Aria walked ahead of them. They were silent as they walked, though now and again, Octavia would ask Aria a question, and the white-haired girl would answer with something ordinary, though occasionally, there was an ordinary answer.
Alex stepped back as Octavia climbed on his back and then fell in step with Aria. She could feel him watching her. It annoyed her. Though, she was used to being alone.
“What is this place?” he asked her. She furrowed her brow but kept walking. The question was odd enough.
“This is Ashiver,” she told him. “Everything you see here, from the east to the west, north to the south. It’s all Ashiver. And it all belongs to the mage.”
“Mage? Like a witch?”
“In a sense,” she began. “A mage uses supernatural means for certain aspects of their power, certain spells, and such. A witch doesn’t need supernatural means.”
“So, is the mage the one that made it snow in July?” he inquired. She paused for a second.
“July?” she spoke. “What a strange word.” she shook her head and started walking again. “It’s been winter here for centuries. It snows every day and every night. The snow you walk upon now is of old.”
He glanced down at his feet. “So, I take it that we’re not near Liverpool then.”
“A pool of liver? There’s no such thing.”
“No, it’s... it’s a city,” he told her. “We live there.”
She nodded. But she didn’t believe him. She climbed up on a rock. “So, it’s only you and Eight, in your family, I mean.”
“No. Our mother is back home.” Alex spoke. She nodded again. “You know, you could call her Octavia or Tavia. You don’t have to call her Eight.”
“I like Eight.” she shrugged. “It has a better ring than Octavia. Besides, it’s short like her.”
“If she were awake right now, she’d tell you that she’s tallest in her class,” Alex chuckled. “Do you have any siblings?”
She was silent as she jumped up on a rock and looked around for a second. “I have a foster brother,” she began. Her face twisted in a disgusted emotion. “Finn. Pompous little dung beetle, if you ask me.”
“Oh, I have one of those too,” he told her as he adjusted his hold on Octavia. “My step-father, Fred. He’s a tool.”
“I don’t understand, is he helpful?”
“Nope. Mostly just sits around. He smells like dung though.” Alex spoke. She nodded. “Do you not like your brother?”
She stepped over the log and shrugged her shoulders. “He’s not really my brother. I was brought in by his parents when I was a child. He never liked me very much. To be honest, I didn’t like him either. But I was kind enough until he decided that it would be funny to lure the hyenas to me. And then, I wasn’t so kind anymore.” she paused and noticed him do what everyone else did when she told the story. “I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“No, no. I was just... okay, yeah. But in fairness, if you had killed him, he would’ve deserved it.” The black-haired boy spoke.
“That’s what I said as his mother put his teeth back in his head.”
They were quiet for a little while longer. “If I may ask, how old are you?”
“Sixteen,” she told him. She glanced at him. She couldn’t be sure how old he was. “What is your age?”
“I’m seventeen,” Alex replied. He definitely didn’t look his age. In some aspects, he seemed older. But in some aspects, he seemed younger. But now, she realized that she didn’t like that he was older than her either.
“I’ve grown fond of Eight,” Aria told him suddenly. “I like her spirit. She could be a very strong warrior one day.”
“I don’t think I could let that happen,” Alex spoke, looking over his shoulder at his sleeping sister. “She’s always going to be my baby sister, you know.”
“My people don’t share that sentiment,” Aria sighed. “Most of us hide from the Mage. And the ones that don’t hide are her followers. Or they’re destined to fight a losing war. Either way, the life of a warrior is chosen for us.”
“But you’re not hiding.”
“The Wood Of Saffron is sacred. She wouldn’t dare to harm anyone here,” she told him. “For the followers that she actually has are very superstitious. They believe that if anyone comes to harm in these woods, Omdrus would return and those who’d been harmed would be granted their redemption, and the perpetrators in the attack would perish before him.” she paused. “But Omdrus isn’t real. Therefore it’s a false protection.”
“Omdrus?” Alex questioned. Aria nodded.
“He’s just a character in a story. But supposedly he was a giant wolf.”
“Has anyone ever told you that your world is very strange?” Alex asked. Aria tilted her head to the side.
“No. But of course, you’re the first otherworlders I’ve ever met,” she replied. “And in any case, it’s your world that’s strange. I still don’t know what the function of a plane is.”
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