The moon was fading beneath the heavy clouds as dawn yawned. Nira and Hansen we're halfway , somewhere between Merria and Mid town, a place referred to as Denden. They had camped there for a couple of minutes to rest and feed.
Hansen was roasting meat over the fire as Nira was lost in the sparks of the flame. She was used to looking deep into the fire. Silion believed she used to see signs in the fire and communicate with the universe through it. Herself, she was not sure that was the case but everytime she was in a dilemma she would look deep into the fire. Silion had somehow created this mentality that Nira found herself believing it and she felt relief anyways.
Wind whistled through the trees as leaves fell and the fire was almost put out. In as much as it felt usual, Nira found it to be a bit odd. She was assertive of her environment, with or without involving her gifts. Since her years in the cursed forest, she had grown to be so keen of her environment and able to smell blood from a distance.
She picked up her sword , drawing it closer to her body. Hansen was still busy roasting the meat from their hunt. The intensity of the wind grew, such that it was unbecoming and nearly deafening.
" Hansen, get up, take out your sword!" She commanded him and he heeded. He was up on his feet ready to strike down any threat. Normally, he was to be confused, may be ask of why she felt he was to do as she said but to him, her word was final and non-negotiable. Also he was yet to be competent with language and verbal communication so he could not articulate his thinking or rather feelings on her requests and commands. Nonetheless, he seemed to be happy following her commands blindly at the moment and nothing else mattered.
Leaves crashed as the wind blew through them. It was difficult to get the sounds right but as the wind whistled and the leaves crashed, the more paranoid she got. The fire could no longer hold on against the wind and it went off . Not only were they exposed to the cold but also deprived of light.
She thought she heard voices approaching, even though one would argue that probably the wind was the instigator then. She, from countless lessons from the prophetess in the forest, was aware of all the evils and hazards the dark carried with.
Her sword grew firm between her palms. She felt it was time to involve her gifts, even though she knew that they would probably make Westers locate them. Turns out, Westers had leverage over her, to make her commit to him. He had tied down her gifts such that he could use them as a tracking device whenever she was out of reach, exiled, absconded or pulling a trick against him, so long as she used them on repeat or even once.
In her blind quest, of course with Hansen's help, she was yet to use them. Since it proved inevitable to not to use them for survival, she was giving in and that could have just ruined everything she had in mind then, more importantly any hopes to save her sister and in good time.
Suddenly, her eyes were burning like a piece of wood in the fire and there was light. That was a new one, she thought. It was definitely not what she had in mind but whatever it was, it was stunning! Hansen could not keep his mouth shut, amusement all over his face. Panicking, Nira jumped a bit, closing tightly her eyes putting off the fire from her eyes and there was darkness.
At this time, the wind was dying down and her paranoia fading progressively. Worse, the clouds had had enough and there was a drizzle, followed by a heavy downpour. They had to find shelter in the dark and in a no man's land. Most of the rain laid waste on them and they were wet and cold.
***
The door cracked open, the sun was rising reluctantly, racing slowly through dark heavy clouds that awaited the day early in the morning. Silion was on the floor, unconscious or worse. Two men walked into the old rusty hut. A stake of meat laid waste on the floor, no bite on it yet. It was definitely intended for Silion to make a meal out of it but clearly she didn't fancy.
The men had their faces covered and had matching garments such that they were almost identical, only one was taller. It was cold, as goosebumps all over Silion 's tender skin suggested. One of the men took a blanket made of animal fur and covered her, showing more than just compassion, considering she was his hostage.
" What should we do with her anyways?" He said, tucking her further into the animal fur.
" The deal was to find her and they would find us, it is up to them!" The other one answered, clearly disgusted by her. He had a frown face, or may be it was the cold or the thought he was subjected to await on some kind of command.
They stood silently at the centre of the hut looking down at her for a while then they walked out, locking the door firmly behind them. Outside, stood four warriors who were sworn to protect their catch, Silion, by their lives or more.
A wet Nira and her recruit watched the hut from afar. They were both shaking but composed and focused. They seemed too comfortable rather, despite their clear suffering. She was catching a cold as she began sneezing and coughing, followed by a running nose and her body temperature rising.
"Hansen, she must be here! They seem strong so we need a solid plan, fast! That bastard must be on his way to abduct us or worse!" She said, then sneezed softly , her eyes focused towards the hut she believed her sister was held hostage in.
She had hardly come up with something when several horses with warriors approached the hut. She could count more than 20 horsemen and several warriors on foot. At first she had thought that they were part of the four who had stood firmly outside the hut, until one warrior from the approaching ones sent a spear right through one of the four warrior's throat.
Surely, it was an easy go for the warriors to clear off the four. However, happened a twist, the two men who had accessed the hut before the showdown were spared, with no intentions whatsoever to hurt them in any way. Nira could only watch these proceedings, helpless and curious at the same time. She kind of wondered if Josh was also captured with Silion or worse, killed and disposed off. As far as she was concerned, in a hostage situation, the men would barely be taken alive.
She looked at Hansen, concern all over her face. She felt helpless and vulnerable and...
Before she could come up with something, an arrow wheezed past them, almost bursting off Hansen's left eyeball. Hansen wasn't moved though, at least not as much as Nira who immediately rolled over shifting to a more dense bush as an hideout.
She replaced her sword in its sheath. In as much as she was a great fighter, she was not that complete with a sword or rather not as comfortable as she would be with a bow and an arrow in her hands. She took out a bow from her travelling bag made of animal skin and an arrow from a quiver on her back.
"Get down, they saw us!" She instructed as she set the arrow firmly on the bow.
Hansen too was competent with arrows, part of the gig, living in the cursed Eidel Forest. He also took his own bow and an arrow ready to aim to whoever played offense, almost claiming his sight. As they tried to gain stability and clapback, they heard horse movements, fortunately or unfortunately, running towards their opposite direction.
Nira got an opening and peeped towards the hut. She did not have a clear glance so she maneuvered to a more favorable angle. She observed as the horses raced towards the direction she first saw them come from. From a distance, she could see several silver cloaks and armor.
She could not deduce whether the attackers were sent by the king or not. She wasn't sure of how the royal guards or guards from Bernbute dressed then, only how tactical they might have grown over the years, a logic she only developed after Josh had gone to Merria for several months as part of the plan to be able to fit in once they had to leave the forest. As far as their experiences had been ever since making the decision to leave their profound home for a decade or more, they kind of rued every moment.
As soon as she thought they were clear from any underlying threat or threats, she sprung from the bushes and tiptoed towards the hut, her arrow firm and ready to strike. Hansen watched her for a while then followed soot, keeping a fair distance. Nira arrived at the back of the hut and leaned on its wall. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes firmly, her arrow still ready.
***
Caleb was outside the king's chamber, disgust, or doubt, all over his face. He was racing up and down when the door sprung open and king Arvin, in a golden gown, stood between the door posts. He seemed rather too happy, especially after the life threatening events that had begotten Bernbute the day before and the night the Pines almost had them on checkmate.
" Caleb, we celebrate! She has found my sister, and your brother, well he needs medical care but he will be fine I suppose!" Arvin said, smiling from ear to ear.
"Who found them?" Caleb asked without any intentions of hiding disgust in his voice.
" You know who! Come on! Oh, where is my wine? I've been looking for some and every jar is empty!" Arvin said, his smile fading out.
Caleb stared at him, still unable to hide his frustrations. It was a cold morning and a slow one, excusable, since it was just a recovery from what happened to be a very short winter and an enormous ambush that had left hundreds injured or worse. Caleb ought to be careful around the king, everyday tempting his patience, questioning the king's decisions and raising his voice at him!
" Caleb?" Arvin called him, attempting to snap him from day dreaming. Well, he wasn't actually dreaming, rather he was lost in a well of thoughts that burned wildly in his mind. At times he regretted having another go at life. He thought he was better of dead or something. He got tempted numerous times to disobey his spiritual travel portal and get stuck in one , it couldn't be as worse as it was already.
"They found Josh?" Caleb finally got back from his brain custody.
Arvin hesitated for a while then smiled at him.
" You need to get some rest or not. You could board one of your spirits and travel to him, you seem anxious!" He suggested as he walked past him. He was in a good mood, the king. The reunion was finally here, even if it wasn't how he had planned for it in his days in the secret military camp that guaranteed him his inheritance and saw him king. Well, there was not much to inherit at the time he came back to Bernbute as the death of his elder brother right after his parents', saw their properties grabbed and others sold by anyone who laid their hands on them first.
Caleb ensured the door to his assigned chamber in the palace was well locked then dived onto the bed for one famous adventure. Before he took of in his spirit form, he had to decide where exactly was his priority at the moment, to Nira or to the incoming awaited delivery in Bernbute's then history? Though from a lot he had gathered prior to the king's announcement, Josh was found onto a tree in a critical condition by the king's army and Silion on the other hand, grabbed by Aville's men as leverage before Aville had a face off with the King, a risky maneuver to introduce herself to the city she was to rule to the end of her breathe as the Queen.