wine, right?"

Eliana was surprised he knew the expression.

"Yeah..." she said.

So she lay down, and she must have been more tired than she'd realised because she was sound asleep in minutes.

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Rest well, Eliana and Khyros, you'll need it.

How would you feel in Eliana's shoes? Or Khyros's? Let's hear it in the comments!

What more will they discover along their journey? Let's find out in the next chapter!