A story called "Children of Zalmoxis" *Excerpt partial chapter

Felix opened his eyes. Slivers of moonlight filtered through the low, scudding clouds, revealing the long stretch of paved road ahead.

Rough asphalt pricked into his cheek. The damp clothes stuck to his skin and his hair was wet. His mouth was open, dry, and hot so he closed it. His neck was stiff from being motionless, his arms too. He touched his face where the thick, pointy bitumen shards of asphalt left painful indentations into his skin. He rubbed the spot, then pushed himself to his feet. The sudden motion shot black splotches across his vision. The ground spun. Or was it him? Bile surged up his throat and stung the back of his tongue. He fell to his knees and heaved. Nothing came out.

When his stomach settled, he looked about him. The road was wet; it had rained but stopped recently. The air was heavy with the scent of damp dirt. The moon hung high, near its zenith. Gods, he’d been out cold for hours! How stupid. He could have gotten killed a thousand times over.

Sorcery had tainted the earth with ghastly hollows that tore through the verdant woodland, balding the forest like a cancer. Only the tallest and oldest of trees survived the destruction. The muscles clenched in his body until he was strung so tight even his breath stagnated. His heart palpitated. The scent of burned wood lingered in the atmosphere. Ahead, fallen trees blocked the road.

Putting a trembling knee up, he stood again, slower.

He distinguished Summer’s shape sprawled to the edge of the asphalt. He dragged his feet over to her side. She was on her stomach, wrapped in profound sleep. Her legs rested on the muddy earth, her sneakers soaking in a puddle. Her jeans and jacket were damp. Matted hair stuck to her face and spilled over the street in wet strands. Felix gathered her hair and arranged it to her side, then took her pulse. It was weak, but level.

He huddled down next to her and sat gingerly on the ground. The power she released… The dome had deadened it or even fully repressed it.

Until now. What else could she do?

He shook his head. This wasn’t going to help the Order’s case against Karl White. The man and his followers wanted Summer’s undoing more than anything. Death was not enough. They wanted her in a state of utter nonexistence, the destruction of her soul. A difficult if not an impossible feat altogether, thank the gods. Semidei were hard to kill and a Semideus who also happened to be a Caeles was harder still.

Maybe he ought to take her and stride off into the sunset, far from the world. Why shouldn’t the two of them live in peace? Gods knew, their last life had known little of it. The night bugs chirped around them and somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted. A gust of wind blew from the northwest and he braced himself against the cold and closed his eyes. They burned with fever.

His hand shook as he brushed more stray hairs away from Summer’s face, caressing the top of her head. She looked so serene in her sleep. So young. Was she the beginning of the end?

As much as he wanted it, Felix couldn’t just take her and run off from everyone. He had responsibilities. He had to warn the Order about the Necromancers’ return. He needed to find allies. Soon, Summer would be faced with a position of her own to uphold and the world he guided her toward was a place full of enemies. And he had to mount a rescue mission for her brother.

Fatigue pooled in his eyelids, and he fought the urge to close them. Wanting no more than to curl around the curve of her body, to protect her with his own, he turned away and stood. It was neither the time nor the place.

Felix lifted Summer half up and scooped her over his shoulder. He stood and the muscles in his legs jittered with the effort. Weakened by the addition of her weight, he started up the road, away from Gray Vale.

They made slow progress through the near-darkness. Distant night birds called in haunting voices, owls hooted, and animals clicked and snorted in what remained of the forest. The space beyond the trees was alive with movement. To the far left, the ocean caught in its mirror every occasional flash of the gibbous moon revealed by the low-drifting clouds. The sulfuric acid stench of sorcery that polluted the area two nights ago was all gone now. Lifted with the dome. The salty ocean air was clean and rich with pine and burned wood. Even the sharp musk of his own sweat was dulled by the rain that had washed him when he’d slept.

Felix faced the road ahead. The closest populated area was Gray Harbor City, twenty-three kilometers down route 109. Roughly about four hours of walking. Firming his jaw, he kept moving. Nothing left to do but follow the road.