The Laws of Paxia

30. Icy Wind

Chapter Thirty

Icy wind

  I feel powerful. It’s not just the feel; it’s the huge knowingness that grabs me whenever I connect to the world. The threat I felt at Crest when I first was here is just a bad memory. They’re more like angry little ants now and I can even control Noelie. I know how this planet spins now. I have been here for a few weeks and the training I’m going through is something that I wish I would have gotten back in Paxia.

  I’m jumping around the sandy coloured bricks of stone and enjoy the view over the muddy desert below this mountain. I’m almost at the highest point and I’m glad that most of the snow has melted. It’s still freezing cold, but the fur I wear is warm enough to keep my limbs going. I’m wearing the Danglers. I’m getting better at enduring the exercise now. I have put a lot of effort into my physical training and the brutal men here doesn’t care if I fall behind. It’s a challenge I thrive in. I’m not surprised that I like it.

  The women are a little more helpful. That’s why I’m so happy I was assigned to go with another woman during this expedition. Hea is ahead of me, but she always checks back to make sure I don’t get out of her sight. She wants me to improve and gave me a lot of tips how to survive this environment. I’m just grateful that I end up with a guide whenever I go through the worlds.

Her long yellow hair is braided from one side to the other and falls down over her chest down to her hips. Her rosy lips are always carrying a mischievous grin that’s rare among the population here. She’s a troublemaker and I like that. She’s cool even if she still sees me as a kid.

  Her fur is a lot thinner than mine. It’s soft and grey. She got it from when she hunted down a rare cat and takes great pride in wearing it as a trophy. I’m not sure what to feel about wearing fur, vegetarian as I have become. I do know where to find these cats, but I’m not going to tell anyone that fact. They’d kill them off faster than a heartbeat and there aren’t too many of them, maybe around twenty.

  I’m not sure what I can offer to the world of Crest. They seem to be okay on their own as long as they are left alone from the rest of the world. They see the permanent rainbow in the sky as something disturbing. Their attitude is helping me stay modest.

  In reality I don’t feel very old. I was supposed to start college around now and start my life. Instead a future was pushed into my hands and I’m supposed to grow up early. Paxia made me hard, but it also broke me down mentally. Florem opened up my eyes for the beauty in the world that’s worth living for. Crest was only a pain the last time I was here. I was a prisoner in my own room and constantly hassled by the Petals. Now I can appreciate the good parts of Crest.

  The journey so far prepared me for this kind of training. Paxia taught me to never give up, Crest taught me patience and Florem taught me to be happy with what I have at the moment. Something I’m not happy with is my physical health. I hoped to have achieved more by now. I just have to take one step at a time and not cheat. I can’t depend on Tarih in case I lose the necklace again.

  Hea is scouting the area for predators and I hold back my comment that we’re safe for now. She needs her routine in order to survive out here. She points to the wet stoneground and I fall down panting next to her. She barely broke a sweat, but I am really starting to think that her fur is the reason behind that. No wonder they want to kill those cats.

  “We’re late,” she says not too concerned.

  “We’ll make it.”

  I pull up my bottle and let the ice-cold water quench my thirst. It sends shivers through my body and I hold back a moan as I put the bottle back into my small bag. The wind feels colder when I don’t move and the sweat on my back is already drying. I’m tired but I know Hea won’t allow us to rest more than a few minutes. My test is to make it from the castle to the outpost on top of the mountain, using all hours of daylight. There’s no shortcut and the way up is just getting rougher.