LRAB Chapter 13: 13. Nolands
Chapter 13: 13. Nolands
Chapter 13: 13. Nolands
Mauve's head jerked back as they went over a bump. She swore as the force made her bite the inside of her cheek. The carriage was going ridiculously fast, Mauve could guess why.
The sun had already risen but the carriage wasn't stopping, instead, they were going faster than ever. "Something is wrong Vae," Mauve said, her words jumbling at the constant shaking of the carriage. "They are not stopping even though the sun has risen."
Vae looked concerned too, "Maybe they have a destination in mind and we are not there yet."
"Okay," she replied and looked out the window.
She cringed at the sight of it, there was nothing to be seen except dried trees and several rocks lying around. The ground was so dry, the cracks on them were nothing like she had ever seen.
She quickly closed the window and rested her back against the carriage. The journey continued for about a full hour before the carriage came to a full stop.
The carriage door was immediately thrown open, Mauve yelped at the sudden intrusion but there was no reaction from Danag who usually enjoyed jump scaring her.
"Your tent will be ready in five minutes." He said, bending his head as if he was hiding his face from her.
"Okay, thank you." She looked down and immediately noticed how red his hands were. They looked sunburnt but before she could say anything about it, he walked away.
She slowly stepped out of the carriage, taking her time so she would not trip and fall. As soon as stood outside it Mauve could feel her skin shrivel underneath the sun's glare. The brightness of the sun rendered her vision useless for a couple of seconds. She squinted hoping it would help her eyes adjust faster to the sunlight.
She was surprised about how hard the sun was even though they were in the sunny season, this was a little too much. Nothing but intense sun, the nights were remotely better because the sun wasn't directly above but it didn't reduce the hotness.
However, this glare was intense, she wondered if it was because of where they were, the lack of trees around the area, or if it felt hotter because she was tired. Fortunately, the days were often shorter during the sunny season as the nights were longer. @@@@
The sun would set in a couple of hours and she was certain Danag would continue the journey almost immediately. Better for her to get all the rest she could, she thought as flashes of the horrible ride here crossed her mind.
"Princess, it is time for us to go."
Mauve slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them, her mouth was parched. She was not particularly hungry having already eaten before she slept but she was very tasty. She drank the water beside her in a rush and some of the contents spilled on her.
She got out of the house to see the sun had not completely set yet. She saw the third vampire walking toward her to dismantle her tents. "Why are we leaving in such a hurry?" She blurted out before she could help herself. "Isn't it dangerous for you to be out now?"
He raised his brown head to look at her but did not say anything as he walked past her. Mauve sighed and didn't push, out of all of them he was the only one who would not have a conversation with her.
She got into the carriage and sat down. Everything felt so tense. Was it because of the palers? Even though there wasn't anyone in sight.
"Are you okay, princess?" Vae asked when she sighed again.
"Yes, I am just worried. The vampires seem very edgy."
"I noticed that too."
Suddenly, the whistle rang out and the carriage started to move. Mauve eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "This is a little too fast, it hasn't even been five minutes." Usually, it took almost thirty minutes for them to pack up and she would have to wait in the hot carriage.
Vae only nodded at her comment. Mauve sighed again, asking questions wasn't going to help anybody; all she could do was pray nothing went wrong. She closed her eyes and dozed off.
Mauve woke up with a jerk as the carriage went over a bump. She could not count how many times she had woken up at this point but for some reason, she felt particularly tired and kept going back to sleep through the rough ride.
She pulled back the curtains and the moon stared back at her. The sky was pretty, a lot of stars were spread across the sky and she knew she had no complaints watching the night sky.
Mauve felt it before she heard it, the impact of a strong force hitting her side of the carriage. Her side of the carriage lifted off the ground a little, it wobbled but finally gave in to gravity and fell on its side even as Mauve's and Vae's screams resounded through the night.