[Ana]

Journey

He's a dead man.

When I finally catch up with that gods accursed man, I swear by all the demons of the underworld I will rip out those damnable eyes of his and feed them to him.

It didn't take me long to find the river Julian had mentioned in the note. All I had to do was follow the sound of rushing water. After a short hike through the forest, I broke through the tree line and came to the banks of the river. Where I stood, paralyzed by wonder.

I had seen rivers before, of course. But they were the dead, ponderous rivers of the Underdark. The only sign of life the faint phosphorous glow of pale, bloated things with white, corpse eyes. But this...this was like nothing I had ever seen or imagined before. The water was...alive. Eddies and currents danced along the contours created by rocks and branches, spinning apart and then tangling together again, like desperate lovers. Here and there the river leapt into the air, throwing up tiny, brilliant diamonds. The moonlight flashed along the surface, creating a dazzling blanket of light that I couldn't bring myself to look away from, despite being nearly blinded.

I don't know how long I stood, entranced by the unexpected beauty of the river, but eventually I came to myself and continued my journey. I pushed myself hard, knowing I had lost valuable time and wanting to reach Julian's camp before the demon in the sky forced me to take cover.

I did. Only to find the camp deserted, the coals of the fire still warm. I had missed Julian by less than an hour. With a frustrated sigh, I began making my own camp amidst the remains of Julian's. As I lay in darkness, I planned my next night's journey. I was confident that I would catch up with Julian and his companions. After all, the only reason I had missed them was because I had lost so much at the river. So I told myself the first night.

The second night, when I once more entered a recently deserted camp, I told myself that I had obviously not pushed myself hard enough. The fifth night, I began to wonder at the coincidence. I pushed myself harder and harder every night, forcing myself to endure ever increasing amounts of light, pulling the deep folds of my cloak further forward in a vain attempt to shield my burning, watering eyes. On the seventh night, as I finally retreated to the blessed darkness of my tent, a realization hit me. He was doing this on purpose. Teasing me. Taunting me by staying barely one step ahead. Leading me on a fool's chase with those blasted eyes of his and false promises of companionship. Sitting with his companions, laughing at me. A low growl rose, unbidden, from deep in my chest. He'd regret his arrogance and cruelty.

He's a dead man.