Pyrope flew fast for a while, but always at about thirty meters in the air, which allowed me to get used to the views from above. I was starting to grasp how my new acquired vision worked little by little. Apparently, when my mind was preoccupied with other things, the heights didn't bother me so much anymore, they even dulled my senses enough to detach myself from the flight and retreat into my own thoughts.
There wasn't anything to see anyway: only snow everywhere. The first minutes I had the impression that danger could lurk behind any tree or stone, but after the first five times where I saw some shapes that didn't even notice us, I ceased to pay attention.
He flew above the forest towards the north. Surprisingly, I didn't feel that sickness like the first time I flew with him, but after everything we went through these couple of hours, flight sickness was the least of my worries and suddenly I considered it quite lame too.
"It appears another blizzard is coming," said Pyrope, slowing down. "It's a good thing. The pursuers won't catch up to us too soon. It would be hard too."
"They didn't seem to have that problem when they found us at the fortress..."
"That was close to the capital, but we are quite far now. And tracking us in this snow storm would be close to impossible."
"Hm... yeah... maybe..." I mumbled to myself, but I couldn't help but think to those people at the ball.
"What's on your mind?"
"I think I may be overthinking."
"Tell me."
"Well, I'm not sure what to think about this whole situation and that makes me worried. Back at the king's castle there was a grand ball and the prisoners I released said they recognize a few guests and they were afraid to provoke them. I also found out that the king seeks only the strongest in his army to protect him. At the ball, I haven't seen those people, but I made sure that the prisoners were completely healed, fully dressed and armed, yet, the only ones that got away were only those two we met at the river, as far as I know, the rest being captured. That makes me think that the castle's guardians didn't take seriously the missing prisoners and the stolen goods... maybe because the prisoners weren't an issue, but regarding the pouch... the presence of Bezmal herself can be a sign that no one was trustworthy enough to recuperate it... or perhaps what's inside contains something that ordinary guards can't find out and the king didn't want to risk its reveal, even accidentally?"
"You make it sound way too complicated, although it makes sense. What I don't understand is why did you take that woman's head instead of letting me burn it with the rest of the body."
The air was crisp and filled with the scent of pine needles, cedars, snow and something almost camphorous that prickled my nose. I didn't mind that, inhaling deeply to clean away the smell of charred meat. I didn't even know if I truly felt it anymore, or it was just my mind conjuring it, as the image of Bezmal's death still lingered beneath my eyelids every time I closed my eyes and let myself feel the weight of her head. Was I shocked? Afraid? Did I feel guilt? Surprisingly, none of those things, only a cold-blooded calm... just like that time when I decided to go through the castle's tunnels.
I looked at my hands. A delicate white powder was still lingering on my palms and coating my fingertips.
"What is this powder? It sure comes in handy, but could it be some sort of poison? I'm pretty sure Bezmal was affected by it... Why did I take her head? Why did I do that?"
"I don't know," I said out loud. "I don't know why I took her head. I just felt like it was really important to do that. Maybe I should just throw it away... somewhere."
I looked around and pointed towards the east, where a vast plain surface was spreading, in a deep purple colour, resembling an eye, unblemished by the whiteness of snow.
"Wait, park – I mean land – there," I asked him.
"That's the source lake from where the River of Stars is emerging: The Eye of Acherai. And it's way too dangerous. What do you want to do there?"
"To get rid of this head, but I don't want to risk anything..."
Pyrope switched direction abruptly, and made a turn that flipped my stomach.
"Why do you head towards the dangerous zone then?"
"Actually, your idea is quite good. In that area, spells don't work, so we may lose track of those who chase us."
"Are we allergic to safety? That sounds like looking for trouble with a candle, let's get further away from it. We had enough adventures for a day... or a lifetime."
"It's alright. We have nothing to worry about. I've been there before. I know what's there. I can easily eat that flying fish."
"Flying fish?"
The dragon didn't reply, instead, he flew faster and hieratically, making me feel nauseous, and I could tell he was doing it intentionally.
"Stop it!"
"I thought you got used already. It's tiring and makes my body stiffen to fly in this way for so long. The air currents make it almost effortless."
"Well, I'm sorry for my poor rider skills. It's just my second time flying on a dragon's back," I replied sarcastically.
"I should be grateful that you haven't eaten anything then. Speaking of food, all this flying made me really hungry."
A wave of nausea hit me at the mention of food, making me gag, but soon the movement stopped as he landed on a prominent clif, where we could see the forest beneath us and the eerie lake in the distance.
"I thought we were going to the lake."
"This is one of my oldest shelters. It's not that big, but it's safe."
I looked behind us, where it was a crooked willow-like tree growing straight from a giant boulder. Pyrope pulled away the weeping branches, revealing the entrance to a big den.
"This is a rock that I myself carved, back in my youth," said Pyrope proud, pushing his chest in front. "And I even planted that lightwillow to hide it. It grew so much after all these years."
Inside, in the arched ceiling and the round walls of the rock grew the roots of the tree, cracking the stone and making it look like it was about to crumble at any moment. The round shape was probably given by the tree that grew this way, holding the stone shards together.
"This doesn't appear too sturdy..."
"Do we need it for a long time? It's way too small..."
"We need it until we come with a plan for where to go next, and that without getting a tail. I think I should see what that pouch contains, but first, I really need to eat something and rest for a bit. It's already evening."
I sat down and closed my eyes for a few minutes, listening to the powdery sound of the falling snow outside. It was a peaceful feeling, although the heaviness of Bezmal's head still hang on a part of my mind, opposing hard to my wish to ignore it.
I felt Pyrope sitting next to me, but I didn't allow myself to just feel his warmth and be lulled by sleep. I rose to my feet and went outside to clean my hands with the snow. I wanted to get rid of all that powder and whatever poison I had on them after touching Bezmal things – and head –, then went inside the den. Just when I was about to let the branches cover the entrance again, I stopped, perplexed, looking at the valley. For some reason, my stomach churned and I felt cold prickles on my spine.
"Strange... I thought I saw something dark moving on the snow... it's gone now."
Still feeling uneasy, I retreated back to the den, Pyrope's presence making me feel safe.
"I suppose you don't want me to lit a fire, right?" His sudden words made me jump.
"That's correct. Don't wanna alert anyone and anything about our location."
"Then bring out that boar."
I pulled out the boar from the pouch and watched him devour the raw meat. The dragon looked quite feral when he was feeding. I turned my attention to the pouch and ordered to release the food I took from the king's chambers. It was some steak, fish, fruits, cakes, and pies, but neither one of them tasted good. The steak was bland and hard like a rock, the fruits moldy or tart, the cakes were nothing like the ones I was used to, and the pies were stale and just had an indescribable taste.
"Were these like that from the castle? I don't think so. Did they spoil? It was cold though... Maybe this pouch is not meant to keep food... But even that cookie that seems fine tastes funny. Besides, they are all quite salty... even the wine. Now I kinda want some fried meat too..."
I gulped and finished what I could from that food, then took out everything that was left in the pouch. It wasn't as full of goodies as I had expected: 1894 gold coins, some clothes embedded with jewels, a few detailed maps, some books, among which was a diary, and a big gold seal with a bunch of snowdrops on top.
I wanted to read the diary, but it got dark and my eyes were tired. I've put back everything, and nestled on the dragon's arms, as it was getting colder. My mind was awake though.
"Who's Acherai?" I asked.
"The goddess of love, beauty and stuff like that."
"Weird. Her name reminded me of a river in hell: Acheron."
Pyrope chuckled, and I gazed at the wide spread of water in the distance. The water was so clear that I could see the purple rocks of amethyste glowing below the surface.
"It may seem shallow, but that's just an illusion. The stones you see aren't anywhere near the margin of the lake, but in its middle. It can lure you closer by tempting you with glittering gems and gold, but once you touch the water it's over. They will pull you into the deep."
"Who's they?"
"The sirens. And they eat you."
"Sirens... Is that salt water?"
"Indeed. This lake is connected to the sea."
"Then how come the water from the river wasn't salty?"
"Haven't you seen the huge barrage near the fortress? Well, there are several of them that purify the water and extract the salt. Galanthia is the greatest salt exporter."
At the surface of the water appeared riples. Something was moving just beneath the surface.
"All this snow falling and the cold... but that lake is not frozen at all..." My eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.
"You're not far from the truth, about Acherai and the infernal river," said Pyrope in a low, monotone voice. "She was quite a piece of work. Her beauty started wars among kingdoms. She had children with mortals and gods alike, and their descendants rule this world now. Even now, to marry one of them, people kill each other in tournaments."
"Really? The tournaments are..." But I couldn't continue my question. My thoughts went into silence, as I fell asleep.