Ch.5

A few hours after they began their journey through the Lrial woods, the two girls stepped out into a clearing, surrounded by vast grasslands. Two days had passed since they came across the Adler, and both children felt it in their bones. Something was missing; something they could not explain but that made them feel like children again. With each step forward, they clung to one another like lost friends, and Celene spoke quietly to herself as she walked.

"You are right, my friend. There is no such thing as dying alone. But I do not want to die. Not yet. I will go on. Somehow."

Roxy had fallen asleep halfway between the village and the forest. She was fast asleep and barely noticed as Celene climbed over her to sit down beside her. Celene saw the pale sky above her and breathed in the fresh air. After a while, she closed her eyes and found sleep with only the rustle of branches overhead to keep her company.

She dreamed of elves again, walking with a small child by the river that wound its way through the hills. They sat on the edge of the water and laughed at the fish they could see through the brown surface. The girl had pointed up to the sky, laughing at a group of tiny dragons who swooped past, leaving a trail of smoke and fire behind. In the dream, she was wearing the same outfit she had worn back in the tower—a blue tunic that covered her shoulders and arms, and a white skirt that wrapped around her legs.

When it ended, Celene awoke to find Roxy crouched beside her. She lay there for some time, staring at the bard's face. It seemed almost translucent, and for a moment she thought she might never be able to touch it again. Then she reached out and touched her hand, felt the warmth of flesh against hers. She kissed her on the cheek and pulled her in close.

"I missed you," she whispered.

Roxy nodded without opening her eyes, and then they spent a long time talking about nothing but the past. As they walked, Celene told her everything she remembered from the old woman in the tower. When she finished, Roxy hummed, her fingers brushing lightly against the top of Celene's head.

After that, they took their time finding the town. Each night they slept on the side of the road, and when they were tired, they would crawl under a tree or a bush to rest. There were still monsters in the woods, but both children found something soothing about being in the wild, a place where the monsters did not lurk so close behind them. Their days in the city had been good, but they could not deny the pleasure of sleeping peacefully, lying still with no one to worry about.

The small town sat just below a hillside overlooking the valley, which spread out before them like a broad green tablecloth. Celene grinned and skipped ahead, feeling happy once more. They had come to the end of the world. Finally, they could tell someone who cared about what happened, and the thought made Celene feel a little better than she ever had in her life.

For two days they walked towards the hill and found nothing but open country. On the third day, however, they saw a signpost hung between two trees on the road. It was a simple wooden structure, with a wide frame and a board upon which a map had been scratched into the earth.

"That must be it!" Roxy said, laughing as she scrambled to catch up. "They know we are coming."

Celene watched her closely until Roxy came to a stop beside her. She looked out across the countryside, studying the outline of hills and valleys as if there might be some sort of hidden treasure revealed in the grass.

"This is not how I remember things," Celene said finally. "I understand that the landscape has changed since they lived here, but they always spoke of something different, something larger."

Roxy smiled faintly and nodded as if the idea had already occurred to her. They followed the road in silence for a while, but Celene knew that her friend was thinking about the same thing. What would have been so wrong with the people of Lrial? Perhaps the story ended with them. Perhaps that was all they would ever know.

Then, just when they had almost given up, the small hillside came into view. It stretched out over a few miles in front of them, surrounded by green fields and the white walls of the castle. The sun was high above them now, shining down on the buildings in a bright yellow glow. Celene could make out the outlines of the towers, and the walkways upon which people walked and rode through the distance.

Roxy shuddered.

"I don't like the look of this place."

It took all of Celene's willpower to stay where she was. Instead, she pushed forward, moving slowly and cautiously. The children knew they had come too far to turn back, even if they wanted to. Celene took in the village again, noticing the banners still flying from the top of the nearest tower. She tried to memorise the streets and houses with their wicker roofs, but she found it difficult to see more than what was right before her.

"I think we should stay away from the castle," Roxy said softly. "That tower seems to be where the guards live. It is not safe."

Celene nodded. "You are right. Let's keep going."

She didn't realise how close they were to the gates until they had walked past. Two sentries sat outside, looking out across the fields with spears at the ready. They drew up short when they saw Celene and Roxy walking towards them, and Celene realised they would have recognized her instantly. As for Roxy—she might as well have been someone else. She wore the clothes she had found, but her skin was the same pale blue as the sky overhead, and her face twisted in confusion.

The guards exchanged glances as Celene walked closer, then stood and raised their weapons to meet the young girls.

"Children!" one said, his voice suddenly deep with respect and awe. "What happened here?"

Roxy fell in behind Celene, grinning happily. She spoke again without thinking as if she did not realise she was saying anything that could be overheard.

"We lost."

***

They couldn't go home.

As the days passed, the girl watched with a strange mixture of curiosity and regret as her sisters grew into fine adults. The first change came when Celene turned eighteen. At the time, it had been a day just like any other; she had visited her father in his workshop. But once she entered the house, the change swept over her as quickly as the stormy autumn winds that brought rain and cold to the city. Everything changed after that. Her father began to treat her differently as if something in her had changed. It was hard to say what exactly he did because the changes were so subtle. When she tried to find out more, he would stop her with a growl.

Her sister Roxy, on the other hand, began to spend less time with her and her father. That was probably inevitable, but somehow, in hindsight, she couldn't help feeling responsible. If only she had done something sooner. She worried about Roxy all the time. One afternoon, she caught her arguing with Ranna, who had always been their closest friend. But since the change, she could see that it wasn't just a fight; it was something deeper than that. They were angry at each other, and she didn't know why. She wanted to ask Ranna, but her mother always refused to let her speak to anyone other than her father or sister. Instead, she asked Ranna whether the two of them still spoke. Ranna said nothing and went back inside without answering.

Most mornings, before they started working, her father would take a walk with her in the gardens. He always sat down on one of the stone benches, and she would sit beside him. They would watch the spiders spin webs and the tiny insects scurry across the grass. After a while, he would begin telling her stories, and she would listen closely, trying to catch every detail. He liked to tell her about the history of Lrial, and how the people had once lived under the sea until the gods created a new world for them to call their own.

Once, after her father had finished sharing a story, she asked him where the people in the stories came from.

"The elves, and the humans."

She frowned. "But I thought there were only two races left. That the other gods disappeared along with the others?"

His smile faded slightly. "That is true. They died along with the rest. We were alone, and we grew strong, living in the water and on land alike. Then the mages came, and our two races lived together for a long time, trading and helping each other. In time, they learned that we could see auras around things, and their powers began to grow stronger. Most mages had little use for us, but a few . . ."

He paused, looking away.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," he said. He had rarely been so serious with her, but this time she knew he wasn't fooling her. She had grown older, and she understood something of what lay within her. When he looked at her, the words he said felt almost like a prayer. "There are still some of the old gods left. And the mages. But they are afraid."

"They are afraid of you? Like the priests told me?"

Her father did not seem happy to hear this, and for a moment he seemed troubled. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet.

"It" —he held up a hand before she could speak— "it is best if we do not speak of it, alright?"