Sorry for the wait! Gah, finals were intense! To compensate the lack of updates, I have decided to post a really long chapter. Again, sorry guys for the wait! For those of you who reviewed my last chapter: thank you, thank you, thank you! I really appreciate it! :)
The sun was shining bleakly through a thick layer of grey clouds. The leaden veil covered all of the sky and not even a single drop of sunshine or even a small slice of blue heaven could be seen anywhere. The fir trees were no longer rich shades of emerald green, they seemed sullen and the forest beyond them seemed forlorn and dangerous. There was no warmth or comfort, wherever they looked. Asha hated it. She wanted to scream at the clouds to disperse them, she wanted to feel the sun on her face. She already felt so cold, the last thing she wanted was for the sun to abandon her as well. Only Thorn's red scales seemed to brighten the morning. After a short chat, Thorn and Murtagh agreed the quickest way to travel would be to let Asha ride with them. She was used to being the second passenger on a dragon but refrained from telling them; she had a feeling Murtagh would appreciate not hearing about either Gharza or Maelor.
"Where are we headed?" she had asked as she climbed behind Murtagh.
"We should start where it all began. We're going back to the island where I first found you."
Asha nodded. She did not know where this island was or who would be there but she only rejoiced in the thought that she would see the ocean in the near future and perhaps her beloved mother too. For the moment thought, she had to be content with a sea of white snow below them.
When they had landed, Asha was glad she could walk around and stretch her legs. The ride had been long and quiet, the opposite of when she had flown with Gharza. The she-dwarf and Asha had held long conversation on many things, from politics to poetry. The girl had particularly enjoyed hearing the rider talk about her culture and the Beor Mountains. "I'd like to visit you there some time." She had said more than once. Asha loved the idea of mountains with peaks that touched the sun. Maybe she would be the first person to ever reach the top of one of those mountains and she would never go back down. My love of the sea will surely bring me back down again, she had thought with a chuckle.
Murtagh had chosen to set camp up next to a small thicket of dried-up tundra bushes. Around them, small mounds covered in a thick layer of snow rose up gently like rolling waves. Asha thought this was the most lonely, desolate, and sad place she had ever seen. I hope I'll never be here again, she thought bitterly. The snow chilled her feet beyond measure and as much as she pulled the cloak tightly around her shoulders she couldn't get rid of the frost that seemed to have settled in her bones. She envied his furs but her fear of him prevented her from asking for anything. He had agreed to help her and she would have to be content with that. After gathering a few dried up branches, Murtagh managed to get a small fire going. Thorn curled up and laid his head on the snow and gazed in the fire. Asha watched the flames were reflected in his massive eyes and for a moment she was overcome with a vision she had had many nights before in her nightmares. Everywhere he looked there was only smoke, thicker than he had ever seen before; he could barely make out the battlefield surrounding him. The horrible stench filled his nose; it was a smell he knew all too well, the stench of burning corpses. Rage filled him and Thorn let out a long jet of flame from his mouth and in his red iris the fire was reflected. Asha staggered slightly back and heaved slightly as she clutched her chest. She hated the nightmares but she hated when they haunted her in her waking life more. She looked fleetingly at Murtagh who was crouched in front of the fire warming his hands. Without a word or a warning, Asha walked away. The air will do me great good she reasoned as she slowly made her way away from the camp. She wandered not too far from the camp but being away from the troubled pair did her more good than she had anticipated. Asha was used to the jovial disposition of Gharza who either had a smile on her lips or a song in her heart. Murtagh's brooding gaze seemed to weigh heavy on her. Thorn barely came into contact with her and when he did, she could feel a firm wall between them and only his words came through. Being around them made her sad, and being sad made her tired. The sleepless nights filled with nightmares didn't help either. She climbed up a small hill and sat down at the top. Asha watched the sun as it got closer and closer to the horizon, enjoying the wide array of color the setting sun displayed. The warm colors cheered her up and if she didn't know any better, she would have said it had given her strength. As she was enjoying the view, a strong wind started blowing and a howling noise came from the bottom of the hill. Asha perked up and looked attentively around her. She got up and took a few steps further down the mound. Everything was covered in a few feet of snow and nothing could be seen for miles in front of her except for the thick white blanket. She wanted to take another step but the snow beneath her gave way and she fell. Her fall was short but that didn't stop Asha from letting out a small cry as she tumbled down in the crevice. She landed with a muffled thud and got up quickly, dusting away any clumps of snow that was upon her. She thanked her luck she landed well and had no pain anywhere. She looked at her surroundings and was intrigued when her eyes fell on a broken archway made of carved stone. The entryway seemed ancient and Asha felt a shiver run down to the tip of her toes and back to the top of her head many times. There was something about the gaping black archway and the stale air that made her uneasy. She swallowed difficultly and brought a hand to her mouth. The only thing that she could think about when she looked at the black abyss in front of her was how much she wanted to feel the sun shine on her face. She shook her head lightly and, without another thought, turned her back to the manmade cave and ran back outside. Asha looked at the small snowy hill and sighed. The snow made it impossible for me to see the cavern from up top, she thought as her gaze went from the hill to the snow covered entrance. Asha had had enough of the cavernous entrance and set out for the camp at once.
When she arrived, the fire was large and bright. Asha extended her arms towards it to warm her cold fingers. She felt Murtagh's gaze on her and it wasn't long until he spoke.
"How did you lose that finger?" he asked as he pointed her stub.
She looked down at her hand and made a small pout. He wasn't the first one to ask the question but no matter how hard she rummaged through her memories, she always came up with the same answer. She had found it bizarre that she had never really noticed until Merelwin had asked her about it. She couldn't remember very well her time with her mother and what she did remember had nothing to do with her missing finger.
"This?" she said as she wiggled what was left of her little finger. "I don't know. I was just made that way I guess." She continued with a shrug before placing her hands back close to the flame for warmth.
For a moment, all that could be heard was the cracking of the fire. The wind had died down for a short time and Asha, for the first time in a few days, didn't feel cold. Finally, Asha tucked her hands under her cloak and stole sideway glances at Murtagh. Since she had met him, she had never dared to look unless she was talking to him. Murtagh scared her and she was afraid of how he would react if he caught her staring intently at him. She sighed and, taking courage in her nine fingers, resolved to get a better look at the rider. He didn't look old, maybe a few years older than her at most. Though his face retained a certain youth with no apparent wrinkles, his eyes told another story. They were dark and brooding, with a sharpness to them that only a battletested warrior could have. His lips were thin and pale, like he had spent his life pursing them. Not a single discolored hair could be seen in his jet black mane and slight stubble was growing on his jaw. He is handsome, she thought, but forbidding. I wonder how the milkmaid managed to get past his icy demeanor. Then she remembered what he had said: "she never saw my real face". He must have used some sort of spell to alter his physical appearance. She gently shook her head and averted her gaze far to where she had wandered not too long ago. There was something about Murtagh that made her terribly sad. He made her think of a scar, he was a proof that something horrible happened once and would never completely fade away. As selfish as it was, part of Asha thought it was not fair she was suffering from his nightmares. She had, after all, done nothing wrong herself. She exhaled a long breath she didn't know she had been holding and spoke out, tired of the silence between them.
"I saw a cave when I was walking around camp. I think someone may have built it long ago. It didn't smell right so I didn't go in. There was something off about the place." She said nonchalantly.
Murtagh seemed to perk up as she spoke. He seemed unreasonably interested in what she had just said, Asha thought.
"What did it look like?"
"I didn't see much, it was so dark. But there was an archway carved in stone leading into it."
Murtagh nodded and looked back at the fire. Asha shifted her weight from one foot to the next and looked at the colors the sun had left behind once it had set. It wouldn't be long before they too would vanish and the whole desolate snowy field would be enveloped by the darkness of the night. She wasn't looking forward to it. Though the cloak had kept her warm enough for her not to freeze, she often woke in the night from one of her nightmares cold and shivering. She had debated many times waking and asking Murtagh for some covers but she always convinced herself not too; he was already doing her a big favor for her by accepting to help her. She sighed and sat down with a thud. I also don't look forward to the dreams she added in afterthought as she stole a quick glimpse at Murtagh. She didn't know exactly what happened to him but every nightmare was like a piece of a very big puzzle. She didn't have enough to make sense of it yet and she dearly hoped they would make things right before she could. She had had enough of the nightmares; she wanted her beloved sea back. She closed her eyes tentatively, and exhaled loudly through her nose. Maybe if I only take a quick nap, the nightmares won't have time to come she reasoned as she felt herself being slowly lulled to sleep. She felt like she didn't have a good night's rest since her days in Merelwin's tower. She didn't know what the woman had done to her but she always slept profoundly and only dreamt of black clouds. It is better than what I see now she told herself as she pushed away all memories of her bad dreams.
Murtagh watched Asha in the dying lights. Though her hood was drawn, he could see the tousled mess that was her hair underneath it, like wild torrents of chestnut. Her face was pale and her cheeks ashen. The northern cold does not agree with her he thought. Dark circles hung under her eyes and gave her face a drained look. She looks almost sick he added as he noted her pasty lips. He had almost never looked into her eyes but knew how wide and big they were, like two big grey pools. He looked at the girl and though of the sea she loved so much. He thought of the waves crashing onto one another and the salty air that filled his lungs during his sleep. He wondered if he, too, looked sickly like her when he was plagued by his nightmares and how the girl would look if she could see her ocean in her dreams. A strong gust of wind rose and blew on the pair. A lost howl seemed to ring from all around them and Asha woke in a startle.
"That's the sound I heard! I think it's the wind when it hits the cavern's entrance." She said groggily as she scrambled to her feet and took a few steps away from the fire.
Murtagh got to his feet as well and walked towards Asha. When she had first told him of the entrance she had fond, Murtagh had tried to forget about it but the howling seemed to demand his attention. He had always disliked crypts of any kind and he had hoped he wouldn't be forced to investigate it.
"Asha, when you saw the entrance, was the door closed?" he asked
"No… I don't think I even saw a door. It was just the carved entrance. As I said before, I felt uncomfortable and came back here quickly after the discovery." She answered while gently rubbing her chin pensively.
"I'll go check it out. I don't want a bear or wolf hiding there to come and surprise us in the middle of the night." He lied
Asha nodded and her gaze went from the fire to him. His eyes were tough and dark, like hardened steel. They shone with an energy that was so foreign to Asha; she had only known her mother's loving gaze. Murtagh thought back of the last crypt he had seen. It had been broken into. Thought he tried not to think about it too much, it had puzzled him greatly. Do you think it will be the same with this crypt? Thorn asked as he followed his rider towards the howling noise. I don't know but I want to check it out. Maybe it will be nothing of importance but I've had a weird feeling in my gut since the last tomb. Something doesn't feel right. The wind rose once more and the howling was heard, louder than before. The wind sings and cries, just like us she though as her hair danced in the breeze. The gale was cold and biting, unforgiving in the desolate white field. The bushes next to the camp rustled angrily, like they had been awoken from their slumber. Their branches shook and clawed at the air around them and Asha tried to imagine them as they must have been long ago, covered in happy little green leaves and perhaps even small colorful flowers. I would be mad at the winter winds too if they took away my leaves and flowers. She sighed and returned her gaze to the fire. Murtagh had gone south to investigate the ruin she had found quickly and she was left alone with the small fire. A shiver ran through her body as she thought back at the stony entrance. She was glad he hadn't ask her to accompany him there; she had had enough of those dark and forgotten crypts for a while. She hadn't been there long but something deep in her gut disagreed with the ancient tomb. She massaged her temples with eyes closed. I don't belong here in this cold she thought bitterly. Her feet belonged in the sand with warm water tickling them, her hair longed for the gentle salty breeze, and most of all her skin ached for the shining sun. She wanted the golden sunsets colored by all of her favorite colors. She wanted the sea. She wanted to be home. She wished she could see it in her dreams. If she was lucky, maybe tonight whatever was afflicting her would reverse, just for one night, and she see the ocean and he would see his nightmares.
It didn't take long for Murtagh to find the entrance to the crypt Asha found. What he found confirmed his fears. The massive stone door that once was now was shattered to pieces. This one too? Thorn asked incredulously. Murtagh nodded grimly as he crouched to inspect the broken door. Something isn't right… There is nothing of interest in these old tombs… Why would anyone break into them? Thorn continued as he looked from a few steps back at the ruins. Murtagh exhaled loudly and got to his feet. He turned to Thorn. Not break in… break out. He said darkly.
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