Page 64 of Beneath the Flames
“Avalea does not exist in the type of world that yours does.I believe you call it a galaxy?”When I nodded in confirmation, he continued, “We do not exist in a galaxy with planets and stars, though I suppose you could say Avalea is situatedbetweengalaxies.The moons stay with us constantly, but the stars come and go based on the movement of the worlds around us.”
“That is…very confusing.”
He chuckled, and the pleasant sound warmed me.
“When they do make their appearance though…” He trailed off, glancing over at me.“There’s nothing as beautiful in all of Avalea.”He bit his lip then, muttering, “At least among non-living things.”
Even in the dark, a distinct splotch of pink rose in his cheeks.He was…blushing?A strange fluttering feeling filled my stomach at the thought that he might have—possibly—meantme.
But that was crazy, right?
Hardened lava crunched beneath my feet, my gloves already black from touching it as I made my way up the mountain.Some areas were steeper than others, forcing me to navigate holes and rocks as handholds and footholds, while other areas were much flatter, allowing a much-needed break from the physical exertion.
“Tell me about your home.”Rhydian’s question came out of nowhere, catching me so off guard that my foot slipped from the hole it had been in.Warm hands wrapped around my ankle, halting what would have been a nasty fall.
When I caught my breath, I asked, “Why?”
Rhydian’s eyes glowed in the light from the moons as he glanced over at me.“Because you look like you could use adistraction.”
I managed to pull myself up a little higher, grateful when the mountain didn’t give way beneath me.“I live on a farm back home.My family’s farm,” I grunted.
“A farm?”
“Right,” I huffed out.“I suppose you wouldn’t have those here seeing as Eroth is a giant wasteland of night and death.”
“Ah ah ah, that’s Nefaroth,” he joked, and I rolled my eyes.
“The farm has animals that we use for meat and dairy, and we grow crops to both eat and sell to others,” I explained.“It’s a lot of work.Long days.Summer is our busiest time of the year.”
At the thought, a sharp pang went through my stomach as I wondered how they were getting on without me.Were Lila and Joey having to cover the chores that I used to be responsible for?Or was Mom?Had my father punished all of them in my absence?
Another ache stabbed through me.I missed my family so much.I wished I had a way to contact them or see that they were all right.To at least tell them I was sorry, that I hadn’t purposely abandoned them, that I was trying to get home.
Swallowing back the sudden burning in my throat, I held my coat tighter to my chest as I took a deep breath and pushed on.They were why I was doing this—why I was risking certain death just for a chance to get back to them.
I would fight, I would stay alive—like I always had—and I would get home.
“Siris has something similar,” Rhydian said, tearing me out of my thoughts.“Though we call them Hollows.They supply much of the food to Avalea, but the curse stopped them from bringing it to Eroth long ago.If it weren’t for the portal to Siris being hidden within a heavily wooded section of the land, Nicolikely wouldn’t be able to sneak across the border for supplies a few times a year.”
The thought of Nico sneaking anywhere made me uneasy.
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
Rhydian hesitated before he reluctantly said, “It can be, but Nico knows how to be careful.”
“Is there a reason you don’t go with him?”I couldn’t help but wonder why he would send Nico on such a dangerous trip.
“The curse prevents me from entering the other kingdoms.Besides, I stopped being welcome near any of our borders long ago.If Nico doesn’t go, there would be no supplies at all.”
“Why aren’t you welcome?”
Rhydian paused, the quiet intake of his breath telling me he did not want to answer my question.
“The curse,” was all he said.
“That’s it?You’re an outcast because of something outside of your control?That seems like an overreaction.”
“That’s because you’re simplifying it too much.It’s a greater danger than you know.”The way he said those words made it sound like he meant thathewas the greater danger.But that was absurd.I was imagining the inflection, that was all.
