The Age of Aquarius

Chapter twenty-four

Chapter 24

It had been sunshine when they left the airport, but only an hour later the sky was a deep shade of grey and small droplets of water hit Bonnie's arm as she stepped out from the taxi.

Even without the golden hue that had followed the tails of the car for their entire drive, the landscape was breathtaking. As the wind lifted her hair from her cheeks, the smell of fresh grass and fauna blew over her like a wave, leaving a chill on her skin.

"Wow," she mumbled, eyes following the sweeping curves of the hills. "This place is beautiful. It feels like we're a thousand miles from anyone."

"It was thousands of miles from anyone," Kimaris answered with a clear of his throat. "That was the point. Somewhere that was only connected to nature."

The sound of a suitcase hitting the ground startled Bonnie, and she and Kimaris turned to stare at the gold threaded bag.

"Gremory the flight was literally under an hour and we're away for a night at most, what exactly do you have in there?" Bonnie looked to Kimaris for an answer, but he only sighed and turned away from the two of them, bending down to give cash to the driver.

"Is it now a crime to have things?" Gremory huffed, setting it back on its feet and brushing the material with the back of his hand. "I'm unsure in which century they made that decision, but I assure you I was not on this realm when they did."

Bonnie shook her head, smiling at his words.

"Let's get moving before anyone else thinks to ask us questions," Kimaris said, glancing towards the taxi that was still unmoving. As the driver's curious eyes peered out the window, Bonnie quickly turned and began walking, following Kimaris' large strides that were already metres ahead.

"What did you tell him?"

"Hey, guys! Wait, wait—for the love of aphrodite these wheels are not good quality."

Rolling his eyes at Gremory's plead, Kimaris shrugged his shoulders and surveyed the landscape that was slowly coming into view the higher up the hill they travelled.

With a huffed breath Bonnie stepped up beside him.

"I told him that Gremory is a photographer, and that's his kit in the bag."

"Smart. What did you say about us?"

Kimaris' mouth tilted, and Bonnie felt her spine straighten as his eyes moved over to her. The rush that overtook her made her throat close.

"I told him we were getting engagement photos."

Without a second he kept walking, leaving Bonnie in dumbfounded silence and staring at the space he had just occupied.

How had he said it so calmly?

"Oh, thanks for waiting for me Bonnie," Gremory's familiar grin appeared, breaking her from her spiralling thoughts. "It's a stunning place, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah!" she quickly smiled before pretending to look out over the horizon too. "It's magical."

"Well, here's hoping."

She smiled softly at Gremory's response, his words bringing her back down to reality. They were here to summon Amdusias—well; she was here to summon Amdusias. Or at least try.

It was hard to miss the small shake in Gremory's voice, even with human ears Bonnie could hear it.

As their feet continued to crunch the long grass underneath them, she took in the old structures around them.