The trees were silent and still as birds hopped around on their branches, singing their sweet notes of music. Mists and fog hovered thickly over the area, their clouds leaving dew on the lush grass.
Under the cover of the pines and maples the fallen leaves and needles formed a damp blanket.
The crunch of a footstep alerted Bastian to an intruder. With eyes still closed his hands found the hilt of his sword. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a shadow through the tent.
The figure moved, the clanking of armour distinct from the birds' chirping. Bastian was about to sit up when an arrow flew through tent's entrance and lodged right in Hydrangea's chest.
Bastian sat up, looking around frantically. He immediately looked to Hydrangea and breathed a sigh of immense relief. She was still breathing.
But his features then hardened. He began to pack up the tent.
"What…?" Hydrangea rolled over and asked, her eyes still have closed.
"We need to leave." He said as he exited the tent, his sword in hand. He scanned the area, the birds had not yet started singing.
He blinked for a second, 'Had that been a vision of some sort from Samadur?' He questioned.
He shook his head, 'No time for that right now.'
He walked over the decomposing leaves and damp soil to Ariston's tent. He removed the flap and gave him a nudge, "Wake up."
The young man shifted and groaned, "Why? The sun's barely risen." He replied.
Bastian raised his brows in annoyance, "Get. Up." He said with bite.
When he turned back to the camp he saw Hydrangea was already disassembling the tent, he began to help.
They had soon taken down both tents and were stashing them on their horses.
Bastian stilled when his ears caught a bird's tune, another followed and soon the forest began singing. He climbed onto his horse, "We need to leave, now."
He felt a sudden surge of a feeling as though he'd been in this place before. A place of needing to leave.
Ariston and Hydrangea were soon on their respective horses and Bastian led them out to the main road. He was hesitant though, he peered out and made sure that no enemies were lurking beyond the trees.
"What are you doing?" Hydrangea asked as she led her horse onto the road. He held his breath and trotted after her, with frantic eyes he searched the area for soldiers. The mist was still heavy surrounding their feet but he could make out the faint horizon.
Ariston soon followed them out onto the road, "We'll keep moving down this road." He pointed to Bastian's left, and all three turned their heads.
He broke into a run and looked back to see that the others were right behind him. He still couldn't shake the image from his mind, the image of Hydrangea dying. He nearly pulled on the reins when he recalled a dream, it was distant but he still remembered her blood everywhere, her lifeless face.
He pushed the thoughts from his mind and pushed on. They arrived at a river, an old bridge stood there, it's stone arches still strong despite the years of wear.
They walked along it slowly, Bastian walked behind them, his eyes still wary. Hydrangea fell back and began to walk in step with him.
"Why did we leave like that?" She asked, her posture straight as she held the reins relaxedly.
He glanced at her, and the vague memory came to him. Hydrangea had smacked his arm to wake him and then told him that they had to leave. He also remembered how she'd gently roused Brigitte from sleep. He shook his head of the past and cleared his throat.
He leaned towards her and she leaned away, "Did you not do the same thing back in Waxingville?" He asked her and her face hardened.
"I….." She started and he waited for her answer. Instead she replied while her eyes were trained on her horse's mane, "Were there soldiers coming?"
He leaned away and nodded his head, "There were." He answered in a tone of awe. She had dreams too, but were they from Samadur or Ratri-kar, surely the latter for he was her chosen Primal.
His mind spun from all of the riddles that seemed to now make sense, and how many possibilities that were now open to him, them. If he told her that Samadur wants him to ask her forgiveness then she will understand.
The next instant he heard the sound of a stampede, all three of the crew turned their heads and saw a large group of soldiers.
"Run!" Bastian ordered and they all broke their horses into a gallop.
The soldiers were already on their heels when they safely made it off the bridge. An arrow whizzed past Bastian's ear and he ducked down on his horse.
"Where do we go from here?" He questioned Ariston, fighting the harsh wind and cold of the morning as he did.
"We'll take a road that will lead to a small village, we should be-" He was cut off by a scream. They both looked back and saw Hydrangea on the ground, her white stallion a few feet away.
Looking beyond the scene he could see that the soldiers were almost near them, crossbows and longbows at the ready.
He raced towards Hydrangea and held his hand out for her to take, "Hydrangea!" He yelled. Looking down he could see a cut on her forehead and a dazed look in her eyes. He grunted and jumped off his horse.
"Bastian!" Ariston called in impatience.
He didn't care, how could he leave her behind to die?
He lifted her into his arms and set her in the saddle, quickly jumping on after her. Then he urgently brought the horse to a gallop and he sped away, following closely after Ariston.
The soldiers followed them relentlessly, their spears and arrows every so often firing or being thrown.
Hydrangea had since regained her clarity and was very upset that her horse had been left behind.
"But we left him, he'd been shot, he'll die." She'd said, her arms were wrapped around him as her face and torso were pressed to his back.
Bastian rolled his eyes from his seat in front of her where she couldn't see his face, "It's just a horse, it's not very likely they'll kill him." He said to try and stay her worrying mind.
He heard a whine but nothing further and she was silent for the rest of the chase.
A spear flew passed him and he felt a sting of pain on his shoulder.
"We'll turn here!" Ariston shouted, "The bridge leads to the village!"
Bastian nodded and grit his teeth against the pain, he could feel his blood seeping from the wound. He craned his neck and looked back, "Are you alright?" He asked Hydrangea.
She nodded and he faced front once more. As they crossed the bridge the soldiers were throwing everything they had at them. Bastian began to feel fear creep into his bones.
Just as a soldier was reaching his hand out to snatch Hydrangea a current of water erupted from the river below the bridge. Bastian stopped and watched as the sentient water pulled the soldiers beneath the surface.
"What was that?" Hydrangea asked from behind him, her hands clinging tightly to him.
'Samadur.' He answered in his mind.