The Firelands

59 - The Arrow Head

2nd day of the forth Month, Worth's Moon

11:00

Boarder land in The Giant's Realm

"Oh thank you Lady Fate!" Incendio groaned as he basked in his first patch of sunlight that actually felt like sunlight in weeks.

Finally, the group had made it out of The Winter Realm in one piece, with Theth still functioning the way he was supposed to – rather than in pain or unconscious.

He still lay sprawled across the back of his horse like a war victim with white skin and tired eyes but at least he seemed to focus again when the sunlight caught up to him.

His marking stayed where it had formed, permanent and vivid and no dragon had appeared.

"Let's not do that again," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and sitting up, undoing the clasp of his cloak and shrugging it off, pinning his hair up so the sun could hit the skin at the back of his neck.

"No, though we have made good time, much quicker then going around the realm," Zedkiel said and Theth glared at him. "You also received your marking?" he added as a way of making up for it.

"Yes, and no dragon to show for it," Theth said, adjusting his gipsy-bag and swinging off his horse, leading it over to a stream as the others followed, swinging off their own horses and tugging off their winter gear.

They had walked out of The Winter Realm and into the middle of spring. All around them, the land was filled with lush heavy greenery that would eventually give way to summer plants.

Of course, this being The Giants Realm, half the plant life around them dwarfed them. The trees stretched high above their heads and the flowers that should have been down around their ankles stood at eye level.

Theth smacked an intrusive bluebell out of his face as he absently rubbed his horse's neck; the others putting their horses' winter clothing away and sitting down in patches of sunlight, feeling a type of heat they hadn't felt in a while.

Even Kalen, who had been bothered the least by the cold, left out a breath of relief at the sun.

"I'm done with the cold until next winter," he muttered.

"You mean this happens again?' Theth said, his eyes exasperated at the idea.

Kalen glanced at him. "Of course, the seasons have to keep changing. Why? Don't you get winter in the Angelic Realm?"

"If we choose to get it, which we don't, not in the Skiesfell at least, maybe in other kingdoms in the realm but not the Capital."

Kalen pursed his lips, before lying back in the grass. "Handy being able to control the weather."

"I suppose," Theth said, opening his bag and reaching into it to find his water bottle. He frowned, searching around for it, sticking his entire arm down into the little bag before he finally yanked it out and looked at it.

It was empty.

He sighed, frowning; he didn't remember finishing the water. He should have still had half a bottle in there, had it leaked?

"Kalen," he said. The vampire looked up and Theth tossed the bottle over to him.

Catching it, Kalen opened the top and pressed his palm at the mouth. Water poured from his palm, filling the bottle in a few moments. Putting the lid back on, Kalen threw the water back and settled down again and – after taking a few mouthfuls – Theth returned the bottle to his bag, careful to make sure it was upright.