Aeron had seized Bren early in the day; they walked ahead, talking and laughing like old buddies. It seemed he was unhappy with her performance the night before.
The brush of the forest rubbed up against Claire’s boots. Her fingers worked through her hair as she untangled the braid she had the day before to let her hair hang loose around her shoulders. She believed her performance had been rather good. The General still seemed to believe her. Wasn’t that what mattered?
The forest looked the same as always: an endless sea of green and brown. Ash and oak and pine all mingled together, all looking the same after a while. Farron walked a few paces to the right of the group. He relinquished his place in the front to the new friendly duo and had a faraway look on his face, no doubt remembering his lost love.
Claire smiled as she thought of her made up story. It could have been true. It’s not like he had denied it to be. She glanced at the elf. Why did he keep his past so locked up?
Her eyes narrowed as she looked over at Farron. She wondered how easy it would be to sneak up on a dazed elf. He made it look so easy. It was time for vengeance, and also a way for her to relieve her boredom.
She slowed her pace and waited for him to get ahead some more. He didn’t seem to notice. She moved briskly to avoid the brush, stepping where the leaves were sparse. Her hand held onto her dagger so it wouldn’t slap against her legs as she moved. She managed to sneak around behind the elf where he walked several paces in front of her. It was a straight shot. Moving quick and light, she held her hands out in front of her as she approached for her final attack, grinning as she anticipated the scare. She couldn’t believe she’d been able to get so close without him noticing.
Claire held her breath as she lunged forward, but Farron dodged to the left before he quickly wound an arm around her neck, trapping her in a chokehold.
“It’s really not nice to sneak up on someone,” he whispered in her ear from behind.
Stunned, Claire reached up and tried to pry his arm away. “Just returning the favor,” she muttered. His grip was strong but loose enough not to hurt.
Farron laughed and released her suddenly. She stumbled forward but he kept his grip on her arm to catch her before she could fall.
“How did you know it was me?” She steadied herself and brushed his hand away.
That cocky look spread across his face. “It wasn’t that hard to guess, my lady. You move with less grace than a man who’s been drinking all night.”
Claire’s teeth clenched, her fists balled tight. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. That was uncalled for. She’d tried so hard too. He could’ve at least acknowledged her effort.
“Is this what you meant when you said you’d show me how un-child like you would become?”
She could see the steam rise in front of her eyes. “Why can’t you just act scared for once?”
Farron chuckled. “It’s hard to be scared of someone that looks like you.”
Claire charged at the elf with fists in the air, ready to strike, but he caught her by the wrists to fend off the attack. “I will strike fear in you! Just you wait!” She struggled as she tried to free herself from his grip.
Farron just laughed.
“Is everything alright, Miss Claire?”
Immediately, her struggles stopped and the irritation drained instantly. Her entire body grew hot in embarrassment. Slowly, she turned her head. Bren and Aeron stood a few feet away. Aeron had his arms crossed with a look of obvious disappointment written on his face. Bren looked genuinely worried, his eyes wide in surprise.
Farron released her wrists. “Just defending myself is all.”
Claire tried her best to recover. “We just had a little disagreement.”
“About what?” Aeron asked.
Farron shrugged and began to walk ahead. “Ask my lady. She’s the one who started it.”
She glared after the elf, knowing that he wore that cocky grin. Her cheeks flushed all over again as she looked at Bren. He waited patiently for an answer.
“Just a trivial matter,” she said and gave him a reassuring smile.
Aeron’s laugh was a little too high. “They do this all the time!” He spun on his heel and grabbed Bren by the shoulder before leading him on through the trees.
Claire waited for them to walk a few paces ahead to let out the breath she’d been holding. How humiliating. Maybe she wasn’t so good at this acting thing. She trailed a little ways behind the group. Her thoughts drifted to ways she could get the silver-haired elf back, scheming and planning. Most of the ideas were too ridiculous or too difficult to pull off, however. He seemed to always be on guard.
She sighed and glanced out into the forest. A dark triangular object caught her eye deep in the trees. She stopped in her tracks. What is that? Curious, she started to wander out into the forest. The sounds of Aeron and the General drifted further in the opposite direction. She paused and looked after them. Should she call out to them? No, it would probably only aggravate Aeron even more. He hadn’t wanted to stray from the mission in the first place; and now that the General was with them, he may not want to even more. So, she proceeded on her own.
A breeze swept through the trees, rustling branches, and sent leaves falling around her like raindrops. Her only companions were the heavy breath and pulse in her ears. A dreadful feeling crept through her from the pit of her stomach, but curiosity drove her feet forward. She had to know what it was.
When the object finally came into sight, Claire froze. It was the top of a roof. A tiny square house stood below her at the bottom of a small outcropping.
A little village stretched out below her with roofs thatched of branches and straw and walls made of mud brick. Normally she would have been ecstatic to find a new town. But something was not right. The village was eerily quiet. There was an overturned cart, its contents spilling out across the street.
Sweat instantly broke out across her skin. She glanced frantically around the village for any signs of life. A buildings charred remains sat on a corner; another’s windows gaped open, the shutters broken in. Contents of houses littered the streets. She knew what had happened here.
Quickly, she looked around for a way down the ledge. A tree extended out past the edge, its roots exposed. She gripped the roots, climbed down, and snuck around the back of the small house, hugging along the back wall.
What had made her want to investigate the village? What did she think she would find here? All of her senses told her to run the other way, but her body wouldn’t listen. She had to know if there was anyone still left, if there was a clue as to where they had gone. She wanted answers.
She peered around the front of the small building. Its shutters hung off the hinges and the door was busted in. The street appeared empty. The stiffness in her shoulders eased slightly. It didn’t seem like anybody or anything was left. It was lifeless. A ghost of a town.
She crossed the street and ducked between two buildings into a narrow alley. Her feet took slow steady steps toward the end, trying her best not to make a sound. Every fiber of her being shouted at her not to go, not to look around the corner. She should have listened, should have turned around and walked the other way.
The sight that greeted her sent shivers down her spine and made her stomach wrench. Charred corpses lay in a pile in the middle of the street, their faces barely identifiable. She covered her mouth to keep from breathing in the putrid smell. Memories of that night flooded her mind, turning her knees into jelly. She collapsed back against the building as the air escaped her lungs. The sight of those beasts stacking bodies in her town square came rushing back, overwhelming her. Did they do this to these people? Why was this happening?
Hands gripped her shoulders and began to shake her.
“Look at me!”
The voice seemed so far away, drifting in through her memories at the back of her mind. Her mother’s face flashed in her mind, framed by smoke and flame. It was the last sight of her mother before she
disappeared back into the town. The voice drifted in again, this time more forceful and clear. The pair of hands moved up to both sides of her face, forcing her chin up, her head tight in their grip.
“Claire, look at me!”
Her eyes flew open, breaking free of the fiery vision that racked her mind. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gazed into the pair of light blue eyes that hovered inches from hers. Farron kneeled above her, his hands gripping her face.
“This is not your town. These are not your people.” His voice was firm but remained calm, bringing her back to the present.
Claire gripped his wrists and closed her eyes. Her breath was shaky and uneven. She knew this wasn’t her town or her people, but that fact didn’t stop the memories from invading her mind. She’d lost it. The sight had shaken her to her core, broke down the defense that surrounded her sanity. She took another deep breath; her heart still pounded in her chest.
“I’m alright now,” she replied weakly and opened her eyes again. “Thank you.” She pulled his hands away from her face, suddenly aware of his closeness.
Aeron rushed down the alley, with Bren following close behind.
“What happened here?” Aeron looked down at her with a worried look on his face.
She looked away from them, ashamed she had let them see her in such a state and tried to rise to her feet, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate with her yet. Farron gripped her shoulder to help, but she brushed his hand away.
“I can do it,” she snapped. He looked somewhat hurt, his eyes filled with worry. That was something new and almost shocking in itself. But she didn’t want his pity or his help at the moment. If she accepted any of it, she would lose it again. She pushed with her legs and used her hands to crawl her way up the wall until she was standing.
Aeron peered around the corner and then back to her, his eyes wide with shock. “Get her out of here.”
“This way, Miss Claire.” Bren offered her his hand.
She took a deep breath. There was no avoiding it. She took his hand and let him pull her back down the alley and away from the gruesome scene. She leaned heavily on his arm as she walked; her legs were still a little unsteady.
“I’m sorry you have to see me like this.” She tried to smile and her voice came out shaken.
“I understand, Miss Claire.” He patted her hand on his arm. “Not everyone can handle these types of situations.”
He didn’t know the half of it. A thought suddenly occurred to her and the muscles in her shoulders tensed up again. “Say, General,” she began carefully. “Why hasn’t Lendon done anything about these attacks?” She stopped and gripped onto his shirt, her eyes pleading. “Surely you can do something about it? You’re a General, for goodness sake!”
Bren’s eyes grew wide and he gripped her wrist to pry her hand from his shirt. “My lady, calm down.” His face and voice grew solemn again. “I don’t have any more control over this situation than you do. These remote towns are not under our rule or our protection.”
“So too bad, is what you’re saying?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not my decision. I only follow orders. My unit lacks the power and the resources to go around trying to protect every small village in the region. However unfortunate the situation is, it’s the harsh reality. Besides, by the time we would have heard about the attack, it would have been too late anyway.”
He was right, she shouldn’t hold him responsible. Or anyone from Lendon, for that matter. “I’m sorry.” She let go of his arm and looked down at the ground. “I shouldn’t have blamed you.”
Bren put a hand to her chin and gently lifted her face up. He gazed down at her and gave her a reassuring smile. The look was full of pity. “I will try everything in my power, however, to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
She closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling. “Thank you.”
“Let’s keep moving.” Farron strode up. His face was an unreadable mask. He walked past them without another word, his eyes scanning the town for any threats.
“Let’s get going, Miss Claire.” Bren waited for her.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
He put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze before turning to follow the elf.
Aeron appeared at her side, as silent as the other elf. How did they do that?
“Don’t worry, I didn’t give anything away,” she mumbled and looked up at him.
Aeron snaked an arm around her shoulder and started to lead her through the town after the other two. “I know.”
She was getting tired of the pity party. “I’m fine, I promise. I just had a momentary lapse in confidence.” She straightened her back. “There’s nothing I can do for this town now.” She looked up to fight the tears growing in her eyes. “Say something funny.”
“Like what, my lady?”
“Anything.”
“The General suspects you are having an affair with Farron.”
Claire choked. It was the last thing she expected. “What?”
“Is that not funny?” He looked down at her with an eyebrow raised.
She looked up at the elf in question, cold as ever as he led the way. The laughter bubbled up inside of her and swelled out into a rich laugh. It was rather amusing. He seemed so distant most of the time, closed off, or arrogant. She couldn’t imagine wanting to have an affair with him. It was a shame, though, because he really wasn’t quite bad to look at.
“In all seriousness, it would look rather suspicious to an outsider,” he said. “It might be best to keep your distance from him for the time being. You are a married woman— albeit an unhappily married woman— but married nonetheless.”
“That won’t be hard to do.” She shrugged. “Thank you. For lightening the mood, that is.” She wanted to forget about what she had seen.
They walked in silence for a while down a dirt path once used as a road, leaving the village behind them. She wished that she had never stumbled upon it. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. She could feel the tears gather in her eyes once again as images of her mother crept into her consciousness. She needed another distraction, and quick.
She looked up at Aeron, who’d been strangely quiet next to her. “So,” she began, searching for a subject. He waited. She knew he still pitied her. There was no way he’d have remained this quiet otherwise. Her cheeks flushed as the question spilled out of her mouth: “You and the General talk about me?”
“His questions are incessant,” he revealed. “It is the other reason I try to keep him away from you.”
Claire’s eyes widened as she glanced up at the General, who walked several paces in front of them. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since they left the small village.
Maybe he was shaken by it as well.
Aeron covered his face with his hands. “I cannot have another man steal mon lainí away.”
Claire couldn’t help but smile.
“Do you like him?” Aeron’s question caught her off guard.
“Um, well,” she stammered and took a deep breath. “He’s like a prince.” She gazed up at Bren. “Sure, I like him, but I’ve only just met him.”
“And what about the other one?”
Claire laughed and took Aeron’s arm. “I’d be more willing to have an affair with you than the Ice Prince.”
Aeron looked at her, slightly amused. “I may hold you to your word on that, my lady.”
Claire laughed again. She was sure he would. Calm settled over her. Laughter may not always be the best medicine, but it sure helped.
“Why do you think that village was attacked?” she asked.
“I do not know, my lady.”
She glanced around into the forest. There had been no signs of any army like the man in Lendon had told them about. Maybe he really was crazy. It was hard to believe a man they had followed down a back alley and then ran away at the slightest disturbance. Perhaps he was delusional, or wanted to take advantage of a girl in a time of weakness. It wouldn’t
be hard to guess what they were looking for, seeing as how she’d asked people all through the city about the attacks.
Claire sighed. She was still no closer to solving the mystery. She hadn’t found any clues in that village. Only a skeleton of a town and the charred remains of some of its inhabitants. And a new memory to add to her mountain of horrific events. She’d seen enough to last her a lifetime.
“Do you need to rest, my lady?” Aeron changed the subject. He didn’t have any more answers than she did.
“No, I’ll be fine. I just want to get as far away from here as I can.”
“Understood, my lady.”
Aeron patted her hand and they walked in silence down the lonely dirt road. No villagers would travel down this path again, and she hoped they never would so they wouldn’t have to witness the gruesome remnants of the tiny town.
She thought of silly things to keep her mind busy. Wondered how many trees really did make up the forest. Perhaps she should start counting again, making it her life goal to tally every last tree in the forest and mark them with a knife as she went. It would certainly give her something to do after their journey was over. Although, it could drive her mad. The children would cry about the crazy old lady of the forest, legends would be created about her, folk songs sung, tales written.
Yeah, that seemed like a good plan to her.