Nightly Mirage

12. Find the Way

Liryl had recognized that voice even before she turned around, despite the long time passed since she last heard it. Besides, there were not many people on the eastern side of the Great Barrier who knew both her and her native tongue. And yet, this knowledge did little to ease her nerves.

The warrior's eyes, which she remembered as green and bright as a forest under the sunlight, were dyed black like two grim pits of darkness. And the touch of her hand was as cold as a patch of ice.

Liryl figured that the other nymph was under the effects of a spell, even though he could not imagine what it was. But merely gazing into that impenetrable darkness was enough to terrify her.

The girl instinctively tried to wriggle free, but the warrior tightened her hold.

"Follow me, now," she told her in a whisper. "And don't let go, no matter what."

Liryl had no idea of what was going on, but the firm tone of the other nymph, as well as the trust she still had in her, overcame her fears for the moment. Without looking back, she let the warrior lead her through the narrow and empty alleys of Yolara. She had no idea of where they were now or where they were going. But the other nymph was moving with such confidence that she probably could have followed that path even with her eyes closed.

Eventually they arrived in a small plaza, barely lightened by the moon rays. The warrior let go of her and leaned against the closest wall. Liryl did not recognize the place – there were dozens of squares like this one throughout the city, with a well surrounded by rundown houses. However, even if they had not walked a long way, the warrior looked inexplicably exhausted.

"What's wrong?" Liryl asked in concern to the other nymph. "Why did you bring me all the way here?"

"I'm fine," the warrior reassured her, wiping her sweaty forehead with her hand while trying to catch her breath. "Rather, did you have any idea of how many people were following you?"

Liryl's bewildered face probably expressed her dismay more than her words ever could.

"Ever since you came back in town with your friend, at least three people have been posted outside your house, day and night," the warrior explained. "Thankfully, they can't see through my invisibility spell, or we would have never managed to lose them. Even so, though, it's only a matter of time before ..."

"Wait," the girl interrupted her, puzzled. "Do you mean that you, too, have been watching over me, for all this time?"

The other nymph nodded. "Since you came back in Yolara, yes. It's been your avian friend who begged me to do so – even if, to be honest, I think I did it more to avoid finding out what he would have done if I didn't accept."

Her memory of Atorak – and the thought that he, too, could now be in town – made Liryl's heart skip a beat. But what left her even more confused was what the warrior said after mentioning her bird-like friend.

As far as she could remember, the other nymph had never given Atorak much consideration. Why, then, would the other nymph do him such a favor? Did it mean, perhaps, that the two of them had met during the two years since she lost sight of them? Liryl soon realized that there were too many questions left unanswered, and too little time for seeking out those answers now.

"I thank you for what you did," she murmured, bowing out of gratitude. "But there's a place where I need to go, now." However, as soon as she turned, the warrior's hand once again grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?"

The other nymph's question left Liryl genuinely surprised, given how used she was to thinking that the warrior was always fully aware of the situation. Nevertheless, she saw no reason not to answer honestly.