Sleep was something Sybella didn’t think would come. Yet, somehow it did but not without nightmares. The events of the previous day replayed in her head. But with reality greatly distorted.
Faces she had never seen before plagued her mind. Voices of the dead spoke to her in whispers and screams. Pain and chills came in waves in her body. No matter how much she tried to talk to them or remove the images from her mind, they wouldn’t leave. It got to a point where she couldn’t hear her own thoughts.
When Sybella finally woke up she found herself laying on soft grass and had a fur blanket strewn over her.
The air was chilly. Birds sang somewhere over her head. Her skin had warmed from the heat of the sun on. And the area around her was damp with dew.
A layer of her clothing was wet with sweat and her was body sore. She brought her hand to her throat and coughed. Her lungs had signs of a morning cold.
This was not the temple.
In fact, Sybella didn’t know where she was at all. All she could really remember was that Baron had taken her away from the stables.
“Baron?” Sybella called out weakly.
The only thing that answered her back were the birds.
Sybella crawled out of her makeshift bed, using her hands to search around her. Grass, twigs, flowers, and dirt grazed the palms of her hands. The tips of her fingers touched something warm, soft, and grimy. When she put it near her nose it smelt of ash.
A fire pit.
Further to the right was a dense object. Rounded edges with a circular lid. A canteen. Sybella unscrewed the top and brought it to her nose. She noticed two things. The slosh of liquid within the canteen. And the scent of fresh spring water.
The scent of water made Sybella aware of her parched throat and she realized just how dehydrated she was. She brought the canteen to her lips and drank until the last drop was gone.
Sybella then tied the canteen around her waist and continued her investigation of the campsite. She managed to find a pile of folded furs, an empty bag, and a stick just long enough to be used as a temporary staff.
Once she got to her feet, she marched forward, using the stick to find obstructions in her path.
The first few steps were shaky and uncertain. The stick in her hand hit something solid that was coming from the ground. Upon further inspection, the object was a rough bark. A root that had grown above ground. And there were many of them coming from one tree.
If it was that way for one, it had to be that way for more. Sybella went deeper into the forest, counting her steps as she did so. In the direction she went, she couldn’t hear any markers. No running water. No sounds of people. Only animals and her own footsteps.
Retracing her steps, she went back to camp. Found her original starting position then walked in the opposite direction of where she had just come back from.
Again, she counted her footsteps as she went forward. Again, she was met with trees, birds, and high rising roots. And again, there were still no signs of any land markers.
When Sybella deemed that trip complete she turned to make her way back but stumbled into a tree.
Now, although she couldn’t see, Sybella was sure that she hadn’t veered off the path that she had mentally made for herself. So, how could a tree be in her way if it hadn’t been there prior?
Confused, Sybella maneuvered around it. Careful to keep from tripping and falling over.
As she continued forward a familiar scent hit her nose. It was distinct. Pure and unfiltered. Stronger than she had ever smelt before.
The scent of magic.
Sybella stopped, standing stone still as she listened to the earth around her. Sure enough, a nearly silent groan could be heard throughout the forest. A slight tremor beneath her feet vibrated the muscles in her legs. It was barely noticeable for those that weren’t looking for it. The air was heavier. However, her body, by contrast, was lighter. Energy flowed in her veins. She was awake. Alert. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood tall.
The forest was alive with magic. And it was moving the world around her, completely changing the original landscape.
How was she going to make it back to camp? Where was camp? Untapped magic was wild and unpredictable. She could be a few steps away or she could be at the edge of the forest, back at the desert. Anything was possible. There was no way for her to know what had happened and what had changed.
What was she going to do?
All the mental notes she took. The calculations of where she had walked were now all gone.
Was the camp closer or further away now? Did it shift to the right or to the left? Was it in a diagonal slant? Was it there at all anymore?
Sybella’s breath quickened. A tightness in her chest constricted her heart. She gripped her staff as tightly as she could but that didn’t stop her body from shaking.
Falling to her knees she tried to gain control of her breathing but it had the opposite effect. Less air was entering and it was in shorter bursts. Being aware of this made Sybella breathe even quicker. Which in turn caused her to become dizzy and disoriented.
A sob escaped Sybella’s mouth. Tears streamed down her face freely. She brought a hand to her chest and rubbed up and down her neck, trying to relax her muscles but nothing was working.
Just as her head began to spin, a voice caught her attention.
The voice of Baron.
“Sybella! Sybella where are you? Please, if you can hear me, say something!” Baron called out.
Sybella opened her mouth, the words caught in her throat. She gasped, fighting against her own body to speak.
“B-Baron!” Sybella managed to sputter, crawling toward the sound of his voice. “Baron!”
“Sybella? Where are you?” Baron shouted, his voice echoing.
“I don’t know. I don’t know where I am.”
“Sybella, everything is going to be fine. Calm down and talk to me. What can you hear?”
Sybella strained her ears, attempting to pick up any sounds that could indicate where she might be.
Somewhere to the left of Sybella, the same birds that had been near camp some time ago sang their song close by.
“Birds.” Sybella yelled. “I hear birds to the left of me. Two or three of them. They sound like swallows.”
“That’s good! Keep talking, I’m coming to find you. What do you feel around you?” Baron asked.
Sybella touched the ground beneath her feet. The earth was still damp. But the grass was different. It was tall. Around seven or eight inches high. And there were flowers. When she swung her staff around her, she didn’t hit a single tree. There was no large foliage within four feet of her.
“I’m in tall grass. There’s flowers and no trees immediately next to me.” Sybella said.
“Good. I think I’m getting closer to you, keep talking. You’re doing great.”
The sound of Baron’s voice and the way he talked to her, calmed Sybella. Before she knew it her breathing had evened out and she no longer felt panicked or unsure. Mentally she was close to being completely normal.
“Baron?” Sybella called out.
“Yes?” Baron answered.
“Why did you leave me?”
“I had to get food. I didn’t think I would be gone long but when I returned everything had moved. And when I finally did find our camp, you were gone.” Baron explained. “Were you scared?”
“I was confused.” Sybella said, unwilling to admit she was terrified. “I didn’t know where I was.”
A loud snap cut the silence between Sybella’s words, making her jump at the noise.
It was a twig.
A rustle of grass followed. And directly after was a relieved cry.
Sybella turned to the sound and was surprised to find a pair of arms wrapping around her shoulders.
“I was so worried when I couldn’t find you. I thought something happened.” Baron whispered into her hair.
Sybella sank into his embrace, returning the gesture. The weight of relief caused her knees to go weak. Baron gently sat her down, keeping his arm around her. Sybella held his arm then pulled away quickly when she realized that her skin was touching his.
“You touched me?” Sybella said.
“Yes.” Baron said, somewhat bashfully.
“You touched me and I didn’t see your future.”
“What does that mean? Is something wrong?”
Sybella shook her head. “No.” She started off slowly. “But I don’t know if I will ever see your future. We have become too tightly linked. I’m sorry.”
Baron let out a laugh, pulling Sybella into his arms. “No need to apologize. If sacrificing the knowledge of my future allows me to hold you like this then I do believe I have a future worth having.”
“But what about the elves?” Sybella asked.
Baron stopped abruptly. His body tensing against hers.
“What elves?” He asked.
“I saw an elf in a vision I had before the temple was attacked. I can only assume it was them that attacked us last night, although I don’t know why.”
Baron remained silent. Processing the information.
“I don’t know if they were elves or not. It could have been a Fae in disguise but that seems unlikely.” He replied after a moment. “As long as we are away from the chaos, we should be good.”
“But what if we run into them? They are a horrid bunch and would murder you as soon as they saw you. Or perhaps I should say they would murder me. I do not believe they would come after a human like yourself.” Sybella said, lifting her hand to his face.
Baron took a hold of her hand and stopped it from going any further, her fingers grazing his chin.
Baron lightly kissed the tip of her two longest fingers then gently placed it back in her lap.
Sybella couldn’t help but blush deeply at what he did.
“I promise, as long as you are with me no harm will come to you.” Baron said.
“You can’t promise something like that.”
“I just did.”
Baron got to his feet and then scooped Sybella into his arms. Carrying her bridal style.
“What are you doing?” Sybella asked. Burying her face in her hands.
“I am taking us back to camp. I don’t want to lose you again so I am taking precautions.” He paused then continued. “Would you rather me put you down?”
Sybella shook her head. “No, this is good. I don’t mind.” She said. And she didn’t need to see to know that Baron was grinning from ear to ear.
“Then we shall go and eat. We will have a long day ahead of us, I think. And we should prepare for it.”
The two went back to camp. And on the journey there, Sybella couldn’t help but feel guilty at how happy she was in the wake of a tragedy. Her mind revisited Hera.
If Baron hadn’t been there, she may have been dead too. How lucky she was to have someone like him by her side, especially during that time.
Sybella dare not speak it but she hoped that she could stay by his side for as long as she lived.
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