Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1) ✔

Chapter 46: The Free Man

Despite my wishes they'd go away, Torvald's skin remained full of black veins, even once we stepped on Orathian soil. His muscles seemed to turn bigger by the minute. The memories of the giant in front of Dahn came to mind.

Perhaps he would, too, turn into a large, inhumane beast.

The ride across the Frozen Sea took two whole days and once we finally reached the ground, we were freezing, starving and tired of each other's company. The dragon bid us farewell once he dropped us in the forests of Orathia; the strange land with unfamiliar flora and fauna. Strange creatures crossed our path as we walked over natural, tree-free pathways. Small mice with ears too big and squirrel-like tales. Birds with wing-spread twice as large as their bodies. Blue and purple bugs with snake-like heads.

The trees were different, too. Misshaped, disproportional, and emitting a fruity, overly sweet, thick smell.

Aside from the animals, a strange emptiness loomed over the land. If it was just a forest, I'd say it was quite lively and vibrant, but the ruins along the way proved otherwise. Every now and then, we'd stumble upon an empty town left in a hurry. The doors still gaped open, tools were still scattered around; shovels, rakes, axes, and even an occasional ladder.

We gathered everything we could, just in case an axe proved more useful than a sword.

"It's not as cold here." I mumbled, careful not to step on a bug.

"Abazmakiel dropped us off in the southern part." Rixen said. "The Kingdom of Orathia was situated on the southernmost peninsula. It's way colder up north."

"How long until we reach the ruined city?" Danilo asked, stepping slightly away from Torvald.

Torvald becoming... eloquent... messed up our dynamic. No one knew what to do with him, partly because we used to regard him as dim, and that's not what he was.

He knew everything about everything. He said people weren't careful around him, they talked about anything, because they were certain he couldn't understand them.

"A day or so." Rixen answered. "Uphill."

I grunted my complaints, "Why couldn't Abe drop us off there?"

"Too high." Ace murmured, flipping the pages of Ars Magica. "Soterios would have seen him flying over. It's better if he thinks we weren't able to reach Orathia."

Saying Ace turned into a madman would discredit his previous obvious insanity, but he certainly turned more restless and more demanding. Somehow, for some reason, he was certain he could save Torvald from the curse. It made him collect plants around Orathia, sacrifice tiny animals to gather their blood, and flip through pages of Ars Magica.

I approved his behaviour, because it at least meant he had a heart underneath the cold exterior, but it scared me nonetheless.

"Ace, don't you think we should rest for a moment?" I glanced at the sky, gradually turning darker as the night fell. "We'll be too exhausted to fight."

The Star of Orath rose to the night sky, illuminating Orathian peninsula like silver sun. It made Orathia seem less threatening.

"No rest for the doomed, Princess." Ace spotted a plant he liked and almost broke his ankle as he tried to climb a tree. "Floran, up you go! That pink thing, I want that."

Nickeltinker grunted his protests, but listened and jumped up the tree.

"We haven't eaten anything in days!" I complained. "I'm starving and my feet hurt. At least here we can hunt something."

"I agree." Danilo nodded. "Perhaps... uh, Torvald and I should hunt down our dinner. You can set up a fire."

Torvald stepped forward, "The boar flesh in this area is regarded as a specialty in eastern Bastia. Danilo is right, we need rest."