Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
She didn’t answer for a moment. “I wouldn’t even know what point to prove. What point do you expect me to prove? The idea of points is a very strange one, don’t you think? I wonder if the creator of that word had some sort of hidden agenda. Whatever it was, it wasn’t dull.”
“Why are you sitting next to me, then?”
Aurelia sighed. “Because up until a moment ago, you were quiet and minding your own business. Clearly, I chose the wrong seat.” She breathed out slowly. “You’re altering my journey. I’m just going to run with it. Let’s see what sort of effect you’re having on my subconscious. Oops, there’s a dragon. I do not want to alarm anyone, but it is not pleased with this fire in front of us.”
“I feel slightly guilty for suddenly enjoying myself,” I murmured.
“You won’t enjoy yourself when that dragon stomps on your head to get at that fire. It is jealous as all hell. Of what, I have no idea. It’s just sticks, man! That fire is eating sticks. What, do you think the ground is outdoing you?” She chuckled, shaking her head. “It’s just sticks!”
It became oh-so-clear that Aurelia was not at all as buttoned up as she often seemed. I knew she had a wild streak, and now everyone else got to see it. Watching her navigate her various hallucinations ranked with some of the best entertainment I’d had. Nothing phased her. At one stage she instructed everyone to get low because we were about to be crushed under the weight of a very large tree.
“Not to worry, everyone,” she told us, motioning for us to bend low. “I’ve heard of these types of things happening before. Don’t let the crunch of your bones worry you. Just think like a lake and become liquid. When the tree rolls away, we’ll spring up like wild flowers!”
When I did her product again, it would be with her, there could be no question. I couldn’t wait to go on one of her journeys. It sounded so much better than mine had ever been—much more colorful and original. Her mind was obviously a very interesting place.
Once she finally started to wind down—hours later—only half of us were left, chatting and joking and having a glass of whiskey.
“I’m having some stomach cramps now.” She breathed out slowly, her hands on her stomach.
The alpha had stayed by her side the whole time, shadowing her as she did a variety of weird and wonderful things: a strange sort of dragon-fire dance to scare the invisible beast away; walking in circles without a word; standing on her head to see the world as gravity did not intend. For that, he’d held her feet. She hadn’t been able to do it on her own and she hadn’t been willing to stop trying. His expression had never changed, stoic and serious, even when she said some of the funniest shit I’d ever heard.
“Is it a problem?” he asked now, looping his arm around her when she leaned against him.
“Sometimes this can be a reaction to my product. I thought I’d fixed that, though. Very acidic.” She dropped her hand to his thigh and closed her eyes, her head against his shoulder. “I think it’s fine.”
“Were you sick any other time tonight?”
“Just in the beginning. I fell asleep before the end last time. Maybe it happened and I just didn’t wake up. I can see why someone would endure the sickness for the longer journeys. It’s but a moment and then you’re off. Do it enough, and the addiction sets in. We’ll see how I feel about that tomorrow. I’m wondering how often people have to journey before it gets to be a problem.”
With that, the night wound down, and people began wandering off to ready themselves for bed.
Aurelia didn’t sample any other product after that. Clearly, she and the alpha had established a compromise. Instead, she took to her weird little devices, trying to break down the troll snot to see what it was made of. I often sat with her when she did, listening to her chat about it and feeling miserably unintelligent. When that woman got going, she might as well have been talking another language. She had a fucking gift.
As the days passed and we got closer to the port, our path winding through the wilds, I started to wonder if Finley would ever get to meet her. If she’d ever see any of us again. It was obvious the enemy would be expecting us, and we knew they’d have a well-organized plan to break apart our pack and kidnap the gem in the middle. I knew they’d have no qualms about killing as many of us as they possibly could in the process.
Chapter 31
Aurelia
Iawoke with a start, unsure why. The deep night lay quiet around us, the moon casting enough light to see without the tent’s canvas over us.