The mountains towered in the distance, the snow glittering as the sun moved across the sky. Launi and Swift continued to walk steadily on, always in the direction of the peaks. She was becoming convinced that they were never going to reach the pass, they never seemed to get any closer.
By mid-afternoon, Launi was almost falling off the horse from exhaustion. She needed to stop and rest. However, the flat open grasslands around them didn’t offer anything in the way of shelter; Launi didn’t want to sleep out in the open.
Bringing Swift to a stop and pulling out the map that Screbra had given her, Launi searched desperately for any markings that spoke of a safer place to sleep. She still remembered Screbra’s warning, the shifters were venturing out from the cities and she didn’t want to give them any chance to mess with her.
Not finding anything suitable close to the trail, Launi began looking farther away. The map showed a small grouping of trees, what Launi reasoned to be, an hour ride from the trail. She didn’t like the idea of loosing what little time she had, but as she could barely keep her eyes open, Launi decided to leave the trail and head to the small outcropping of trees.
The trail hadn’t been smooth, but compared to the ground they crossed now, it could have been one of the well-worn roads in her village.
Hills gradually began to change the landscape. They were shallow, sweeping across the land in large swatches. At first, it was hard to tell the difference between when they were in a valley or on top of a hill, but as they neared their destination the hills became more pronounced. As they summited another, Launi looked ahead of them and saw large rolling hills in the distance leading up to the snowcapped peaks. Behind them, the ground was flat, stretching off to the horizon. It was the first indication that they really were getting closer to the mountains.
Launi felt a spark of excitement, they just had to cross over the pass and they would be there. She only hoped she would return home in time.
Glancing at the map to check that they were still headed in the right direction, Launi and Swift continued on in the late afternoon sunlight.
The outcropping turned out to be much smaller than she’d expected. It was nestled in between two hills, a small creek running through the middle. Launi didn’t feel much safer in among the trees, but it was better than being out in the open.
She dismounted and led Swift over to the stream so he could drink. She removed the packs and placed them on the ground against a tree, taking out a blanket, food, and water. Wrapping the blanket around herself, Launi sat down between the packs and nibbled on her food, making it last longer.
Her mind was blank from exhaustion and before long she was nodding off to sleep. Drowsily, Launi wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and settled in. Within a minute she had drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep. Swift stayed close, resting himself.
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A rustling dragged Launi into the waking world. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline rushing through her body. Her eyes snapped open. A group of people were surrounding her, lit by moonlight. Swift was nowhere to be seen.
Springing to her feet, Launi quickly counted three men and two women. They stared at each other for a few seconds before a man with a thick beard stepped forward.
“What are you doing out here all alone?” he said in with a sneer that made Launi’s nerves sing.
“Minding my own business,” she retorted, trying to keep the fear from her voice.
The man looked at his companions and they all smiled nastily. “Mindin’ your own business, eh?”
Launi didn’t respond.
“What are you doing so far from the trail?”
Her body was telling her to run, but Launi held her ground. “Why do you care?”
One of the two women stepped up next to the bearded man and smiled an ugly smile. “What is a pretty girl like you doing out on your own? We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I can take care of myself.” Launi was pleased that her voice held steady.
“Oh,” the woman simpered. “I’m sure you can, but it is our duty to make sure. Isn’t it?” She directed the last part at her companions.
Launi stood still and tall, feet shoulder width apart and hands clenched at her sides. The blanket was pooled at her feet, having fallen when she stood. In the corner of her eye, Launi saw something flash. She quickly glanced over and saw that one of the women had moved.
A chill ran down Launi’s back. She pleaded silently that she was wrong. This couldn’t be happening. Slowly, trying to hide her fear, Launi counted the people before her.
There were now two men and three women. Shifters.
Launi’s stomach sank, filling with dread. The stories of shifters were awful. They used people’s weaknesses against them, playing with their emotions and minds. There was a rumor that the shifters had played with the mind of a young man so much that he’d gone insane. Launi had always chosen not to believe the rumor, for fear that it might be true.
They had the ability to pose as anyone they wanted to and used it for their own good, stealing from villages, and those who could nothing about them. They could walk into a town council meeting, posing as the town leader. They could change their appearance at will, mimicking anyone.
They often stayed in the cities where there was more harm to cause, but as Screbra had told her, the shifters had begun to venture out and wreck havoc in the surrounding villages.
“Let’s see what we have here,” the woman who had shifted said, coming forward to stand a couple of feet from Launi. The moon provided ample light to see by. She could see the woman was studying her face.
Reacting quickly, Launi looked at the ground, trying to stop the woman from seeing her features. Too late, there were flickers of movement in her peripheral vision.
Dreading what she would see, Launi lifted her gaze from the ground.
Before her were five identical faces. Unruly curly hair, light brown eyes and rich dark skin. A shiver ran down her spine.
Launi was staring at five identical versions of herself.
Oh my, this is an unexpected turn of events. The story has my rapt attention.
I’m glad you’re enjoying it
Thanks for posting. I enjoy reading each installment.
I’m glad! Thanks for reading!