I'm glad to hear that, because it means Jarek chooses to help us. The ride in the golem's palm isn't the smoothest, but it seems like Jarek is trying to make it as easy on us as he can. After a while, he slows to a walking pace and pulls one palm away to let us see the landscape. It's vacant land, scorched beyond recognition. I swear I can smell the smoke, though the bulk of the apocalypse has been over for months now. It could've been longer here in the Echo. If time behaves differently in this world,I wonder how long our friends will have to wait for us to return. Will they assume we're dead?
No. They will never give up on us.
Chapter Nine
Gabriel
Jarek's long strides create a slight rocking sensation as we travel toward the stronghold, wherever that might be hidden. The rocking motion seems to be making Sarah kind of dizzy, given the way she keeps biting her lip and gripping her knees. So I sling an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. The stronghold is a bastion of good magics, not bad ones. That's what I've heard, anyway. I tried to find it, but I think the stronghold is cloaked to prevent just anybody from getting inside."
"Grant and Erin have been inside the stronghold. They met Aldith there."
"Well, I hope she's still there. I want to know what the hell she expects us to do."
Yeah, that woman did not explain herself very well. Maybe she kept things vague on purpose. I get the feeling she's more than just an Echo creature, but some kind of higher being within this domain. She might even straddle both worlds. I don't know, and that's why I need to interrogate her.
Right, because that worked out so well last time.
As we pass through a blackened and lifeless zone, I notice a familiar shape off to my left, far away but close enough that I can recognize it. That's the castle, poised high up on a narrow and hard to reach cliff. All my friends died there. Only I survived, and I still don't know why.
"Do me a favor," Sarah says. "When we reach the stronghold and see Aldith, don't get grumpy with her."
"Why not? She hasn't been the most helpful person."
"Did you ever think that maybe she's scared too? And she might not be able to tell you more than she already has? You seem to assume she's all-knowing."
I sigh. "Yeah, okay, you've got a point. I'll try to restrain myself." I smirk at her. "But I can't swear I won't get sarcastic."
She smiles a touch and shakes her head. "I figured that would be too much to ask of you."
I know I'm a sarcastic jackass. I never used to be, but the apocalypse changed everything. It changed me, for sure. I don't feel qualified to determine whether I've changed for the better or the worse. Only other people can judge that.
How would Sarah judge me?
I don't care. Her opinion doesn't matter. I asked myself that question because…I'm bored, stuck inside a golem's hand. What else have I got to think about?
Sarah kisses my cheek.
I jerk and whip my head around to stare at her. "What are you doing?"
"Thanking you."
"For what? I didn't do anything, good or bad."
"Of course you did." She rests her head on my shoulder. "You're being much less grumpy. And you helped me recover a sliver of my memories back on the beach."
"You did that. I just stood there."
"Stop trying to downplay how helpful you've been."
I don't bother responding to that. I have no response. If Sarah has developed a hero complex about me, she'll be disappointed, eventually.
But right here, right now, she snuggles up to me.
I resist the urge to grimace and try not to fidget. Nobody has wanted to snuggle with me since way before the alchemy of worlds began. I guess I've forgotten how to accept affection. Three years in the Echo hardened me, and I don't know if I canever again become the kind of man any woman would want to get involved with for more than sex.
Jarek halts, then raises his hand high above his head, lifting us toward…nothing.
What is he doing? Are we supposed to jump into the clouds?