Seekers of Nazar

Chapter Twenty-One

The journey was dangerous. The trail in front of Leilandri was obscured by a fine layer of ash that stirred as they moved. Without seeing the road, she worried they were veering from the trail. Not even the sun could penetrate the ash cloud. Instead, it lit the swirling particles with a faint, yellow glow.

The ash was still falling, muffling the sounds around them. It sat heavily on her shoulders and neck. She wanted to shake it off, but when she inhaled the fine powder, her lungs burned. They had tied cloth around their faces, and yet it still managed to find its way into her mouth. She could feel the gritty film on her teeth.

Leilandri worried about Amira. With every step they took, the ash on the ground billowed around her. Her cough had turned deep, and her breathing was raspy.

Leilandri had no idea what the loss of Amira would do to Jena. The soul could only withstand so much before it gave out from the pain. She reigned in and waited for Elleric to join her.

"We can't keep going like this. Maybe if it were just us, we could push on. But for their sake," Leilandri nodded towards Jena and Amira. "I think we need to find shelter and wait for more ash to settle."

Elleric surveyed the landscape and saw a morbid scene of skeleton trees and spindly bushes. The ash spared nothing. Every leaf, every inch of bark, every colored berry was coated. Squinting harder, he could see the outlines of birds in the trees, locked into their final resting place like death statues.

Beyond the trees were barren cliffs, also laden with ash.

"I suppose we could move towards that formation there," he pointed to the nearest ridge. "If we are lucky, we might find some natural shelter. If not, I can anchor our tents to the rock and give us an overhang."

Leilandri agreed eagerly, glancing over at Jena. Her shoulders were hunched, her reins balanced precariously on her fingertips. Her face was blank. Amira sat beside her, panting and covered in ash.

Leilandri's heart sank. She reached over and touched Jena's hand until the young girl raised her eyes. They were bloodshot. "Follow Elleric now, we are going to take shelter." After a few moments, she felt Jena's fingers twitch as she tightened her grip on the reigns.

Elleric led them off the trail, picking his way carefully. He steered them around the corpses of dead animals. Clumps of ash slid off the burdened branches, filling the air.

When they made it to the ridge, Elleric led them along the edge, looking for a rock formation they could shelter under. A few feet down, he found a natural inlet in the stone that would give them cover on three sides.

Elleric jumped down and handed his reins to Leilandri. The ground had less ash than the open land, shielded by the walls of the canyon. "I'm going to see if the rock will hold a spike. If so, I can stretch the tent across for a roof."

After a few failed attempts, Elleric finally sunk several spikes into the rock. Stretching the tent across with thick rope, he created an awning for them to huddle under. He led the horses into the shelter and secured them on the far side, before helping Leilandri and Jena down.

Jena immediately walked to the other side of the shelter and laid down with Amira. They curled into each other, their limbs entwining. Elleric watched her, his lips tight with worry.

Leilandri sat on a nearby boulder as Elleric unsaddled the horses. He used a small broom to brush the ash from their coats and applied an ointment to Flame's flank. As he looped feed bags over their heads, she realized he must have grabbed them before they left. Now that there was no grazing land anywhere, she was amazed at his foresight.

Leilandri's mind turned to their future, and her chest grew heavy. Thoughts of Nazar felt empty now that he wouldn't be returning with her. She was exhausted beyond reason, the events of the last few days pulling at her threads. Tears burned her eyes as she watched him set up camp. She turned away before a sob escaped her mouth. Leilandri fought to gain control. She counted her breath until it was steady, hoping the brown fabric covering her face hid her weakness.