'Huh?! If this body was the son of an Accepted, why am I treated with such disdain?!'
Actually, Corvin realized that knowing these people, some kind of half-witted superstition probably surrounded him.
'But come on...'
...They couldn't at least carry him in some kind of litter?
"Is something the matter?"
Brought back to reality, Corvin coughed.
"No, I was just thinking about my mother... could you tell me about her?"
The faster pace they were taking to the front was silently taking its toll.
Edren considered this for a moment, then answered.
"Ah, yes. Your mother was one of a kind. Never had the Mother chosen a woman with child."
As Corvin tried to figure out how the Mother chose in the first place, Edren continued.
"I believed it was only fitting that your mother was special. The Mother, whose children guide us now, chose a mother who was about to give birth."
A hint of contempt found its way into his voice.
"Ah, but the others were suspicious. They were of the opinion that such a predicament was a threat to our faith."
Corvin listened with apprehension — the treatment from the others was starting to make sense.
"Suspicious about me?"
Edren glanced over keenly as the corner of his mouth turned more genuine.
"Smart boy. The keepers were torn between returning you to the city or keeping you as a representation of our belief. That was when the elders stepped in and made the decision themselves."
'...Is that what she meant by guilt?'
This whole Nightmare was getting on his nerves. Corvin almost wished he had some kind of simple combat trial instead — at least it would be over with quickly, one way or the other.
While Corvin was contemplating the implications of this loaded conversation, a chuckle filled his left ear. The bastard must have remembered something funny...
"But alas, actually receiving you was the hard part. She gave birth in the corridor no less!"
'What the hell?!'
Are these people insane—?!
A sight brought him out of the absurdity of what he had just heard... well, a different kind. Lyra really was like a splash of vivid color against the backdrop of this dull landscape.
She must have wiggled herself some room, because the elders weren't constraining her like a possession anymore. Her emerald eyes found his, and her brow slowly knit together, but after finding Edren she connected the dots. Now just surprised.
Still, she was in no position to seek anyone out. At least not yet.
Almost to the front, Corvin strained his body to keep his facade of indifference to the road. Honestly, he could not have been thrust into a worse body for a long journey.
'Wait, but his body is very similar to my own...'
He secretly cursed poverty and addressed Edren respectfully.
"Thank you, Edren. I learned a lot about my mother."
A keeper waiting ahead fell behind to return the staff of open arms.
"No need — you and her are the reason I pursued my position after all."
'What a terrible reason to assume a terrible role.'
Corvin nodded and split off from the ritual guide. Their conversation had led him to the front of the procession without issue, but what came next was the hard part.
Really, the key was in Lyra's hands.
There was no reason to rush. Corvin spent some time walking as he took in his surroundings. No one was telling him to return — just eyeing him instead. Yeah, up here he really wasn't that invisible.
The upper section of the procession consisted of the keepers, a couple of pilgrims that probably had good standing, the elders, and of course the Accepted. A couple of guards at the periphery too.
In the distance — no longer the horizon — vague monstrous shapes stalked along. Newer ones had stopped collecting sometime yesterday, and seventeen were watching in anticipation. Jagged bodies with uneven spikes, rocky ones that blended into the fractured earth, some even covered in unnatural pelts.
Actually, upon a closer look, they had no real connection to one another. Every one of them looked different, the only similarities in their behavior.
All of a sudden, one of them veered off from the group. That was when Corvin checked behind him.
He clicked his tongue. Another pilgrim had fallen behind.
'Seriously, when are we going to rest again?'
A bleached tree passed along the road's edge. They were getting near the next section he had seen when he first entered the Nightmare.
Corvin let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eye.
'I guess I'll start.'
***
She had been prepared for this for months... father had really drilled it into her. Well, he was right. There sure was a lot of walking, and for the Accepted to make it there she was certainly going to need to learn how to walk.
'Walk, walk, walk.'
Really, they couldn't let her have a bit more freedom? They were all just walking anyway — it might even be a little fun. If all they were going to do was walk, they could at least vary how they did so.
But that was them. If they wouldn't let her, then it was all the more worthwhile.
'But what is he doing up here?'
The mysterious boy had taken her advice and talked to Edren, but she hadn't expected him to stick around. She would try to go talk to him again, but after the rest stop the keepers had been adamant about her position.
There's no opening...
'Wow, they all look a little funny.'
One of the biggest ways Lyra kept herself from getting bored was watching the ominous shapes in the distance. They all looked different — almost silly if they weren't so grotesque.
'Oh, one of them moved again.'
She knew exactly what that meant, but she didn't particularly care. Not that she wanted people to die, but everyone here already knew what it cost to walk this road. Everyone was obligated to deliver a sacrifice, so it was only fair if they were prepared to lose their own life... right?
Suddenly, the nameless boy drifted off course from where he was. Towards her, actually.
That was when Lyra realized what was going on.
'It's so simple... why didn't I think of it?'
Immediately, she too subtly drifted. The elders surrounding her weren't quite a wall anymore, but rather four hands that stopped her. She could break away from one, but the other always caught her. So... she just needed to remove one.
And like before, if she managed to escape they would feel too reluctant to truly go and fetch her. She was the Accepted after all, with an authority in her own right.
Simultaneously, the two of them moved. The boy cut towards one of the elders — an older woman with a wooden cane and long robes. They must have had some kind of history, because she was not happy at all to see him. But he was walking towards her with obvious exhaustion.
"Excuse me ma'am, but when are we stopping? I'm not sure I can keep going..."
His still, dark eyes found Lyra's. This was her chance.
Unexpectedly, like a child who had noticed something interesting, she ventured off the other way with a hop in her step and a smile across her face. The elder next to her was too late, and Edith was too preoccupied with an annoying boy to do anything about Lyra.
The gap was there, and she took it. Out of the invisible cage, she glanced back. The elders all looked lost, the one that was next to her palming his face. With the realization of what had just happened, Edith's face grew even more frustrated.
"By the Mother, boy. Begone! The road chooses when we rest!"
The boy masterfully looked defeated.
"Yes... I will continue on my own."