The next day, once our bags and provisions were strapped up to Nea, we set off from Ashthorne Castle. The horse was more than ready to get moving again. 

For the first time, I managed to pull myself up on the horse by myself, finding it surprisingly easier than it had been, my body feeling light as air. Ronan settled in behind me wordlessly. I could tell by the tension in his arms that he was just as eager to get out of there as Nea was.

I recalled the night before. Following my conversation with Ronan, I had spent my time alone studying the map of Faerie. Even with my laughable drawing skills, I could probably now replicate it from memory.

When Ronan returned, he had reeked of blood, and his clothes were damp with melted snow. His mood had glossed over, similar to how he had been before I was sick. He had left to bath, returning to the room only to sleep.

Ronan's body shifted into mine as we started down the hill from the castle, nearing the icy drawbridge between the courtyard and the snowy expanse beyond. I twisted around to get one last look at the Ashthorne Castle. I leaned over to the side to see its tall, beautiful spires behind Ronan. He observed me with a lifted brow.

"Are you trying to get yourself hurt after just getting better?" he asked coolly.

I didn't look at him, choosing not to dignify that with a response. My feet had long since healed, and I felt good as new after a few days of rest. Better than ever, actually.

The sun was out this morning, parting through the perpetually cloudy sky. The golden light caught on the icy towers, reflecting off them in a blinding array of light that surrounded the castle like a halo. I squinted my eyes, just in time to see a shadow slip past one of the windows. One that looked like it had tall antlers protruding from its head.

I spun back around to face forward. Seeing the castle alight with sunshine made it seem different. Less bleak, like there was a flicker of hope that hadn't been there before. It had seemed so lonely and desolate when we had arrived, but now as we departed, it looked a bit more alive. Like spring might still come to the icy land around it.

We advanced back through the pass we had come up before. Along with the sun came new creatures. We passed the homes littered beyond Ashthorne's border to see their doors open, odd creatures, puttering around out front like they were tending a garden of snow and ice. Before long, I got a clear look at one.

He stood in front of his small rocky home—which appeared to lead to a dwelling beneath the ground. Unlike the other lower goblins I had seen, he was covered in a thin layer of shaggy hair, all except for his head. Patches of greenish-brown skin showed underneath, thick and hard as stone. His dark gaze followed us as we passed. Some of his crooked teeth showed from between his lips.

I felt myself pull back, bumping into Ronan's chest.

He sighed behind me, but when he spoke his voice held a trace of amusement, "Trolls. Dreadful creatures unless they are on your side in a fight."

Nea galloped on past the troll, the creature's eyes never leaving me as we went. I grimaced. Just another faerie creature to add to my do-not-want-to-see-ever-again list.

"Are they common?"

A wind blew through the pass as we broke away from the cover of the mountains and started to ascend upwards. Ronan ducked low to respond to my question over the gusting wind, sending a traitorously pleasant shiver down my spine.

"No. They just live in the Ashthorne Mountains. You won't come across them again unless you plan on paying our goblin hosts another visit."

"Wasn't planning on it," I replied stiffly. Ronan moved away from me, his heat leaving my back as he lapsed again into silence. 

This time the absence of his warmth didn't bother me. Even with the wind brushing past us, it didn't feel as biting as before. Though cold, the air tickled at my skin, lifting my hair from my face and tugging. Almost like it wanted to play.

The snow covered forest rose and fell on either side of us, and soon were back on the rocky path we had used to enter the isolated castle. 

We continued, passing across from where the bloody corpse had been. It was no longer there, though dark patches of dried blood were smeared across the ground, barely visible under the fresh layer of snow. A bird's call filled the air, and I blinked to see a lone raven sitting there. When I did a double take, it was gone.

A breeze blew past me, whipping my hair across my face. It sent a shiver down my spine, as if it held a warning. I stared at the empty spot on the ice until we moved out of sight.

Soon I found my back brushing against Ronan's chest as we started down the side of the mountain. The wind tapered off as we lowered down between the cover of the peaks, and the sun started its rapid journey across the sky. Almost as fast as Nea ran, the day seemed to be slipping us by.

I held out my hand curiously as we went. The air ran through my fingers then returned with a gentle gust. Something inside my blood answered, a unfathomable yearning. After a moment or two, I pulled my hand back into myself, clenching it into a fist as I gazed down at it. It didn't look any different than it had before, a trace of my old peach colored nail polish still lingering on my nail beds.

Strange.

Snow eventually gave way to hard grey rock, and then little offshoots of grass and greenery. We twisted down the side of the mountain, a lush green forest sprouting up around us. The trees towered over us, the dwindling sunlight was nearly cut off from view, flickering through the rustling branches. Everywhere we went, the wind seemed to follow.

I inhaled, taking in the fragrant scents of the forest. Blooming flowers filled the air with their luscious scent, and I found the smell almost intoxicating. I was surprised I never noticed how wonderful everything in Faerie smelled before.

We reached the base of the mountain just as the sun disappeared from view. Ronan slowed Nea down and ushered us from the trees onto a well-worn pathway.

I furrowed my brows. It did not feel like an entire day had passed. It felt like all but a few moments had transpired. My body radiated energy. I could have gone on for several more days if they were all like this. Another distant caw filled the air, and I turned around to see another raven disappear. I stared after it until I noticed Ronan's gaze on me. The skin around his eyes was pinched, and his lips were in a tight line.

"Where are we—"

Ronan cut me off by pressing his sharp-clawed fingertip gently against my lips.

He leaned forward speaking very softly into my ear. "We are about to pass the Dead Forest. It is best we go unnoticed. Be quiet for a bit longer."

He must have sensed my confusion because he placed a hand on my chin and carefully spun my head so that I looked to our left. There, instead of lush greenery, stood tall leafless trees. No—not leafless...

They were dead.

Their bark was stark white with splotches of grey and brown, reminding me of weathered stone statues. Their twisted and warped branches took the form of mangled corpses. They stretched out around them, broken grotesquely, bark peeling away like splayed skin. A sharp scent hit my nose, and I wrinkled it against the overwhelming putrid scent. It was harsh and rotten, reminding me of the smell of a dead rat I had once discovered in the backyard of our house. I wrinkled my nose but kept silent.

The wind stilled, as if wrapping around us. It brushed against my skin, and I knew somehow it shared the same fear I felt.

I nodded my head. I remembered him mentioning the Dead Forest before. It was why he had chosen the longer route through the mountains. I had studied it on the map I had found, wondering why he had gone through such great lengths to avoid it.

Now that I saw it for real, I wished I hadn't.

We silently continued our journey, watching the dead trees as they stared back at us with dull, lifeless eyes.