"We are getting close."
Erica's senses heightened once more. By using the direction of the wind and placing her five wind sigils on static spots, she was able to create a sort of echo chamber of noise, allowing her to hear voices meters away from her. And by the sounds she caught...
She wiped away the confusion Neil's note had caused her and bolted away. Her sigils magically reappeared over her arm, and she placed both fingers at the soles of her shoes—the sigils attached themselves there, allowing her to hover once more.
The roots, leaves, and earth below became a blur as she flared her wind sigils for more speed. A cliff approached, and she dove without hesitation. In her freefall, she angled her head downward with her hands at her sides, plummeting like a falcon on the hunt. Just before impact, she took out a rock, placed her sigils on it, and threw it below her. When it collided with the ground, wings of air surged around her, cushioning her fall.
Once more, she continued her mad dash away from the enemy.
...
Hours passed without her stopping, and she could feel exhaustion consuming her. Sigils didn't necessarily need energy to stay galvanized; however, extended use without recalling them to one's arm could gradually induce nausea, tiredness, vomiting, and so many nasty things she didn't want to think about. People with such abilities called it Marker's Sickness. These symptoms tended to fade once someone refrained from using their sigils. Meaning Erica now needed to take a break from her powers.
She landed near a small lake and gazed at the sky. Dawn had come with its violet robes, casting soft sparkles that showered the sky. Beside the lake was a small waterfall, and she decided to clean up.
After getting ready, she dipped her naked body into the lake, away but behind the cascading water. It was cold to the touch, yet warm in the way it flowed around her body—like a gentle hug. A smooth object grazed her thigh. She didn't jump; she simply expected it. A river otter, searching for food. Its padded legs propelled it swiftly toward the bottom, where all sorts of colorful sea plants resided.
To others, it might seem strange—someone as high esteemed as the daughter of the once-strongest person alive, bathing in the middle of the woods. But to her, it was all she could ask for. Sure, there were unanswered questions, a quiet anger that slowly gripped her neck where her burn marks seemed to heat up slightly—yet it was calming. Bittersweet.
After the otter left, she finally gazed at her reflection. Her short white hair, cut into a bob, stuck to her skin from the water. Cool tendrils of liquid dripped past her crimson eyes.
Taking it all in, she looked nothing like a human. Though her pale skin and feminine physique mirrored theirs, her facial features betrayed her true race. She cringed at her separation. If she were "normal," then maybe—but Neil had accepted her. Amber had too.
The racing thoughts came to a halt, and she decided to start thinking. Carefully washing her body, she pondered Neil's book.
Erica: "Where it all began?" He doesn't really think in terms of riddles. That being said, I'm lost. Is it when he was chosen to be the Hero of Prophecy? When we first met? Or is it...
A thought blew into her head.
Erica: When he asked me to be his.
She turned to the side, as if to hide her face from someone.
Erica: Wait!
Erica abruptly swam to the shore where her clothes and belongings lay. She searched through them with wet hands and found Neil's diary. Quickly wiping her fingers, she flipped through it—her shame still present but lessened. Her finger stopped at a single page.
"Dear Diary,
I don't know how it happened, but... there will come a time... where it all..."
Her eyes buzzed through the pages until she found what she was searching for.
"We have battled many foes, and it took some time, but we have done it. The team I was supposed to have, I finally found them. The future seems less daunting with them. Mom, Dad, I hope you're watching."
She remembered it as if it were yesterday. They sat around the campfire, its flickering flames lighting the food Amber and Willow had prepared. After eating, Neil told them he had something to say. All five of them stared at him in confusion—he was rarely this serious and direct. He stood atop a stool and gave his speech. He ended by saying:
"Just wait. It's only the beginning."
The path was now clear. Two towns from now, past Tigan Bridge, lay the Capital City of Thraw—the imperial state that oversaw the four families.
She got dressed quickly, her Marker's Sickness now subsided.
"Don't move."
A gun was cocked against the back of her skull.
***
With the help of his royal winged Pegasus and the conjured winds the Bewails cast to hasten air travel, Ernest now stood before the palace where wind sigils ran rampant.