Chapter 22: invisible paths

Sienna

Pomodor neighs the moment I get close. Or well, makes a sound more like an elegant sneeze, because this creature is anything but normal. I look at him, confused, eyebrows slightly raised and my body still stiff from the trip. A soldier hands him to me like he’s been my lifelong pet.

—What’s this? —I ask, tilting my head.

The soldier gestures with his chin over his shoulder. I follow his gaze and there’s Bastian, riding a creature even larger, something between a horse and a nightmare. He gives me a quick look, shakes his head… and then lifts off.

Literally.

The damn horse flies!

—What the hell?! —I jump, laughter bursting out of me without warning—. Is that even legal?!

—Did you see, did you see, did you see?! —Astrid appears beside me like a whirlwind of emotions and energy. Her hair is a mess and her smile shines brighter than any torch flame—. You just ask, and I make it happen!

—Stop that madness —I reply, laughing, but my tone is soft, almost tender. She knows I adore her, and she uses it shamelessly.

—Look what I got —she whispers, pulling out a dark leather pouch from under her cloak. Not from Earth. That leather… glows faintly red. Fire Court.

I grab her arm immediately.

—No, Astrid. Not that. Don’t mess with the Fire Court. They’re not as benevolent as the others… Promise me.

Her smile fades a bit. She looks at me seriously. Very seriously.

—Will you tell me what you saw? In his mind, I mean… Zareth. He acted strange when he tried to get into you. He succeeded, but you also got into him.

I swallow. That caught me off guard. I didn’t think she noticed.

I sigh. I’m tired. Of everything. But mostly, of remembering.

—Pain —I finally say, lowering my voice—. I saw a lot of pain. Something burning. I don’t know if it was because he entered my mind, or because I touched what he is at his core… but I had the chance to kill him in there. I didn’t. And I don’t know if that was a good idea.

Astrid doesn’t answer right away. She just nods slowly.

—If you can ever save a life… do it. Life itself will take care of repaying those good deeds.

She says it with such conviction that, for a moment, I believe her. For one tiny second, I want to believe the world works like that.

But then I see it.

—Life is fucking cruel, Astrid. You need to understand that. People, life, the world… it’s all messed up. Stop seeing good where there is none and never will be.

I mount Pomodor before she can reply. He snorts, like he knows I need silence.

Then Astrid starts to sing… she sings, and loudly. Of course she does. That social butterfly I have as a sister is impossible to shut up. And the worst part is she gets others to join in. Even the soldiers. They seem to forget we just came from an emotional battlefield.

The journey is strange.

We don’t take the same route back. We go another way. One that smells like damp earth, but also clean water. It’s like a forest divided in two: half Earth Court, half Water Court. There’s the sound of waterfalls in the distance, and flowers I don’t recognize. It’s beautiful. Painfully beautiful.

When we stop for the night, I walk over to the captain. Aldrion is giving orders, but when he sees me, he gives a half-smile.

—The lovely Sienna has decided I’m worthy of her words —he says playfully.

—Don’t exaggerate —I laugh, though I don’t know why. He has that damn ability to relax me when I don’t want to.

—Why are we taking a different path? —I ask, straight to the point.

He tilts his head, his eyes scanning the trees like he’s speaking to them.

—Beautiful and smart. That’s dangerous —he jokes, but then his tone turns serious—. Because it’s not safe to return the same way. Each Court holds monsters. Many are unknown in our lands. You’re familiar with the nimbaris… you somewhat know how to coexist with them. But here it’s different. We don’t know everything. Some track past steps, they wait. Like predators. Better not give them a reason.

—And why does such a beautiful place have those creatures?

His answer takes my breath away.

—Balance. As a consequence of power abuse. It’s the most perfect irony Mother Nature gave us. I think we deserve it. After all… humans aren’t the only scum.

I fall silent.

It’s the first time I hear someone from a Court talk like that about their own people.