Memories Lost - First of Apocalyptic Hell Series

The Valley

    “Your magic is strong enough to bend the force of nature to your will?” He exclaimed. 

    “It was one spell and no, I cannot just bend the forces of nature to my will. I was able to use magic to move the trees in the forest. It was an elemental bending spell, but it’s not a gift that I possess. My magic is strong, but I wouldn’t say that I have an affinity for the elements. That’s not something that immortals can do with our magic, some have magical abilities stronger in certain areas than others, mine is still relatively new and raw so sometimes I don’t know when to cut off the magical flow. When I woke up on that river bank I didn’t have control over my magic at all, but it was very weak. I could make little things happen, but nothing major, nothing that would’ve triggered those monsters that held me captive.” A shiver ran down my spine at the mere thought of Daryl and his cronies. “I’ve had time to train and practice, but sometimes I forget to watch how much magic I’m pulling if I get focused too deeply into a spell.” 

    “Sayuri, it’s not that you have to remember to stop pulling, it means that you have an incredible well of magic inside of you. From the sounds of it you have the magical abilities of someone who is connected to the gods themselves. Are you sure that you are not a priestess?” I chuckled at what he said. 

    “No, I have never even trained to be a priestess. Besides, most priestesses have to be celibate and let’s be honest. Ever since I met Theoden I haven’t exactly been a good girl. I’ve always had a strong bond with Nyx, but that’s fairly common for some, I think.” I paused when I saw the look on his face, “What?” 

    “Sayuri, I’m not sure how to explain this, but that is not a common thing to have a close connection with any of the gods or goddesses. Even with my gifts I’ve never been graced with the presence of any of the gods, not even in my dreams or visions. Those who have bonds with any of the gods and goddesses are those of high born blood, high priests and priestesses, even Queen Alenia has bonds with the goddess Nyx I’m certain. It’s not a common gift for every Fae.” 

    I stared at him in disbelief, I wasn’t sure how to feel about what he said. I’m nobody special, how can somebody like me be as powerful as a high priestess or even a queen. I wasn’t given much time to ponder on things as Eldar and Caethrynna came walking up. Eldar still towered over her, but he had his arm draped over her and was holding her close while they walked. Their smiles brought a warmth to me, it was pure joy and happiness that radiated from them. 

    “I want to thank you, Orus, for bringing me back to my former self, granted a larger version of myself, but myself nonetheless.” He looked down at Caethrynna, who was beaming as she ran a hand over her gravid stomach while she gazed lovingly up at Eldar. 

    “I am thankful as well. I just wish there was a way that we could repay you for what gift that you have given us both.” She turned her gaze to look at Orus, her eyes glistening with tears of joy. 

    “There is no need for thanks, I did what was right and what needed to be done. Helping others is what I do, I live to help others.” Orus gave her a soft smile before turning away. 

    “Come let’s get you both cleaned up, we need to get on the road soon. We have another month of travel before we reach Eindenia. If we are to beat the clock of nature we will have to keep traveling during the night in order to get there before these new lives decide to make their entrance into the world.” I gave her a smile before walking away and letting them move at their own pace. 

    It didn’t take long for us to gather the supplies. The difficult part was creating a sled for the teepee supplies. Once it was built and hooked to the back of the wagon we were able to continue on our journey. We continued to follow the mountains, traveling through beautiful forests and valleys. 

    The scenery was beautiful with it being late spring and the wild life was thriving. It was sad that I knew the reason why nature was thriving as well as it was, humans no longer had a strong effect on the environment. Seeing the effect this change had on the environment was great, but also very sad. A single race should have such a negative effect on their environment, but some humans are greedy and they are the ones that have done so much damage. I didn’t linger on that thought much, but I could sense that the others in the group were thinking about it heavily. Melanie made the comment to me about it as well. 

    With stopping only for meals and a few breaks to allow the horses to rest it allowed us to make faster time, I worried we weren’t going to make it to the mountain pass before the first snowfall. The pass was a large valley, but the risk of an avalanche or rock slide was a risk with the right factors, luckily it wouldn’t be too much of a risk given the time of year. 

    Fayrova enjoyed this part of the journey given us being near the mountains. It provided her with plenty of cloud coverage to fly as well as scout ahead in case there was trouble we couldn’t see. She also enjoyed the hunting given the large game that had gathered into the valley. I was surprised to see a herd of wild horses that was gathered at one of the runoff pools. I didn’t remember seeing any wild horses this far north. 

    Jessica and Alex had started making small paintings of the surrounding scenery while we travelled, Caethrynna joined in with sketching to help pass the time. Emily and Ethan chose to turn into their forms and spend time hunting throughout the valley, even taking time to play fight amongst themselves. Jacob watched them relentlessly to ensure they did not wander too far. Nelye stayed close, but if she spotted a berry bush or any fruit bearing trees or other plant life that was edible she flew off, gathered what she could then came back as fast as she could. It was rather entertaining watching her flit about. 

    Asar had put a lot of distance between him and Melanie, even if Charles made it clear he was still angry and hadn’t spoken nor spent any time near her. I felt as if their relationship was certainly done and there was no salvaging it at all, sadly. Asar seemed to stay to the back of the group, Vhaenna could feel that he was bothered by something. She looked sad herself, even if he didn’t let it show on the outside. 

    I slowed Vivaldi down and waited for the group to pass by till I could meet up with Asar. Vhaenna nickered happily to Vivaldi, he responded with a grumpy knicker making me roll my eyes at how after this long he still didn’t care for her. Asar noticed that I had joined him when he heard Vivaldi and gave me a soft smile. 

    “Decided to stop leading for a bit?” He poked at me. I chuckled and rolled my eyes. 

    “Not exactly,” I gave him an earnest look before cutting to the chase, “Something seems to be bothering you, everything alright?” He balked at my question, an almost panicked look in his eyes. 

    “N-no, everything is fine.” He tried to look away, but it wasn’t working too well. 

    “Asar, you can be honest with me, no need to hide that you’re upset about something.” I watched him for a moment, “It has to do with Melanie, doesn’t it?” He jolted hard enough to give Vhaenna’s reins a slight yank, she gave a slight squeal at the sudden jerk and even gave a slight hop. 

    “Whoa, ease girl, I’m sorry,” he leaned down and gave her neck several strokes to reassure her. She gave him a hurtful look before giving him a content nicker and resuming her steady plodding. Asar sighed for a moment, he looked up at the wagon where Melanie was sitting perched in the back. From where we were she looked beautiful in the afternoon sunlight, the light giving her a warm glow to her skin and hair. He looked very melancholic as he gazed at her. 

    “You have true feelings for her don’t you?” I asked him, giving him a knowing look. He sighed as he looked back at me. 

    “I tried not to, she is married after all. I cannot be that man that destroyed a marriage, even with the world as we know it having ended. Marriage is still one of those institutions that should hold no matter what, through thick or thin. At least that’s what I believe. She is truly a one of a kind woman and even if she may not feel the same about me, I like to think that she does. Even still I will keep my distance and in due time, lose those feelings for her, maybe find another to give those feelings to.” He gave me a sad smile. 

    “Asar, if you think that you love her then don’t let go of those feelings.” He looked at me in shock, “At least not yet. We still have a good deal of traveling to go and in that time, if her and Charles don’t mend things, she may turn to you. Give her space for now. Especially give Charles space, we don’t need him trying to rip out your throat before we get to Eidenia. It’s hard to find someone to love, look how long it took before I met Theoden. I wouldn’t brush those feelings away so soon. Give it time and see what the future holds for you and her.” I gave him a warm smile hoping to cheer him up at least. I nudged Vivaldi to move back to the front of the group with Eldar. 

    “We should make camp soon, take a night to get some rest before making the final leg of the journey to Eidenia.” Eldar looked at me waiting for my answer. I sighed as I surveyed the group and then the valley. He was right. We needed to rest up before making the final leg to Eidenia. 

    “Let’s find a spot that will keep us well hidden. No need to risk being spotted by the enemy after having made it this far, try and keep the fire to a minimum and if we need it keep it as low as possible.” He nodded in response for heading towards the tree line along the valley. We were lucky in how the valley had a thick area of trees on both sides of the valley along the mountains. It would help in staying covered and hidden. Once he found a good clearing within the trees, I turned the group in the direction that Eldar was. It didn’t take long for us to get set up and settle in for the night. Eldar made certain that the fire was kept as low as possible and that the wagon was set up so it would help block any light. After the meal was cooked the fire was let go till it was coals. I took the first watch, then Asar took my place after everyone was settled in for the night. I settled in next to Vivaldi under the branches of an evergreen tree, before long I was able to drift off to sleep.