Page 25 of A Lick of Flame

“That isn’t fair,” I tell her. “You won’t even tell me so much as your name, Sister,” I use the name she told me to call her and watch her eyes snap to mine in irritation. An emotion she quickly schools.

“Sister is perfectly acceptable,” she says, but I don’t think she likes me calling her that. “Why do you find the question unfair?”

“What I find unfair is that you won’t tell me a thing about yourself, but you want to know all about me.”

“I do not!”

“You’re asking me all these questions, so I think that you do. I don’t mind telling you, but you need to be willing to open up a little to me, too. It goes both ways.”

She rolls her eyes.

“I’ll tell you what. You divulge how long you’ve been at the orphanage, and I’ll tell you how long I was in the pit.”

“Never mind I asked. I was just trying to pass the time. Should we try jogging the horses again? The footing here looks better. There’s far less mud. It’s even dry in places. The horses should manage okay.”

I’m strangely disappointed. I thought she might give in and tell me something about herself. I let it go and nod. “Yes, let’s try to break free of this section before nightfall. We don’t have very long before it’ll be too dark to see our hands in front of our faces.”

I look up into the sky for a moment as our horses pick up a steady pace. The washed-out light of the day – if you can even call it that – is beginning to fade into muted shades of gray. If there were shadows, they would be long. As it stands, our world is cast in one big perpetual shadow.

We continue riding until the darkness becomes more difficult to navigate, but for me, a fae with enhanced vision, it is no trouble at all. Up ahead, I spy more rugged terrain dotted with scattered trees and rocky outcroppings. The sight of potential shelter makes my heart soar – a much-needed respite from the constant rain that plagues these lands. I pull Copper up.

“Whoa, girl.” I use a soft, calming tone. She obeys instantly. I would almost go so far as to say that she has been fae-trained. The farmer who owns her has done a fantastic job.

“We’ll stop here for the night and set up camp,” I tell the human, who pulls up alongside me. We walk the rest of the way to the outcrop in silence.

I note that the rocky outcrop will indeed work well as a shelter from the elements.

After making sure that the horses are settled and have had something to drink and some of the oats to eat, we tie them close to some tufts of grass. It isn’t much, but it will have to do.

Then I set about trying to find dry wood and kindling while the human sets up our camp for the night under the rocky outcrop. I note how her bedroll is as far away from mine as she can get it.

While I gather the wood, I can't help but feel a sense of unease. The atmosphere is heavy with an eerie stillness. In the distance, I hear the howls of hy-wolves. Thankfully, they are far away from us. I don’t think that they will be a problem.

I keep searching for firewood. With all the trees rotting and lichen-covered, it’s a difficult task. I stick to the rocky sections where branches have fallen into dry alcoves.

I return to camp and find the human kneeling by a small fire. Her features are illuminated in the dancing light, casting shadows across her face.

She looks up at me. “Done.”

I smile. “I could’ve used my magic.” I let a spark ignite on the tip of my finger.

“You could have, but I can do it just as well.”

“A woman who can take care of herself. It’s impressive.” I wink at her as I drop the firewood into a neat pile next to her.

Her head snaps back to the fire where she blows on the small flames; they grow bigger. Then she throws a few pieces of wood on the fire, which hisses in protest. The wood is slightly damp. It’s almost impossible to find dry wood out here. It will be smoky, but it will have to do.

The human rummages in the pack closest to her and offers me some bread and cheese. “We should eat and get some rest,” she says.

“Thank you.” I take the offered goods.

We eat, and silence settles between us. The crackling of the fire fills the air, mixed with the distant rumble of thunder. Although I can’t see them, I know that storm clouds build overhead. I can smell it in the air. We will get rain yet. Once again, I am glad for the shelter, however primitive.

The hy-wolves howl, still far in the distance. I hear the human take a sharp inhale of breath.

“They shouldn’t come near the fire,” I tell her. “We should be safe.” At least from the hy-wolves. If there are any burcees in these parts, all bets are off. They’re brazen and aggressive by nature. I will have to pray that my powers work, or we could be in trouble. It’s not something I’m going to give too much thought to since the creatures prefer more treed areas.

“The fire will go out before nightlift,” the human remarks.

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