Miles feel like minutes.

Though it might just be the days passing by filled with endless walking, trekking through land just to wind up somewhere I don't need to be. Perhaps it'd feel like the other thousands of seconds in my life if not for the absence of Lindon.

When no one is speaking, I hear him humming in the kitchen like we haven't been apart all this time. Almost one hundred years later we're in a desolate wasteland, so far apart. I don't know if I'm still hallucinating, but I don't want to stop.

I catch his scent in the wind sometimes, as if that were even possible.

No one catches our trail even for a moment, the footsteps meeting near our old camp and subsiding. Meika visibly relaxes before anyone else.

Before we even see the city, I catch the scent of cooked food. Smoked meats and tasty floral fruits in the air weave through the heat. The tiny buildings poking up from the sandy baked ground offer a chance at hope.

Meika's lips turn up into a feral smile as she tosses me a knowing look. "We're getting close now, children," she teases playfully. I bask in her features, this being one of the first times she's shown any hint of her usual nature.

My gut turns a little, thinking about leaving the trio in such a big place with no one they know, no one to trust but themselves. This is quickly stolen with the sobering fear on Daniel's face, dwelling just beneath eye level. Each muscle in his body is visibly tenser, his face pensive and almost brooding.

I watch him, waiting for some kind of reassurance. When he checks on me, something worsens. Almost like an apology.

"How long do you think?" He asks coolly, attempting to sooth the tension.

Theron looks but rolls his eyes. "I don't see anything, are you two sure?"

Remi is eyeing his face wearily, unsure if addressing the issue at hand is the smartest decision. By now, even the naive woman recognizes something amiss. Theron's body is sloping in every so slightly, his once intense and authoritative posture unremarkable now. The cloudy sheen returns stronger every time I clear it, the viral cells consuming him faster than I can feed off of them.

Still, I slip past Dan and Meika wordlessly, catching his elbow rather calmly and relieving some of the strain on his eyes.

"Look now," I whisper.

He leans against me enough to regain composure, disoriented. Theron blinks a few times, swiping some of the brown hair out of his face and looking at the thin horizon line with buildings. I lift a finger to point. "See right there?"

He nods, hiding a look of appreciation before glancing back at the others. "I'd say about 6 hours..."

Meika stretches, giving the distance a once over herself. My eyes scan the flatland in front of us and my vision fazes out as the vast area lulls my consciousness away momentarily.

"Does anyone need to stop?" Theron asks.

"Do you?" Dan counters, the edge evidently consuming him still from their fight about this.

Theron's eyes narrow at the challenge. "I'm fine, Dan."

Daniel scoffs at him but doesn't push.

"No need to be childish, either of you," Meika sighs, tsking to herself. "I swear your egos must thrive in this world."

A heavy aggression hangs over the boys now, but neither deigns her with much more than a look.

The silence itself becomes deafening. I want to revel in it and yet something stops me.

The scenery is all the same as the last, some hills and more sand. Thick, crusted dirt and dry mud everywhere. Anything resembling life is more than scarce. Heat dies down over time as the sun begins to set, golden light brightening the silhouettes of the city but offering less and less comfortable as night approaches.

This is so much better than the endless waves of the ocean.

"What happens if they don't let us in the city?" Remi murmurs, eyeing both Meika and me skeptically.

The Fae woman laughs and waves a hand. "Then you'll wish we had Lindon."

My cheeks flame in frustration, not at her but the reminder. My entire body aches like I'd been putting myself through physical training. The contract could make this all go away, but I could just as easily kill him.

"Why?" She looks at me.

I feel sick and look away, not wanting to see the doe-eyed girls face.

Instead, Meika answers again. "I'm sure you've noticed Iridian isn't the most likable person in the world, but she's even more entitled than you think she is... Spiteful and selfish to the bitter end unless it's someone she cares about."

"She's not that bad," Remi tries to argue.

I chuckle softly. "Yes Dear, I am."

"Lindon is the loveable one, the smooth talker, the man of the hour. Whenever Ira goes on her infamous rampages, he often is required to... Step in."

"Step in?" Daniel chimes in, slinging off his jacket and sliding it around his hips.

Meika's grin grows wicked and the moonlight hits her just right. Her shift rushes over and her hair grows out silver once again. "He's had to overthrow entire governments just so they wouldn't prosecute her. Iridian's knack for getting in trouble is rather torturous. Suffice it to say, he's more convenient to have around when interacting with others."

I smile away the sadness and look between everyone. "But who do you think is more fun to have at parties?"

"Has to be you," Theron laughs, shaking his head. "No one wants to party with a stickler."

"Exactly," I smirk.

The city is right above us now, looming almost overhead.

The architecture is very much the same as it has been for the last two hundred years. Smooth, round buildings, largely made with glass. Most were something out of a book at this point though, run down with broken windows and a darker appearance.

"We're about an hour off. Should we camp here tonight and try to get in tomorrow morning?" Dan asks.

Even though I'd temporarily found a way to lighten the mood, his guts look unsettled. As if whatever is inside that city could kill us all, but haunts him.

"I have a better idea. You and I are going to go stake out the city tonight and see if anything is guarded. We'll come back in the morning and figure out a game plan based on the results."

Something about the idea significantly eases his mind, but the others are awfully uneasy.

"Why you two?" Theron crosses his arms, brain still operating as if he has another twenty miles in him.

I let my eyes harden ever so slightly. "There are two immortals here, Meika and I. You and Remi need the most sleep and you know it. Meika's going to stay here with you and protect the camp. If anything happens, I can get us here fairly quickly. Going into the city without the slightest clue about what's going on is risky even if I could burn this place to the ground."

"But you're not going to, right...?" Remi's voice nearly escalates a full octave.

"No, rest easy. No one's going to die tonight, not us, not them. No one."

She nods and drops her pack on the ground as if she'd been waiting to do so for hours. Remi sits down and rummages through her bag for the sweater she sleeps in and waits for the others to roll out sleeping mats.

We offer our hands for starting the fire and setting up barriers. Without seeing any civilization in over a hundred miles, I feel certain the three will be okay without us.

Remi passes out as soon as a blanket is tucked around her, frizzy curls smooshed into her cheeks.

The scent of meat wafts up when Meika breaks out some jerky and holds it over the flames. She hands Theron some and the two start working on their dinner quietly while I grab what I need from my backpack and leave the rest.

Daniel is ready to get out, jamming a few things into his pockets and folding his arms behind him patiently.

"You ready?" I sigh, giving the camp a once over before turning to face him fully.

He nods and I mock salute the camp, the gesture small but playful enough to encourage two smiles.

We walk the first mile is in complete silence, likely out of fear for anyone listening.

Suddenly, Dan looks at me. "Why me?"

"Didn't look like you were going to sleep much tonight anyway," I shrug it off. "Plus, I do enjoy your company."

He smiles a little and nods. "I'm sure, but there have to be more calculated reasons too."

"I explained this. Theron is ill and Remi is weak, leaving them unprotected isn't smart but I don't think you and Meika would have the best time if left alone. The combination seems like a no brainer to me."

"I knew there was more strategy to it."

There are no stars tonight, nothing to distract my gaze as I mindlessly roam forward. "Naturally I consider everything, but I think the most pertinent reason is still concern. Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? We're not even in the city yet."

If it were possible to transform into a steel board, Daniel would've just found how to do so. The entire dynamic of his posture shifts, arms and legs going rigged and spine straightening almost painfully.

The horror in his eyes returns.

"I don't want to talk about this, Ira..."

I nod. "Yes you do, you've been looking at me like you've wanted me to save you all day, but I don't know what from. What's inside the city, Dan? Maybe I can help you."

He shakes his head, drifting away from me another foot and increasing his pacing. "You can't do anything, Iridian, though I think it's very kind of you to care."

Feeling as though I'd made it awkward, I decide it's for the best if we continue in the quiet for just a bit.

Reaching up, I flick my wrist a little bit to clear a path for the stars to shine down. The clouds part rapidly, swishing away in a beautiful pattern of stripes.

Daniel's posture slackens a bit, all the pent up fear washing away while his eyes count the stars. I can tell from the small flickers of his pupil and how no single constellation can hold his interest for very long.

"You know, the stars are one of the only things we all worked on together," I whisper softly. "Each and every god and goddess painted a picture. We sewed them all together and created the universes that surround your small rock. One giant quilt of interlocking solar systems and stars, something everyone could agree on as it was both ours and each others."

"Every single one of you?"

I take a moment to consider. "All those who were alive at the time of creation."

"There are more now?" The question sounds incredulous but I laugh at the thought as if he thought we were multiplying like rabbits.

"Maybe four or five, Daniel. Not nearly as many as I imagine you're thinking right now."

He laughs a little. "I guess I really have been on edge."

"You think?"

He rolls his eyes.

"You don't have to tell me, I don't expect anything from you..." I stop and close my eyes to think about this for a moment. "But I'm going to keep you three safe."

The pain softens in his eyes and Daniel nods. A thought flashes through those irises, however. Just slow enough for me to understand.

My protection in and of itself is something he fears. Not for them, but for me.

"Thank you," he says, offering me an arm. "Let's go before the sun starts to rise."

Okay, I really do think I owe everyone an apology. 

I wanted to be regular at updating, I really did. I still do in fact. The only problem is how hard life gets for me on a regular basis. I love this story more than anything. A lot of you know that. But with The Open Novella Contest and work, I got pretty spread thin. 

Edit : This awesome dedication goes to ChaosofFenrir for several awesome fantastic comments from the first half of this book. I heavily love and appreciate the time and effort you put in early on, so thank you <3

On the plus side, if you love sarcastic, funny characters with abilities you can go read that. Empty Chains has to be one of my favorite projects ever. But I do want to apologize because I made a lot of promises. 

I love you all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment if you enjoyed!