Amentia

Chapter 59 - Drive

The first hour of the trip was just reaching the Crossing River and finding the nearest bridge to get to the other side. Zoe found with great delight that this vehicle moved as quickly and easily as advertised, so once they were over the bridge she pushed it to the fastest speed she could, using her feet to guide her through the narrow paths of this forest. Her driving was... erratic, to say the least; if she had to make a hard turn, she made it and without any warning. Anna spent her entire time as copilot staring at Zoe's lit-up smile and wide eyes as she drove; she looked like how Adam looked when Nina used her power to conjure up something sparkly and whimsical. She was just having a lot of fun, which was a nice change from the fear she'd been overcome by earlier. The ones in the back seat were not enjoying the experience as much as her, but there was no time to be trotting about and looking at the scenery, so they held on to the edges of the cart and put up with it as best they could. The sooner they got there, the less time they'd spend in that cart.

So they drove, only stopping once every few hours for bathroom breaks and for Zoe to stretch her hands and arms. During the day, they ate on the road to save time (Anna had to feed Zoe personally since she couldn't really do it with one hand while she drove, so at least that was something amusing to get distracted by in an otherwise stressful situation), and left the sitting down to eat for dinner. After eating all those gorgeous warm meals in the caravan, going back to eating fruit, bread and cheese all day was terribly depressing. During that first dinner, the girls couldn't help but look back on the last time the five of them had spent days alone in the woods, what they had gained since then... what they had lost.

It was such a thick forest here that they couldn't see the night sky as they lay down to sleep. The amount of leaves and tree trunks kept the cold breeze off, but it was sad not to be able to see the stars. However, just a few minutes after getting dark, the forest lit up again with a million tiny circles of yellow sparks that hovered about the trees. They had seen fireflies before, but never so bright and in such large quantities. The girls watched in awe as these tiny specks of light danced all around them with flourish, style and delicacy. Nina was reminded of the inside of the Rowan tree where the fairies lived and played their music.

They met the next morning with grunts and complaints. They were out of shape for outdoor sleeping; they'd been spoiled too much.

"I can't feel its presence anymore," said Zoe, frantically moving her feet on the earth.

"It's gone??" Nina asked, feeling her spirits rise.

"No, I can still hear it," said Anna, and Nina lowered her shoulders again. "But it's muffled."

"It has to be those mountains; it must have reached them overnight," said Zoe, feeling more clearheaded and awake. She grabbed a fruit that was easy to eat with one hand and settled on the driver's seat without saying anything. Knowing there would be no sit-down breakfast, the rest of the girls followed Zoe's example. Anna sat in the front with Zoe again because she was now the only one who knew the exact location of this walking menace. If Zoe took any accidental detours, Anna would know.

So they started their second day of travel, and it was even rougher than the first. The terrain now wasn't just narrow, it was also uneven and muddy, which meant slowing down to avoid getting stuck. This forest had not seen travelers for a very long time, much less vehicles. Zoe's enjoyment of the driving decreased considerably that day. She didn't have time to be convincing the roots to let them pass easily or to harden the earth to make sure none of the wheels sank in the mud. Only snakes were having fun moving about this area.

They weren't able to make the desired progress that day because they kept having to slow down or stop altogether and push the cart. By the end of the day, everyone was cranky and exhausted. But the reason for that wasn't just the difficult journey: they were getting closer to the black mass. They could recognize its influence very well by now. They could feel it change their moods and perception of others, fogging their thoughts and emotions. How powerful was it at this point that it still managed to affect them even though it wasn't flowing through the ground anymore and making no direct contact with them? What could they do against a force like that? They were just five girls; this thing was the rage of a whole world.