Ch.19

When morning arrived, Arelia had already decided that she wouldn't waste a moment more wondering about Evander. She continued working throughout the day, but even when she began preparing for bed, she wasn't going to sleep. It was the first time she'd ever done such a thing; usually, she simply ate, drank, and slept, then started the cycle all over again.

Tomorrow would bring trouble, she suspected. Arelia needed to be prepared. She closed her eyes, allowing her mind to clear. There was nothing wrong with taking an afternoon nap‌—she hadn't been getting enough sleep, and she'd always preferred a bit of peace. But, rather than allowing her mind to drift, she thought about Evander, and the troubles ahead of them. Then, as if on cue, her exhaustion set in.

***

Evander's first thought was of blood, spreading from the floor, soaking into the walls. He raised his sword to fend off the assault, and discovered himself surrounded by elves. He turned around slowly, trying to find Arelia . . .

"What do you think you're doing?" one of the soldiers demanded. Evander's eyes widened as he recognized him from earlier.

"We were told—"

"I don't care what they told you. Do you even know where your friend is?"

Evander shook his head, uncertain how to answer.

The elf looked unconvinced. "Then we'll just have to search until we find her." He motioned to several others, then added, "Go! I want this place cleaned up by nightfall."

Arelia took a deep breath, then closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she pulled her dagger free. The elf saw it and attempted to block her path, but she quickly reversed direction and rammed her blade into his chest.

Evander ran toward her, only to see another standing right behind her. He glanced back, but couldn't identify any others, and instead charged forward. Together, they began cutting down their attackers, only to find themselves cut down, too.

Soon, they were all lying on the ground, still awake, but unable to move. The elves returned, picking up their fallen weapons and inspecting each weapon curiously. They didn't seem inclined to clean up the blood yet, however; if anything, they appeared to be studying it.

Evander suddenly found himself staring at Arelia. It was as though everything had frozen, except for her. She shook herself as if waking from a trance.

"Wh-what is this place?" she asked, wiping her face.

"It's called the Spire," he responded, after a moment of thought.

She narrowed her eyes, then repeated his words. "This isn't my time, is it? How many others have you brought here?"

He swallowed, feeling ill. "You'll get used to it. Try to leave‌—you shouldn't stay here."

Arelia nodded, looking down for a moment. When she turned back to him, there was a smile on her face. "And I won't abandon you, either. We'll find a way out."

Evander wanted to argue, but her words were all too true. He'd been preparing for death every day, simply waiting for something to take his life. Arelia was different. It seemed that wherever she went, trouble followed, but maybe that would be a good thing. Without the pressure of protecting himself, he could finally think more clearly.

"I'm sure we will," he said, forcing a grin in return.

***

After walking through the forest for an hour or so, Ardi and Evander found themselves standing atop a large hill. It was hard to tell for certain, but the hill looked as though it stretched upward indefinitely, as if the ground was made of sandstone. From their vantage, they saw nothing else of note; instead, only the clouds hung overhead, blanketing the sky. It would have been easy to assume this was just another part of the world, but for the strange fog that was still hanging there.

Evander took a closer look. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before‌—though it reminded him somewhat of the magic at the Spire, which, he assumed, was how it had gotten there in the first place. No matter how much he strained his eyes, though, he could see nothing further than a few dozen feet.

As if responding to his thoughts, the fog parted slightly, revealing a small tower rising out from the very base of the hill. Then, it disappeared again, swallowing up the top of the hill.

Ardi rubbed her head. "I suppose we can do some research here." She paused, then added, "I'm really sorry, by the way."

Evander held his hand up, cutting her off. "No apologies‌—no thanks, even. You helped me out of there." He stared up at the tower, then back at her. "Still, it is kind of confusing . . ."

"I know what you mean," she replied.

She began walking, while Evander followed closely behind. "Actually, I don't understand why you're so intent on helping me, anyway. If you are human, then you know my sister doesn't deserve the fate they've given her."

Evander's eyes widened. "I do!"

"Then why?"

He didn't reply, but instead kept up with her as she continued walking. Her gaze remained fixed upon the tower. After a moment, he spoke again. "Wouldn't you want someone to help your sister?"

Ardi continued to walk for several minutes before finally turning around. "So you're going to stick with me? We'll need each other, right?"

Evander nodded.

They reached the base of the hill, and Ardi motioned to the tower. "That might be our only shot at getting answers."

Evander glanced back toward the Spire once more. "You think there's a chance we'll find her in there?"

"If anything, that's where I'm most likely to find her."

Evander shook his head, still determined. "We both know the answer to that question."

After another look at the fog, they began heading down the hill. They came across a small cave hidden within the rocks. Beyond the opening, Ardi could make out several passages‌—the walls were much thicker than normal, giving them an indication of what lay beyond. She hoped it would lead them somewhere safe.

"I guess we should start exploring," she said, stepping inside.

Evander followed. He then turned to face her, speaking in a low voice. "I have one request. Please don't kill anyone else. You are human, after all."

Ardi frowned but nodded. "Understood." Then, she walked deeper into the cave, eyes sweeping left and right.