The black stallion weaved through the woods at high speed, the mud and snow spraying from under its thundering hooves. When they were a ways away, the farm boy pulled on the reins, bringing the animal to a stop. Looking left and right, Jex could see nothing but dull, gray wood. A few crows fled the treetops a ways away but otherwise, the woods were silent.
He turned, looking over his shoulder at his lover. "Which way should we go?" he asked. "I'm not sure which way Locgres is from here. Nothing looks particularly familiar."
Ray clung to him with her arms around his waist remaining silent as if she did not hear his question, her cheek nuzzled in between his shoulder blades. Jex felt her arms squeeze him tighter and a moist tear soil his shirt. He realized Ray was upset.
"Ray…" he said gently.
"He's such a liar, but-," she mumbled.
"But?"
"But we shouldn't have just left him there alone," she said quietly, her voice cracking in her throat. "We've all grown so close…" She sniffled, rubbing her nose with her sleeve before her discharge could freeze further on her skin. "I don't know what I'd do if we lost him now. He's more than just our guide…he's-"
"Our friend?" A fond smile met Jex's face and he placed a strong hand on top of her head, ruffling and loosing a few strands on top of her head. The smile grew into a toothy grin. "If he heard you talk about him like that, he might actually admit you have a heart after all," he teased.
Ray scoffed, pounding a fist frustratingly into Jex's back. "As if. I can't believe I'm shedding tears for him in the first place. I hate him," she pouted.
"I don't believe you. You wouldn't be saying such things if you didn't care about him," Jex laughed.
She had nothing to say to his comment, knowing it was true. She wouldn't admit it, but she had grown fairly fond of their guide no matter how difficult he was to deal with. "He always has to be the hero, so, let him," she mumbled and pointed off to the left. "We should go that way."
A mischievous glint met Jex's eyes and he said, "I have a different idea. Why don't we surprise our guide by showing him what we can do? We should save his arse for once."
Ray's puffy red eyes lit up, light returning to her tear streaked face. "You want to save him?"
He nodded in response. "Yes, even heroes need saving."
Ray's lips curled into a beautiful smile as she leaned up and kissed Jex's whiskered face fondly, caressing his chin with her hand. "I love you."
"I love you too," Jex laughed. "Let's go save our guide!" He slapped the reins against the horse's muscled neck, belting a loud command. He pulled on the reins and turned the horse off toward the right and circled it back toward the way it came, taking off into a full gallop.
"How do you plan on doing this?" Ray asked him, holding on tightly.
"I plan on cutting them off if they haven't found Nimer already. We'll need to take care of them quickly. Have your bow ready!" Jex commanded.
+++
Nimer's lungs burned in his chest from breathing the cold air as he ran. He checked over his shoulder frequently keeping an eye out for where the men were at in regards to his location. All he could do was stay ahead of them. Panic filled Nimer's mind when dark magic threaded through the mass of trees toward him. He took a graceful leap over a large rock, managing to keep his footing as he landed. The guide stopped for a moment to catch his breath, placing his hand against the rigid bark of a tree. He could only rest a moment before the dark tendrils of magic struck the tree next to him, scorching its dry surface. Nimer pushed himself to keep moving.
The three men kept an even pace with the guide. He tried to think of ways to lose them off his trail. Up ahead, a snaggly looking oak came into view. Nimer thrusted his hand outward toward the oak. The tree's still branches became animated instantly, awakening like a creature being stirred from slumber. With a wave of his wrist, the oak started to tip over, breaking at its roots. Nimer ran past it, the tree falling toward the unforgiving forest floor and it hitting the ground with a loud thump. Nimer smiled deviously thinking his trap would slow the men down and much to his delight, it worked. The men took extra care in finding their way around the tree confusion on their brows at why the tree had fallen. Nimer pulled ahead of the chase.
Suddenly, the low drum of horse hooves treading the ground came from Nimer's left, drawing his attention, but before he could react, he was plucked off the ground by his coat collar.
"Hold on!" came a familiar voice.
Nimer flailed trying to grasp what was happening and he looked up seeing Jex smiling down at him. He clung to the fabric of Jex's pants trying not to get dragged on ground. "I thought I told you two to get out of here! Why are you back?!"
"We aren't going to leave you behind!" Ray called as he knocked an arrow on her bow string. She turned around and pulled back, the wood of her bow creaking from the strain. She released the arrow, sending it whizzing through the air as it seated itself in the chest of one of the cultist men. He dropped much like the tree Nimer had pushed over with his magic, flopping to the ground like a fish out of water.
"There's too much weight on my horse! He won't be able to carry all three of us for long!" Nimer warned.
The hard huffs from the horse's nose proved his point true. A loud whinny of displeasure escaped the creature's mouth and Jex pulled them to a stop once they finally breached the tree line. They had ended up back on the top of the hill where the canopy line started.
"You can put me down now," Nimer grumbled. Jex let go of him and Nimer landed firmly on his feet. He adjusted his collar, straightening himself out before pointing a stubby finger in Jex's direction. "I reckon it was your brilliant idea to come back after me."
"You mean save your life, sure," Jex said smugly. "Ray here agreed with me."
Ray slid off the back of the horse, marching up to the guide and gave him a firm smack across his face. "That's for trying to separate us," she spat coldly and smacked him across the face again. "And that is for lying to us. Don't do either of those things again."
Nimer stared at her, rubbing the pink and white streak across his face with a frown. "I just wanted to protect you!" he insisted.
"You aren't protecting anyone, especially yourself," Ray said, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Do you think we don't care about you at all or what we'd do if we never got to Zaniah? Hm? Just suffer while our souls are being brutally ripped apart by some stone from a cult of some god?"
"I'm not sure which is worse at this point, your scolding nonsense or the cultists that are chasing after us," Nimer stated bluntly.
Ray puffed her cheeks and stamped her feet like an angry mule. "Are you listening to me? I'm trying to tell you how much we care about you, but no! You're so stubborn!" she raged.
Nimer sighed, his blue eyes rolling in his skull. "Thank you for saving me…" he mumbled quietly.
Ray placed a hand behind her ear. "What was that? I can't hear you."
Nimer went red in the face and stamped the ground with his right boot, raising his voice unnecessarily. "Thank YOU for saving MY life," he nearly yelled.
A stream of laughter escaped Jex's mouth while Ray crossed her arms and smirked. "That's more like it," she clarified, tossing a hand in the air.
Nimer stared at her apathetically. "You two are a handful," he complained, cursing under his breath and started toiling down the hill. He waved his hands in the air exasperating his displeasure.
Jex and Ray started to follow behind when suddenly they heard commotion coming from the trees behind them. The two turned around to find the cultists that fell behind staggering out of the woods with branches, snow, and mud soiling their clothes from their headlong pursuit. Purple magic flickered in the lantern holder's palm in light sparks while the other had his halberd pointed straight at the three. Both their eyes were wide and wild, panting breaths tumbling from their mouths.
"You three," one of the cultists sneered bitterly. "You won't get away from us! The king requests your presence in his courts."