Page 11 of The Garnet Daughter
His quick steps are loud behind me as he stays closer than natural. When I glance back, I see his gun is up and ready.
“What sort of shelter?” he asks.
“A cave. And you can put that away.” I gesture over my shoulder at his weapon.
“If we come upon something like what I have seen here before, will you be able to fold us to safety, away from it?” he asks, not to tease but in preparation.
I think for a long time and test a shorter distance. Even the familiar shelter we are headed to is blocked on the other side. Murky fog conceals it, one I am too afraid to push through.
“No, I can’t,” I confess.
“Then I will keep this out.”
I can’t fault him. Everything is different now. So many unanswered questions shrouded in mystery that seem too dangerous to even approach.
The eerie conjunction lighting mixed with the dense forest makes for poor visibility, but my muscle memory from years of walking on the moss leads us right to the cave. I clap my hands as I enter it, an effort to shoo out any small creatures that may have decided to use it as an escape from the rain as well.
August stands with his back to the entrance as I make sure it’s safe, his body squared in the Viathan battle stance that will do little on this planet in our current circumstances.
“It’s clear,” I mutter over the now steady rainfall.
He ducks his head and enters, staying close to the exit and finding a large rock to sit facing the exterior, the raindrops at the edge creating a dripping curtain to the outside world.
I bump into some supplies that are left here for hunters caught in the same predicament.
“Do you need a light?” A blue beam illuminates the space, shining on the leather pouch of fire rocks and wool.
“Thank you,” I say as he adjusts the beam to follow my movements.
I click the rocks together on the compact fire pit with stones circling it. A small spark falls into the wood and kindling left from the previous occupant, but it will take some effort, as it is likely damp. I strike the rocks together and blow on the embers until the skin on my palms is raw.
The flames build to a steady but modest blaze, the cave transforming into a dry haven. The rough stone walls glow with the orange flames, the smoke just close enough to the entrance to be carried out on the breeze.
I watch August staring out into the darkness, his gun still ready to defend and jaw set.
“You should come away from the opening. The tree leeches can smell you and they are painful to remove.”
He scoots closer, clearing his throat to hide the panic that sets in anytime a horror the forest offers is mentioned. Frith does not agree with August. He suffered here not only from its harsh environment, but from the spiteful forest itself. This is likely the last place he wanted to find himself once more. Another wave of gut-churning guilt sweeps over me. He did not ask for this. He is simply another casualty to my bad fortune and choices because of his proximity to me.
“Maybe after you rest for the night, we can try again.” He shrugs off his wet outer layer and lays it on the stone next to himself.
I nod, but I know it is not likely.
The reality of being stranded a world away from our friends sets in so hard, I almost choke on it. I press my hands to my face, but when I close my eyes, I can see Ferren and hear her screaming for Thea, see the creature watching me, taking a sacred stone. The old god’s blinking orbs pierce through mymemory. I try to wipe away escaped tears but there is no use. My whole body gives over to them, huffing out a sob, betraying me.
August scoots closer, his side pressed next to mine, his deep exhale swaying me. I’m too exhausted to even speak to answer questions I assume he has about how the ritual failed, how I brought us here. Instead, he takes another calm intake of air, as if inviting me to do the same, and just sits with me as I cry. He doesn’t attempt to make me stop or change my emotions with laughter.
His arm wraps around my shoulders, drawing me close to his warmth and taking some of the burden of holding myself together away, and when my breath finally calms and I can breathe normally, he respectfully removes it.
I wipe off the moisture streaking my face and try to think logically of our situation, tucking my knees into my stomach and hugging myself in a tight ball. My clothes are soaked and the burn on my forearm stings worse than the initial scorch.
We watch the fire in silence for so long, time does not feel like it is passing at all, held hanging in the balance of a dreamlike state. And by the time the rain stops, the first dull conjunction rays of dawn are poking through the slats of the trees just outside our shelter.
The exhaustion of accidentally bringing us such a vast distance has been replaced with sleep deprivation. I don’t even have to attempt to fold again. I know I cannot and I’m so afraid that if I push too hard, we will end up somewhere else or even stuck in the space between.
“August?” I whisper, assuming he has been asleep for some time, his slow, steady breathing a comfort as I sifted through my thoughts and memories of what happened in the temple for hours.
But when he looks over his shoulder, his eyes are clear and present. “You alright?”
