Of Starlight and Ashes

Chapter Four

I was glad to be outside Gratia with the breeze wafting from the forest instead of the town. I could smell trees and plants and dirt and the faintest trace of animals, instead of the disgusting smell of rot and death. I could hear the heavy feet of a horse and someone walking from the gates of the city, but I knew who it was before they even said a word.

"She'll get you wherever you want to go," came the cold voice of Zeno's mother, her tone filled with warning. "Her name's Snowstorm." There was a short pause. "I expect you gone before sunset, and to not return. Forget this place. All you'll bring is trouble for us. We don't need it." I turned to look her in her dark brown eyes and nodded slowly. I knew she was just worried, about her family and future, and I appreciated that.

"I don't want to cause trouble," I promised. I eyed the young white mare she had brought along. She looked strong and swift, but her head pulled back every few moments, and she looked around skittishly. If Niyx could tame a wild horse, I could tame this one. "Thank you for your help." Zeno's mother held the reins out to me and managed a small smile as if trying to part on better terms than we were. But it didn't matter. I was going to head towards the ocean, away from all the people and worries.

"Take care, Silver Eyed," she told me, her tone genuine. "But be warned, the rumour of the rebels looking for a Silver Eyed is just that, a rumour. Those with Silver Eyes are supposed to be myths." I nodded and took the leather reins slowly. I'd keep what she said in mind, and if I ever came by Zeno again I'd tell him he was wrong.

The moment I took the reins, Zeno's mother turned on her heel and began to trek back towards the rotting town, her heavy steps slowly dying away to nothing more than the patter of a heartbeat. I turned to the mare and placed my hand on her soft cheek and stroked it.

"It's just us," I said aloud. "You and me, Snowstorm." The horse made a disgruntled noise and pulled against the reins, but I held fast. "Calm down. It's alright. I won't hurt you."

"She's an anxious one," came the familiar voice of Zeno. I turned to find Zeno perched atop a sand coloured horse, it's nose, mane and tail dipped with black. How did he sneak up on me like that? "It'd help if you offered her an apple." He chucked me a green, slightly squishy apple but I offered it to the mare nonetheless. While Snowstorm ate the apple cautiously, I turned back to Zeno with a suspicious look. I hadn't even heard his horse's hooves. I hadn't even smelt the two of them. And what was he even doing here?

"Thanks," I said. Now that I noticed them, I could smell the dirt-type of smell the horse was emitting, and the smell of freshly baked goods. Zeno had a dark cloak on and he was grinning ear to ear. That look on his face reminded me so much of Niyx. "You're not supposed to be coming with me! We agreed!"

"No," he replied with a smirk, much the same as Nero would often disagree. "You agreed, and then left. I never agreed. And I'm coming with you. I don't care if you think you're strong enough to go alone or not. I want to leave this place before I'm stuck with Sage for the rest of my life." I sighed and nodded. I supposed having someone along for the journey may make it a bit more enjoyable... and safe. He reminded me of my lost siblings, and that in itself made me feel a little more ok. And Zeno had food, the smell of which made my stomach rumble with hunger. How long had it been since I last ate? I hadn't even noticed before. I was distracted by fear and wonder. But now, it caught up with me and I was beginning to feel a bit faint.

"Alright," I succumbed playfully, albeit reluctantly. "But I want a share of that food you have. It smells absolutely delicious." Zeno grinned and nodded ecstatically.

"Let's get going and we'll eat as we ride," he told me. I eyed Snowstorm warily and moved to mount her. She let out a worried huff but didn't move. I winced in sympathy. It was bad enough getting onto her, let alone having someone climb on your back. But I hoisted myself up despite that and settled myself on the worn saddle. With the amount of cloth my skirts provided, I barely felt the saddle. And then I pushed her into a trot and headed due west away from the town and into the ever-thickening forest.

"Alright, hand over the food," I demanded teasingly, grinning at Zeno. He stared at me for a second before shaking his head.

"You're so strange," he muttered as he pulled out a bundle wrapped in cloth. It smelt like fresh bread and something else I couldn't quite distinguish. He unwrapped the bundle and passed me a soft roll, taking one for himself and biting straight into it. He didn't look pleased with the bread, but he wasn't disgusted either. I looked back to my own bread and sniffed it slightly. The aroma of yeast and flour hit my nose and I frowned at it. It smelt nothing like the rolls I was used to eating at home. These smelled... different. "So where are we headed, Celaena?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted, looking up at him. "I suppose we just venture on and see what happens?" Zeno looked ahead of us thoughtfully while I took a bite of the bread. No wonder Zeno didn't look completely happy with it, it was as sour as bread could be. It couldn't hold the smallest candle to the extravagant bakery goods we were served at home. But the moment it landed on my tongue, my stomach rumbled a desperate sound of hunger and I quickly finished the bread in three big bites. It didn't do much for my hunger, but it was enough to keep me going. I already missed the large hot meals we had always had.

"Don't you want to go home?" Zeno finally asked. His question weighed heavily down on me as I thought of the best way to reply. It was true, home was waiting for me. My sibling would be worried, my mother would be watching from the window for my return, and my father would be planning war on those who had separated my siblings and I. There were banquets to be had, books to be read, silk gowns to try on and soft beds to sleep in. But I didn't want to go back. This was my first taste of freedom, and the world outside wasn't the terrifying dystopia father had said it would be. It wasn't filled with monsters and dangers around every corner. It was filled with beauty and wonder and new people to meet! I wanted to at least see some of the world before returning home.

"Not yet," I replied simply, pushing Snowstorm into a canter. Zeno didn't reply but instead pushed his own steed into a canter and we decidedly raced down the dirt trail.

***

We had only been riding for a few hours before I noticed the sun setting. The forest was thrown into long shadows and the noises of night creatures, and I could feel the chill of night on the air. But I wasn't afraid. I couldn't say the same for Zeno, whose shoulders had been tensed since the forest had begun to darken. But he continued to ride on with a stubborn expression. Despite the obvious creepiness of the darkening forest, I didn't think it was possible for me to feel freer. Maybe Niyx had been right to want out of those walls. So far, I hadn't come across anything dangerous, and I was having the time of my life. If only my siblings were here with me.

"What's wrong?" Zeno asked, his eyes meeting mine for the briefest second before looking around us.

"Nothing," I replied in a whisper. I'm not sure why I was whispering, but something had put me on edge. "Do you sense something?" Zeno didn't reply but his frown deepened. We didn't dare stop, and as the darkness took over the forest, we didn't even dare speak.

The strange sense of being followed and watched continued late into the night, and even though both Zeno and I were so completely exhausted, we didn't dare to stop a rest. Sometimes I could swear I could hear the slightest movement behind me, or could smell the slightest tang of something different. But what I kept hearing was behind us, and the wind was flowing from ahead of us.

In retrospect, I was more than sure that it was just my fear that was putting me on edge because as the night went on nothing attacked us or crossed our path. And as the sun began to rise again, the worrying sense disappeared.

A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I realise this seems like a boring chapter but I promise I'm going somewhere with this!