Solivagant

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The cold was excruciating.

Asher awoke sprawled across the rocky ground, head twisted to the side, one arm stretched out before him. He dug his shaking fingers into the dry dirt, gathering the earth into his fist. A bitter wind clawed past, tugging his hair out of his eyes. Asher shivered and tucked his legs to his chest, wrapping his free arm around his knees. Something heavy shifted across his shoulders, and some cloth bunched up beneath his shin. Confused, he dared to open his eyes.

Darkness, freezing and impenetrable, greeted him. Dim starlight adorned the dead leaves above; it illuminated nothing else. A cloak, thicker than the one Asher already wore, had been flung over him. He tugged the wool closer, curling up tighter as a wave of ice shot through his veins. Every shadow, every movement sent a pang of terror through his heart.

"Welcome back."

Asher stiffened and turned his head. Rivas was sitting against a tree mere feet away, knees drawn up under his chin in an oddly vulnerable position. Shadows clung to the man's cloak, as if trying to consume him.

"H-hi." Another chill broke through Asher, worse than before. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying and failing to summon the strength to sit up. When he found his voice again, the words were hardly even a whisper. "I feel so cold."

"I know." Rivas glanced around them; with a start, Asher realized that the Valkir was shivering, too.

"What..." An image of the Raek flashed across Asher's mind, its broken body half hidden in the shadow of a tree. A curse flew from his mouth, and he struggled onto one elbow. "Saev, w-where is it? Wh—"

"Stop." Rivas reached out, resting one hand on his shoulder. Asher flinched and met the Valkir's eyes, heart pounding in his ears. "It's gone."

"No," Asher panted, his gaze roving between the trees. "I can feel it."

"Raek twist the magic around them. Being too close to one... well, the affected magic clings to us. The effects will fade. Eventually." A tremor ran through Rivas' arm, though his expression remained carefully neutral.

"Where are the others?" Asher asked after a long moment, looking around again. It was too dark; he could hardly see more than a few feet in every direction. "Where are we?"

A few flames flickered to life around Rivas' other hand; he held up his arm, allowing the light to cut through the shadows. Asher followed the man's gaze to Idris, crumpled beneath a tree some distance away. Her hair was strewn about her face; her cloak was tucked around her shoulders. She seemed to be deeply asleep, though her breathing was quick and shallow.

"It nearly caught her," Rivas explained. The flames died, and darkness drenched the forest once more. Rivas' shoulders drooped, as if the fire had burned up all of his energy. "But she'll be fine. Kain is scouting the rest of this place. And we haven't gone anywhere. It's only been about twenty minutes."

Asher gnawed at his lip. "Are there more of those... those things?"

"No. I'd know."

Eyeing the forest, Asher dared to relax a little. Then he realized that Rivas' hand was still on his shoulder. "Don't touch me," he hissed, glaring at the Valkir.

Rivas blinked and released him. Asher let out a shaky breath, his attention drifting to the blackened sky. The wind picked up again; he wearily sunk to the ground and tucked his head into his arms, burying his face into the makeshift blanket. He felt like a child, but at least it gave him some warmth.

With a harsh cry, a bird darted between two trees above. Rivas jumped; Asher cried out, raising his arms above his head in a weak attempt to protect himself. With a sudden flash of light and warmth, fire roared to life around Asher's hands. He gasped and jerked upright, nearly toppling into Rivas, his fear momentarily forgotten as the flames licked harmlessly at his cloak.