Chapter 97:Travels
When they reached the dark almost inconspicuous carriage, she didn’t let his hand go.
She stepped first into the carriage then supported him as he followed right after.
Atheline let out a sigh of relief the moment he sat down.
She adjusted herself until she was closer to him with no space left between them.
Her gaze checked him and adjusted anything that seemed out of place before she smiled in satisfaction.
Once he was fully secured she leaned against him, then gave her command.
"Move."
The carriage began to roll and still she never looked away from him.
The cracking sounds reached him as the carriage wheels ran over rocks and branches.
Atheline was starting to get tired.
While the suppressants did work, he still had the poison in his body and there were bound to be side effects.
"You’re staying conscious longer than expected," she said quietly after a while.
Her fingers shifted slightly against his sleeves as if confirming he was still there.
Atheline linked their hands on his thigh.
"Do you not want me to?" He jokingly said.
"No, you should stay awake more," she replied.
Atheline chuckled.
His gaze went to the passing scenery beyond the window.
Rolling mountains filled with a mixture of green and dark trees as far as his eyes could see.
Outside the court, the dark elven kingdom was almost the same as the high elven. Towering trees everywhere and beasts’ cries dominate the forests.
Atheline turned to her. She met his gaze.
"We should have just used the train then," he quietly said.
She frowned. Her hand tightened around his.
"That would take two days to reach Derbly," she said.
Derbly was the main coastal town bordering the blood ocean that connected the two continents.
"This is shorter then?" He asked.
She nodded.
"It is, we’ll make the border by evening," she said then added," we’ll be boarding immediately and leave before the tides shift."
Atheline’s eyes narrowed.
The dark elven kingdom was just as large and the Court was situated right in the middle, which meant by carriage it would take much longer than the train.
"You speak as if you’ve done this before," he said casually.
Atheline himself has never left the elven borders.
She didn’t look at him but their joined hands.
"Does it matter?"
Silence covered the carriage. Atheline glanced outside.
"No," he answered quietly.
They didn’t speak to each other after that but the silence was comfortable enough.
The carriage rocked forward gently as the terrain shifted. They went from a little smoother road to a rougher less-maintained one.
"This part of the route doesn’t give me much assurance," he said softly his gaze on the slowly thinning forest," is this really the only way?"
Her expression didn’t change.
"That’s the reason it’s faster," she calmly said," shortcuts are bound to have their disadvantages."
"This doesn’t sound convincing," he jokingly said.
She glanced up at him.
"You have me," she calmly said," there is nothing to be scared of."
Atheline chuckled. He glanced outside again. The healthy forest had all but vanished.
"That’s true," he said.
She smiled and placed her head on his shoulder again.
Another stretch of silence passed the only sound coming from the rocking carriage.
Atheline shifted slightly again adjusting his position. She looked up at him worriedly.
Her hands moved immediately, steadying him before the motion could go further.
"Is it too uncomfortable?" She asked.
Atheline shook his head. He swallowed the bile threatening to come out.
The carriage movement was making him nauseous but not too much, it was manageable.
"How long do you think it’ll take before they notice we’re gone?" Atheline changed the subject.
"They’ve probably noticed already," she calmly said," it’s not really that big of a deal."
He smiled faintly.
"Of course," he agreed.
He leaned in closer to her.
"Mind if I kiss you," he asked.
Her surprise was evident in her face.
"You’re not well," she rejected him.
Atheline’s smile widened.
"A kiss will make me better, " he convincingly said," I want a distraction from everything."
His honesty caught her attention. She let out a heavy exhale and cupped both his cheeks.
"You really know how to seduce," she said almost jokingly.
Atheline had a lopsided smile.
"You always fall for it."
She chuckled softly and took his lips.
By the time afternoon came, they had completed more than half of the journey.
Atheline was busy circulating his aether out of boredom.
’I should really find a game to play while passing the time during travels’
The carriage slowed just slightly before they continued. Atheline frowned at that.
He glanced outside the window again.
"The trees are starting to get denser here," he noted," are you really sure we should go deeper?"
She didn’t respond to his worry immediately.
"Stop worrying too much."
Atheline wasn’t worried but it just creeped him out. All the trees looked dead and he could literally smell the rot.
"It’s the corruption zone," he stated, " we’re bound to be delayed if we get attacked."
She chuckled.
"We won’t."
Atheline turned his head slightly towards her.
"You chose this route knowing we’re going through the most dangerous corruption zone," he said while glancing at the dead trees.
They were all dead but still clustered together. The fact that they were so tall added to their creepiness.
Her eyes met his.
"Yes," she said calmly.
There wasn’t even a smidgen of worry in her voice.
Her gaze went outside, observing.
"Let’s just hope luck is on our side," he mumbled, " those things can be unpredictable."
Atheline wasn’t worried that Lilith wouldn’t be able to defeat them, it was the fact that he would be an inconvenience.
He could use his aether normally but he doubted she would even allow that.
The carriage gave a sharp jolt this time almost forcing him to lose his balance.
’We really need seat belts’
The jolt came again sharper this time. Atheline glanced at Lilith.
Her lazy posture was gone. Her face a mask of focus.
Atheline’s attention shifted outward. He could feel it, whatever was causing the jolts might be under them or just big enough to cause earthquakes.
He sighed quietly.
’I really am unlucky aren’t I?’
Her hand tightened around his.
"Stay where you are," she whispered.
Even as focused as she was, Atheline didn’t see a trace of fear in her body, she looked irritated even.
Her gaze narrowed towards the unseen forest her brows furrowing.
She was quiet for a moment before she spoke.
"This is earlier than expected, "she coldly said,"... and extremely unnatural."
Atheline’s eyes widened in surprise.
"You know what that is?"
She nodded.
"Yes," she paused, " it’s not supposed to be on this side of the zone."