A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire(118)

I looked over my shoulder at Casteel. “What in the hell is this mountain going to do?”

“Nothing,” he replied, urging Setti forward. “As long as we don’t allow it to.”





Quiet.

Casteel and Kieran didn’t speak. The thick moss along the path cushioned the horses’ steps. There were no sounds of birds or any animal life, nor the echo of any wind rustling the golden canopy of leaves above us. With every passing hour, the temperature seemed to drop another couple of degrees as we climbed the mountain. The heavy cloak I’d all but forgotten while in Spessa’s End was donned. Soon, a tingling numbness invaded my cheeks. It wasn’t long after that when Casteel tugged the hood of the cloak up over my head and pulled the halves of his around me, too. We continued on in eerie silence and the unnatural beauty of the mountain. Gold leaves above glimmered, and along the ground, flecks of gold spotted the moss and glistened from the bark, reminding me of the Blood Forest.

All too soon, the beams of sunlight filtering through the leaves faded, and the streaks of mist thickened, blanketing the moss as we continued climbing. The fog grew, swirling around our legs and then our waists. The last of the sun reached us, and we forged on. Several hours into the evening, we stopped when the mist stretched above us.

Casteel guided Setti to a halt as he glanced around. I had no idea what he was looking for as I could see nothing but streams of white mist. “This appears to be as good a place as any,” he said, his breath forming misty clouds as he turned to Kieran. “What do you think?”

The wolven was a faint shape behind the mist. “We’ve definitely reached the peak, so this should be fine.”

Should be? “How can you tell we’ve reached the peak?”

“If we hadn’t, we wouldn’t be able to see more than a few inches in front of us,” Kieran answer as he dismounted, stirring the mist.

I frowned. They could see more than a few inches?

Casteel shifted the reins to my hands. “Hold onto these. I’m going to get down and walk you two over to the tree.”

Taking the reins, I wondered exactly what tree he was talking about. He swung off Setti’s back, and for a moment, the gloom spun around him, seeming to swallow him. My heart kicked against my ribs. His face cleared the mist as he walked to Setti’s front, curling his fingers around the horse’s halter. He walked us through the chilled, churning air and then stopped, taking the reins from me as he spoke to Setti, crooning softly to the horse. I picked up something about carrots and orchard grass before he came back to my side.

Casteel lifted his hands to my hips, and I gripped his forearms as I leaned back, pulling a leg over the saddle. He helped me down, taking my hand as he unloaded one of the larger bags and the rolled blankets.

“Will it be like this?” I asked as he guided me forward, hating that I had to go blindly. “All night?”

“It will, but you’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“How about here?” Kieran’s voice came from somewhere. “The ground is pretty level.”

“Perfect.” Casteel seemed to know exactly where Kieran was because after a few moments, he appeared from within the mist.

Casteel let go of my hand, and I almost reached for it as I looked back, unable to see anything. “Do you think Setti will be okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Casteel told me as he knelt. A flame sparked to life as he lit an oil lamp, chasing a way a bit of the mist. “I’m going to give him some feed and then a blanket. He’ll probably be asleep before us.”

I had no idea how I would sleep tonight. The surroundings made the Blood Forest feel like a luxurious respite.

Another lantern came alive, held by Kieran. “I’m going to grab some branches.”

Casteel glanced up. “Don’t go too far.”

“Yes, sir,” Kieran answered with far too much enthusiasm.

I watched the yellow glow of his lantern until it disappeared. “Why aren’t there any animals in these mountains?”

“They sense the magic and stay away.” Casteel unrolled a thick canvas, one designed to keep the cold and damp from the ground from soaking through. As he spread out one of the blankets, the mist scattered a bit.

“Here.” He took my gloved hand when I didn’t move, drawing me down so I was seated in front of him. “I’m going to take care of Setti. I’ll be right back, okay?”

I nodded. When he rose, I noticed he left the only source of light behind. “You don’t need the lantern?”

“No.” He started to turn and then stopped. “Don’t let your curiosity get the best of you. Stay here. Please.”

“You do not need to worry about me wandering off.” I wasn’t going to move more than a foot, and I didn’t after he went back to feed Setti and make sure he was comfortable.

But I did lift a hand, waving it through the tendrils of fog gathering around me. The mist dispersed, only to seep back to dance and swirl around the finger I wore my ring on. It almost seemed alive, as if it were interacting with my movements and not simply impacted by them. My eyes squinted as a wisp of mist coiled down the left arm of my cloak. I jerked my arm back, and the mist recoiled and stayed there, a foot or so in front of me, waiting…

Biting my lip, I stretched forward, extending my fingers. The mist pulsed and then slowly expanded, forming a stream that grew what looked like ghostly fingers. The hand flattened against my left palm.

I gasped and drew back. The mist responded in kind, mimicking my movements.

“What are you doing over there?” Casteel’s voice broke through the silence, seeming to startle the mist more than me. It scattered.

And then it struck me. “This isn’t normal mist, is it? The mist is the magic.”

“Yes,” came his response. “And you’re definitely doing something, aren’t you?”

I shook my head in wonder. “No…” I dragged the word out as the magic twisted toward the sound of Casteel’s voice. I rose onto my knees and stretched out, skimming just the tips of my fingers through the vapors. It shimmied. My brows rose. “Kieran said the magic here is tied to the gods. How is that possible if they sleep?”

“The short, very condensed version of a very convoluted reason is that even though the gods sleep, there is a level of consciousness still present. You already know that.”

I did.

“They created the mist to protect the Pillars of Atlantia,” he explained, and the mist turned back to him, as if it were listening. “But it’s basically an extension of them, or at the very least, an extension of their will.”

Something about being surrounded by a part of the gods’ consciousness was incredibly bizarre. “What do the Pillars of Atlantia look like?”

“You’ll see them tomorrow.”

“But—”

“Some say patience is a virtue,” his voice echoed back to me.

“Some deserve a punch in the face,” I muttered, but I fell silent. As much as it perturbed me to admit, Casteel was right. I eventually grew used to the mist or, more appropriately, the magic. I wondered though…if it were an extension of the gods’ will, then why did Atlantians trigger it? Then again, it had allowed the armies to pass through.

However, they were leaving instead of entering.

Casteel returned, as did Kieran. A small fire was lit, beating back the thickest of the magic. I took care of my personal needs, not far from Casteel’s presence, which was not something I cared to ever repeat, and no amount of intimacy or openness would change that. Then we ate by the fire. It wasn’t until afterward, when Kieran stretched out on the canvas that Casteel had laid down earlier, that I took a closer look at the sleeping arrangements.

There were three blankets, side by side and overlapping. My eyes widened as I stared at the two spaces beside Kieran.

“Are we sleeping here?” I demanded. “The three of us?”

“I was wondering when she was going to notice that,” Kieran commented.

My gaze narrowed as the mist slipped over Kieran’s chest. “Is it really necessary that the three of us sleep…so close?”

“Is it necessary for you to make it sound like we’d be doing something other than sleeping?” Casteel queried, and when my gaze shot to him, he grinned. “I mean, all we’re doing is sleeping side by side.” He reclined back on one hand as the dimple appeared in his cheek. “Unless you have a different idea. If so, I’m very curious to learn more about it, wife.

I stared at him as the mist seemed to still around us.

“What? I’m just a very curious soul.”

“Did you forget that I’m armed?” I asked softly.

“Are you thinking about using it against me?” In the glow of the fire, both dimples appeared. “If so, this sleeping arrangement may get very uncomfortable for Kieran.”

I immediately thought of the Joining, and the humor dancing across Casteel’s face was evidence that he knew where my mind had gone.

“Or…interesting,” came the wolven’s response.

“I’m going to seriously hurt you both,” I growled as the mist drifted away.

“And I’m so very…intrigued now,” Casteel replied and then laughed as he patted the space beside him. “It’s going to get even colder during the night, more so than when we were in the Blood Forest. In about an hour or so, you’ll be grateful for the body heat.”