Mason's little winding path led around the top of the peak, tracing over haggard, rocky slopes and past exceedingly sparse clusters of trees that were bowed and weathered. Purchase could be found on yellowy moss and lichen. There was a little scrub, patchy on the ground and it scratched my ankles.
The breeze whipped at my hair, but whatever bite it had was neutered by the still-effective warding spell. I breathed deeply, careful as we edged along crumbling slopes of rock. Mason stopped then, grinning, and turned to me. I blinked, staring around.
We'd arrived just beneath the tip of a mountaintop. It rose up overhead, imperious, but not nearly as tall as its neighbors across the way. This one formed a ring with the other mountains, creating a little basin in which, far below, a gigantic blanket of blueish-white nestled.
"A glacier?" I gasped and tears sprung into my eyes.
"Yes. I thought it might remind you of home."
"You figured out where that is, huh?"
He nodded, watching me as I sniffled.
"It's beautiful," I whispered, then frowned and stared back at the mountain face behind us, "But why not head to the top?"
"Because of this," he said, grinning as he turned to the little jagged crop of mountain behind us and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Echo!" he bellowed at it.
Bouncing back, his bass voice reverberated not only from the immediate face, but eventually, it called back to us from the adjacent range. I heard it jump distantly a few more times, escaping us. Each time it tickled my ears as I heard it, I whipped my gaze back and forth across the range to follow the bounces.
"Che figata!" I gasped, laughing and moving quickly to stand at his side, facing the mountain-top, "How loud do I need to be? Will I cause an avalanche?"
He chuckled at my enthusiasm, "No, you won't. And you're pretty loud on your own. I don't think you'll have trouble."
I pushed at his shoulder playfully and took a wide stance, then paused.
"What do I say?"
He snorted, "Anything. Who's going to hear?"
I copied him, cupping my mouth and shouting the word, "Eco!"
Beaming, I whirled on the spot and bounced on the balls of my feet, listening intently for my voice to hop around the mountaintops.
"How did you find this place?"
"While hunting," he said, rubbing the back of his head with a hand, "I was chasing a mountain goat and, well, the take-down happened around here. You could hear goat-screams for miles..."
"Oh, oops," I chuckled, "That's why you hunt far from the regular trails, eh?"
"Indeed," he agreed, staring out at the valley below. There was a clear, blue pool below and to the East of us settling just above the glacier beneath snowy-capped peaks. It wasn't too far of a walk and it nestled snugly beneath the ridge. It was cupped by a low-layer of brush and some sturdy firs. I bit my lower lip mischievously. "What?"
I glanced back.
His eyebrows raised and he wore that half-cocked smile, "You want to take a dip?"
"Maybe later," I shrugged, then looked out again, "Is this your favorite place?"
"Yes," he breathed, watching my interest raptly.
I studied the echoing mountain face once again.
"Do you sing here?"
The corner of his mouth quavered in embarrassment and he shuffled the stray rocks beneath him with a foot. Smirking, I drew in a deep breath, belted out a four-note melody, then glanced at him with eyebrows raised. He tilted his head in confusion, pressing his lips together and listening.
After a short while, he dipped his chin for me to do it again, brows still skewed. I obliged, this time continuing into the body of the song, shifting my weight from foot-to-foot in a quick-time sway. As soon as the lyrics began, he rolled his eyes as a wide smile broke across his cheeks.
"I need a hero~" I belted out, grasping for him.
He stepped in, taking the hand, but startled when I wrenched him about in a twirl. His utter shock and robotic pirouette broke my chain of lyrics, devolving the song into a fit of giggles. With a growl, he regained control and spun me deftly into his chest. One hand snuck around my lower back as the other held my hand with snug, sure firmness. A dancing pose.
His deep green eyes sparkled, the silver bursts within practically shining like miniature suns. The real sun was likely to be reaching the horizon in the next few hours. My heart squeezed with disappointment at the thought. The day had come and gone far too quickly.
"Sara," he breathed.
The minty scent of him fanned across my face.
And I noticed, for the first time, a masculine spice underpinning the vampiric mint. Amusement faded from his eyes, replaced by something intense and yearning. He inclined his head, his lips only centimeters from mine when he inhaled deeply, clenched his jaw, and closed his eyes tight shut. My stomach quivered as I watched his expression, the pained furrow of his brows as he wallowed in my scent. When he opened his eyes, expression clear, I relaxed into his arms with a sigh.
"Serafina," I whispered.
He blinked, lips parting.
"My real name."
I gripped his hand tighter, growing a little anxious under his curious gaze.
"Serafina," he repeated.
A small, crooked smile graced his lips as he closed the distance to brush them against mine.
Electricity crackled where his cool, soft skin touched mine and, greedily, I pressed into the connection. His lips laved mine, soothing the intense craving that roared up from my chest. Looping my arm around the back of his neck I brought him closer, feeling the tension that fizzled across his shoulders. His hand on my lower back gripped tightly to the fabric of my shirt, tenting it above my skin.
Our lips moved in synchronization, his tense but yearning, mine open and needy. I was immersed in him. And a part of me wondered at that fact: how he'd become so important to me. Essential to me.
The hand on the small of my back fisted the fabric further but tugged gently this time. When we broke, I realized I was panting and my mouth was heated despite his chilly skin. Noticing the tightness of his jaw and the taut bob of his Adam's apple, I attempted to give him some space. He held me in place, the silver bursts in his eyes crackling brightly with the heat of the moment.
"Serafina," he whispered my name again, smiling wider this time.
"Between us?"
He nodded once, relinquishing my hand to brush his fingertips along my jaw. The little gesture sent tickling tremors down my neck and into my chest. Despite the cold-protection glyph, I shivered.
"My family is trustworthy," he assured, then moved his hand to tenderly hold the back of my head, "I want to protect you from what you're afraid of. And they want to support me."
"I..." I took in another gulp of air, "I know, but Mason, it's only been two months since I've known you. One since we've been dating. Even if we set aside what happened to my family, it's important to be cautious."
"I want to accept all of you."
"There's a lot to accept. It will take time."
"It's good that we have an eternity," he chuckled, his hand cupping my face once more. He rubbed a featherlight thumb along my cheekbone, "You can take as much time as you need."
I swallowed, "Once you've heard me out, once you've made your decision, we can be truthful with your family."
He held me snugly. I wrapped my arms around him, one tangling up into his coppery hair as the other draped over his upper back to fist his jacket in my fingers.
And suddenly, the storm-clouds of doubt and grief, full of static tension and unshed emotion, finally began to break. It was slow at first. A few drops. Then a torrential downpour. It swept my mind blank.
Tears sprung into my eyes, unending as I clutched to Mason with my head buried against the crook of his neck. I trembled as I attempted to at least hold back the sobs, but he began to rhythmically rub my back and those too escaped my control. At some point he lifted me, gathering up my jello-y legs and swiftly carrying me in the blink of an eye to the edge of the blue pool.
He set me on a little jut of cold rock as he smoothly rifled through the backpack to find a little package of tissues. Once retrieved, he gathered me into a ball in his lap. It was difficult to tell just how long we'd been there, but the gray-sky was darkening to a purplish tone as the sniffling finally began to subside.
Apologetically, I took up the tissues before splashing my face with the icy water of the pool. With a great sigh, I crawled back over the cool rock to Mason's lap. He sat with his long-legs crooked in front of him and arms open. His long, steady breaths were a soothing metronome to the ear I pressed to his chest.
"Perhaps we should come back another time for a dip," he suggested, securing one arm snugly around my waist, "Would you like some photos before we go?"
I shook my head, "No, this place is ours."
I couldn't see his face, but I felt his cheeks bunch in a smile. Just as quickly as I'd felt it form, it suddenly dropped and his head snapped up sharply.
"What?" I pressed, turning up to inspect his expression.
"I thought I heard..."
His eyes were distant, quizzical as he mulled the thought over. Quickly, I brought my finger-pads behind my ear and braced:
[Augeo Sensus]
I swallowed as the sounds, smells, and tastes of nature all fell upon my senses at once. The cool water left on my lips was tangy-crisp from the ice melt as I licked them in apprehension. And then I heard it; an eerie, four-note mockery of -
"Someone else likes Bonnie Tyler?" he wondered, scooping me up as he effortlessly assumed a standing position. I patted on his chest to be let down.
"That didn't sound right," I murmured, unease settling like stones in the pit of my stomach.
"No, it didn't."
We fell quiet, hearing the echo once more from the distant mountains. It chimed off-key; sung by vocal cords not used to song? No, something beyond that. Not only did the hair across my body begin to prickle, but my eyes began to even water at the wrongness of it.
"It's closer," Mason muttered, his voice twisted in horror.
"It came from the Northwest," I whispered, narrowing my eyes at the range.
"From where we came."
"Is it your family?"
"No, we hunted last week and yesterday; I went hunting an extra time with Samuel and Leo in preparation for our date. And Kira knows better than to follow us."
"The Lawatscoh?"
"They aren't capable of human-speech while in their animal forms."
Our eyes met knowingly as the mocking, four-note melody resounded once again. It was definitely drawing closer.
"That's certainly coming from the way we came," Mason confirmed, staring out with jaw-clenched and eyes wide, "Following our scent? Or preventing our retreat?"
"Here," I breathed quickly, stepping forward and slipping a hand beneath his shirt.
I focused, calming my heart with a few deep breaths then cast the glyph. His scent evaporated. When I opened my eyes and brought the hand back to my own chest, he flared his nostrils in confusion.
"What is this?"
"Magic. I took away our scent; it should evaporate for the past five kilometers we've walked. We won't lay down any new trails until I remove the glyph. Mason, you know these mountains better than I do; can you lead us out?"
"We have to go North somehow," he muttered, "South is the end of the peninsula. We'd be cornered... but yes, I think I can."
He nodded again, his face setting with determination, "We head Northeast in a roundabout manner. It'll be far, but we'll go straight toward the National Park where there's a township and visitor's center"
The eerie voice sung again, this time directly from the echo-basin's pit. Somewhere amid the craggy spruces flanking the glacier. It was close enough now to hear the messy passage of something large and clumsy crashing through brush.
I slapped my hand to my belly, imbuing the strength and speed glyph there. Mason held out a hand and I took it, moving quickly with his momentum. He blurred in front of me as we crested the summit, his vampiric speed outstripping even my own magically enhanced ability, but his hand held-sure.
Through shadows that would've been dim without sense augmentation, he led on, his footing sure and his focus directly ahead. For a while, all we heard was the whistling wind in our ears and the sharp smack of leaves at our fast passage. Our hearts beat loudly, both in double time. Although my live one was like the pulse of a butterfly's wings in opposition to Mason's slow-steady drumbeat.
Then, something crashed down from the peak like a meteor dropped from the sky. It was almost upon us.
"Did it leap from the summit?" I gasped in alarm.
Mason skidded slightly, never losing my hand, but smoothly redirected. Deafening, the creature bellowed the four notes once again and a hazarded a glance in its direction.
It looked like nothing I'd ever seen; at least twice the size of a normal humanoid, it smashed through young firs like they were mere sticks. Its claws scratching open scores in the rocky-earth.
"Sul serio!?" I gasped, eyes growing wet in shock and horror as it spun to pursue us toward the valley, "Water, Mason! Running freshwater!"
"Understood," he breathed, jerking our path to face the valley-floor more directly.
As if excited, the creature let loose a guttural whine that resonated over the sound of stripped bushes and uprooted shrubs. Panic sliced through my belly and I fought the urge to vomit.
I should use a spell!
The thought disappeared into the torrent of mindless terror.
"Nearly there!" Mason muttered.
I gripped his hand tighter.
We hit water at full speed and it splashed up in a gigantic flume around us, obscuring the shadowy twilight-world in a veil of dimly shimmering droplets. Our feet were hardly slowed by the rushing and burbling rapids. We escaped out the other side in mere seconds. Mason caught me in his arms, holding tightly as a bout of instinct kept my legs pumping for a second.
"Freshwater should stop it, right?" he asked, not the slightest bit winded as I was.
"This might not be wide enough," I panted, "Depending on what it is, it could simply jump."
"The literature said evil things can't cross running water."
"Literature gets things jumbled!" I snapped, eyes scanning the forest. The crashing came to an abrupt halt and I hushed my voice, "Literature says you shouldn't be able to, either. I..."
I hesitated.
"...I have no idea what this is. No idea what it can or can't do."
"You think it can jump this far?"
"It jumped down after us from the mountain-peak."
"That was a slope."
"Let's hope-"
"There!" he hissed, crouching lower and I followed his lead.
The pair of us ducked low in the brush of the opposite bank, watching as the large and lumbering shape emerged from the tree line. Wind blew from its bank to ours, wafting a mutinous, sulfurous scent that made me want to gag. I did. Mason kept watch as I wretched upon the stones beneath us.
"Listen," he whispered, patting my back distractedly.
I swallowed back my disgust, managing to dull the rushing in my ears from the recent episode. Over it, I could hear the odd burbling. The creature, too disfigured to comprehend at this distance, was standing and regarding us and... speaking. And I found that I truly did recognize the language.
"Isn't that-"
I snapped a hand out to cuff Mason's shoulder. He startled, but shut up, looking at me for instruction.
"If we can hear it, it can probably hear us," I whispered.
Mason shook his head ever so slightly, catching my gaze.
"We ought to be careful."
You should cast! An instant-kill spell! Now!
My stomach turned over again at the thought and I seized over once more, but my stomach was fully-empty.
Mason's hand was upon my back again, rubbing frantically.
I gasped, "How far does the river track? Maybe we can-"
The pair of us fell silent as the creature broke into motion again, approaching the river. The steps measured and confident, it trailed over the rocky shores ever closer. Its arms were oddly lanky and grotesque in comparison to the rest of its body and though it currently walked on two-legs, there was ruddy mud and sticks tangled between its fingers. Regarding our bank, it spoke again, still in that unintelligible language.
Then, it took a sloshing step out into the rapids.
Mason cursed, grabbing my wrist as the creature struck out into deeper water as if mocking our faulty assumption. Mason's eyes met mine again and he angled his body toward the mountain face behind us. I nodded mutely and we jerked into a sprint once more.