The gates continue opening in front of us.
Chains move somewhere above while the massive doors slowly create enough space for us to pass through.
I glance back towards Aerithel one last time.
The streets are still busy and people continue moving around like normal.
The Shining Emerald is somewhere deeper inside the kingdom and everyone is probably already back to talking about whatever happened in Driften.
It is strange how quickly everything can return to normal.
Maybe that is what people have to do during a war.
Keep moving, keep working, and keep pretending things are fine until they aren’t.
"Are you coming?" Sylvia asks.
I turn back around.
"Yeah," I answer quietly.
We step through the gates and the guards just stare back at us.
One of them gives a small wave before the doors begin closing behind us.
THUD!!!!
The sound echoes across the desert and just like that we’re outside of Aerithel again.
It feels kind of different this time. We are leaving with an actual destination in mind.
Zameref.
The front lines.
I adjust the bag against my side and start walking beside Sylvia.
The heat hits almost immediately.
I forgot how much cooler it felt inside Aerithel with all of the buildings blocking the sun.
Out here there is nothing.
Just sand, rock, and the road stretching ahead.
"This is going to be a long few days," I say.
Sylvia looks towards me.
"Already complaining?" Sylvia asks with a playful tone.
"I’m stating a fact," I answer.
"You sound like you’re complaining," Sylvia insists.
"I’m not," I reply with a small smile on my face.
She smiles.
"Sure," Sylvia says as she walks.
I shake my head.
A few minutes pass by without either of us saying much.
The strange feeling in my chest is all I can really notice as we get further and further away. The visions are really leaving me with quite a strange feeling.
Every time I look back towards Aerithel, I expect to see flames... But instead there’s nothing there. Everything still stands, guards are still alive, and people are living as if nothing is wrong.
I force myself to face forward.
Zameref is what matters now, at least until I have a reason to actually come back for Aerithel.
"How often have you been this far out?" I ask.
Sylvia glances at me.
"Far out from Aerithel?" Sylvia responds with her own question.
"Yeah," I answer.
"A few times," Sylvia says casually.
I probably could’ve guessed that.
"What about Zameref?" I ask.
Her expression changes slightly.
"Never," Sylvia answers almost instantly.
I really thought she would’ve been there before since she knows a bit about it.
"You’ve never been there?" I question.
"No," Sylvia answers and gives a shrug.
"I’m just surprised," I say with a soft tone.
"I never had a reason to go out there," Sylvia replies with a calm tone.
Being a slayer doesn’t mean traveling everywhere.
There are probably enough dragons around the world to keep people busy without ever touching the front lines.
"So we’re both going somewhere new," I say with a bit of excitement.
"Looks like it," Sylvia replies with a smile still on her face.
At least I won’t be the only one asking questions the entire time.
She lightly bumps her shoulder against mine.
"Do you want me to make some stuff up to tell you about Zameref?" She teases.
"No," I reply as I walk.
"Then don’t think too much about it till we get there," Sylvia says as she laughs.
I feel myself smile again.
A few weeks ago I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed walking through a desert while someone constantly bothered me.
But now this feels kind of normal to me.
I look towards Sylvia again.
She catches me this time.
"What?" Sylvia asks.
"Nothing," I respond.
"Again?" Sylvia questions with disbelief.
"I’m serious, it is nothing," I answer.
She raises an eyebrow.
"I don’t think it is nothing with how you stare at me," Sylvia says with a playful tone.
I look forward.
"It is hard not to look," I reply with a quiet tone.
Sylvia starts laughing again.
"You’re terrible at this," Sylvia says while continuing to laugh.
"At what?" I question.
"Admitting how you feel about things," Sylvia answers.
"I don’t even know what that means," I say with a confused tone.
"You seem to feel the same way as me," Sylvia replies with a cheerful tone.
The same way as her? I guess I have been looking at her a lot more than before.
The road ahead begins to curve slightly around a large collection of rocks.
I can see something moving in the distance which takes my attention.
My hand immediately goes towards my sword.
Sylvia notices.
"Relax," Sylvia suggests.
"What is it?" I ask with caution in my voice.
"Probably merchants," Sylvia answers.
Probably? That doesn’t feel the most assuring when dragons can appear at any time with the way they move around the continent.
I keep my hand close to the sword anyway.
As we get closer, several wagons come into view and a few horses pull them along while guards walk beside each one.
Nothing unusual, just people traveling.
The guards look towards us as we pass.
One of them looks at the weapons we’re carrying and gives a small nod.
"Slayers?" He asks.
"Yeah," Sylvia answers.
"Heading to Aerithel?" The guard asks with curiosity in his voice.
"Leaving," Sylvia answers once more.
The man’s eyebrows raise.
"Where are you going?" He questions.
"Zameref," I answer before she can.
His expression immediately changes.
Not fear, but something closer to concern.
"Front lines?" He asks.
"That’s the plan," I answer.
He looks at me for a moment before shifting his attention towards Sylvia.
"You two should be careful," He advises.
"We will," Sylvia responds.
The man nods and continues walking.
That’s the second time I’ve heard that tone when Zameref gets mentioned.
People aren’t telling us not to go.
They just seem surprised that anyone would willingly head there.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter