Several multi-headed serpents patrolled the waters, easily visible from the coastal foothills. The large creatures, seemingly unaffected by the billows and swells, easily outsized the sea stacks. Their scales glittered in the bright sunlight, matching gracefully with the sparkling ocean.

  Assuming the large creatures to be the hydras Neró mentioned, Keshiema thanked her stars he decided not to risk guiding her. Shaking off the uneasiness the creature caused her, she continued on.

  Without her speed, she worried about the time-consuming trek, but a trail between the bushes and grasses of the foothills made for a pleasant, easy hike. Traveling alone allowed her to make good time. Until the trail abruptly ended at the base of a sharp incline.

  The barren rocky terrain looked undefined in the hot afternoon sun, making climbing difficult. Her healing ability kept her hands soft through her years of training with a sword, so the hot rocks scorched her palms. The outfit Neró gave her also left little protection against the sun's rays. But as much as she hated shoes, she was glad she kept on the ones they gave her.

  Preferring not to risk áeras's potentially foul mood, Keshiema kept her eyes open for any sign of the cavern Neró spoke of. Climbing as fast as safely possible, she made it to the mountain peak by late afternoon. Exhausted, muscles aching, sweat pouring, she collapsed under the lone pine tree at the summit.

  The wind swirled around her, cooling her overheated body. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the gentle breeze until a powerful gust swept up a cloud of dust, sending Keshiema into a coughing fit.

  “Sorry about that.” Springing to her feet and looking around, Keshiema failed to find the woman speaking to her. “Up here, sweetie. In the tree.” Sure enough, Keshiema looked up to find a woman with bright aqua hair and sky-blue eyes staring down at her. “Hi, I’m áeras. Eye uh dras. But the ‘d' sound is very short. Do try to say it correctly." She smiled a little too widely.

  Clearing her throat one more time, Keshiema waved politely. “Nice to meet you, áeras.” ‘Stars, I hope I said that right.' “I’m Keshiema. Granddaughter of Fotiá.” She twiddled her fingers behind her back. ‘Best to get that out of the way.’

  “Oh?” Jumping down from the tree, áeras landed in front of Keshiema. “I see you’re one of them.” Leaning in to get a better look, áeras examined Keshiema's Mark. "So what brings you here?"

  Unsure of the powers áeras possessed, Keshiema avoided eye contact. “Um, I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, that is,"

  "Yes?" áeras narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips, telling Keshiema to get to the point.

  "Is there a way you could point me in the direction of ?ther? I was told she can help me find my companions.” She fidgeted with her fingers and bit her cheek to distract herself from her nerves

  “She probably could. At least at one time. She’s in a bit of a hard place right now.” áeras giggled like she said something funny. Keshiema tried to brush it off, but it left a heavy stone in her stomach.

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  Not wanting to trigger a swing in áeras’ mood, Keshiema thought carefully about how to press further. “I really don’t have a choice. My friends need me. They might die otherwise.”

  “Alright, I’ll show you how to get there. But I’m telling you, she's,” áeras paused for a brief moment, “stuck in her ways.”

  Smiling politely, Keshiema ignored the odd statement. “I don’t want to be a bother. Really, you could just point me. I've got a great sense of direction.”

  áeras laughed hysterically. “Oh, that was a good one! I’ll have to use it sometime!” Wiping a nonexistent tear from her eye, she sighed heavily. “Come on, it’s not too far from here."

  With a small grunt of disappointment, Keshiema followed the odd woman. “If you insist.”

  The narrow-eyed, untrusting glance áeras gave Keshiema unsettled her. “Oh, I do.” The devilish grin that followed the look downright frightened her.

  Doing her best to keep her distance, Keshiema followed áeras down the South side of the mountain. “Tell me, Keshiema,” áeras looked back to her as she spoke. “How did you get here? To Ethera a I mean.”

  “I'm not sure exactly sure. One minute I was in the middle of a battle, the next I was here.” She left out the terrible difference in power between her and her opponent, not wanting to admit her weakness.

  After a few more minutes of silence, áeras abruptly turned around. “So, was it Dásos that tried to kill you?” Sensing the tension at the mention of Dásos's name, áeras changed her tone slightly. “The winds sense his aura around you. It displeases them.”

  Not knowing what else to do, Keshiema took a deep breath and explained softly, “No, King Adramelech, actually."

  "Hm, I wonder," áeras turned away again, "how long have you known Dásos?"

  "About a month," Keshiema wished she had a weapon; her nerves were on edge, and every time áeras so much as glanced at her, her heart threatened to leap out of her chest.

  "And you've noticed, I'm sure, how he likes to walk around the truth."

  "Dásos has been an invaluable ally." She defended him compulsively. "He's helped me immensely through many trials that I don’t think I would have survived otherwise. I don’t think I will get an explanation as to why everyone seems to hate him so much, so I’m not going to ask. But just know that aside from one or two small hiccups, he's been nothing but a great friend.”

  áeras laughed hysterically, “Dásos? A great friend? You poor na?ve child.” The winds picked up fiercely around them as áeras’s demeanor changed. “Dásos cares for nobody but himself. He is the sole reason his brethren are stuck in this realm. If it hadn't been for his tree, we wouldn't be living this cursed existence.” The air current twisted violently around áeras as her anger rose. “Even so, I tried to love him! When he awoke to find Vitera on the verge of collapse, ravaged by the plight that is humanity, who was there to comfort him? And when he refused to take revenge, claiming the earth and forests needed his protection more than ever, who do you think took that revenge on his behalf? Sure he refused, but I knew what he really wanted!" The winds picked up, growing with every word.

  "I killed millions to help his pitiful forests heal faster, and he had the nerve to tell Fate he never wanted that, rejecting me?! Me! A perfect being! A match to him in every way, tossed aside like some unimportant piece of trash!” Keshiema told herself to run, but her body froze. Some part of her wanted to hear this. So, against her better judgment, she stayed in place. “But you? A mutt? Some piss poor mongrel without a drop of decent pedigree? Your forefather's fire destroys his lands, decimates his forests! And he chooses you?”

  A tree branch broke under the pull of the wind, launching through the air with deadly force. “Oh shit.” Praying for her speed to return, Keshiema ran, stumbling over the steep terrain. The heavy winds pushed around small rocks and carried fallen tree branches towards the center of the twister surrounding áeras, adding to the hazardous situation.

  Ducking to avoid a branch, Keshiema lost her balance. Tumbling down the mountain, she slammed her head against a rock. Reaching out, she managed to grab hold of a large, protruding root before falling into a dark pit.

  Hanging over the edge of the cave's fallen ceiling, Keshiema stared into the darkness. A dim fuchsia glow deep within the cavern caught her attention. áeras bellowed loudly, giving Keshiema all the reason she needed to let go and fall into the cave.