Page 22 of Taken to the Deadlands

"Let's take this slow. We can begin whenever you feel comfortable.”

Chapter 10

Mia

Ipushed through the dead tree line, the branches that had fallen to the ground crunching under my feet.

My breath stopped in my throat when I spotted Aris just a few feet away, right near the edge of the cliff. It was already hard to breathe because of the short hike, but when I saw her there, it felt like I had the weight of the world on my chest.

I hadn’t seen Aris after our interaction near the statue the previous day. Food was left outside my bedroom, and I kept staring at the door, just waiting for her to stop by.

But she never did.

I was conflicted. Half of me wanted her to come by, half feared she would.

I paced. Read some of the books that she placed in the room. Many of which were actually English classics that I had heard or read about growing up.

The beaten up spines made me wonder just how many humans had ran their fingers down the peeling spines before I had.

I hadn’t asked her to finish her story before. I hadn’t had the heart to. It was all I could think about.

But seeing her here, looking out beyond the cliff with such a saddened expression… It caused my chest to ache.

Whatever that human had been to her, there had to be so much more than the little hints she was dropping. The pain etched onto her face was something I had only seen in my most grief-ridden clients.

She turned to look back at me, and in that moment, the pained expression on her face was gone. She almost looked… at peace.

“I used to like it out here,” she said and motioned for me to come forward.

I followed her lead, but because she was so close to the edge, I also reached out to grab her hand. The action caused her eyes to widen.

“Sorry,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m scared of heights.”

A small smile spread across her face.

“We won’t get that close,” she promised. “And even if we did end up falling, it wouldn’t kill us. I wouldn’t let it.”

I gave her a look and peeked over the edge. Below us were miles and miles of dead trees. When I squinted to see beyond the mist, I could make out barren lakes and even the dash of a few wild animals, though I was afraid of what type they might be.

All in all, if it wasn’t so desolate, it might have been a beautiful view. Forests as far as the eye could see. Probably even some flowers below, adding pops of color to the area.

“I can see why you used to like it here,” I said with an appreciative nod.

“Really?”

The astonishment in her voice caused me to look at her. Her grip on my hand became tight, and I wasn’t too sure she was aware that she was doing it. Or just how much her face had lit up.

“Really,” I replied with a small smile of my own. “It’s beautiful, hauntingly so. In the Human Realm, we have manyplaces like this, but the trees would be green and there would be grass or flowers below.”

She gave me a quick, enthusiastic nod. “I have seen them. Forests the likes this realm has never seen before. I was in awe the first time I saw them.”

I raised a brow at her.

“You have been to the Human Realm?”

Her smile dropped at this.

“I haven’t always bought humans in the auctions,” she explained, though her voice was hesitant. “It’s expensive, and there was a time when this realm had a portal, but it has long since disappeared.”

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