The Last Goddess

Chapter Twenty-One: Love Birds

Samara

"Hey, Aryan?" I called, watching him as he walked just ahead of me.

"Yeah?" he barely glanced back at me as he replied.

"We're really close to the village now, right?"

"Mhm." He nodded. "That's right. Why?" he turned to look at me, his cat-like amber eyes in slits. "Don't get any smart ideas about speeding up. I don't need you bleeding out on me."

I tried to hide my smile at his concern. "No, it's not that. It's just... don't you think you would be less conspicuous if you put your glamour back on?"

"What?" he looked down at his arms before sighing deeply and looking at the sky. "Dammit."

"Of course, I don't mind if you leave it off. It's just, if I'm remembering correctly, you said it made it easier to get through the day. Or... does it not matter because we're going to a Jauni village?"

"No," he stopped to look at me, his glamour coming over his beautiful burgundy-purple skin in waves. "It matters. Especially, in a Jauni village. Hell, especially in this one."

"Why, especially in this one?"

Aryan seemed baffled by my query. "Didn't I tell you? The Jauni village with all the goats is Soren's. He created those Jauni and they are fiercely loyal to him." He looked up like he was thinking about something. "It'd be really commendable if they weren't so quick to rat us out. And believe me, they will rat us out to Soren if they discover we're who he's looking for."

"Well," I started slowly, walking side-by-side with my guide. "I suppose that does put some things into perspective."

We walked on for another twenty minutes before coming to a fork in the path.

"This... looks really familiar." I told Aryan. "I think I've seen this in one of my visions."

"Guess that means we're on the right track." He tilted his head to the path on the left. "The path on this side will bring us right into the village." He started to head that way, but I placed my hand on his forearm to stop him.

"No," I shook my head, looking down the path to the right. "They won't meet in the village. It would be too dangerous for the both of them."

"So, where the hell are they going to meet?"

"This way," I said, walking down the opposite path. I closed my eyes, remembering the way. "They'll want to leave by nightfall tonight, and... they'll want to meet up somewhere they feel safe." After a few minutes on the road, I detoured deeper into the forest where it looked like scarcely a person had stepped.

Everything about the way we went was straight out of my vision. The white barked trees with lovely and large violet leaves were everywhere, and while the path to their secret ravine was unmarked by a road, I knew exactly where to step. Soon, we could see an opening and hear the sound of the river rushing by.

I smiled. "It's just as lovely in the daytime."

The starch white rocks that surrounded the river were nearly blinding in the sunlight, but the purple leaves gave a bit of a reprieve as they blocked some of the light that would come down into the ravine. After a moment, I saw the snowy boulder that Ethan and Ailia often sat on, and steered Aryan to that spot.

I leaned against the rock, looking at my very alert companion. He had a deep frown on his face like this place was something he detested. "Is something the matter?"