It was hot, so we took a break and rested by a lake to cool off before we proceeded. I stared into the distance absentmindedly, not looking at anything in particular. I glanced at the group and saw the princess staring intently at the dagger. A small smile crept onto my face; the thought of her wasting her time was satisfying. I lay back and sighed, feeling relaxed.
"Krysen is awfully quiet," Alvin said, sitting next to me.
"Who?" I asked, following his gaze to where the princess sat.
"Oh. She wants to learn how to control her aura, so I gave her a task," I replied.
"An impossible task," he said.
"It's not impossible; it's actually easy," I said.
"For you, maybe," he replied.
"No, it took me a long time to control my aura because of my magic ability. I awakened my aura first, but after I got my magic, I couldn't control it for a long time."
"Magic and aura are hard to control at once," he lamented. "I'll tell Krysen to meet Cato instead of wasting her time."
"Before I got magic, I had fairly good control of my aura. Nothing special, but it was okay. Who knows? She just might be able to control hers. I have a good idea on how to help," I said.
"How?" he asked, a look of suspicion crossing his face.
"Throw her into the midst of a horde of undead. Desperation brings out people's innate abilities, like before with that knight," I suggested, studying his expression.
"I'll just tell her to meet Cato," he said.
"Just giving a suggestion," I said, picking up a stone infused with aura and throwing it into the lake. It cut through the water and reached the other side quickly.
I turned and saw the princess staring at me in awe. It was annoying that I had a feeling she'd manage it—maybe not now, but in a few months, she would eventually succeed, though not in the same way I did. She already had an impressive control of her aura that no one had noticed, probably due to the chaos.
When a person awakens their aura, they struggle to contain it, disturbing everyone with its overflow, but that had never happened with the princess.
'Teaching her would be a hassle. I'll just keep increasing the tasks until she teaches herself.'
"Let's move on," I said, standing up. "Staying by a lake at night can be dangerous."
…
We moved on from there and rode for a few hours as darkness began to settle in, but I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following us.
"What's wrong?" Cato asked, riding up to me when I stopped.
"Hold on," I said, jumping off Bean.
"Did you stop us to take a dump?" he asked, but I ignored him.
I ran through the abandoned city, looking around, but nothing seemed amiss until—
I dodged an arrow that was shot at me and grabbed my dagger.
"You," I exclaimed, staring at Iros dead in the eyes.
"I have to be honest, kid, you inspired me," he said, tapping the archer's hand. There were four people with him.
"What do you want? Are you a stalker?" I asked, tucking my dagger back in place but subtly pushing the one inside my sleeve forward.
"I'll tell your brother that you're inspiring when I find him, but until then, why don't you wait for him in jail?" he asked.
"Funny thing is, I'm not interested," I replied.
"Wasn't asking, though." He looked around and sighed. "These people are skilled in concealing their presence. How did you notice them?" he asked.
"Not sure."
"Luck?"
"I don't believe in luck," I said mockingly. "I'm on a tight schedule; why don't we try this next time?" I asked, turning to walk away.
"Not so fast," he said, placing his sword on my shoulder. He was fast. Could I outrun him without magic?
I turned and looked at him.
"Are you going to use that?" I asked, pointing at the sword.
"Depends," he replied, placing it on my neck, so close that any small movement could draw blood—but I moved.
I placed my hand on the sword and pushed it away. He didn't react; he just watched me walk away.
"You're not taking this seriously," he accused.
"Neither are you. Will you get serious when I kill them?" I asked.
He moved so fast that I was a second too late to react and block him with the dagger in my sleeve. I took two large steps back as I tried to block his next attack.
"Hey, Prodigy, is this all you've got?" he taunted.
I kept dodging until we reached an open area. I threw the dagger in the air and grabbed my sword, using it to hit the dagger toward Iros.
"I don't have time for this," I complained.
"Neither do I," he shot back.
Iros wasn't being serious. I knew how he fought when he truly meant business. I had seen him fight Elton when he became a Colonel. Elton won, but it hadn't been an easy victory.
"You…" I was interrupted by an arrow that was shot at me. I grabbed it and turned to face the shooter.
Before I could process what was happening, I was struck hard in the stomach.
"Stay out of this," I heard Iros's angry voice.
"Didn't think you were weak enough to need help, General," I taunted, wiping my cut lip. It was already healing, so I wasn't worried.
"It wouldn't be a fair fight if I was serious, and you know that," he said.
'It's time to end this.'
"Right back at you. I won't fight seriously so that I don't kill my brother's mentor... mistakenly."
He burst into laughter but suddenly stopped, and with one swift move, he approached me, ready to strike. I blocked it and avoided contact.
I kept dodging his every move as I searched for an escape route. He was stalling, as if he wanted me to escape.
"I'll play along," I whispered in his ear as I jumped back.
"Do you accept your crimes or not, Cady Hall?" he asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, jumping higher than necessary to make it seem like he had pushed me.
I fell back, and he almost hit me, but I rolled away, quickly regaining my footing.
"Cady," I heard Cato's voice. I glanced at him and saw some undead approaching.
'Thank you for your impeccable timing, undead.'
"Tell whoever sent you that I don't have time for their schemes," I said and ran off.
"Why did you run off alone?" Cato called after me, but I didn't respond. Something about the whole situation annoyed me.