Adora rolled her eyes and stepped around him. He held a massive arm up in her way and shook his head.
“Stay. Safe.”
“I can’t stay. I have people who are depending on me.”
“Don’t matter.”
She titled her head to the side. “They matter to me. They’re my people and it is my duty to help keep them safe from predators like Drago the Clanless and his army of demons and idealogues.”
“Must find Dearbhaile.”
“Do you have any ideas where to look?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Carter and I have scoured the Realm for six years, and haven’t had any luck in locating her.”
“Stormhome.”
“What is that?”
She blinked and found herself in a different place. A hot breeze wafted across her cheeks, bringing the pleasant scent of pine and honey to her nose. Long grasses shushed as animals ran through them. Nearby, bees buzzed around their hive.
She raised her eyes to the bright blue sky with thick white clouds drifting across it. Her dress rustled against the grass as she sat up. A flock of birds burst from the trees in a thick cloud as something startled them. Off in the middle distance, a ruined castle hunched against an imposing mountain. Even from here, she could make out the decay and disrepair of the building. Despite the damage of time, it still bore a firm grasp of elegance to its architecture.
A shadow passed over her face as the DarkWalker, standing over where she sat, pointed to the castle.
“Stormhome.”
###
Adora studied the DarkWalker as he watched the castle in the distance. The sun didn’t reflect off the silvery purple green armor. Sable hair fell to his shoulders with a few errant pieces fluttering in the breeze. His thick arms hung at his sides, palms facing his thighs. His long legs were about a foot apart and his balance was on the fronts of his feet.
A dragonfly zipped by and alighted on his shoulder for a second, wings slowly flapping, before flitting away again. Sweat rolled down her neck to her upper back where the cool breeze dried it. She reached back and tugged her smock away from her kirtle before waving her hand over the area. ‘By the Abyss, it is hot.’
“Why are we here?”
“We get Lamp.”
“What lamp?” She scratched her ribs with her right hand as sweat rolled down them under her dress.
“Magic.”
She sighed. ‘I don’t know if the DarkWalker is a simpleton, or just terse, but it is aggravating trying to converse with him. I want Carter back.’ She gazed around and spotted a path leading down.
The pale brown dirt had edges lined with wildflowers wilting under the relentless sun, their once-vibrant colors fading to dull hues. As she walked it, she saw the parched plains below stretching out in a haze of shimmering heat, the grasslands brittle and cracked as each of her steps stirred a faint cloud of dry dust.
She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of a heavy, slow tread behind her. The DarkWalker strode the path, not noticing the heat, or seemingly the scenery. He turned his head to each side and when a bush to the side rattled, moved up between her and it. A deer with a rack of antlers bounded out and reared up when it saw him. As it kicked its forelegs out defensively, the DarkWalker darted forward and shoved the animal’s chest. It fell over and kicked at the ground as it scrambled to its feet. The DarkWalker watched as it rose and leaped away, leaving a pile of pellets behind. He then moved behind Adora again.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The veridian light faded from her body and eyes as she dropped her hands and pulled her magic back within herself. ‘By Kellün’s right hand, he protected me.’ She nibbled at her left thumbnail. ‘How much of Carter is in him?’
The trail disappeared into the cracked ground of the plains, where a wall of shimmering heat seemed to rise. The crunch of dried earth gave way to the crackle of dry grasses. She used the sleeve of her gown to wipe away the sweat on her face. The dust mixed with the perspiration to leave a caked-on feeling on grime afterwards.
A deep thud hit the air, causing her to spin around, magic engulfing her hands once again. She let out an inadvertent squeal when she found Carter laying on the ground, naked and unconscious.
“Cah-Carter!”
###
Carter groaned as he stirred, his head pounding with a relentless, throbbing ache that seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat. He pressed his palm to his forehead, squinting against the light as the pain sent sharp jolts through his temples, leaving him disoriented and struggling to remember where he was. “Son of a bitch, my head is killing me.” He blinked away the building wetness in his eyes as he slowly managed to open them further. “Where the fuck am I?”
Warmth ran through his skull, soothing away the pain. He moaned in relief as the familiar feeling of healing magic washed over him. He glanced over his shoulder.
Adora knelt behind him, clad in a dusty gown that reminded him of what she wore for diplomatic meetings. Her right hand hovered near his shoulder, silvery green light still wrapped around it. As he watched, it slowly faded.
“Adora?” He rubbed his head, glad the pain was gone. “What are you doing here?” He turned back, taking in the parched earth and dry grasses. “Where are we?” He turned back, feeling the dry dirt scrapping his skin, and glanced down. “Wait, where are my clothes?!”
Adora giggled. “What question do you want answered first?”
Carter blinked. “Where are my clothes?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I found you here, naked and unconscious.”
He sighed. “Gods damn it.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Where are we?”
“We’re not far from a ruin called ‘Stormhome.’”
“Where is that?”
She pointed to the distance. “Over that way.”
“What way?” He followed the direction she pointed in, but didn’t see anything except the horizon. “Over the horizon? Let me think… It’s been so long since I thought about this formula.” Carter’s brow furrowed as he stared into the distance, his mind grasping at fragmented memories of time in school and reading text books.
“Formula?” Adora rubbed below her eye. “When did you take up alchemy?”
“What?” He bit his lip. “Alchemy?” He shook his head. “No, geometry.”
“What’s that?”
“Math from my world.” He waved his hand at her. “Hush for a moment.” He traced shapes in the dirt before leaping to his feet. “That’s it! The square root of one point five times my height.” He looked back to the horizon. “It’s about three miles to the horizon, so we should be able to see, or almost reach it in about an hour of walking.” Carter refocused on the environment. “Then again, with the heat, it would take longer if we don’t have water.”
“A couple of problems with that, Mister Blake.”
He turned back. “‘Mister Blake?’ Since when?”
“Just now.” She looked him up and down, then whistled. “I had no idea you had so much hair and were that muscled.”
He looked down. “Bloody hells.” He spun away, and placed his hands over his groin. “I forgot about that. I am sorry, Adora.”
“I’m not. You have a fantastic body, husband.”
“Really?” He glanced back and snorted. “Your consistency is admirable and refreshing.” He chuckled.
She shrugged. “I still want you, and also respect your wishes.”
“And you enjoy messing with me.”
“And I enjoy messing with you.” She giggled. “Now, what do we do about getting you some clothes, and us some supplies?”
Carter looked around, taking in more of the area. Patches of dried wildflowers, their petals faded and curling, dotted the parched ground, breaking up the otherwise barren expanse. In the distance, waves of shimmering heat blurred the horizon, giving the illusion of water where none existed. Off to the left, about a half mile away, trees grew. Their twisted branches clawed at the sky as though pleading for rain. Beneath their distant shade, the dry grasses clung stubbornly to life. The faint scent of pine and scorched bark came to them on the warm air.
He pointed. “Think we might find water over there?”
Adora nodded. “Yes. There might be more deer, too.”
“More?” He peered at her.
A nod. “Indeed. The DarkWalker knocked on over not far from here.”
“The what?” He furrowed his brow. “Is there someone like me?”
“From what I understand, he is your shadow.”
His eyes widened. “My shadow? He’s like me, but… evil?”
“Not that I’ve witnessed.” She shook her head. “More like you unleashed.”
“That’s concerning.” He tapped his lips and searched for the other. “Do you know where he went?”
“He vanished, but I know where he is now.”
Carter turned to face her, modesty considerations gone. “Where?”
Adora stepped forward and tapped his broad chest. “In here.”
Should I spend time showing how Carter & Adora get weapons and clothing for him, or should I do a small time skip and have it done there?
