Amentia

Chapter 14 - On the road

The first half-hour of the trip was spent in complete silence as realization sank in. The girls were absorbed in their own thoughts, trying to process what had happened in their own personal way.

The entire situation was weird enough on its own without adding violence to it. Coming to terms with walking through a portal to a magic world would've been much easier if they hadn't arrived exactly when the landing spot was about to be attacked by something as ridiculous as a black cloud. That's what Nati was thinking at least. Had she arrived in the midst of a war, or maybe the very beginning of one? Or maybe it had just been a personal vendetta on the Temple and nothing more. The Keeper would've been affected if Zoe hadn't pulled him away at the last second, so it seemed that the whole thing had been aimed specifically at Temple employees or artifacts. Nati hoped that was it, and that they wouldn't encounter a world in chaos as soon as they got out of this tranquil forest.

Nina didn't know what to think. She wasn't even sure of what exactly had happened. It had all been so sudden and over so quickly. Where had that thing come from and where had it gone after? Would they run into it again? Is this what their story would be about, why she had found the portal and met these girls? Would this be an adventure or a tragedy? All the best stories have both, really. Maybe this was finally the time her life would actually feel like an exciting story instead of the boring routine she was used to back on Earth.

Meiko was trying to keep herself calm, focusing on her breathing and trying to ignore the girl with the big red hair that kept taking peeks at her. What would happen now? What would she do? Would she be able to find some sort of normalcy until the portal was fixed and she could return to her cozy little life? Maybe she could find a job as a healer and lay low until it was all over? It had been so many years since she'd had to live not knowing what the next day would bring...

Zoe and Anna were trying to focus on their surroundings so as not to think of what they had felt before, with the black smoke surrounding the Temple. Zoe was enjoying the wood of the cart, feeling the lines and curves of it as it moved. It was very solid wood, resistant, and patient as it had to hold the weight of all the humans who arrived to Amentia. And it seemed to be glad that one of those humans could finally pay attention to what it said and felt. Zoe tried to comfort it, softly stroking the seat and the banister along specific lines that the wood enjoyed the most.

Anna was of course paying attention to the wind, feeling it get slightly wilder as they drew further from the Temple, away from the Keeper's influence. It somehow made the melody of the girls around her louder than before. She listened to Nina's playful tune, Nati's sharp and confident whistles, Zoe's quiet but nurturing song, and Meiko's perfect and kind melody. The air moved differently around each person, showing their distinctive personalities and current emotions. Anna had seen plenty of intricate movements throughout her life, but she was marveled at how it moved around Meiko, almost like they were one and the same. Anna had never seen someone whose personal wind blew so close to their skin and so effortlessly.

"So..." Nina said, breaking the long and heavy ice. "Why did the Keeper say you have a keen sight?" she asked Nati.

"I can see the names of things, if that makes any sense to you."

"No way! You're a namer?" Nina asked leaning forward eagerly with her hands on her knees and wearing a giant smile.

"How do you know about names?" Nati asked with a frown but also a slight curve on her lips.

"Name manipulation is one of my favorite Fantasy powers. I didn't think it existed in real life. This is so cool," she said, leaning back on her seat, absorbing this new information.

"What the hell is a namer?" Anna asked.

"I can see the true, hidden names of things and sometimes of people. Knowing the name gives me power over its owner," Nati explained.