***
Shade woke with a start, her heart drumming in her chest. Her pillow was stuffed and wadded into a ball under her head as she lay on her stomach. She looked around the dark room. The moonlight was dim now, and dark gray misted across the room. It was probably near morning. She sat up on her elbows, looking toward Ursad, fast asleep on the small couch by the wall, gently breathing.
The short rays of dawn mixed with moonlight as the minutes ticked by. Stretching, she stood up and shuffled over to the open window. The streets were quiet; only the occasional person with baskets or a pushcart filled with fruit meandered about. The morning market was prepping itself for the needs of many. Shade breathed in and felt a sense of peace filling her with each inhalation. She turned and grabbed her bag before heading to the bathroom.
When she emerged, the soft sunlight filled the windows. She showered and brushed her long hair into a ponytail. With her fresh jeans on and a hoodie pulled over a t-shirt to keep the morning chill out, she pulled on socks and sneakers before tying the laces. Shoving everything back into her bag, she glanced at Ursad, still fast asleep on the couch. His soft snores told her that he was definitely out, making her grin and shake her head. She was ready to go, and he was out like a light. It was hard to be angry with him when he looked like that, innocent and peaceful. However, she wasn’t ready to forgive what he had done.
She looked at the pile of maps on the small table next to the couch, scooping them up and placing them into her pack. Donning her cloak, she headed for the door but stopped. She turned and watched Ursad sleeping, dead to the world. Leaving her bag by the door, she approached him, staring at his rough face and soft eyelids. He seemed so calm and almost handsome, deep in sleep and dreaming.
She wondered what he saw behind his lids, in a world that was his alone. She hated to leave him like this, without a goodbye, but she had to go. His intentions weren’t honest, and she couldn’t tolerate that. Deep in her thoughts, she squeezed her eyes shut. Shade liked him but felt betrayed by his magic. It hurt that he’d done such things without her knowledge. He could’ve been so much more than just a friend. Flinging her eyelids open, she knew what she had to do. Bending down, she let her lips glide softly over his still very human-like ones. One lonely kiss for the road.
She stood back and saw that he hadn’t stirred and remained oblivious. She silently wished him a goodbye as she left the room. At the door, she swung her pack onto her back and shut the door softly behind her. As it clicked, she never looked back again, but she’d forgiven him after all.
The streets filled up quickly. She pulled the hood of her long cloak over her face, hiding her hooded sweatshirt and jeans efficiently enough. She looked around and watched the people scurry by, none of them giving her a moment’s glance.
Well, I’m alone again. She breathed in deeply and walked toward the edge of town, feeling her newfound determination filling her with purpose.
Shade felt no fear and embraced the anonymity of the crowd. It was a most welcome protection. As their magic swirled around her, she drew it in for comfort. She continued to weave around the people and made it to the edge of town. Walking along the road, she followed it until the town fell out of sight. Now she truly was alone. The gravel crunched under her feet, and the leaves of the trees rustled franticly in the breeze. Pulling out the maps she’d taken from Ursad, a feeling of regret washed over her as she thought about the way she left. After what he’d done to her… no, leaving was the only way she could forgive him. If this whole experience taught her one thing, it was that forgiving wasn’t the same as forgetting.
It was time to get a move on. Obviously, this wasn’t the kind of place where you made lifelong friends. I’ve got something more important to do, anyway. She smoothed out one of the maps on a flat boulder that was close to her height. She traced her finger along the road that she followed out of the town. According to the map, she was heading north toward the mountains. She could see the great mountain peaks just beyond the forest. They seemed to be taunting her, appearing closer than they really were.
Sighing heavily, she folded the maps up neatly and placed them into her backpack. Pulling out an apple and a roll of bread at the same time, she munched on her small breakfast as she walked briskly along the road.
The day wore on, and she frequently stopped, checking the maps and refueling on the many snacks and drinks she carried with her. She made sure to put any garbage back into her bag in a trash bag or bury it. Frequent stopping to listen out to see if anyone was following her ate up the time quickly. She would go many miles on the desolate road before she came across someone, then she’d crouch behind trees or fallen logs in the tall grasses of the forest floor until they passed. She wondered if any of them were Ursad. Shade highly doubted it since they all were on carriages or small carts that wheeled on by.
She thought about him constantly and his unfortunate curse, wondering what his real face looked like. She didn’t like the fact that she’d left him alone again, especially when they agreed to travel together. She shook her head. It was unavoidable. He screwed up. She wasn’t going to have people around her who she couldn’t trust entirely. Not now, when she was in so much danger.
Glancing at the lonely road, she pulled her pack tighter to her back. It was lonelier still without him. Where was everyone? Her thoughts wandered to Sary, Braelynn, Ewan, Stephan, Than, Soap, Jack, and Dylan. Somehow, probably because of the blood bind, she knew Dylan was not returning to Teleen without her. He was out here somewhere, with or without her friends. She hoped she’d run into him soon. The forest seemed so vast and lonely without them joking beside her and chatting vibrantly, making her miss them terribly.
A sound made her pause as she listened to the woods. She heard the animals scurrying around and the birds singing high up, hidden in the canopy. Swearing she heard something, she turned, straining her ears for any little noise. The blue sky above was swallowed by the trees as the branches swayed in the soft breeze. The strong scent of pine and damp mulch swam in the air, circling around and penetrating her nostrils. Nothing showed itself, so she trekked on.
It happened slowly, but she realized she’d been changing and actually was enjoying the woods. So much happened to her, she barely noticed this subtle difference in her personality. Somehow, though, it was clear she was now different. Her life was altered and would never be the same.
She rubbed her arms in the coolness of the late morning breezes. The altitude grew with each step as she walked toward the mountain range in the distance. I’ll have to use Dylan’s blanket soon. Already it felt colder as she edged closer to the Santiran Mountains.
As the day wore on, Shade decided not to walk on the gravel road anymore as it was becoming congested with travelers. More traffic could be heard as carts and bands of people shuffled by, heading away from the mountains mostly, in the opposite direction of her. She wondered why there weren’t as many people headed toward the mountains. The tension of possibly being seen and not knowing if the others were harmless or trouble was fraying her nerves. She’d hide behind trees until the road emptied and the people passed.
At one point, the road filled with soldiers, and she’d hidden behind a large fallen tree for about half an hour before she could get moving again. The soldiers wore armor similar to Blythe’s army, and the sight of them made her heart jump and her breath tighten inside her chest.
The flashback of the fight in the river lands made her want to vomit. She had to breathe in slowly and close her eyes, praying she wasn’t going to be found by this strange militia. Who knew where their loyalties laid? She was relieved when they’d moved on without a moment’s glance in her direction. Shade was paranoid after that and dashed between the trees, often pausing to listen for any movement or snap of twigs. Every noise made her jump. It was hard to stay focused. She was starting to feel exhausted as the day wore on. She was about ready to hike farther from the road to camp for the night when she heard something that made her skin crawl
.
“That little bitch killed Blythe! When I get my hands on her scrawny little neck, I’m gonna snap it like the twig she is!” a husky male voice echoed through the trees.
“Yeah, and give her a stab for my friend Mike. He died as well. Those warriors were no joke. Where did she find them? That red-haired one got me on the shoulder, and the darn stitches hurt! That’s okay, though. I knocked her out before she got too much of me. Wish I could’ve finished her off. Whoever called retreat was a chicken shit,” another harsh voice replied.
Shade’s eyes widened at the description matching Sary’s looks. She gripped her backpack straps until her knuckles were white and her fingers ached in protest, fighting the urge to scream. She wanted to pull out her sword and charge the two soldiers. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing again, shifting on her legs, which were going numb from crouching too long. Shade cringed as she heard the snap of a twig under her sneaker. She held her breath and waited.
“Hey, did you hear that? What was that?”
“It’s probably a squirrel stupid!” the second the soldier snapped.
“Shut up, moron. Someone’s there,” the first soldier responded, clearly sounding irritated.
The scratch of metal sliding out of a sheath made Shade swallow hard, her throat tight with nerves.
Oh no!
Now they were whispering, so she couldn’t hear them any longer. Their careless footsteps crunched on bits of wood and dead mulch under their boots. As their steps grew closer, her panic intensified. She heard them come to a stop, but they didn’t speak. They seemed to be waiting for her to betray herself. The delay made her impatient, and she decided to risk peeking over the log to get their position.
She spotted them not too far from her. They were scanning an area to the right, but soon enough, they would be near enough to see her. She glanced behind her, into the endless forest for an escape route.
“There she is! Get her!” They grunted as they turned toward her and began sprinting, dodging other logs and debris. Shade’s eyes widened, and she bolted, running as fast as she could through tangled branches, twigs, and wet leaves.
“Stop! You’re in a lot of trouble! Stop and we won’t kill you,” one of the men called. He did not sound very convincing.
Yeah, that’s gonna make me come to a halt.
She jumped over boulders and logs, occasionally slipping and sliding as the terrain became uneven and full of dips and hills. Falling to her hands and scraping them on twigs and rocks, she felt no pain but was sure it was going to leave marks. She came to a rock bed where the boulders were enormous and bobbed out all across the land. She hopped on the flattened tops, nearly losing her step as her feet slid over the smooth surfaces. Her arms waved in the air, catching her balance just in time before she fell into one of the crevices.
“Get back here, you little… Damn! Reike, my foot’s caught! Get her!” One soldier was struggling to pull his foot from a crack between two boulders. He waved at his partner to follow her.
Shade glanced back but was near the end of the boulders when she missed her step and slammed against one side of a large stone. She tried to grip the rugged rock but only scraped her hands as she slipped down into the large hole between the rocks. She slid and slipped, down under the boulders, until the hole morphed into a tunnel, sending her spiraling down into darkness.
Chapter Nineteen