Page 39 of Forgotten Fate

“Alright.” He raised his hands in defeat. He turned over and rummaged through his pack before frowning.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I’m out of food. I left Chatus in such a hurry, I didn’t get a chance to get anything. Not a weapon, or food, or any supplies. Nadia and I came running the second we heard the commotion of the guards.”

I bent down to fumble through my own pack and pulled out two large pieces of the dried jerky I likely overpaid for in a hurry. I tossed one to Elias and he gave a thankful nod.

We ate our small meal in silence before packing up. Elias had to remain hunched over until he walked out from under the rock. I followed, unable to avoid the dripping leftover raindrops that cascaded from the edge of the stone. I wiped the wet drops from my forehead and stood next to Elias. We both began to survey the area.

We were on a steep hill on the shadowed side of a valley. While there weren’t too many trees around us now, the valley below was filled with them. They looked tiny from where we stood.

“Where to?” I asked, eager to be on the move. We had one more day before Horus notified my father of our last known whereabouts, if he kept to his word.

“Continuing scaling the valley would only slow us down,” he pondered. “But if we head down to the bottom of the valley, our tracks will be harder to mask after the rain.”

I began processing his words. “So if we keep the high ground, we’ll be harder to track, but it’ll take longer. If we head downhill, we can move quickly but might leave more prints.”

“Exactly,” he answered.

“Would we still be trackable if we stay up here on the rocky terrain?”

“To an advanced tracker, yes.”

Horus was an advanced tracker, that much I learned.

I paused again, considering. It seemed like Horus would probably be able to find us either way, so my decision was set. “The further and faster we get away from Chatus, the better,” I reminded him. “And if we won’t be able to completely hide our tracks either way, I think we should go through the valley.”

Elias looked at me with a smirk. “Well, Princess, you’ve become quite the navigator, haven’t you?”

I raised my brows. “Is it a bad idea?” I asked.

“No,” Elias shook his head. “I think you’re right. There should be enough tree coverage in the valley to keep us from being spotted from above.”

I nodded. “Let’s get moving then.”

We made our way down the steep hillside carefully. We stepped on the many stones and boulders that clung to the hillside as much as we could, to avoid leaving prints. Once we made it to the bottom of the hill and into the valley, the trek was much smoother.

We continued through the familiar forest in mostly silence. Elias kept asking if I was okay, probably because I didn’t speak much. I kept refocusing on the dream. On the love Magda and Gabriel shared as they held and kissed each other, which morphed into me and Elias. I began to wish I knew what his lips felt like on mine for real. The dream kickstarted feelings that I didn’t understand. Feelings of desire and longing for something I didn’t even realize I ever wanted. Love.

Nothing between us had changed, and yet things felt completely different. The man I traveled with was more than just a handsome stranger, now. He was… important to me. Not just because he was leading me to my destination, but because I wanted him to be more than a guide. More than a friend.

“Aura!” Elias said harshly, snapping meout of my thoughts.

“Huh?” I asked, looking around for any sign of danger.

“I was asking you how your arm was,” he asserted. “You weren’t answering.”

“I’m sorry.” I rubbed my temples. “I guess I was stuck in my own mind.”

“About the dreams?” he asked.

“What? Oh, yes. The dreams.” I almost forgot my own half-truth excuse I had given him earlier. “And my arm is okay. The pain is getting better.”

He gave me a suspicious look. “Alright. Let me know if you need to rest.”

“I thought you didn’t want me slowing us down.”

Elias stiffened at my words. “I don’t,” he said. “But if you don’t get enough rest, it will slow us down in the long run.”