‘Maybe I’m crazy?’
Sloane laughed. ‘Maybe. But maybe I’m crazy too.’
Kai chuckled with her. ‘Maybe. You did attempt to take on Rhyn in a fight, and you’ve got to be a little crazy to do that.’
‘You heard about that, huh?’
‘It’s all anyone’s been talking about—they’ll be gossiping about the human girl who thought she could fight one of us for months.’
Sloane groaned and threw her head down in her hands. ‘The first time I’m beaten in years and it’s all you people are talking about.’
‘Well, up here in the mountains we can get a little starved for conversation. And I wouldn’t worry about it. Rhyn’s our best fighter, and that’s impressive considering how young he is.’
Sloane glanced at Kai and felt a twinge of curiosity over the ages of these people again. Now that she thought about it, she realised why she’d felt like something was missing in the village square. Everyone in the square appeared to be in their mid-twenties; she hadn’t seen anyone older. In fact, she hadn’t seen anyone younger either.
‘How old is he?’ she asked casually.
‘Twenty-three.’
She frowned but continued. ‘And how old are you?’
‘Ninety-nine,’ he said, without batting an eyelid.
Sloane recoiled. ‘How is that possible?’ she stuttered.
He looked at her closely. ‘How much have you been told about our people?’ he asked.
‘Obviously not nearly enough.’
‘I think it’s best if I return you to my mother now.’ He turned and began to walk back to the village.
Sloane paused before running and grabbing his arm to pull him around. ‘No, wait. Please tell me—’
‘Don’t touch me!’ Kai yelled. He pulled away from her unnaturally fast. ‘Don’t ever touch me.’
His face was so repulsed by what she had done. She’d barely touched his arm and yet he looked at her like she’d assaulted him. He slowly backed away from Sloane, as though she were diseased.
‘I’m sorry, Kai.’
He didn’t hear her words though. He only shook his head and began muttering under his breath. Sloane couldn’t understand a word he said.
She reached out a hand towards him and apologised again. ‘Please Kai, I am sorry.’
He recoiled violently at her outstretched hand and turned and ran back up the path, leaving her completely alone on the cold, exposed balcony.
Sloane stared after him. Her first response was to chase after Kai, but she worried it might upset him more. There was something about the way he reacted to her touch that made her feel bad. He’d actually been kind up until that point.
Sloane thought she should probably go look for him, but she had no idea where he might have gone. Instead, she decided to use the opportunity to explore the village and see if she could find the rift back to Aeris. Who knew when she’d get a chance to leave Orelle’s house again. If anyone asked what she was doing she could just tell them she was searching for Kai.
The people in the square grew quiet as she entered it alone. She could feel their eyes on her, and she became aware of just how much she stood out now that she was alone. She upped her pace and avoided meeting their eyes. She was usually good at making herself invisible in a crowd, but every villager had a variation of dark brown hair and her white blonde locks made her stand out like a lone moon against a dark night’s sky.
She was afraid one of them might try to stop her before she had a chance to search for the rift back to Aeris, so she moved quickly. Sloane hoped that she’d be well past the crowd before the thought of returning her to Orelle’s house crossed their minds. She wasn’t ready to go back to her prison. Not when she’d only just had her first taste of freedom.
She tried to listen in on their quiet conversations as she passed, but she was still unable to understand any of the language. Considering how many she was fluent in, Sloane was more frustrated than she’d ever admit. The worst part was the fact that it seemed so familiar. It was like she was listening to a radio and could almost hear the broadcast, but there was too much background noise to understand a word.
She didn’t spend time exploring the village centre. With so many eyes on her, Sloane knew it wouldn’t be long before someone reported her to Rhyn. Instead, she followed the path back towards Orelle’s hut. When she reached the pathway that led to her prison she ignored it and continued onwards, hoping to see more of the village now that there were no eyes to watch her every move.
As she continued along the narrow, winding path, she began to feel uncomfortable. Her back tingled and her heart beat a little faster. Though there wasn’t anyone in sight, she felt like she was still being watched.
When the pathway fell into shade, Sloane looked up to find she was close to the dark ravine that was nestled at the back of the valley. She stopped dead in her tracks. The cliffs on either side of the entrance to it towered over her, drenching the pass in shadow. The shadows were unnaturally dark despite the sunny day, and the small amount of warmth she’d built up while walking immediately leached from her skin.
The frosty air embraced her and the world seemed quieter than it had moments before. She felt uneasy and her skin crawled as she took in the deep shadowed cliffs high above. As her gaze dropped to the pathway ahead, she noticed a huge wall of ice blocked the opening to the ravine. The wall reached up fifty feet high and stretched across the mouth of the chasm, completely blocking any access to it.
Sloane felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle as she looked at the place. There was something repellent about it, and it wasn’t just the dark shadows that gathered by the mouth of it. There was a feeling of unnaturalness to the air she breathed, and a sensation in her gut begged her to walk away. There was no way in hell she was listening to it though.
‘What are you doing here?’
Sloane turned to see Rhyn coming down the path towards her. She glanced back at the ravine, wishing she’d had a chance to check it out before she was found. She would have to wait for another day now.
She sighed, turning back to him. ‘I was looking for Kai,’ she said.
‘He left you alone?’
Sloane nodded but didn’t go into details about what had happened. Part of her wanted to protect Kai.
‘You’re not allowed out of the hut unescorted. You’re going back there now.’ Rhyn grabbed her wrist to tug her back up the path.
Sloane reacted instinctively, throwing her elbow towards his arm to twist her wrist out of his grasp. Within seconds it was free and she was walking past him.
‘I’m perfectly capable of walking myself,’ she replied, relishing in the look of shock that had registered on Rhyn’s face. It had only lasted a millisecond, but it still felt like a win.
She could feel Rhyn’s glare on the back of her neck as she strode away from him. There was something about annoying him that Sloane really seemed to enjoy. He was rude and hateful, and she had so little power in this world she had to relish in the small victories. She couldn’t for the life of her understand how these people could actually respect the guy enough to follow him.
Rhyn trailed after her in silence as she retraced her steps back along the path to Orelle’s hut. She could feel her anger towards him building as they walked, and when she reached the turnoff to Orelle’s hut she turned on him. ‘What’s your problem?’ she asked. ‘Why can’t you just send me back to my people? I’ve told you everything you wanted to know.’
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. ‘I have no problem other than you.’
‘Exactly. Wouldn’t it be better if you just sent me back?’ she asked. Surely he could see the logic in what she was saying.
‘You cannot go back,’ was all he replied.
‘Why not?’
He looked into the distance and didn’t respond.
She stormed over to him and wrenched one of his arms down from across his chest. ‘Tell me,’ she demanded. �
�You can’t just keep me here forever and not even tell me why.’
‘You humans are even worse than the stories suggested,’ he said, distain written across his face.
‘What stories?’ Sloane said, his comment taking her by surprise. How did people in this world, one so far away from Earth it took months just to travel there, know so much about Earth and humans?
Rhyn ignored her question, but his eyes narrowed on her. ‘You cannot go back because your people cannot know about us. If they knew about our world they would put both themselves and my people in danger. We sacrificed so much to sever any ties we had with Earth, and I will do everything in my power to make certain that wasn’t in vain.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Sloane asked, more intrigued than angry with what he had said. ‘What ties?’
Rhyn frowned, his eyes narrowing as though he was worried he had already said too much. He kept his lips shut, refusing to respond.
She sighed when she realised he wouldn’t answer. ‘Why even keep me here if you hate humans so much? Why not just kill me and get it over with?’
Rhyn smiled as he considered the thought. ‘Because, little human, we are nothing like you.’
Sloane groaned with frustration and turned to storm up the path. There was no talking to him. She was so angry with Rhyn; she didn’t even worry about the glacies that watched her as she walked by.
Rhyn was completely stubborn, and his hatred of humans clearly ran deeply, though she had no idea what they could have done to make him feel that way. His beliefs seemed set, which was a problem. It meant there was no way he would be the one to let her go—not when he felt his people’s safety was at risk.
At least the day hadn’t been a waste. She had managed to see the layout of the village and Rhyn had revealed that the Unfaih shared a connected past with humans—a past that was evidently tainted by animosity between their two races. She needed to uncover what happened between them and understand why he hated her kind so much. She may not be able to change his mind about humans, but knowing the truth could help her to escape.
CHAPTER TEN
After Sloane’s brief glimpse of freedom, Orelle’s tiny hut seemed even more confining than before. The rooms were smaller and the space felt darker. Rhyn must have been really annoyed that she had wandered the village alone, because he refused to let her go back again. All she had done was touch Kai. It wasn’t her fault he freaked and ran away, leaving her alone. She may have taken advantage of that, but it wasn’t like she’d managed to escape or find the rift home.
Days passed while she was confined within the hut, and although there were no bars across the doorway Sloane felt like she was in prison. She wanted to be outside, combing the village in search of the rift, not stuck within the stone walls of Orelle’s hut with no opportunity for escape.
On the upside, Orelle found her a set of pants and a shirt, so she didn’t need to wear the hideous dress anymore. And, while she couldn’t visit the rest of the village, that didn’t stop her from sitting out the front of Orelle’s house and studying it from her vantage point on the hill. The glacies shot her dirty looks every time she went out there, but they left her in peace as long as she didn’t make a move for the pathway.
She analysed the village for areas where the rift could possibly be. But it was difficult to make an educated guess when she had no idea what variables were required for a rift to form.
So, she focused on what she did know; the most obvious thing being that the village needed wood. They used it in abundance for fires, roofing and furniture. She hadn’t seen one tree in Ellysia though, so she was guessing they used the rift to gather it from Aeris.
The Unfaih had no way of transporting wood, that Sloane had seen, so the rift would need to be close enough that they could carry it to the village. She assumed that Rhyn had also carried her to Orelle’s hut from the rift. While he was strong, she thought it would be difficult for him to carry her far in the snow. The more she thought about it, the more certain Sloane became that the rift was close by.
The ravine seemed like a good place to start her search. Rhyn had been walking towards it when she encountered him the other day, so there had to be something important there. The huge wall across the mouth of it would make it difficult to investigate, but that only made her more certain that she was onto something. Orelle had warned her that she wouldn’t be able to find the rift, and maybe the wall was what made her so sure.
She tried not to think about Ash and Rowe. It only made her worry, which made her irritable and unbearable to be around. Even Orelle chose to avoid her in those moments when her concern for her brother and sister became palpable. Her host probably assumed Sloane was just suffering from cabin fever. She didn’t know about the family Sloane was sick to her stomach from fretting about.
Sloane needed to get back to them, which made her captivity all the more frustrating. Especially when she kept being reminded that she was never allowed to leave.
Orelle started teaching her the Unfaih language, but Sloane was a poor student. Why would she need it when she would be gone as soon as she found a way to escape? Orelle insisted she learn though, telling Sloane it would only make adjusting to life there easier for her. Sloane struggled not to storm from the room during conversations like that. Instead, she’d usually settle on a brooding glare towards the woman. These people underestimated her; she would get back to her crew eventually, whether they liked it or not.
It was several days before Sloane saw anyone other than Orelle. She had been waiting for Rhyn to return and lift her confinement. So, when she heard the glacies clacking happily outside the hut and the crunching sound of snow under boots, she bolted to her feet and watched the door intently. Moments later, Kai pushed the pelt open and entered the hut. His eyes were downcast and his fingers fidgeted at his sides as he stamped the snow from the bottom of his boots.
Sloane let out a small breath of disappointment upon seeing him. Kai didn’t have the power to give her the freedom she wanted, but his presence there was at least a change for Sloane. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, especially after the way he’d acted the other day. He may not wish to speak to her at all. She couldn’t understand what his aversion was to being touched. Orelle would not explain it to her, and she refused to believe it was simply because she was human.
He’d been easy to talk to the other day and had been one of the few people who seemed to see past her brash exterior. It had been a while since anyone besides Rowe had bothered. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.
‘Are you here to see Orelle?’ she asked, causing him to lift his eyes and look at her. She could see a hint of pain in their icy-blue depths, and his cheeks coloured slightly upon seeing her. When he didn’t reply Sloane felt awkward and kept talking. ‘She’s in her room. I can go get her for you…’
‘Actually, I came to see if you would like to come for a walk with me,’ Kai said, finally finding his voice. ‘I am ashamed of my behaviour the other day and would very much like to make amends.’ He stood there waiting patiently, giving her every opportunity to say no. He seemed nervous; like he was worried she wouldn’t want anything to do with him.
He didn’t need to worry though. Sloane hated being cooped up in the house, and it did not lend itself to her escape. Not to mention, she could almost feel her limbs seizing up from lack of use. She had spent whole days dreaming about running or training outside. There were only so many exercises she could do in the tiny hut, and she worried she was going to lose her edge.
‘I’d love to come for a walk,’ she replied. ‘Is Rhyn okay with this?’ she asked, more worried about the consequences for Kai than herself.
‘It can be our secret.’
‘If you say so,’ she replied, before grabbing her cloak and following Kai outside. It was crazy how little these people felt the cold, and she felt a glow of warmth as she wrapped the hide cloak over her shoulders. Orelle had given it to her after seeing the goosebumps on her arms when she r
eturned from her last outing. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken such an interest in her wellbeing. The gesture only cemented the fact that Orelle was impossible to hate.
‘So, where to today?’ Sloane asked, catching up with Kai on the pathway that led from the house.
‘I thought I’d take you to the castellum.’
‘A castle?’ Sloane guessed.
Kai laughed. ‘You’re learning the language.’
‘No. Well, I’m trying to, but that one was a guess. It’s the same in Latin and was the source for the word castle.’
‘I’m impressed.’
Sloane shrugged. ‘If only the rest of your language were so straightforward. How is it that you all speak English? How do your people even know about Earth?’
She felt her frustration colouring her voice. No one would tell her anything, and all her unanswered questions were beginning to pile up. They wanted her to become accustomed to living there, because apparently she was never leaving, but didn’t trust her enough to tell her anything.
‘I don’t think I’m the one you should ask,’ Kai replied.
‘Then who?’ she pleaded.
‘Rhyn is in charge. He should be the one you talk to about these things.’
‘Seriously? I guess I’m going to die never knowing then!’ she exclaimed.
‘He’s not that bad. You should give him a chance.’
Sloane scoffed. She couldn’t see that happening. They turned off the main pathway and took a narrow track that headed away from the village centre. The path seemed to wind towards the far corner of the valley, where the valley met the sharp drop down to the sea below and the cliffs that towered above.
‘He may be stubborn and inflexible, and I know you see him as your gaoler, but he’s always looking out for the best interests of our people,’ Kai explained. ‘He’s not keeping you here for no reason. If you returned to your crew our people would be in terrible danger, and your own people would also be at risk.’
Rhyn had told her the same thing. While she understood that he was worried about potential hostility between their two races, it annoyed her that he simply assumed they would end up fighting.
In Ice We Burn (The Liftsal Guardians Book 1) Page 10
