Beyond The River

SHADOWS & DARKNESS

Louis' POV:-

Once we return to the camp site, I lay down the canteens I had take with me to refill with water. I didn't mind doing the work, not when my other option was to send Hensley with Kirigan, or to wait for my soldiers to wake up.

The idiots still hadn't woken up.

I place the canteens down, and walk towards the horses attached to the supply wagons, and start taking out the ration. Kirigan is by my side before I even pull out the first basket of apple. Together we both carry out the needed supplies for four people. Since there was no guarantee as to when my men would wake up, we weren't going to freeze their food out here in the cold.

I take a bread, an apple and a lump of cheese along with my food and settle myself beside her. I push her food into her lap. She blinks, as if pulling herself out of a deep train of thought. Then she blinks at me once, twice at her food, before looking towards Hensley, who was given his food by Kirigan.

Hensley was already looking at her, fucker did that a lot, I had noticed during the whole ride.

All four of us eat in silence, and at some point Kirigan builds up a fire. Even though the risk of wild animals getting attracted to us was high, we couldn't weather the cold either, not with our wet clothes after the stupid rain.

Once we're finished, Kirigan and Hensley arrange for the sleeping bags to be around the fire. And I give Kirigan the first watch.

Leala suddenly asks Kirigan to take her into the woods so she can see to her needs, and before I can step in, Kirigan already starts walking her towards the thickly packed trees.

And as they wander out of sight, I do nothing but stare and stare into the fire. 

There was something, I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but there was a difference. I could feel it, the very wind was different, it's howling was almost like a language, I could almost understand it. Almost.

And yet I couldn't understand why I had this feeling, right in the centre of my chest, this feeling like something was eating me up from the inside. 

I didn't like it. Didn't like it at all. 

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Leala's POV:- 

I wait until we're out of earshot to whisper to him, "When we came to Shadowfen all that time ago, there was a woman with you, an immortal, like.... like my mother." 

He smiles at me, kindly. And I hate him for it.

"Her name is Aurora, and yes, she was indeed like your mother, an immortal with magical abilities. Though your people are called Deus and Deusa." He says, his voice low enough to not be carried on wind.

I listen to what he says, they had a name, my mother's people, my- my family had a name. They were an entire people, a race. They had a name.

The thoughts run through me, one after the other, strong enough to sweep me off my feet, I feel dizzy suddenly, even though I had just had food. 

"I saw her, in my- during the- " I didn't know how to phrase it, that I saw her when I was dead. Was all of that a dream? A vision maybe? or were those memories? But they weren't mine- God my head is pounding.

He understood what I meant anyways, and said,

"Yes, she was there with me, she offered to help you the moment I told her about everything." He says, with a sad smile on his face. 

I don't even know why I was having this conversation, I didn't know or understand anything.

"Is she still alive?" I ask carefully.