After her run in with Cohen, Ara was certain that he would be her choice. But Being with Zacar again awakened her feelings for him. But for her worry, all trying sorting it out left her with was a headache.
She glanced at her other riding companion. Bomin had been to Lourel before, so at least they wouldn't get lost. They'd spent the entire first day riding hard. So determined were they to reach Lourel that they would have traveled all night. However, the darkness was so complete that they would have been blind to an enemy trap.
Ara had no trouble falling asleep that night, as she was still exhausted from the effects of the poison. She awoke feeling rested long before her companions. Knowing full well how dangerous her plan was, she wrapped her hand around her Nightstar. Cautiously, she closed her eyes and called. "Zehlin."
Her Nightstar pulled her inside, and an in descript star floated for her palm. She studied it for a moment before gathering the courage to clasp her hand around it. Immediately, she found herself in a darkened cave. Sleeping on the floor in front of her, she saw Zehlin. She crouched next to him, looking for any clue as to where he was. Stretching her soul to its limits, she wandered through the curtain into a large cave. Everything, except the person whose star she held, was warped. Nevertheless, she managed to make out the forms of sleeping Hebocks prostrate on the dirt floor. She squinted at the brightness emanated from what must have been the opening of the cave. In the distance, she saw a snow crusted mountain.
As Ara studied it to determine where the assassins were, pain assaulted every fiber of her being and she collapsed beneath it. Her muscles writhed under her skin. Drawing from Kodan, she managed a shield to protect her soul. Grunting as the pain left her, she lifted herself up in time to see Zehlin storm from his chamber, searching wildly. Ara tried releasing his star, but her fingers refused to open. She gasped at the effort, as he screamed for his other assassins.
Frantic now, Ara pried at her fingers with her free hand. She knew if the others assaulted her, they'd overpower her. A part of herself would be lost, as surely as if she'd lost a physical appendage. Arms encircled her, and Zacar's welcome soul joined her. But it wasn't enough. Then Bomin's stocky arms embraced her. Just as she felt the other assassins brush across her soul, she drudged up the strength to release him.
Finding herself in the Nightstar Realm, Ara opened her smoking hand as his cursed star flitted from her palm. Withdrawing herself from her Nightstar, Ara and all her friends fell back to the ground. She trembled to think what almost happened. Zehlin had very nearly destroyed part of her.
"That was the most fool move you ever made!" Bomin chided.
Pain radiated from Ara's hand. Lifting it, she saw a physical burn. She tried to heal it before remembering that she couldn't heal burns. There were no elements to realign, and she couldn't change the charred elements into healthy ones. Her soul was too exhausted to even draw strength to extract the heat still pulsating in the wound.
Zacar saw her grimace and forced himself up. "I might not be gifted in healing," he said as he pulled out a piece of cloth and doused it in water. "But us human's do have our way of dealing with burns." He handed the dripping cloth out for Ara.
Cradling her palm against her body, Ara sat up and took the proffered cloth. Stumbling to her feet, she swayed. Quickly, Zacar propped himself under her arm. With his support, she managed to find the herb her mother had used for burns. Not bothering to boil it and crush it, she chewed the leaves then placed it under the cloth on her palm. "I saw where they were," she said as she chewed.
Bomin and Zehlin looked up at her.
"Zehlin was asleep in a cave. I wandered away from him and saw a mountain through the entrance." Ara pointed back to their valley. "There's a mountain flanking my home. It's the same mountain."
Bomin still glowered at her.
"How else would we have known whether or not they were following us," she retorted.
"We could have found a way," Zacar offered.
Tired of their disapproval, Ara arose. She managed to throw the saddle on Kodan, but her burned palm made it difficult to tighten the cinch. After failing at doing it one handed, Zacar stepped in front of her and took over. Ara nearly argued, but decided against it. After all, she needed help
Bomin roughly grabbed her hand to survey the damage, but he could do no more for her than Zacar had. "The Gift doesn't heal burns well."
Ara ripped some cloth from the hem of her shirt. Wrapping it around her hand, she tied it off using her good hand and her teeth. Nodding her thanks to Zacar, she remounted. The bandage did little more than protect her burn from the friction of the reins and it kept slipping. Still, it was better than nothing.
Spies or rouge assassins might be lurking about, so they made their way silently. When they did speak, it was with their minds or in hushed tones. Ara had learned her lesson after Zacar's Hebocks attacked them. Now only one filled the water skins while the others watched for signs of danger.
That night, they traveled until the dark blinded them. Even the horses, whose vision was vastly superior to their own, stumbled on things hidden in blackness. When they dared go no further, two wrapped blankets over their shoulders and propped themselves up against a tree while the third took a turn at keeping watch. They didn't bother unsaddling the horses, for fear of needing to make a quick escape. Nor dared they light a fire, for who could say what evil the light would draw upon them.
When they finally left the canyon, Ara breathed a sigh of relief. Without the cover of trees, it would be much harder for the enemy to ambush them. Knowing the more distance between them and the assassins, the better; they picked their way through the sagebrush at a steady trot.
Once again, they pressed on through the night. Ara's head felt so heavy that she could barely lift it. Her eyes burned and her whole body felt exhausted. She turned to her equally weary companions. "If we don't sleep tonight, I'll be useless in any type of fight."
Both nodded, too tired to speak. Ara took the first watch; not even daring to sit down for fear of falling asleep. Instead, she paced wearily back and forth, until Kodan offered to watch the rest of the night. She usually rose before the sun. But that morning, she slept well past dawn. Finally, Zacar shook her shoulder. "We need to keep moving," he said apologetically.
Ara rubbed her bloodshot eyes. She heaved herself into the saddle—her sore bottom complaining loudly in protest—and took the breakfast he offered her. She ate while she rode and then managed to doze a little, jerking upright whenever she fell into too deep a sleep.
The grueling pace of the previous days had taken a toll on their mounts, so they walked most of the fourth day to give them a break. If they ever needed to outrun their enemy, their mounts must be fresh. But so did the riders. They stopped every night after that.
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