CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 17 - Part 3

The rest of the day was spent setting up a small camp, finding dry firewood, and sheltering from the heat that raged on the plain. They used the remains of some abandoned tents and took their places around one of the nearby extinguished fires. With the arrival of the afternoon, the heat seemed to decrease, and a slight breeze brought freshness to the shade of the tents.

Camiel and Aran lit the fire, and Hyon took care of preparing the evening meal with the game offered by Iak.

"Why that invisible barrier?" Elidana asked during dinner. Fez hadn't spoken the whole time, but he continued to clench the bolt and contort his face.

"That's why Dremis is the safest place on the continent," Hyon replied.

"I really don't think our arrival will be well received," Camiel said.

Marmorel held out a slice of apple to Poncee and smiled as he devoured it. "What are those things?" she asked. "They weren't even human."

"Miria and Elena: the first priestesses of Dormin. Devoted to the point of dedicating both life and death to him. He himself transformed them into beings of energy, putting them in charge of protecting the city."

"Why?" Cora asked.

"Their story has now been lost in the myths and legends of these old mountains. Now they live inside the stone, on the brink between eternity and our world."

Aran kicked the dirt. "Will we continue to camp out here until that damn Vega tracks us down?"

"We'll try again tomorrow. Now, please, grant me a night of rest." Hyon stood up, paused to straighten his back, and walked towards one of the tents.

"I'll keep watch. If someone comes, I don't want to be caught off guard," Camiel said. He looked like he needed more rest than the others. "And then, with such a clear sky, we can better enjoy the stars." He nodded to the others and dragged himself a few steps away towards the stacked wood.

"What's wrong with him?" Marmorel asked, bewildered. "He's been like this since we left."

"Hyon told me it's the effects of the oath he took in front of the other Hozmans. It won't be a great show, at least until he returns to his land," Elidana explained.

Cora looked at Aran, who was staring at the fire. "Hey, you should be more calm with those two..."

"What did you call him?" the young Allet asked him. "The bloody Hozman? Remind me because I've already forgotten."

Cora turned red. "He saved us!"

"I know, but it doesn't mean we have to take their choices as gold!" Aran stood up. "Rather than stay there waiting for them to tell you what to do, speak loudly! I may have been rude, but at least I have enough sense to understand that even they are not sure of their actions. We could be in Meliro... or Farendal, safe. Act in some way, but we're here waiting to be devoured by those tigers or who knows what." He too retired to a tent, with Marmorel following him.

Cora snorted and kicked the ground. "Let's end it here for tonight," he muttered. "I'm going to sleep."

In his bed, he couldn't fall asleep. Lying down, Cora stared at the sky, at the stars that shone through the holes in the tent. It was the first time he could spend the night alone, without Fez's kicks or Aran's slaps. A silence that brought to mind all the memories of the past weeks and stirred up a sense of guilt that he had not been able to overcome.

Elidana moved the fabric. "May I?" she asked.

Cora sat up and nodded. "If you wait a moment, I'll go look for a pebble that's worth giving you, I'm sorry for these days," he said.