The Myrmidons were picturesque. Kol wondered of the mountains to the north where the home of the Illyrians was the same. She'd only seen them in the deep winter. The potent smell of pine swashed through the air, clean and fresh. They packed camp and headed upwards through thick underbrush.
Kjell muttered scratching his stubble, "you'd think they'd perhaps make us follow some sort of trail, were not animals despite what some say."
Calum stretched out waving his arms he added dryly, "You'd think so."
"Fuck this," was Richon's only response, "we can fly why the fuck are we walking, to pick dandelions for our brothers up at the next camp?"
The response of the male by the name of Durnik in the legion was a shrug, "Highlord orders are to stay low."
"Fuck him."
Kol rolled her eyes, they hadn't warmed up to Rhysand. Of course, they only knew him from the front of being Amarantha's lapdog. Once powerful, now a joke to them.
Tywin kicked a rock in front of him, "I wonder if we'll see the ocean from the top, it must be around, I've never seen the ocean before," most nodded, growing up in the mountains the ocean had seemed so far away.
Kol had once lived only an hour's drive from the sea, and while she preferred the forest, she thought of Mor and her offer to go dress shopping in the Summer Court. It could be a nice place, she thought, the hot weather and ponderous waves crashing against the rocks with little plentiful tide pools. Perfect summer days, every single day in the Summer court.
It would be nice to see the blonde fae again, she was gorgeous. She'd felt a bond between the two, and an allure that gave her a yearning to learn more about her. She wondered if Mor felt the same. She supposed maybe Mor had such an effect on everyone.
When they reached the upper edge of the forest, they all stared out a steep rock-strewn meadow rising above the timberline with humble awe.
"I use to hunt stags in the mountain near my home, saw these views every day. Gotta' say Hewn was a downgrade," Richon sighed, "I just really, really, hate my brothers. But hey Kjell the strawberries would be out by now, you remember the taste of them?"
"Tell me about it I know all about annoying brothers," Tywin snorted looking over at Tyrion, he gaped for a moment blinking before pushing Tywin with a wolfish grin, "Thank you for your enormous input to this conversation Tywin, but it's not needed."
Kjell chuckled at the brother's antics, "I remember them, but remember when your mother yelled at us after we took the sword of two those lords, and made us apologize on our knees Calum?"
"How could I forget it, those guys were egging us on for days," Calum sighed and shrugged his shoulders "had no choice other than to melt em'"
Kol chuckled her shoulders shaking, "My sister once brought a snake back to the house as a pet, she didn't understand that all it wanted to do was bite her head off for taking it." Calum laughed the sunlight made his face glow.
"I could see Kaia doing the same."
As the day grew on they crossed gushing rivers still full and happy from that years melt. Kol's legs were jelly as she crossed with a hand from Richon. She gave him a thankful glance, he dismissed it. A wind blew past her face, rich and cold reliving her from some of the heat she'd produced during the hike.
As they made their way through the mountains and down through the forest they saw the first sign of the smoke from attended fires.
From above, with different orders, the first legions of Peregryns in the notably shiny gold came from the opposite direction. They came down through the air like doves, majestic and beautiful. Illlryians flew completely different, while Peregryns flew like birds, Illryain looked more like giant bats, or crows.
The rest wasn't very impressed at the display of majesty and beauty.
She looked over at her brothers, while they all had the same coloring of brown the black hair with the same hazel to brown eyes, they did not look alike. Where Kjell was slender Richon was muscular, Calum was strong and fast to her graceful and quick a perfect mix. They all became silent with intent as they reached closer to the camp picking their way through the uneven terrain. Birds sang in hidden nests, they reached back down into the old-growth forest that hadn't been touch by a soul in thousands of years, the air gave a spicy aroma with the sweet smell of the flowers. It was as if the world moved differently up in the mountains.
When the trek ended the Peregyrns had already made camp among the legions of Illyrians, the males eyed the females in awe. Women in battle, it was something not seen often in the mountains of most camps. Females were for work and, tending to the children. Kol found it ridiculous the things drilled into the male's head about what was 'right' and 'wrong.' While they'd become more progressive in their culture, it hadn't gone far enough.
Richon laughed lightly "did they send them out of pity? They won't be able to keep pace with us." the stare of Calum and Kol quieted him. He gave an apologetic stare at Kol as if to say he forgot she was female.
"They are fighting the same battle, they are our equals," Kol snapped. For Richon, there was nothing he could do but obey he gave a nod and started humming instead.
"Sorry."
They made up the tents and washed in the small river, gathering water to drink, after the hike they were parched, swords and tents were heavy to carry. Not that they'd admit it as they slurped down the cold liquid. Kol moaned at the cold as she drank.
Then, the winds picked up and the earth beneath started to shake and shudder with fear. People started yelling trying to keep the tents up. Kol hit the roots of trees scrapping her armor against hard rock rolling down the hill before stopping and hitting a tree trunk breath leaving her. Magic rippled through the camp northward bound coming from the south where Hybern had broken The Wall.
Richon managed to croak, "What was that,"
Kjell gave an equally feeble reply: "A monster maybe, by cauldron how could the earth shake like that is that what we're fighting? Is The Wall down?"
Kol tried to rise from the forest floor arms shaking she fell back resting on the pine carpeted ground Richon gave her a hand pulling her up on to her feet into a side hug patting her back.
"You okay Char?" He whispered into her ear she swallowed tightly gathering her word and nodded.
"I feel we might be fighting sooner than I thought we would," she gave a hesitant cool smile Richon's eyes narrowed letting out a breath Kol could feel his chest next to hers, his heartbeat fast and strong an anchor.
"Don't worry about it Soot, the others will come down from the mountains to join us in the fight, us Illyrians are strong."
Somewhere in the woods, a wolf howled. The sound hung over the camp in silent mourning.
Kol took the calm as they packed to look around at her brothers, people she cared for. She found her eyes drifting to the Hewn forged blade by her side, red siphon embedded glowing ever so slightly. The wings of the crow sprawled across it. Kjell came up to her he stuck out his hand, Calum, the twins and Richon followed. Kol took his gloved hand and shook firmly.
"If any of you don't make it out.." Kjell gripped tighter silent for a moment, "You wouldn't."
Calum put a hand on his back tilting his head and exchanged uncertain glances with the rest, "We wouldn't."
Kjell gave her hand one last squeeze, "Good luck."
They spread their wings taking flight for the next camp's located by the northern border of the Winter Court like bats in the cold winds. The air got gradually colder as the flew fast as the could through the lands on Day and Dawn courts respectively. Kol didn't dare to look down as the legion flew fast and hard slicing through the cold air. Storm clouds brewing on the horizon, the winds grew colder and colder.