Also, sorry about this chapter. It needs to be edited a lot, but I just can't deal with it right now. I messed with it a little, but I can see it needs a lot more work.. Ah, well, hopefully the next chapters will be better.
Previously- After Celeste froze her attacker Cormack, the two of them escaped, and Joshua took them to a burrow he had found a while ago, and there they stayed to recover. While there, Celeste used her magic again.
The next few days passed surprisingly
quickly. Joshua and occasionally Celeste would cautiously venture outside to
wash up or let the horses stretch their legs or collect herbs for the salve
that had already almost completely healed their wrists. Joshua had even shaved.
They still had food for several days thanks
to the Korelians’ supplies, but Joshua scavenged mushrooms that he put into a
pot with other herbs and some of their meat to create a surprisingly delicious
soup one night.
As they recovered, the small hut made Celeste
a little uneasy. She wanted open space and fresh air. Noticing her growing
melancholy, Joshua collected some sticks about the size of swords, shaped them
a little with the dagger, and tossed one to Celeste, telling her that they were
going to spar. She was reluctant at first, but the energy and familiarity of
sparring rejuvenated her. She quickly began instigating their sparring matches,
and they’d snarl, then laugh as they whacked each other on the arms, legs, and
torso.
To occupy the time when they weren’t sparring
or sleeping, Celeste practiced her magic.
Capturing the right emotions through which she could funnel her power
wasn’t easy, but she was slowly learning how. For instance, water magic was controlled
with cool, calm thoughts; fire magic could be manipulated with anger or
surprise or determination; she stirred a breeze underground when she thought of
freedom. The only magic she had yet to figure out was earth magic. She had
tried being out in nature and thinking of growing; she had tried touching the ground
and thinking of energy or hard work or relaxation or awe, but nothing seemed to
work. Celeste was beginning to believe she had no earth magic.
On the sixth day, she sat by the fire with her
eyes closed and thought of riding Nutmeg through a green valley, neither
knowing where she was going, nor caring as she felt the wind through her hair.
Celeste’s mouth curled as a cool swirl of air drifted through the cave. She
grasped hold of that emotion and tilted her head the right, sending the air
dancing that way with a thought. The breeze swirled to the left as Celeste
directed it. The air hit a form, and she recognized the outline as Joshua. She
opened her eyes, smiling, to find him standing in front of her, his hair mussed
from her wind.
“Hello to you too,” Joshua spoke as he ran
his fingers through his hair, trying to return it to a more manageable state.
Celeste snickered, “sorry.”
“Of course you are,” Joshua deadpanned, which
only elicited another laugh from Celeste.
“I’m glad my dishevelment could bring you
happiness this morning,” Joshua continued.
“Of course you are,” Celeste mimicked, and
Joshua tried not to smile.
When Celeste succeeded in calming herself,
Joshua informed her, “I’m going outside to fill the bucket with water and see
if I can find any more edible mushrooms near here. I won’t be gone long, but,
of course, stay here and be careful.” Celeste nodded. Joshua retrieved the
bucket and after carefully looking out to be sure it was safe, he departed with
a small salute.
Celeste turned her eyes to the fire,
refocusing her thoughts on magic. She narrowed her eyes at the dancing flames,
and slowly capture her gift, sending the fire dancing to her song. With a small jerk of her head, the fire extended from the
fire pit, growing and twirling higher in the air, spinning around her and
through the cave as if it was oil in water. The horses whinnied, shying away from
the fire, and Celeste turned it from the horses and sent it spiraling through
their underground home. As triumph filled her, weariness clawed at the edges of
her mind, and she released her hold on the flames. They dissipated in the air.
Celeste stretched, stiff, wondered how long
she had been sitting still, and stood. It seemed she had been sitting for some
time, for her legs were numb and unfeeling. With a grown, she began walking the
around the hut, her legs stinging with pins and needles. With a sigh, she bent
over to rub them near the closed entrance to the underground shelter.
Slowly stretching back upright, Joshua burst
through the entrance, dropping the entire bucket of water on the dirt floor and
shutting the entrance, not caring about the mess he had just made. “Joshua!”
Celeste cried as muddy water spread towards ehr, “What’s going—“ Joshua grabbed
her, covering her mouth with his hand and, in the same smooth movement, pushing
her against a wall. Confused, she instinctually struggled before he raised a
finger to his lips and pointed upward. She froze, glancing at ceiling above
her. Voices. There were Korelians out there. Her eyes widened as fear pierced
her heart, and the fire roared a little higher and brighter. Joshua put his lips
to Celeste’s ear and spoke in the barest whisper, “I don’t think they saw me.
We’re going to be fine.” He pulled back just enough to give her a small nod and
remove his hand from her mouth, placing it on the wall behind her. Celeste
nodded back and let out a small breath to calm herself. She turned her eyes to
the fire and forced the flames down until there were only embers, barely enough
light to see Joshua’s face two inches from her own. Being underground, she
didn’t suppose the Korelians would be able to see the fire, but she didn’t want
to take any chances.
She and Joshua stood in perfect silence as
the voices grew nearer. An unconscious shudder went through Celeste, as her
heart pounded in her ears. Joshua put his hand on her cheek to reassure her,
and she looked at him. The voices came even closer until it sounded as if they
were directly above the cave. A bit of dirt fell from the ceiling as the
Korelians and their horses walked across the underground cave’s roof. Celeste’s
fingers dug into Joshua’s shirt, her entire body tensed, ready to fight or flea.
The voices went silent, and it felt as if an eon passed, Celeste shakily trying
to keep her breathing quiet and under control. Then one of the Korelians
laughed in response to his companion’s words, and the horses moved off, the
Korelians voices fading. Joshua and Celeste remained frozen for silent minutes
afterwards, not daring to move lest they were wrong and the Korelians had come
back.
Celeste leaned her head back, sighing as a
wave of relief washed over her, though she still shook with adrenaline. She
used her powers to let a small fire relight in the pit and looked at Joshua.
Now that the danger had passed, she realized how close they were, and that his
hand was still pressed to her cheek. Joshua’s eyes stared intently at her face.
His thumb brushed her face. Trying to organize his disjointed thoughts, he
whispered, “I think they’re gone now.” Celeste couldn’t seem to find her voice
to reply as heat washed over her, and she struggled to relax. She answered his
statement only with a small nod. Something Celeste hadn’t seen before danced in
his eyes, and he leaned microscopically closer. Celeste’s heart pounded in her
ears, and she couldn’t understand why she was so nervous. Her eyes flickered over
his face. Joshua blinked as if he was suddenly coming out of a trance and
quickly pulled back, letting go of Celeste. Celeste’s heart cried out, and she
had to force herself to keep from taking his hand. She leaned against the wall
behind her, letting it support her and ground her at the same time.
“Like I said,” Joshua murmured, looking away
from her. “I think it’s safe now.”
“Yeah,” Celeste replied.
Joshua turned towards the fire, thinking.
“Those Korelians were really close. If they had been a bit more observant then
could have found the entrance to this place.”
“I know, but
what I’m wondering is where they were headed. It sounded as if they were moving
north. Were they looking for us or are they going somewhere else?”
“I don’t think they would be looking for us.
I suspect that Kailak will be tracking us down personally. Either that or he’s
buried somewhere as punishment for allowing us to escape.” Celeste pushed
herself away from the wall, her pattering heart slowing, and sat by the fire,
holding her arms as she tried to stop the shivering that had overtaken her.
“I hope it’s the second option, although I
somehow doubt we’d be that lucky.”
Pulling a blanket from the ground, Joshua
draped it around Celeste’s shivering shoulders and replied, “Agreed.” He sat on
the other side of the fire. “I say we stay low and wait a few more days before
attempting our return to Forellia, let some distance get between us and those
Korelians.”
Celeste nodded, pulling the blanket around
her, “Agreed.”
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