The Fates
Chapter 20

The sun was setting earlier here and it was already getting dark. Celia had no way of knowing what time it was but she felt like it should be early afternoon. Then again she could be wrong, her mind still did not feel quite right after all that ale.

The wet snow still made it difficult for them to go as fast as they would have liked and for the first time in her life Celia wished the snow away. But they made it forward, one hoof at a time.

She wanted to reach the land of the Gods already, for more than just the obvious reason, the joining. But she also wanted to get it over with, her nervousness grew for every passing hour over the fact that she soon had to meet full blooded Gods and their leader, who just happened to be Rhale’s father.

They were now on what Rhale had called no man land, no one apparently lived here.

Rhale was stiff as a board behind her, ready for anything and to make matters worse there were no trees here to take cover in and she was unable to relax as well.

Rhale was really not worried about running in to any King’s guards here, it was other creatures he was worried about and she kept her eyes going around in a circle, looking for any threat. So far there had not been any.

They had just arrived at an ancient looking wooden bridge that they needed to cross in order to reach the ocean, they then had to go by boat to reach the land of the gods.

They were beginning to get really close to their destination now. There was only one problem, the bridge was broken, it hung on either side of the cliff like someone had cut it in half. Celia sighed as she looked at the sorry state of the bridge. It was just their luck.

“So it’s broken, there must be a way to go around.” She mused out loud, really hoping that there was another way for them to cross.

“There isn’t. These cliffs go on forever.”

“Surly not forever”

“No but the distance is so great that they might as well. We can not go around them.”

“Right... So, do you have any ideas on how we are going to make it to the other side?” She asked because had none, if they could not go around it she could not see a way for them to continue.

“One.” He said and she waited for him to continue, when he did not she turned her head to look at him.

“And that idea is?”

“We jump.”

“Jump?” No, she did not like that idea, the distance was too great and she could not even see the ground behind the edge. The drop seemed to continue on for all eternity.

A fall down there would mean instant death, no, not even instant, you would have time to be utterly terrified before you hit the ground.

“Scared?” Rhale’s breath tickled her neck as he nuzzled it and she let out an involuntary shriek of laughter.

“Scared? It’s foolish to try to jump over this!” Taurus made a sound that Celia took as his agreement, Rhale could not be serious.

“Do you have any other ideas?” Did she? She willed her brain to come up with something, anything.

They moved back while they talked, probably so Taurus could build up the speed he needed before he jumped.

“I don’t know, maybe we can climb down it and then up it on the other side?”

“That would take too long, we might as well go around. And we would have to leave Taurus.” That wouldn't do, they were not leaving Taurus behind, besides that would mean that they had to walk the rest of the way. That could possibly take forever and it would probably be impossible in the snow.

And then there was the fact that Celia would not be able to climb it, it was too steep. She scrambled for an idea as Taurus moved back the way they had come. There needed to be something, there had to be.

“Can we mend it?” She knew that they couldn’t but she could come up with little else.

“Sure, we just need to get some tools and some other people to stand on the other side of the cliff. If we are going to do that we might just as well built a new one.”

They came to a stop and then they stood still, her heart was hammering hard in her chest. Rhale was not really going to do this was he? It had to be impossible for any horse to jump the space between the two cliffs.

“I would not even try to do this if I did not know that he was capable of it” Celia was not at all reassured by his words. She heard a loud noise from behind them and they both looked back to see what it was. Celia immediately covered her mouth with both of her hands to muffle the scream that came out of her.

The sight behind them made the cliff look like the better option. Multiple trolls were running at them, their tall legs carrying them fast forward as their feet shook the earth beneath them. Their pointy ears flapped as they ran at full speed and Celia could hear their grunts for every step they took.

“Well, I think we know what broke the bridge.” Rhale said calmly “Still want to stay here? Better ready your bow then, four of them, no there another one behind them, do you see? So five of them and two of us. I think we can take them.”

How in the world could he be so calm? She was panicking as she saw the monstrous creatures. Celia remembered the last troll they had encountered and shuttered at the thought of it being five of them at the same time.

“No, I don’t want to stay.” She said hurriedly.

“Are you sure?”

The trolls were really getting close now, “Yes I am sure!” She yelled urgently.

Taurus started galloping at full speed and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see when they fell to their death.

She felt it when Taurus jumped up into the air and she waited for that sickening feeling of falling down. It did not come, they landed loudly on solid ground and Celia started to fall sideways at the unsteady landing but Rhale’s arm came around and steadied her before she fell.

“You can open your eyes now.” His voice was of course as calm as it had been before the jump, hers however was shaking.

“Are you sure?”

“Look.” He whispered in her ear and she slowly opened her eyes. She could hardly believe it, they were safely on the other side and the trolls had stopped just at the edge of the cliff, staring at them with their black eyes as they grunted loudly and stomped their big ugly feet.

“Taurus has jumped this cliff many times before. I would never risk your safety.” Rhale kissed her cheek gently.

“What? But I thought Taurus agreed with me!”

“He was probably in on the joke.” He laughed,

Celia did not see anything funny in this situation at all and she elbowed Rhale in his side. He didn’t even notice that she did which made her pout even more.

As they rode on she realized how different the landscape was here, it was completely flat and open, no trees as far as the eyes could see. It was impossible for her to see the ground, it was still covered in a thick layer of snow. And she did not like that they had nothing for cover, she felt safer in a forest where it was harder to be seen.

“Is it not too open here?” She asked, looking around them wildly. It felt strange, not seeing anything growing, not even a bush.

“No creatures live on this side. The ground is solid rock, there is nothing that can grow here so naturally nothing lives here. And even if that was not the case, very few can make it past that cliff.”

“But the bridge? Does that not mean that there were people here?” Someone must have built it at one point, she thought.

“It is left over from a very long time ago when humans tried to move in on this land. There being no monsters here was probably a huge draw for them. But since the land is not workable they eventually moved on.”

The fully round moon was now high up in the sky and it lit up the open vast space before them. Celia was getting really tired but she did not want to be a burden on Rhale so she willed herself to stay awake. She understood that they could not try and make a camp here, there was too much snow on the ground and there was no wood to make a fire.

She was unable to stop her yawn however and when Rhale heard it his arms tightened around her.

“Lean on me and sleep my angel, we will stop and rest as soon as we can.” She let her back rest on his hard chest and soon her head fell back as well and she drifted off.

She was having that dream again, the one where she had wings. This time she knew that it was a dream but that made it no less terrifying. The strange sensation of trying to flap her wings went through her and she tried again and again and again.

Her wings were too heavy, like dead weight on her back but she screamed out for them to work as she tried again, there was still something she needed to do, someone she needed to make sure was safe.

Panic filled her, complete and utter panic. She knew that if she could not fly they would capture her. She tried to move her arms, they were dead weight too.

“Celia, you're dreaming.” Someone was shaking her arm and she woke up with a start, her heart pounding too hard in her chest. Celia panicky moved her arms still feeling like she was in the dream, but her arms worked and she moved her hand over her heart, willing it to calm down.

It was the same dream as she had before and her body was shaking, just like last time. This time however she knew that it had been a dream and at least this time she was not a sobbing mess. But the feeling of being utterly petrified still filled her.

Celia tried to grasp a hold of her dream but it was already fading from her mind. She had been flying and not as a bird. Her wings, she remembered, had been huge and bigger than herself.

“You looked to be in distress, what were you dreaming?” Rhale asked softly behind her.

“I was flying...” She scrunched her eyebrows, she had been afraid she remembered, but of what?

“Like the other dream you had?”

“Yes” she said, still trying to remember but the details had already faded away.

“What else do you remember?”

“I don’t know, I was afraid but I don’t remember why.”

“Well it was only a dream, you're safe.” Only she could not shake the feeling that it had been more than a dream.

Celia slowly became more aware of her surroundings, it was still dark but the moon now sat low on the sky.

“How long have I slept?”

“A few hours, it is soon dawn.”

She stifled a yawn and tried to stretch out her arms and sat herself up better when she realized that she was still leaning on Rhale.

“I like it when you lean on me” He said and used one of his hands to draw her back to him and she sighed in content at feeling his chest behind her back. She could feel his heat even through their thick clothing and she let herself relax as she watched the night slowly turn into day.

The mighty sun calmly rose up, illuminated the horizon and lit up what she now saw was an ocean in front of them. The water far ahead sparkled like a million diamonds and she marveled at its beauty. She had never seen an ocean before and the dark water seemed to go on forever as the sun rose higher up, revealing more of the splendor before her.

Taurus walked slowly, probably needing rest and Celia silently promised him all the treats he wanted. They could not have made this journey without him.

“The ocean looks to be closer than it is, it is still a few hours until we reach it.” Rhale explained to her and she did not mind it. There were no monsters here to attack them and she could see the ocean that they had set out to reach. It amazed her that they really had made it.

“How will we travel over the ocean?” She knew that they needed to go by boat but she wondered where they would get one, there was no dock here as far as she could see.

“They will send a ship for us, as soon as we step foot on the beach they will know that we are here.”

“How?”

“It is one of the spells that the angels cast for them. Every spell that dark creatures have not been able to penetrate still stands and there are no dark creatures here.”

“So the spells still stand.” She finished for him, she was growing nervous again, it would only be a few hours more.

“Rhale?”

“Mm”

“What will happen when we reach the land of the gods?” she wanted to be prepared for what was to come, perhaps that would lessen her nerves.

“They will probably make a big deal about us coming, some sort of ceremony will probably be held.”

That did not make her feel better, she felt like she was in no state for a big ceremony.

“All you have to do is stand beside me. There is nothing for you to be worried about.”

“I must look awful” She accidentally said out loud, she had not even combed her hair since they left the shifters.

“No” she heard the smile in Rhale’s voice “you look edible. Your cheeks have a healthy glow to them and your hair is perfectly wild.” Celia did not know how perfectly and wild went together but she had to take his word for it. She had nothing with her that could help her appearance.

As Rhale had said it only took a few hours to reach the shore of the ocean and she listened to the lapping sound of the waves as they crashed against the beach.

Celia was utterly mesmerized by the new sounds and smells.

“Now all we have to do is wait” Rhale said and dismounted, reaching out his hands to her to lift her down. He was spoiling her, she never had to try and get off Taurus by herself, then again Taurus was so high that she did not know if she even could.

Celia walked as close to the water as she dared, the waves had melted the snow or perhaps carried the snow with it but she could see rocks of all sizes adorn the ground. She focused on her breathing, taking in the foreign scents that surrounded her. As she took deep breaths and closed her eyes she could feel the energy flow beneath her, just like she had in the competition against Amara.

This energy felt different, it felt more rippled in a way and she basked in the sensation. Before she really had time to wonder about what she was feeling it was gone and she looked out over the ocean. Far, far away she could see mist and she knew what it must mean, there is where they were headed.

“Anything I need to know before we arrive there?” She asked Rhale. He was standing beside her looking as dangerous as ever.

“No, just be yourself.” He turned his head to her and their eyes locked and like an invisible force they moved closer to each other. His lips found hers and they kissed sweetly. To her it felt like a promise between them, a silent promise that they would get through whatever lies ahead together.

It was not long until she could see a ship move on the rhythmic rise and fall on the surface of the water. They stood in each other's arms, watching as the ship grew closer. Celia could hear Taurus behind them restlessly stomping his hooves, there was no grass for him to graze on here.

“There will be quite a lot of people when we arrive, know that you are safe. As soon as we are out of the people’s sight I will tell my father about the joining.”

“Is there any chance that he will not agree to it?”

“No.” Rhale grew quiet but after a while he spoke again. “The joining is not something to take lightly, he knows me and he knows I would never do such a thing if I did not think it was right.”

“Is it? Right I mean?”

“There has never been anything more right in the history of the world.”

The ship was now only a little distance away and it was a frightening sight to behold. Rows and rows of men were pushing the ship forward with long heavy oars. The front the two sides met at a high point and a big carved out skull looked at them with empty sockets. The wood had the same color as the tall sail, deep black and a terrifyingly accurate shade of blood red, making Celia wonder what they had stained the wood with.

As they came close to land, men almost as big and tall as Rhale jumped out of the boat and pulled it ashore. Celia pressed herself closer to Rhale feeling overwhelmed.

“Are you ready to be joined with me?” Rhale asked her before the men approached.

“I have never been more ready for anything in my life.”

Celia looked out into the ocean again, seeing the mist that hid the land of the gods and she quietly wondered what lies ahead.

THE END

(of book one)

(Book two comming soon)

A.n/ Hey, if you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading my silly little story, it truly means a lot to me.

I would love to hear what you think so drop a comment or review 😊

I know that I have made a lot of mistakes, please feel more than free to correct me and I will fix it pronto. English is not my first language and I have dyslexia which make it difficult for me to see the mistakes that I have made no matter how hard I try.

This is the end of book one.

Book two is coming soon and it's

called The Gods.

Thank you ❤ /Natlij