I think that was when I started going crazy.
We walked onwards in a suffocating silence, the sunlight contrasting starkly with the grey clouds that seemed to hang over us. From the meadow sprung a forest and now were weaving through branches and roots. But while the others were thinking of siblings and lovers, I could not get the meeting with my mother out of my head.
You must tell nobody that you saw me. And you cannot trust her, okay? Don't trust-
Her words swirled in my head, refusing to leave me alone and let me be. I closed my eyes as we trekked, the Scylla's dried body flashing behind my eyes. Why am I still thinking about that, I thought, gritting my teeth
I'm using Evamore's power to contact you.
I shook my head, almost as if to shake the thoughts away.
Sol, did you hear me?
I pressed my hands to my ears as we walked, earning myself a look of concern from Ele, and of irritation from Pelias.
I shrugged, offering up a wobbly smile as I hardened my resolve. I didn't care what my ghost-mom-dream had said, okay I did care but I needed to tell someone.
I fell into step beside Fyn, who gave me a weak smile. A weak smile that was quickly replaced by a confused frown as I told her what had happened.
"And you didn't hear the name she said?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing even further down.
I chewed my lip as I shook my head.
"Is it possible that she was just maybe manifesting your thoughts?"
I shot her a quizzical look as she shrugged.
"Maybe you're just feeling distrustful because of Makeda, and your brain somehow spun that?"
I began chewing my cheek instead. I mean, it was possible. I think. Who was I kidding, I had no idea what was possible or not. Evamore and Scylla's Hollow had made that more than clear.
We walked on in a silence that was far too loud, Fyn entangling her arm with mine as thoughts churned in my mind. I wiped my bloody fingernails against my breeches as we advanced.
We had not walked for a few hours before the sky darkened overhead. We pressed forward for a few minutes before stumbling upon a large enough clearing to spend the night.
Sitting around the crackling fire, eating mushroom stew and yeast rolls, some of the life eddied back into us and Ciel and River decided to regale us with a particularly vulgar Semish sea shanty.
I laughed as he pulled me up and spun me round, the doubloon round his neck gleaming in the warm firelight.
"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" River sang, twirling Eleusis as Odelyn had shot him down with a single look.
"How about it lass, give us a show," Ciel called to Aester, earning a growl in return, as Fyn clapped on gleefully.
The night passed in a blur of laughter, dancing and sailor-approved swearing, the thoughts that had dogged me, now replaced by cheers of "high ho".
I curled up in my tent, warm with joy, and fell into a comfortable slumber.
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"I have no clue what that is or how it got there-"
"I'm not saying you're lying but someone had to have put it there."
Voices hammered my tent, pulling me from sleep. I frowned, pushing myself up as Odelyn did the same. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I grabbed my sword and slipped out of the canvas curtains as silently as I could.
I was met by an... odd sight, to say the least.
Makeda stood beside a small fire, and in the flames I could see what looked like colourful leaves. The fire was surrounded by stones and there seemed to be a dark green liquid seeping from it. It was creepy.
"What's going on?" I asked Fyn and Aester who stood to the side.
"I came out to take the second watch and was met with this," Aester explained, his strong features twisted in repulsion.
"What exactly is that?" I asked, directing my question to Makeda this time.
"How would I know?" she said, raising her hands as Crow squawked, flustered.
"You are standing beside it," Odelyn interjected, crossing her arms, looking perfect despite just having woken up. Darn elves.
"Yes, because I found it!" she shouted, before taking a deep breath. "Look, Fyn and I were on watch and I heard a rustle in the woods so I went to investigate and I came back and met this."
Fyn's frown deepened. "Makeda why would we both leave the camp and go into the woods?" Fyn said, exasperated, as she gestured to her shoulders before brushing leaves off them.
Makeda stood, oddly spotless. "Look, I don't even know that this thing is?"
"It's a beacon," Ele said quietly, now standing outside his tent by Ciel, "to call Melandrach."
Everyone stopped. Crow quietened. I blanched.
Someone had called the Dragonlord.
——————————————
"No, that's just a rumor, right?" Makeda asked frantically as Crow hopped around. She looked... afraid.
"So were Scylla's Hollow and Evamore," I said, quietly.
"Listen, I don't know who did this or why, but it wasn't me?" she pleaded, although her voice had lost its desperate edge, "and I don't know why they're trying to make it look like it was me."
We stood in silence before Odelyn sighed.
"Look there's no point arguing. And none of us are going to get anymore sleep so we might as well get moving," she said, as she turned to dismantle our tent.
I let my eyes linger on Makeda's before nodding to help her, as River's bewildered cries filled the air.
Well I guess one of us would have slept through the night, I chuckled to myself, although my thoughts were still troubled.
We walked on again, silent once more. Well except for River.
"Is no one going to tell me why we're walking so early?" he complained as Aester stared him into silence.
I ambled forward, Ciel's arm around my waist, as I counted blades of grass to avoid facing my thoughts. The thought of someone, one of us, summoning Melandrach was a bit too much for me handle.
We trudged on for hours, Ciel telling me stories of him and January and me telling him tales of Ceres and I.
"I think they'd get along awfully well, don't you," he smiled at me, but I was frowning at the sky.
I stopped, squinting at the twilight.
"Guys," I began, "has it actually gotten any lighter?"
Aester cursed as he peered into the distance.
"Bloody White King," Ciel grumbled, squeezing the bridge of his nose, "seems like we've stumbled into a twilight zone. Literally."
"Guys," Ele said, his voice quivering unusually.
I frowned as he turned round, his whole body vibrating.
"Help me," he whispered, tears in his eyes.