Chapter 295: Demon Raid
The next few days passed as quickly as the ground beneath Fable’s paws. By the end of the first week, we left the forest behind, emerging onto a sweeping prairie. A coarse sea of sharp, long-bladed grass rolled over the gentle hills, an endless expanse of greens and yellows punctuated by bursts of purple coneflowers. Shining ripples flowed across the gentle hills, traveling with the breeze like ocean swells, rustling a low symphony as they passed. In the distance, a herd of bison grazed, their dark forms in stark contrast to the lighter prairie grasses.
"Beautiful," Korra murmured.
I nodded, soaking in the unfamiliar vista, then shot her a strange look. "Wait, haven’t you already seen this before?"
She nodded, smiling gently. "Yeah, but some things are easier to appreciate when you share them with friends."
Fable accelerated as we left the forest behind, no longer inhibited by the cluttered trees and rocky outcroppings. He cut through the long, waving grass like a ship in the sea, his paws leaving a wide, matted trail in the green behind us. The forest had also served to break the wind, and now that it was gone, the breeze nipped at us wantonly. Though it was mid-summer, it carried the bitter chill and promise of winter.
It had grown steadily colder the further East we traveled, bringing us closer to the Anomaly. Just what kind of storm was it? According to my last vision, not even the ninth-level caster of Brithlite could do anything about it, nor had they even discovered what caused it.
Shivering, I sank further into Fable’s silver fur and drew my cloak tighter about me. A heavy weight settled in my stomach, a sinking suspicion that refused to go away no matter how much I dismissed it. If their timetable was to be believed, it had begun moving the night I reawakened the Eyes of Fate, drawing a line straight toward me. It was another, unspoken reason I had to leave Heartland behind. If it truly was hunting me, I couldn’t risk letting the only place I called home become a frozen wasteland.
Korra’s voice filtered through my thoughts. "Hey, do you see that?"
Raising my head, I followed her pointing finger north, to the horizon. A black stain rose above the sea of grass, a billowing plume of smoke, dark against the gentle blue sky. A tremor passed through my soul, a sort of chaotic resonance. Demons.