your mysterious arrival didn’t alarm anyone."
I shook my head. "I told them we were traveling and I wasn't sure where you were. Not many questions were asked about you and they didn’t seem too worried about my intentions. I gained their trust."
It dawned on me that I had gained their trust, hurt one of them, and was about to betray that trust by helping Aton steal from one of them. There was no turning back now. I had gone this far, and when I was done, they would never trust me again, were they to learn the truth. They shouldn’t ever trust me again.
He smiled up at me as he struggled to stand up. "All right, we go tonight then. We can be out of sight before morning. You stay here in the forest and channel as much energy as you can to me. Just in case something goes wrong, I don't want to be caught off guard once again."
I found a safe place for my body to stay in the forest and followed Aton in Etherea, keeping my distance as he approached the town. His pace was steady and in a specific direction, so he appeared to know exactly where he was going. The town was very dark as we entered. There were no signs of life, and not a sound in Etherea.
Aton signaled me to stay where I was and then he crept into a small hut. I watched him disappear inside. Time seemed to pass at an uncomfortable pace as I waited outside, anxious for him to come back out. I almost broke down and was about to go inside and check on him when he came out, walking now in a more hastened pace towards me. I followed him back to the patch of forest where I had left my body along with our supplies.
Once I was back to my body and able to control them both again, I looked to Aton. "Did you get what you needed?"
He grinned and patted his side pocket. "Yes, now let's make our way back up the tunnel and out of here. Once they notice you're missing, they'll probably start looking for you. We'll need to put enough distance between us and them tonight before they notice."
In a flurry of haste we packed our bags and made our way towards the cavern. I took only a few heartbeats to look back at the town I had grown to love during my stay, before I ruined my welcome there. I imagined saying my goodbyes to everyone inside and caught back up with Aton. My heart beat like a steady drum in the back of my throat as I thought of how I was repaying the kindness everyone had shown me, and how much I would miss them. There was no turning back now.
"How will we cross the gap this time?" I made sure that my voice was filled with concern.
"I placed a series of sturdy logs across that recently. We’ll be able to walk across them with ease. I didn't lie around the entire time you were gone." He sounded almost defensive.
As night passed, we continued to march through the tunnel in a hurry. I grew tired and my ability to properly place one foot in front of the other faded. I began to stumble from one side of the passage to the other, but we continued on. Aton ensured we didn’t stop until we were through the tunnel. By the time we reached the other side, it was midday.
We stepped out into the bright sun. It reflected off the white snow and blinded me, making it near impossible to see. My eyes adjusted to the light, and as my vision returned, I could see the figure standing in front of us. I didn't need to see whom it was to know it was trouble. I could see the mage in Etherea. Then I recognized him—the red beard and green robes gave him away. I looked to Aton, who I could tell was already hidden from the mage's eyes.
"It's pointless, mage. I know you're there," Red Beard shouted. He then placed his hands on the ground and closed his eyes. The earth trembled around me. Mounds of snow welled up in a circle around Aton and me, and then giant patches of brush sprouted out of the ground.
A thick circle of brush surrounded us and I couldn’t find a way out. I tried tugging on some loose branches, but they didn’t give. Their branches spread out in many directions and wove
I shook my head. "I told them we were traveling and I wasn't sure where you were. Not many questions were asked about you and they didn’t seem too worried about my intentions. I gained their trust."
It dawned on me that I had gained their trust, hurt one of them, and was about to betray that trust by helping Aton steal from one of them. There was no turning back now. I had gone this far, and when I was done, they would never trust me again, were they to learn the truth. They shouldn’t ever trust me again.
He smiled up at me as he struggled to stand up. "All right, we go tonight then. We can be out of sight before morning. You stay here in the forest and channel as much energy as you can to me. Just in case something goes wrong, I don't want to be caught off guard once again."
I found a safe place for my body to stay in the forest and followed Aton in Etherea, keeping my distance as he approached the town. His pace was steady and in a specific direction, so he appeared to know exactly where he was going. The town was very dark as we entered. There were no signs of life, and not a sound in Etherea.
Aton signaled me to stay where I was and then he crept into a small hut. I watched him disappear inside. Time seemed to pass at an uncomfortable pace as I waited outside, anxious for him to come back out. I almost broke down and was about to go inside and check on him when he came out, walking now in a more hastened pace towards me. I followed him back to the patch of forest where I had left my body along with our supplies.
Once I was back to my body and able to control them both again, I looked to Aton. "Did you get what you needed?"
He grinned and patted his side pocket. "Yes, now let's make our way back up the tunnel and out of here. Once they notice you're missing, they'll probably start looking for you. We'll need to put enough distance between us and them tonight before they notice."
In a flurry of haste we packed our bags and made our way towards the cavern. I took only a few heartbeats to look back at the town I had grown to love during my stay, before I ruined my welcome there. I imagined saying my goodbyes to everyone inside and caught back up with Aton. My heart beat like a steady drum in the back of my throat as I thought of how I was repaying the kindness everyone had shown me, and how much I would miss them. There was no turning back now.
"How will we cross the gap this time?" I made sure that my voice was filled with concern.
"I placed a series of sturdy logs across that recently. We’ll be able to walk across them with ease. I didn't lie around the entire time you were gone." He sounded almost defensive.
As night passed, we continued to march through the tunnel in a hurry. I grew tired and my ability to properly place one foot in front of the other faded. I began to stumble from one side of the passage to the other, but we continued on. Aton ensured we didn’t stop until we were through the tunnel. By the time we reached the other side, it was midday.
We stepped out into the bright sun. It reflected off the white snow and blinded me, making it near impossible to see. My eyes adjusted to the light, and as my vision returned, I could see the figure standing in front of us. I didn't need to see whom it was to know it was trouble. I could see the mage in Etherea. Then I recognized him—the red beard and green robes gave him away. I looked to Aton, who I could tell was already hidden from the mage's eyes.
"It's pointless, mage. I know you're there," Red Beard shouted. He then placed his hands on the ground and closed his eyes. The earth trembled around me. Mounds of snow welled up in a circle around Aton and me, and then giant patches of brush sprouted out of the ground.
A thick circle of brush surrounded us and I couldn’t find a way out. I tried tugging on some loose branches, but they didn’t give. Their branches spread out in many directions and wove
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