I have used my endless time journeying with these people to acquaint myself with as many of them as possible, since the fight I have been welcomed with open arms. I have contributed as much as anyone else, collecting firewood, looking after the young ones, I’m even trusted to stand over them armed as they sleep, warding off predators. Every morning, all bunks are dismantled and carefully spread back around the forest so as to leave as little evidence as possible, and we continue onwards for another long day of walking.
By now nobody has much energy left.
Feet are cracked and sore, everyone’s hungry and more worryingly, thirsty. We only come upon freshwater streams every so often, and the constantly parched throats are beginning to shorten tempers. The vicious heat and long periods without shade are resulting in constant headaches and everyone is always on the lookout for sunstroke. The various loads previously carried by all the elderly have been distributed among the rest of us now and combined with the pained and never-ending complaints of the children, progress is slow. On several occasions we’ve all had to disperse to give Horas time to pacify his sister, Astera I now know gets infamously intolerable on an empty stomach.
Whilst each step takes me further away from my family, I cannot help but appreciate the nature I find myself enveloped in. If Orrian had never stumbled into our village I would have likely never left Avlym’s close-knit community. I may have hunted and ventured a little into the forest, but I would be surprised if any resident in Avlym’s living memory has seen as much of the world as I have now.
Whilst my time exploring is certainly satisfying my curiosity, boredom and gradually increasing pains are refusing to make the experience enjoyable. My feet are bloodied and cracked, toenails bruised, legs aching and knees threatening to collapse under every step. As precious sweat leaves me we all find ourselves longing for the forest, treasuring the moments where we can escape the relentless fire from above.
Since leaving the peaks, our journey has consisted mostly of grasslands with the occasional small section of woodland, it is therefore to great relief when through the last of the trees we finally stumble out onto golden sand. The distant, perfectly flat horizon calling out for the setting sun as gentle waves crawl towards us before retreating once again into the infinite depths. I cannot remember ever being able to see so far into the distance as I can now, I squint as hard as I can but still cannot see a shore on the other side of the water. Travellers have told us about a place like this, an endless field of water which gives them all their salt. I thought that they had invented the place to sell more of their product, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Everyone has paused. After so many hours of similar landscapes the sudden beauty of the scene before us is breath-taking. Driftwood litters the beach, inviting us to begin our fires. Above, deep hues of purple slowly dissolve into blackness, the faintest light of the stars already shining through. Our feet are cushioned and massaged by the sand below, the pleasure indescribable as the gold runs between our toes.
From here we can see the entire beach, having come out roughly in the centre of a long soft bay. Standing back, a few hills emerge above the trees, a couple developing into cliff edges later on. The nearest of these ends in a cluster of boulders close to where we stand, giving the impression that the entirety of the sheer face could collapse at any second. Long grooves weave their way through the rock, mimicking the curves of the waves that gently roll into them.
Orrian drops his stuff, I sigh with relief. It would be cruel to get a taste of this soft haven only to have to immediately resume our wanders in the forests and undergrowth.
No more needs to be said, everyone is used to their jobs by now and they require no further input from their king to set up sleeping arrangements for the night. Before long, a few long communal sleeping platforms have been created to raise everyone off the ground, hopefully far enough up the shore to avoid the incoming tide. Logs and driftwood planks have been collected and positioned around roaring campfires on which the day’s rations slowly cook, tended to by Horas and several others.
Whilst the food cooks I join others in taking the opportunity to wash properly for the first time in days. I let the dark waters embrace me as I gently cleanse myself of the coating of dried dirt, blood, and dust that has managed to accumulate. I start with my hair, which no longer runs between my fingers but instead catches them in its thickness. Next, I move onto my arms and legs, taking care over my display of uncountable scratches, before finally submerging myself completely and succumbing to gravity.
I disappear into the silence and peace of the oddly salty water, the faint light above me retreating above my head. My hair drifts away from me, swaying with
