Escaping Astren

Chapter Twenty Nine

It was quite late in the day by the time Eldrazi was nudged out of sleep by the toe of a boot in their side. He could tell the second Gavin opened their eye to glance up at Selatan, and then a sky still dark.

Or maybe it was just clouded. Eldrazi scooched them up into a more upright position, tongue flicking out to get a better hint of it all. Again their throat was coated in Dust, flaky and caustic in a way that made them both want to vomit, and the smell of the sky only made it worse. What had once been a blue blocked by a barrier of ashen grey was now much darker, a midnight blue that nearly hid the rings orbiting Esternia.

Something about it made their stomach twist in fear, and frantically, Eldrazi went to look at the sun, because they could do that now. It didn't even sting as he stared at it: a hazy ball of reddish pink through the veil of Dust. Yet, it certainly wasn't colder out. If anything, it was a terribly warm day for the nearing of Elder's Season, and Eldrazi removed their cloak as their blood grew uncomfortably warm.

"Selatan, is it just me, or..."

The teen shook his head, gathering up the last few camping supplies into his bag before hauling it over his shoulder. "No. It definitely got worse."

"Yeah. Drastically so." Eldrazi cast the Dust one final glance before turning to the other two, all set to go.

"The End is coming! Astren will blot out the sun; the fire will rise! The realms will collapse and all will die!"

The echo of Tachir's final warning made him freeze, but as Aoife called for Gavin to follow, he shook it off, trailing after them to follow down the mountainside, where the walk wasn't so steep. Because granted, it was ominous and all, but Tachir' had always been raving mad, constantly blabbering about things that made no sense, and beyond that, simply untrue. The last several lives she'd ranted about how he was the bringer of the Dust, and if him now trying to wipe off his tongue with ever-blackening hands wasn't an indication, he hated the stuff. Really, if she wanted to blame him for things, he felt as if he'd done plenty on his own to warrant that. Why not come after him for all the lovely crimes he had actually committed as opposed to a ridiculous one that he had no part in? That was no fun.

"So you're not worried about her warning?"

Hm?

Perhaps it was because he'd been caught up in his own thoughts, but he hadn't noticed Gavin's tense knot of worry until he'd spoken. That meant it was his job to relax more, calm down so that too, could be shared with him through the bond. O' course not. Why would I? Lassie said that Astren was gonna blot out the sun, and I shouldn't 'ave to point out that that's just the Dust. Same as ever, just worse.

Yet for as much as he was explaining that to the boy, apparently his answer wasn't good enough because he was still continuing to think, tongue running soundless circles in a mouth wet from tears he was choosing to swallow rather than shed. A wave hit Eldrazi's consciousness, a cold, wary, desperate feeling. "So everything Tachir' said about you spreading the Dust..."

Eldrazi's eye shot open, enough to even cause the other to ache with another throbbing reminder. She's a liar! I already said I 'ave no clue what she meant by that. Do you not trust me?

Gavin was quiet, lips pressing tight.

Eldrazi gave an exasperated sigh. You can't let 'er get into your head, Gav. She just wants to tear us apart.

It took a while, but finally Gavin nodded, the tense feeling relaxing, but only slightly as their chin ducked to their chest. "All right. I'm sorry. It's just been a very drastic week, and I still don't know what to feel, or how much."