Page 28 of Soul of Thorns
My knees ache from the awkward position I’ve stayed in for the last hour, and if I choose not to go exploring now, I’ll be stuck in this little hole for another twelve hours. Once the sun goes down, we won’t have a choice but to hide away.
I’ll go crazy if I don’t stretch at least a little bit.
The rocky hillside has been dead quiet since the moment we arrived here. There’s always the possibility that something is watching us, but that remains true no matter if I stay still or take a walk.
I crawl out of the cave and take a moment to stretch and then examine the hills around us. The sky above is hazy red, like constant fog. I realize now that the red is likely due to the wall of flames considering how bright the entire sky got as we’d drawn closer to the magical force field.
The two mountains towering over us are tiny in comparison to the rest in this range. The main trail that leads from the valley to the wall of flames is half a mile west. There’s at least one large mountain between.
The stone is lighter here, more grey than black.
It’s too far to go all the way to the wall without Caelynn, I decide. I don’t want too much distance between us. But I begin to walk in that direction slowly, sticking close to the stones just in case I’m being watched.
The gravel crunches beneath my feet as I get closer to the nearest trail, where part of the path is blocked by fallen rocks. There are tracks along the sides of the mountains here, where landslides have occurred. Rivulets of rainwater trickle down the slope, slipping into cracks and fissures.
I stop when the gravel pathway comes into view. I shouldn’t go any further.
I’m itching to move forward with my quest, but moving into the open isn’t a wise choice, not without Caelynn at least. I stop, though, when a few speckled flowers catch my attention. Around fifteen feet up, growing out of the side of the darks stone is a set of four scarlet flowers.
I smile. Also, probably not worth the risk. And yet, I’m going to do it anyway.
I make the climb in three fluid leaps, careful to keep my next landing place planned just in case any of them give way. I grip the flowers between my fingers and rip them violently.
I’m back on the flat valley ground, flowers in hand, in only a few seconds.
“Lovely, but oh so foolish.” The deep voice sends shivers down my spine.
I spin to face a wraith blocking my path back to Caelynn.
Caelynn
My head throbs, poundingin waves. I groan. My cheek sticks to damp dirt as I pull myself up.Well, that’s not a very pleasant way to sleep.
I blink, heavy lids barely able to open. The uneven, curved opening to the cave appears as a gentle glow. Everything else is pitch black.
It’s daytime. It wasn’t night when I fell asleep, so that may mean it’s only been minutes. Maybe a couple hours. Or maybe it’s been an entire day. Who the hell knows?
