Chapter Eleven

Aerilyn

Aerilyn felt the sun's warmth heating her face as she awoke. It had only been a few days since they had sunlight back in Orissia, but she couldn’t help feeling grateful for the return of light. When she finally opened her eyes, she noticed that everyone else was still deep in sleep. With the new information about the hounds, she wanted to explore the town. She knew that she would be safe as long as the light shined down on her. Not wanting to wake any of them, she crawled over Brinley to get off of the cot. She glanced around once more, none of them stirring from her movements. She took it as a sign and found her way out of the small home. Once the fresh air filled her lungs, she let out a small sigh.

She had become used to waking up as the sun was rising to get to the fields for work. Her body had an internal clock that would automatically wake her up even before the bell in the town square would chime the sound of the day starting. Her companions were exhausted as they all continued to sleep peacefully as she left them behind. She took in the surrounding town with curious eyes. It looked so much different than the streets that were in Orissia. This place seemed a bit less orderly, but she had to assume that most of that was due to the plague and hounds that had taken over the town. Orissia was untouched by time compared to this place. It made her want to explore more of the foreign town.

The map they had of the continent was old and didn’t seem to be as accurate as they had originally assumed, time had seemed to lessen the kingdom’s knowledge of the outside world. Not that it mattered much since there were no signs of life beyond what was left in Orissia. It still felt strange that so much history had been lost. It also made her question whether or not they were headed in the right direction. If the map wasn’t accurate, they may be going in an entirely different direction than they had thought.

Aerilyn attempted to push the negative thoughts away as she walked along the broken street. Her boots made soft thumps each time they hit the cobblestone. It was a challenge for her to keep an even footing on the broken rock. She had to put some thought into her steps to keep her balance. On the bright side, any sign of the injury she’d received was gone. She was no longer dizzy or had any aches along with it. She was thankful for the lack of anything holding her back.

Her gaze wandered off to where the dark and light of the sky clashed into one. It was like the divide between the wall and the world beyond back in Orissia. The Forcers supposedly had some control over that, or that’s what she had been told. There weren’t any Forcers beyond the walls to control the color of the sky. She debated walking towards the border but chose against it, not wanting to stray too far away from the rest of the group. She found herself mindlessly wandering the long road, never making any turns so that it would be easy to find her way back.

The entire situation that she was trapped in was unbelievable. She was cast beyond the walls alongside the prince of Orissia and other people who didn’t deserve to die. She could only hope for their safety. She wanted to be the group of Chosen who brought the sword back, to be the ones who ended all of it. It seemed like an unrealistic goal, but she didn’t want to lose sight of it. The kingdom needed Everett on the throne, that was motivation enough. She didn’t know what Roman, the second prince, was like but if he followed along with his father it couldn’t be good. Everett was the best bet to stop all the public punishment and Chosen ceremonies. He would be the king to change things. He’d make a real difference.

A strange sound pulled Aerilyn from her thoughts. She stopped in her tracks, hearing the footsteps continue. She glanced over her shoulder to see if someone else from her group had been following her but saw nothing beyond the crumbling structures. She held her breath, hearing the sound once again. It sounded like a stone falling against a stone. As if someone were kicking rocks along the cobblestone path. She had to be losing her mind. There was nobody out there besides her companions and they were sound asleep when she’d left only minutes before.

Aerilyn found herself approaching the direction in which the sound had come from. She tried to keep her feet light which she’d learned to perfect from the time she spent stealing. She could move almost silently, nobody ever knew she was coming. When she ducked around the corner, her eyes widened at the sight of the trees stretching high before her. She saw something move within the woods and quickly ran towards it. She’d only seen drawings of forests in old books that captured what the world looked like before the plague struck. It was all so different from what she had expected.

She ran her fingertips over the bark of the closest tree, feeling the plant before her calling to the power that ran through her veins. They were so large, towering over her and making her feel so small. The sun peeked through the leaves, making it all look more magical than it was. She was at a loss for words to explain the emotions pulsing through her. All she could think about was how her parents would’ve loved to see something like that. Her mother had adored each of the plants that Aerilyn grew at her fingertip, finding a love for them all. She would’ve loved the breathtaking view of a forest.

The thought of the others still sound asleep crossed her mind and she realized that she wanted to share the moment with Everett. She wasn’t sure why the thought crossed her mind. She wanted to push it away, but it made a feeling of comfort wash over her. She glanced back to where she had come from, letting herself enjoy the view alone for a few moments longer. She took a deep breath, trying to memorize the fresh scent that rushed into her nose. It was nothing like the small scattered trees within the kingdom of Orissia.

For the first moment since she left the walls, she was grateful that her name had been chosen. She was able to see the world beyond the walls and experience something as breathtaking as a forest. Most people would never be able to do such a thing. The thought made her ache, wishing that her mother could’ve been with her to see such beauty. Her parents would never get to experience the beauty of what lies beyond Orissia’s walls. The kingdom and what was within was all that they had ever known.

A soft crunch of a twig quickly grabbed her attention, her eyes landing on a small creature a few feet away from her. It was small and brown with a long fluffy tail. She didn’t recognize the animal, but at that moment she didn’t care what it was called. It was the second living thing that they had seen since they had left Orissia. Her heart was beating too quickly as she made a step towards the animal. It froze, looking up at her with large eyes. It sat frozen in fear for several moments before it took off running.

That was the moment that Aerilyn began to question everything. So much of the world beyond the walls seemed to be undiscovered. She couldn’t help but wonder what else could be out there if so much of Orissia’s information had been inaccurate. Animals were alive. That could mean people were too.