What they did was walk. It was a long way to the mountains -- but they had a shortcut.
"Fae anchors,"Tennon explained. "Lady Kerinis -- my mother -- locks onto the next link and pulls us there. That is why the scenery changes and how we can hope to not draw attention. Otherwise, we would be most of the year just to get to the base of the mountains."
"And what will find there?" Sita asked.
Tennon started to say something, and from the frown on his face, she wasn't going to like what he said.
"Sita --"
"If you are about to tell me that the rest of us should stay behind, be aware that if I hear that one more time I am going to start thinking we don't need to take you along on the rest of this adventure."
Tennon looked startled. His mother gave an amused laugh and stepped back beside them. "This is where you learn you cannot do everything alone, my son. I have to admit, it is a lesson a long time coming."
"I work with others!" he protested. "Farlyn --"
"And even with him, you managed to get him posted far from you."
"That worked best for both of us," he answered. "At least until now."
"It may be that it was a good choice even now," she answered. "The two of you not being caught together may be our best hope. Let us see what happens."
Then with a slight nod, they moved on again. This time Sita could tell they were much closer to the mountains.
"Matters will get far more dangerous in the mountains," the lady said. "We must go to the highest spot to find the Dragon nests. What we find there will affect everything we do afterward."
Cita noted that she did not sound as if she expected to find anything good. That attitude was noted by everyone and even Faarlyn glanced her way with growing despair. Tennon just marched onward as though he would take the next leap without them. All of their conflicting emotions seem to be caught by the wind dancing around them. Cita wondered if that might not be literally true. She traveled with fae, godlings, and dragons on this strange journey. Who knew what magic did with their emotions?
That thought turned her to her own emotional outburst. She could feel a surge of anger beneath all the other emotions and expectations. She. All that beneath the feeling of relief that the travel was going so well. Almost immediately, Cita could pick out some of the worst emotions from others.
"Urdo, please calm your temper," she suggested. When he turned her glare in her direction, she shook her head and kept her place."fae, my friend. Our emotions are getting out of hand because of the magic. We need calm. All of us need calm."
Lady Kerines turned to her with a slight look of confusion. "You seem to know a lot about Fae. Is that more common in humans these days? They never seemed much interested in the Fae back when I still spend time among them. They certainly never try to understand us."
Cita could see that everyone wanted a break before they tackled the mountains. She wasn't certain why she was anxious to get going and find out what happened to the dragons. It could not have been anything good, not with this ongoing mess that they dropped into. On the other hand, the lady had a point about humans understanding Fae. Besides, it might help that they understood each other little better.
"My reality is a long ways from this one and even farther from the one where my team and I joined up with Tennon. When I was in my teens, I accidentally stepped through what I later found out was a male between two realities or realms as they're known here. If I had stepped right back out, I would've still been home. However..."
"Home was boring," Tennon finished for her.
"Exactly. Once I was over the line, I realized I'd never been made for middle-class family the most exciting event was settling down to watch our favorite movie together. Yes, I do miss that sometimes. Just the same, I am living the life of those movies rather than just watching them and I long ago decided I couldn't give that up. I walked away from the veil and I never went back. However, I didn't exactly fit in either. As soon as I got my head in order, I started doing my best to learn about the people around me."
"And you done well from all I can tell," Lady Kerinis replied. She seemed to take the story well unlike Cita's two startled companions "what about you, my son? What reason did you have to leave home?"
Tennon made a slow turn to face his mother. His face had slightly paled in his eyes grown large as though he looked at something he didn't understand that all. The expression unsettled lady as well she started to stand but he waved her back down.
"I left because I had no choice. I was Forgotten."
"Never!" Lady Kerinis leapt to her feet and lightening flashed out of the clear sky. "How could you think such a thing?"
"Yona took me aside an told me," Tennon said.
"Yona! that sniveling little coward -- I'll make him wish he was Forgotten."
"Something we can discuss later," Tennon replied. He looked upward. "I fear I may have been wrong about the gargoyles."
They were launching themselves off the mountain and heading down toward the group. There were so many that Cita couldn't begin to count them. She wanted answers and this was just another delay along the road. She wasn't the only one who looked more annoyed than worried.
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