Fan Fiction ❯ The Keeper of the Orbs ❯ The Land of Ice ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty

The Land of Ice

 

On the morning of their thirty-ninth day out of the Draegan village, Sala and the others crossed the bordered to the Northern Region. Winter had stuck full force in this part of Ravika. Sala pulled the lambskin cloak she'd gotten in a small village a day's march from the Northern border tighter around herself. Cold weather had never bothered her much. She had always enjoyed it when she was a child.

 

"We should stay out of the cities." Kale said, his breath turned into a frost cloud when he spoke.

 

Sala nodded agreement. Though she liked this season, something felt different about winter in this place. Frax's teeth chattered behind them and Sala swore she heard Yent's skinny knees knocking. She shook her head and smiled slightly. The little Giggat was not nearly as warmly dressed as his master, but he was not as ill tempered as Frax was.

 

"Worthless human." Kale grumbled in Draegan. "Remind me again why he's with us."

 

Sala smiled. "It was either to let him come with us willingly or he would have followed us all over Ravika." she said in her native tongue. "Which would you have preferred?"

 

Kale smiled at her. "I didn't want him with us anyway." he said. "I was hoping to have you all to myself on cold nights like this. Now that can't happen because that arrogant little bastard I can't have anything."

 

Sala laughed. "I'm sorry, my love, but you could have what you wanted anyway." she said.

 

"Why not?" Kale asked.

 

The young woman smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Frax stared at the two of them. Night was coming and they needed to make camp. Sala called it a night when they reached a clearing. When the fire was roaring and a young doe that Sala and Kale had taken down was roasting, the group settled down for the night.

 

Sala bit into the hot meat, sitting silently. No one spoke as they ate their dinner. A shiver ran up Sala's spine and she looked around the clearing. Kale paused in chewing his portion and stared at her. He cocked an eyebrow at her in question. Sala only shook her head and smiled at him.

 

When their meal was done, they lay down to sleep. Sala lay beside Kale, sleeping peacefully for the first time in weeks. Suddenly, she was awake and alert. She shot up off of the cold, hard ground. When her eyes landed on the spot where Yent had lain, there was nothing there. The Giggat was gone!

 

She heard the whooshing sound of wind moving through tree branches. Sala whirled around towards the dark forest beyond their camp. Nothing was there. No hint of any kind of disturbance. When she turned back to the dying fire, Sala swallowed a gasp.

 

"Hello." an old man said.