Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 107: Mount Edar ()

"This is it." Davina said and for the first time since she had made the firm decision to lie low and bid her time, Neveah’s characteristic blank expression converted to one of shock.

Not many things shocked Neveah, she had seen enough darkness in her life to be ready for anything but she most certainly was not expecting this.

"This is... what?" Neveah asked, she was not sure she understood what she was staring at and it had nothing to do with the stray hair blown all over her face by the wind, blocking her vision.

Davina had taken her to the breakfast hall after they were dismissed by Lord Everon, thankfully it was empty save for a few attendants who had only arrived to get their meal at a late hour.

It was rather annoying sitting through a meal with all the stares of everyone in the hall fixed on you but somehow Neveah had pulled through it.

After breakfast, it was now time to be shown to Lord Xenon’s abode and while Neveah had heard the mention of a cave repeatedly, she had not expected Lord Xenon’s cave was actually a hollow opening at the side of a steep mountain.

They had only taken about a half hour’s walk beyond the keep to arrive at this mountain and while Davina had repeatedly reminded Neveah not to pay heed to the stares and whispering,

Neveah wondered why Davina did not think to tell her that stares and whisperings were infact the least of her problems when faced with the kind of task she had been entrusted.

At this point, Davina had led Neveah to a towering mountain, with it’s peak piercing into the clouds, it loomed high above them in an imposing manner and separating it from the keep itself was a wide chasm.

Neveah did not even attempt to glance downwards to be certain of the exact depth of the chasm as it was covered entirely in shadows and one could not see too far below no matter how keen one’s eyesight was.

Instead, Neveah stared up at towering mountain and precisely at the cave opening high up at the second mountain range,

The cave was a miniature view from where they currently stood and as Davina pointed up at it, Neveah was tempted to shove her into the chasm and be done with it.

"Mount Edar...Lord Xenon’s home. The cave high up there is the only opening into the mountain and it is a steep climb up to that height,"

"It is why Lord Xenon’s attendants are always expected to be physically fit for such activities. It is also why so many of his attendants end up dead or worse... that is for those he did not kill himself." Davina continued.

The words came out of her lips so naturally as though it was no big deal that Lord Xenon went about killing innocent girls who were unlucky enough to be assigned to him.

And she slowly began to understand that being assigned to Lord Xenon was not a privilege like Lord Rodrick had made it out to be, they were sending her to her death.

"You want me, to climb up there... daily...or perhaps multiple times in a day..." Neveah did not say it as a question, she just stated it out loud as though it needed to be said aloud to fully sink in.

As an attendant, she would need to go to and fro from the keep to Lord Xenon’s abode to deliver meals and carry out any of Lord Xenon’s orders.

"A carriage will bring you out here from the keep whenever you need to tend to your duties, we have only walked this distance so you may familiarize yourself with the path." Davina began.

Neveah passed Davina a cold glare for trying to make it seem like it was not a big deal.

"I’m afraid so, Neveah. I know it is not a favorable climb but it is the only way to get to Lord Xenon’s cave." Davina said with a sigh.

"The bridge will aid you in getting across the chasm, thankfully, you do not have to climb up from the base since we are already on higher ground. It is not too far a climb." Davina added.

"He has wings and I get to climb...just perfect." Neveah murmured to herself as she gazed at the mountain across and then the rickety looking wooden bridge that was meant to ensure her safe passage to the other side.

"How often exactly does anyone engage in this... unsettling activity?" Neveah asked just to be sure.

"It has been over a decade since Lord Xenon last had an attendant." Davina replied.

Neveah pursed her lips, her expression returning to it’s usual blank state as she knew this was not a matter she could have an opinion in.

She was now at the mercy of the dragons and so if they said to walk through fire, Neveah would have to do just that.

Not to mention a bridge hanging above a possibly endless abyss and a steep mountain with no defined path and only the possibility of climbing.

Just as Neveah considered her options for a moment, an unfamiliar voice interrupted her.

"How long do you think this one will survive this time? A day? Maybe two?" A voice asked, obviously referring to Neveah.

Neveah raised a brow but did not bother turning around, her nose twitched slightly as she picked up that suffocating flowery scent,

She knew there was a fairy in close proximity and there were other scents she could not quite identify, she only recognized the scent of fairies since she had met them before.

"Lady Adrienne." Davina greeted from beside Neveah, lowering her head to a bow.

Neveah did not bother turning around, her gaze was fixed on the mountain she was about to climb and her mind pondered over how to surmount this obstacle.

Neveah was not weak, climbing up a mountain was nothing to her, it was only that this mountain was so far up from the ground and one could already know the ultimate fate if she slipped even a little.

"How long? Is that even a question? How long did all the others last? Come on Adrienne!" Another female voice exclaimed, giggling as though she had never heard anything more amusing.

"I would bet a day...or maybe the pup will fall right off the mountain and that’ll be the end of it." A third voice said with a scoff.

"Goldie...word spreading around the keep tell you are as pretty as a fairy, why not let Adrienne take a look? See if you truly look to be one of her kind?" The second female voice spoke up again.

All the while, Neveah barely took note of them, she contemplated over the best way to get across the bridge and scale the side of the mountain, her gaze was narrowed.

Neveah could hardly see an hand or footholds and she could not help but wonder just how anyone got up that mountain in the name of being an attendant.

"Was it truly possible to get past this?" Neveah asked Davina doubtfully but her answer came from someone else instead.

"Mount Edar... the abode granted to Lord Xenon or Onyx Scales by His Lordship, Our Liege... a long time ago when he first joined the King’s guard."

"There used to be an ascending room built into the side of the mountain back when Lord Xenon was mindful and Mount Edar was at the peak of it’s glory."

"But it has long ceased to be in use. It has been ten years since Lord Xenon set it up in flames and no one dares construct it again for fear of incurring his wrath." The voice of the fairy sounded, light and cheery like a melodious tone.

Neveah did not respond, she had not asked for any input from some stranger and she most certainly had no intentions to acknowledge anyone’s presence or bow in greeting.

Not when she did not know if she would still be alive within the next hour or meet her end with a broken neck... that was if this chasm even had an end to it 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Just look at that...an attendant, ignoring the Lady Adrienne?" The voice of the second female sounded again.

Neveah passed a glance to Davina and Davina shook her head, signalling for Neveah to maintain composure.

"Greetings, Lady Adrienne and... others." Neveah finally acknowledged, turning around to find three females she clearly remembered seeing in

Lord Everon’s study hall.

Amongst the three, Neveah immediately recognized the Lady Adrienne, a thin and innocent looking beauty with large doe eyes and caramel brown hair that cascaded down her back.

There indeed was a pair of spectral wings fluttering ever so slightly behind her and Neveah was not certain why a mental image of ripping off the wing of that fairy came to mind.

"Others?! The nerve of this one!" The second female, standing on the right of Lady Adrienne exclaimed furiously.

"It’s only morning... and we already met trouble." Neveah’s wolf thought to her.

"Well...it is what it is." Neveah thought back.