Those Lovely Shards (BXB)

Chapter Thirty-Two

A/N: Heavy Angst Ahead. This one was a tear-jerker for me.

Neil swiped at the sweat on his brow. After chasing down a herd of Opeliums and falling into a pit, he managed to wrestle a young Opeluim down and break off a small piece of its tusk. He did it carefully to not hurt the poor creature. This meant only one item was left for him to acquire. And only seven shards of glass were left in the painting.

So, he had to focus. He shouldn't keep thinking about Dove, his reactions, or his glances. And he should ignore the uneasy feeling in his abdomen. Yes, that was the right choice.

He removed the map from his pocket and saw the location where the special herb was to be found. It was the city adjacent to the kingdom's capital, Zinambra.

He wanted to take a wagon to reach there but unfortunately, his crutches had run out and, without Dove's supplies, there was no way he could afford the travel. So, he talked to a few locals. One of the chariots was going to deliver the rations near the Capital. The owner agreed to give him a ride there but after reaching the capital he was on his own.

Neil agreed and sat in the back with all the sacks of grain. The ride wasn't quite pleasant, the roads were bumpy, and an occasional stench filled the air but it had helped Neil's cause. Around an hour later, he had reached the capital. Upon arriving, he took a shortcut through the forest to reach Zinambra. It was a twenty-minute journey by foot.

A veil of poltergeist-white mist swaddled the tranquil valley. It was eerily silent in the valley, and the reason was obvious. The deathly vapor didn't lick the valley's cold floor as the wind was known to do. Its tongue-less form wouldn't allow it to. Instead, it warped nature by using its spineless tentacles to trail around everything.

Neil traveled through the forest of malady-brown, stunted trees with twisted branches. Other than the rumbling in the sky and the crickets croaking, no other sound was heard in the desolate location.

It was a shock when darts of icy rain came spitting from the sky. They hissed and swished, shredding the veil into collars of isolated steam. Increasing in intensity, fat droplets of soaking rain purged the valley of any remaining mist. The incessant rain swelled the river, bursting its banks.

Neil ran to take shelter in a cave by the nearby lakeside.

For over an hour, he paced back and forth across the rocky floor, waiting for the rain to stop. At last, it did, and he wasted no time in heading out towards a nearby lake. He was parched, so he bent towards the river, cupping his hands to get some water.

That's when he saw his reflection, which soon transformed. It was her! He saw her staring at him from the other side of the river.

"Pia?" His voice faltered.

The lake looked dozy as it rested in the afternoon glow. A wave came by and distorted the perfect illusion Neil's mind had created. The water ebbed ever so gently. It looked at peace in its jade-green gown.

The horizon seemed to be stitched with a silver line. The seagulls squawked over his head. The rocky hollowness of the cliffs made it seem mournful and loud. It echoed at first with a doleful sound, recoiling from the cliff rock. It rebounded, and its vibration resonated in the spacious air. The bouncing and distortion of sound rang it out once more. Then it foundered and finally faded away into nothingness.

Neil inhaled a huge gulp of air. He decided to take another sip of water to quench his thirst, and as he leaned forward, he saw her again.

This time her mirage didn't fade away. She kept staring at him as he drank water.

'No, she's not here. I won't give in to this insanity.'

But the reflection wouldn't go.

"Why do I keep seeing you?" he muttered.