Unknown L (Book 1)

~ Secrets And Lies ~

Emilia wasn't kidding about not stopping for anything. They ran all through the day and night. They didn't even stop for food; Emilia would call out a new direction, and they'd follow. There wasn't much else to focus on, so L's thoughts were on Bryce while they moved. She didn't know how she'd react when they found him or what state he'd even be in. It made her stomach churn just considering it, and she had to repeatedly remind herself that he was still alive so they could handle the rest.

She forced her thoughts onto something more productive and watched their surroundings fly by. The Ogre brothers were good company, speaking in short sentences helped while they were running like a gale force wind.

L avoided eye contact with Walter as much as she could, especially at night, when he seemed to be in his element. L was almost sure he was about to change into a bat at one dramatic moment in his euphoric state. She decided not to mention it, though, so as not to spark an actual conversation with him about it or anything else for that matter.

She switched her focus once again to other things and watched the scenery around them change as they ran through the next day. L also kept her eye on Emilia; the tightening of her shoulders and the way her head whisked from side to side every few minutes. It was like she was listening to a signal that was getting fainter by the second, and L didn't like to imagine that signal as Bryce.

Folen had been silent for most of the journey. He didn't appear to be looking at anything in particular, but he seemed to be muttering something under his breath. L was about to ask what he was doing when Emilia cried out as though in pain, and L's head whipped around. Emilia stopped running abruptly and brought everyone to a halt. She was straining her neck in every direction. L moved towards her cautiously, frowning at her strange behaviour.

"Emilia, what's wrong?! Are you alright?"

"I lost it! I lost him... I can't hear or feel anything anymore! I didn't think it would happen so soon. What if..."

She left the sentence hanging, but L knew what she was going to say, and she didn't want to think about it either. Bryce couldn't be gone. Something else must have happened.

"There's probably something stopping him. He said he needed my help too, didn't he? So maybe it's a bit more than your connection, or I don't know, a bit more... Keeper-ish."

Emilia didn't look convinced, but she seemed to have finally registered that they were all looking at her in alarm or bemusement, in Walter's case. She straightened herself up, fixing her hair behind her ears as if it would help her to listen better. She straightened up and composed her expression, and L felt less panicked now. They had stopped on the verge of a vast valley. There was a small forest below and a wide river that wound through it. The sun was already setting on the bottom of the valley, but L knew it wasn't that late in the day.

"There is a strange force at work here. The ground sings with its presence." Folen spoke out of nowhere, and L turned, shocked to see him with his cheek pressed to the ground.

She looked back out over the valley, "Could it be stopping Emilia from hearing Bryce all of a sudden?" 

Folen moved to stand beside L, his expression soured, and looked wary. "I don't know, it is strong and vast... it encompasses this area entirely, from what I can tell... and even further, no doubt."

L couldn't imagine a force that strong. Could it be that Frallica found out that she's friends with Bryce and trapped him here as bait? 

"Could it be caused by Demons?" 

Folen shrugged one shoulder, "I don't know, I do not think so... it isn't good or evil. It is just mightily strong."

L looked at the others. None of them seemed to sense the same as Folen, and she glanced at Emilia.