Kael tightened his grip on Ignis as he stood by the edge of the forest path. The surrounding woods were quiet, too quiet, except for the rustle of leaves and the faint chirping of crickets.
The unsettling silence gave him a weird feeling, and the fragment in his palm pulsed gently, warning him of nearby activity.
"What do you think?" Kael muttered under his breath, directing the question to the empty space Neo used to fill in his mind. But he gad forgotten, Neo was gone now, her duties pulling her away.
He sighed in disappointment then took a short breath and checked the trees in front of him.
The sound he'd heard earlier, a soft crack, like a branch snapping under someone's' feet, had set him on edge.
"No use standing around." Kael cautiously stepped into the bushes, his boots crunching on the ground. He moved carefully, his eyes scanning the shadows for any signs of movement.
The sound came again, closer this time. Kael raised Ignis, ready to strike.
Suddenly, a small creature darted out from the small bushes.
It was a young fox, its eyes wide with fear as it froze in front of him. It stared at Kael for a moment before running deeper into the woods.
Kael exhaled, lowering Ignis. "Just a fox," he muttered, shaking his head. His heart still thudded in his chest as he made his way back to the carriage "Still, why did the fragment react?".
The driver, a bulky, black-haired man, named Rell, raised an eyebrow as Kael climbed aboard. "Find anything?" he asked.
"Nothing but a fox," Kael replied, settling back into his seat. "Let's keep moving."
Rell nodded and snapped the reins, urging the horses to move forward. The wagon creaked as it rolled along the well-maintained road.
Hours turned into days as the carriage pressed on. The road began to lose its luster the farther they went away from Raven Town.
The yellow bricks gave way to a bumpier, moss-covered brick path. The trees grew taller and denser, their leaves blocking out the sun.
Kael spent his time alternating between reading the book, 'The Night the Stars Fell, which Seraphina had gifted him, meditating, and engaging in idle conversation with Rell.
"Have you been a driver for long?" Kael asked one afternoon as the horses trotted steadily forward.
Rell grunted. "Long enough to know these roads can be as dangerous as they are dull. Bandits, beasts, weather… you name it, I've dealt with it."
Kael nodded. "Has there been anything unusual recently? Other than the corrupted and bandits back in Raven Town?"
Rell's expression darkened. "The beasts have been acting strange lately. More aggressive, more frequent. I even saw a bear with a fragment merged with it once. It was as big as a house, and twice as mean."
The thought of corrupted beasts roaming the woods reminded Kael of how little he understood about fragments and their effects on the world.
The book had hinted at some answers, but it raised just as many questions.
On the fourth day of their journey, the carriage came to a stop to allow the horses to rest. Kael stretched his legs, his muscles stiff from sitting for hours. He wandered a short distance from the carriage, taking in the forest's eerie silence.
Then something caught his attention, a dark shape lying among the leaves. He approached it cautiously, Ignis at the ready. His breath caught when he saw what it was.
A wolf lay motionless on the ground, its fur stained with dried blood. A dagger was stuck in its stomach, its hilt glinting faintly in the light.
Kael's eyes narrowed as he crouched beside the corpse. He recognized the dagger immediately. It was simple but sturdy, the weapon his father had left for them in the chest, the one Lira had taken.
"Lira," he whispered, his chest tightening.
Nearby, a faint trail of dried blood led deeper into the woods, heading in the same direction as the carriage. Kael's gaze followed it, his mind racing.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed something caught on a prickly bush. He reached for it, his fingers brushing against the fabric. Pulling it free, he held it up to the light.
A piece of cloth. He recognized it instantly. It was a piece of the tunic he had given Lira for her last birthday.
Kael's heart pounded as he pieced it together. The dagger, the trail, the cloth—they all pointed to one thing. Lira had been here.
Kael sprinted back to the carriage, clutching the scrap of fabric in his hand. "Rell! We need to move. Now."
Rell looked up, startled. "What's going on?"
"No time to explain," Kael said, urgency clear in his voice. "We have to catch up to someone."
Rell didn't argue. He snapped the reins, and the carriage jolted forward, picking up speed. Kael sat on the edge of his seat, his eyes scanning the road ahead.
Four days earlier, Lira had sat in the back of a wagon, her body weak but her mind sharp. She had quickly realized that the merchants who had picked her up weren't merchants at all. The cuffs and slave collars she'd glimpsed among their cargo had revealed their true intentions.
But Lira had kept her composure, acting oblivious to their plans. She wasn't in any condition to fight or run. Her wounds, though she had just tended to them, were still too fresh.
She knew that any sudden movement or exertion could reopen them, leaving her vulnerable.
"Play along," she told herself. "Just until you're fit enough."
The slave traders, for their part, seemed content to let her believe their act.
They asked her questions about her journey, her family, and her plans. Lira answered cautiously, giving just enough to satisfy their curiosity without revealing too much.
But the traders weren't fools. They had already begun to suspect that Lira possessed a fragment. How else could a young girl survive the dangers of the forest alone?
Unbeknownst to Lira, they were biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike.
They planned to capture her before she had fully healed, ensuring she couldn't resist.
Their scheme was set to unfold three days from now, just one day before they reached the capital.
For now, Lira rested, unaware of the danger looming over her.