Visions of Love and Heroes

Chapter 12

I wasn't sure how long we lingered at the shore. Water lapped at my feet as Theo's breaths came in steady pants. My body ached and I wanted nothing more than to let myself sink into the cool mud and let it soothe all my pains away.

Eventually, I heard the dragon lift off. Strong muscles rippled through its wings as it flew to the sky. It circled for some time as if checking to see if we would dare to cross back to the dragons' lands. I had been right to assume it would not dare harm us on Elvish Territory.

When it finally left, I let out a deep sigh, letting some of the tension leave my body. I glanced over at Theo. He lay spread out on his back, unconscious. I sat up, brushing against Theo's still burning body, every muscle protesting. I took in my surroundings.

Everything about Alfhaven was lush and green. Even the rocky edge of the mountains were covered in trees and moss, the humid air likely making them treacherous and slick. Despite having come from the Unclaimed Lands, I felt the warmth the minute we crossed over, the air switching from ashy and hot to thick and steamy. It was like an unseen barrier separated our land from theirs.

It was wrong and unnerving. Still, I could not deny its beauty.

Wildflowers burst up from the soil, vivid among the greenery, creating a rainbow of colours across the landscape. Birds called in the trees, exchanging a lilting melody. In the bushes beside the river there was a rustle. I saw a glimpse of a long nose, large ears, and a red-striped bushy tail as something skittered away into the trees.

I let out a deep sigh, wishing I could stay on the ground forever, and pushed to my feet. My arms protested as I hooked them under Theo, and pulled him out of the water. 

I searched the rocky base of the mountains as we made our slow progress. With Theo unconscious, it was slow tedious work. I had to keep stopping to rest, my body simply unable to continue on without it. As I went, I looked for a place covered from view. I was lucky when I neared a gap in the rocks, seeing a shallow cave underneath them. It was not so deep that I had to worry about what lurked within, but deep enough it would shelter us from any storms and hide us from whatever lurked beyond.

I knew little about what lived in the lands of the elves, but I wasn't eager to find out. Being in a part of the country mostly unoccupied, I had no doubts dangerous things would make their homes here.

With one last final push of strength, I laid Theo gently on the cave floor, using my balled-up coat as a pillow for him. Because we had fled so abruptly, we had left our bags with the fleeing horses. All we had now were the clothes on our back, and the thrumming crystal at my chest, and the few weapons that had been on Theo's body, mostly just a few hunting knives. 

I was in nothing but a ripped and singed shirt and trousers, most of my undershirt peeking through. Sweat beaded my skin, and I wasted little time on worrying about my appearance. Once I made Theo as comfortable as I could, I set off to search the surrounding area of our cave.

Though I was somewhere foreign, not everything I had seen had been unrecognizable. Many goods crossed the borders of Cascadia with elvish merchants. Things that aided magework and were strong with naturally imbued aether. Brea herself had used many elvish plants and tinctures in her potions, and I had studied many elvish plants.

Finding the exact things I needed would be unlikely. But I had to try. For Theo.

He'd saved my life. Again. Now it was time for me to save his.

The ground was slick, the rising sun hot on my neck. I don't know how long I searched. More of the fox-tailed creatures rustled in the bushes, their eyes a sharp green that left me unsettled, like something more than animal lurked within.