The bank of mist grew until it eclipsed everything else. If Eva leaned forward and stretched out her arm, she would be able to run her fingers through it.
Eva's inhale was shaky as her nod. "Okay. I believe you."
Damp enveloped them. No turning back now; they were already inside.
seven
Eva was almost fully prone on Sebastian's back, her chest pressed tight against him. Her hands shook as she placed them on either side of his neck. The warmth of his coat offset the damp of the mist.
Others described the mist as a cold and dark place that left you feeling disconnected and alone.
Eva felt none of that. Only peace stemming from a place deep inside herself. As if the mist was a long-lost friend she'd unexpectedly found again.
If she listened hard enough, she could almost catch the low-pitched hum of voices. The wind whistling through the grass and the faint whicker of a horse.
None of which belonged here where the mist existed outside of time and place.
There was a hazy feeling in Eva's head as if she was in a dream. Only the constant beat of Sebastian's wings and his breathing told her this was real.
Eva lifted her head as she straightened from Sebastian's back, taking a long look around her. All she found was endless gray haze that gave the illusion that she and Sebastian existed alone.
Not even a shadow of Polaris and Theo was visible.
She could hear them though. The small sounds they made as they traveled. The mist bounced the sound around, making it impossible to pinpoint where the noises were coming from.
Despite that, Eva was almost certain they were close. Polaris directly to the front and slightly to Sebastian's right. Theo was off Polaris's left flank, almost even with Sebastian.
Human, what do you feel when you're here? Polaris's voice was deep, seeming to echo in the mist.
Eva glanced toward where her instincts told her he was. "I'm not sure I have the words to fully explain."
Eva tilted her face to the sky to take in the unrelenting gray above her. The mist thick and impenetrable. If Eva's legs hadn't been wrapped around Sebastian's sides, she would have sworn she was all alone.
"It's like a call, only not." Eva paused as she struggled for the right words. "It feels like home."
There it was. The truth, as impossible as it sounded.
A part of her couldn't help but think she was imagining things. Humans and mist weren't compatible. Even pathfinders weren't crazy enough to seek the mist out.
She'd asked Reece once what he felt when in the mist. He compared it to being a homing pigeon, some sense always pointing his way out and toward home.
There was nothing about a sense of longing or familiarity. For him, the mist was a well-known foe. Dangerous if one wasn't careful enough.
Her experience was much different. There was no internal compass guiding her way because she didn't need it. The mist wouldn't keep her, because she was part of it.
A crazy thought. One that she hesitated to share with humans.
Is that all?
The disappointment in Polaris's voice compelled Eva to share details she hadn't planned. It was never comfortable, making yourself vulnerable—especially to a creature who saw your kind as enemies.
Only right now it felt necessary.
"It feels like my dream of the herd lands. If I stretch out my hand just a little, I feel like I will be there. The grass against my fingers. The wide-open field that goes on forever. It calls to me."
Eva's voice turned dreamy, her eyes sliding half closed. She reached out her hand, the image in her mind coming closer.
Stop her or she'll be lost, Polaris thundered.
Eva blinked slowly, falling deeper into the connection.
The feel of ground beneath her feet pulled her forward. A soft breeze against her face.
Voices hummed. Their urgency barely reached her. She needed to get to that place. It was vital she didn't delay any longer.
Sharp teeth nipped at her ankle, drawing blood. Eva snapped out of her dreamlike state.
"Ouch, what was that for?"
I warned you against falling off, Sebastian said.
"I was nowhere close to that."
She resented the assertion. Her seat was as steady as it had ever been. Not even a wobble that would hint at a fall.
How was I to know? You weren't answering.
Eva wanted to argue but couldn't. Her recollection of the last few minutes was hazy. Nor could she remember him calling her.
If true, it was troubling and pointed to that place being more dangerous than she'd considered before. If it had such a strong grip on her that nothing else mattered, she would have to be on her guard against it. It would be too easy to fall to a place where she couldn't be retrieved from.
We'll be out of the mist soon. Try not to get into any more trouble, Polaris ordered.
Eva made a face in his direction. This was partially his fault. She never would have opened the connection as wide if he hadn't asked about what she saw.
So really, she wasn't to blame. He was.
We're approaching the boundary now, Theo interrupted.
Eva, don't let go. Sebastian's warning came just in time.
A disorienting sensation spread through Eva's body, quickly growing until she couldn't tell up from down.
She blinked at the world in front of her, struggling to make sense as vertigo stole her balance.
Eva clung to the oh shit strap for dear life, barely able to lift her head. Finally, she lost the battle, her fingers losing their grip as she sunk into unconsciousness.
Eva, wake up. We're out. Sebastian's voice intruded into the strange dream she was having about an opossum kissing Eva's face and telling her she was so glad to meet her.
How much longer is the human going to sleep? Theo complained.
"I'm awake." Eva lifted her head, still groggy as she took in her surroundings.
Golden sunshine had replaced the dreary gray of the mist. A mountain ridge marched in front of her, its steep hills a contrast to the flat ground where Sebastian had landed while she'd been unconscious.
"Where are we?"
And how did they get here?
Eva pushed herself into a seated position, cautious in case the vertigo came back.
After several seconds of remaining upright, nothing happening, Eva relaxed a little.
Eva had never particularly enjoyed showing her weak side. Less so to creatures as powerful as the Kyren.
At least Jason and the rest hadn't seen her making a spectacle of herself. There'd be no pretending after that.
Have a look and see for yourself. Polaris looked down at the odd shape his legs partially obscured.
Snow still clung to the ground in patches, the higher elevation slowing the summer melt. Against its white, Polaris's reddish coat was vivid.
As were the streaks of scarlet smeared across the ground, tainting the pure scene.
There were signs of a struggle, the ground disturbed in places. Something had died here.
Strangely, the blood wasn't isolated to the area around the carcass. Rather, small patches of it could be seen here and there if one looked closely.
Not just on the ground either. The rocks near them were painted with red streaks that meandered in squiggly lines.
Eva dismounted slowly, one hand on Sebastian as she took in her surroundings.
As gruesome as the scene was, it wasn't unheard of to encounter the carcasses of dead beasts. The Highlands were a place where the strong consumed the weak.