It didn't make sense to Iris. She didn't think that chosen maidens like her held any ounce of importance to the said demon lord for Lord Kieran to come to Calaren town with his generals to pick them up. Not unless there was danger lurking somewhere, just as Ricci said.
Heart pounding, Iris followed Ricci's lead and joined the other maidens that gathered around the small fire for a quick dinner. She nibbled her lower lip, wondering if she should confront Ricci about it. There's so many things she didn't know about Asnar and its residents, so what could she possibly do to help them?
Chrysanthe handed her a piece of bread, which she gladly accepted. As she nibbled on her bread, Iris wondered how much of the rumors about the darklings were true and not. There had to be some truth to the rumors, but she wouldn't be surprised if some details were exaggerated to fit the narrative of the mortal humans who deemed darklings as enemies of their kind.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came and three darklings appeared to join the rest of the group. Iris stiffened next to Amelia when she sensed Lord Kieran's presence. She chose to keep her gaze on the fire in front of her rather than turning her head like the rest to look at the demon lord and his vassals.
Yuri dropped five dead bodies of rabbits on the ground, which made the other maidens shriek in surprise.
"Here. Bread and fruit can't possibly be enough to satiate your hunger." He said, casually giving Iris and her two friends a quick glance, noticing how the three remained calm in the presence of the darklings around them.
Iris lifted her head and met his gaze.
"Can we at least borrow a blade so we can skin it? We can't possibly cook it without cleaning it first." She told him.
"We also need to wash it." Amelia said shortly, meeting Yuri's gaze for the first time. She shivered at the cold intensity of Yuri's gaze upon her and wondered if she'd crossed the line for speaking up.
Aiden laughed behind Yuri and pulled a small dagger from his side, handing it over to Iris.
"Here. Better make sure you don't hurt yourself with it." He said with amusement.
Iris thanked him and started working on the carcass of the rabbits while Amelia and Chrysanthe collected large leaves and twigs that they could use to hold the rabbits over the fire.
Aiden volunteered to accompany them to the nearest river where they could wash their supposed dinner. Some maidens took courage to join them, keeping a distance from the demon as they gave themselves a quick wash of their faces and arms.
When they returned to the camp, the darklings were everywhere, as if they were on a look out, only proving Iris's assumptions that there was something out there that could possibly follow them.
Still, she said nothing and worked with her friends as they took turns to cook the rabbit meat over the fire. She, along with Amelia and Chrysanthe, shared one rabbit while the rest were handed over to the other maidens who were visibly cowering in fear.
Iris found Ricci speaking in low voices to Lord Kieran, a couple of meters away from them. She couldn't quite get what they were talking about and she immediately tore off her gaze when the demon lord suddenly turned his head to look at her. Her cheeks felt warm, feeling ashamed that she was caught eavesdropping on their conversation.
Ricci came back with an ugly expression on her face as she slumped next to Iris. Even when she was dressed heavily with armor, she moved as if it didn't bother her for one bit.
"What's wrong?" Amelia asked as she tore the flesh of meat from its bones, placed it in her mouth and chewed slowly. Despite her current state, Amelia still acts like a noblewoman with the level of propriety expected from her.
Ricci glanced around them, making sure no one was within earshot. She sighed to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I know that I cannot keep it from you." She sighed then looked at Iris, as if she also knew that the latter had been suspecting her from the start.
Ricci hardened her jaws and whispered to them. "Lord Kieran thinks that we are followed by the Night Critters."
"Night Critters?" Amelia asked. This was the first time they heard about it. "Are those also a type of darklings in Asnar?"
Ricci grimaced and looked away.
"You can say that." She said as if it pained her to say so, "but more like used to be normal darklings. Now, they are nothing but mindless, empty husks being manipulated by someone to terrorize us."
Iris shivered at the thought. "And you think they are following us?"
"Yes." Ricci answered. "Lord Kieran has been patrolling the border and the woods to get rid of them. Night Critters are drawn towards magical beings to feed on their life source, while mortal humans who are bitten by them would immediately die from being exposed to them."
Amelia and Chrysanthe looked at each other while Iris blanched in fear. She was the only one amongst the chosen maidens that had magic. Wouldn't that mean that they were being followed because of her?
"It's not you, Lady Iris." Ricci said as if the faerie knew what she was thinking. "We've been in a standoff battle against the darklings for over a century now. It's just that they are being more active these past years to the point that Lord Kieran needs to see to himself that you will arrive in Asnar without encountering any problems along the way."
Iris then realized that this was the reason she had spotted the white wolf darkling in the woods near their town twice. Lord Kieran couldn't possibly be there because of her. She didn't think she was the reason why more darklings had been spotted near Calaren Town over the past few years.