Saleh ran much more faster than as they did on the journey here. Ten meters, twenty, a hundred they took. After that Saleh needed only a few more steps to be sure he and Mntui was synchronized. Then he made the first jump. One moment they were where they where, in the next they appeared at a much further point.

How it was possible, it was unfathomable for Mntui. They ran a couple of meters on their foot again just to make sure of not loosing balance. Then Saleh dragged her into an other jump covering ground as far as they could see. To be more precise as far as Saleh could see.

Mntui started worry. At this point she didn’t try to understand what was happening. There was no time for that. Or was that Saleh’s doing? His will suppressing her unwanted thoughts? Yet she made an attempt to look back if the others were able to keep up with such insane speed.

Saleh pulled her hand roughly as a warning almost immediately.

‘Don’t get distracted’ a serious voice echoed in her mind, it was even colder than Saleh’s real one. Mntui felt as if her very soul got frostburnt. From that point she gave up and let her thoughts and motions to be controlled by Saleh’s suggestions. So much so, by the time they reached their destination she lost the sense of self.

The late moonlight made a beautiful silver path on the surface of the lake they passed. Mntui would loved the scenery if she could focus on such things. The forest around was vivid even if it seemed dormant for now. But they just pressed on after taking a sudden turn. There was an other smaller hill by the lake. Small in comparison of the Highlands of course. Yet it was somehow more inviting than the white rock of bones.

Saleh initiated an other phasing jump. They looked truly as shadows hovering from one point to the other in the dark of the night. Unnoticeable by normal sight. Even if climbing up on the small salients deemed more difficult than just moving on almost even ground. Not to mention in contrast of just phasing up alone. Yet they managed in the end.

Two trees rose towards the sky on each side of the waterfall rushing down to the lake. The water left in a now calmed stream hiding among the woods. But what they were here for was not sightseeing. Saleh aimed directly at the waterfall, crossing a narrow entrance behind it. They followed a cramped cave that gave out a claustrophobic sensation. At the first moment it deemed impossible to move further dragging Mntui with him, thus Saleh let her hand go. With their connection broken Mntui felt the rush of power leave her so rapidly it hurt. And it wasn’t only that ached her, the hunger, it was unbearable. Using such abilities she didn’t knew she had, drained her. In her weakness the water leaking inside the cave from the waterfall didn’t even bothered her. Not when she walked with bare feet in it and not even as she knelt in it. Less so when she almost fell in it.

“Easy, sister” Rouh caught her before it happened. “It’s not much, but you should take it…” he reached for a small waterskin with his free hand. He managed to open it while holding the woman with the other arm.

In that moment Mntui reached for that pouch like thing with the speed and the ferocity of a beast almost knocking it out the man’s hand. But alas, Rouh was right, the blood in it wasn’t much. Mntui drank it in one gulp not caring if it was cold.

“We can go on now, right?” her arms crossed, Sera tapped with her fingers on them impatiently as she couldn’t get around them.

Rouh gave a look glancing back at her. He almost couldn’t believe how Sera could be so indifferent. But in fact he did. He knew her all to well. She was a person that let herself controlled by her moods. In one day she could try to go save the world all by herself on the next sit and watch as it crumbles and dies whispering ‘you all deserve it’ under her nose. The only thing holding her back in those days, more precisely who, was Saleh. Given the nature of the Clan there was no way going around your superior, especially in case someone like Saleh. One could definitely try but such thing wouldn’t wise.

The ever narrowing corridor ended in a huge chasm. There was a small ledge of stone by the walls, just enough for the four of them stand on. Mntui took a glimpse down. It was so deep even with her new type of sight she couldn’t see the bottom of it. Not to mention the sharp rock formations pointing upwards like knifes all around the edges of the deep abyss. She tried to take a step back just to realize she couldn’t. She bumped into Saleh.

“Yes, the way down would definitely hurt” the man commented. His voice was emotionless as usual, he didn’t even turned back to look at her. Facing forward he eyed on the next step of their destination. Mntui followed his line of sight. There was an island in the wast see of abyss on the opposite side. The the flat, thin layer of stone was held up by similar knife like pillars. It gave out a sensation of barely holding together. Mntui already see how it would brake under the smallest of weight before her eyes. She imagined herself falling in to deadly depths barely putting only one foot on it.

Saleh reached behind his back, signaling with his open hand for Mntui to take it. Understanding, an other type of dread came over her, and it was not caused by the fear from height.

“No!” she whispered. “Please, don’t…”

“We have to cross” the man stated. It wasn’t a threat, just the simple truth, solid and cold.

“This is ridiculous!” Sera burst out. She carefully changed places with Rouh, than signaled to Saleh to let her through. Which he did without hesitation. The blonde beauty stood as close to the edge as she could. In a blink of a second she teleported to the other side of the chasm with ease.

“We are almost there” Saleh commented meanwhile. Which was not much for Mntui to go on. What did that mean? She felt so weak. Using those powers again, to such an extent like before, she wasn’t able to do it. She was sure about it. She was almost shaking with fright at the thought not totally knowing, only just assuming why.

Saleh motioned with his head for Rouh to go on. The younger man’s fox like eyes gave one more worrying look towards Mntui then he made the jump. There was only two of them left on this side, and Saleh didn’t intend to waste more time. He grabbed Mntui’s hand and for a moment both of them froze in their movements.

‘No arguing.’ There was that cold voice in Mntui’s head again which she felt could froze her soul all together.

The man turned towards the other ledge dragging Mntui behind him he blinked where the rest of the party was waiting. He let go in the moment they arrived and his scion fell to the ground again. Sera let out a sigh while rolling her eyes. There was a sharp comment just on the tip of her tongue but she swallowed in the last moment in fear of angering her superior.