Rift Walker (Ember & Ash Book 1) by E.A. Copen

Author:E.A. Copen [Copen, E.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grim Cat Press LLC
Published: 2021-07-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The hut had only two beds, and Zia was in one of them, fast asleep. Dex insisted I take the last one and positioned himself by the door, propped up by a pillow. He lowered his hat over his face, but I got the feeling he wasn’t fully asleep.

I thought I would have a lot of trouble falling asleep, considering my strange surroundings and everything that had happened over the last few days, but I was out almost as soon as I put my head down.

At first, I drifted in a dreamless sleep. I had the distinct feeling that I was floating down a relaxing stream, or maybe in the clouds. My body was present, but weightless and unreachable beyond a veil of foggy sleep.

I woke when someone put a gentle hand on my shoulder. It was still dark, and the night quiet, but I could just barely make out Ash’s outline in the night.

I sat up. “Ash? What are you—”

He put a finger to his lips and offered me a hand.

I glanced over at where Zia slept. The bed was empty. Dex was no longer at his post by the door. “Where are they?”

“Safe,” Ash said. “Please, come with me. There’s something I need you to see.”

My mind reached to question the situation. There were too many things that didn’t make sense. How had Ash gotten there? Where were the others? Why had the elves just let him walk through their camp? But when I tried to give the questions form, they faded beyond my grasp.

I put my hand in Ash’s.

We walked hand in hand out of the hut and stepped into a foggy forest.

Ancient tree trunks stretched into the sky, their boughs thick enough to block out the sky. Fog wrapped around them like a blanket, painted on reality in wispy brush strokes. Crickets sang, owls hooted, and fireflies flashed. The forest felt as alive as the two of us, and even aware.

I didn’t question where the elven camp had gone. In the moment, it made perfect sense, as if I expected to wake up there.

I rubbed the chill from my shoulders. “How far are we from the others?”

“Not far. Here.” Ash unclasped his black cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders. “I didn’t realize it was so cold.”

I hugged the cloak closer. “It wasn’t earlier. It rarely gets so chilly this time of year, does it? But you didn’t wake me up to talk about the weather.”

“No,” he said gravely. His face fell, and he took a step away, leaning a forearm against one of the tree trunks.

“What is it, Ash? What’s wrong?”

He lifted his head and an ethereal green light glowed on his face, but Ash wasn’t the source. I followed his gaze and found him looking up at a rift. Somehow, the forest had fallen away, revealing a mountainside. Ice clung to the silver cliffs, reflecting the ghostly light.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of it, and I moved to take a step back.

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