Page 28

M ud squelched beneath her hands and knees as Ava crawled out, the stars and moon lighting her way.

Rising into a crouch, she wiped the muck from her hands on the canvas of the tent, cleaning them in case she needed to use the dagger.

Remy crouched next to her, breathing evenly and ready to follow her lead.

She scanned for any signs of danger. Isolde had said to head straight for the trees in front of where she emerged from the tent. Luckily, they didn’t appear too far off, maybe thirty yards. They snuck in between the other tents waiting for some rogue guard to notice them and sound the alarm.

But there were no guards anywhere. No soldiers or grunts milling about.

The commotion on the other side of camp was almost deafening, the sounds of swords, growls and shouting soldiers a symphony of chaos.

Curiosity got the best of her as she peeked around the corner of the tent, searching for the source of the thundering roars.

It was difficult to see through the smoke and soldiers running around but she could have sworn she caught the sight of a giant black bear barreling through the tents, snarling as he bit through the daemons in his way.

As she neared the edge of the camp, subtle movement on the ground in front of the trees caught her eye. It was a group of three mice.

Follow the mice, Isolde’s words echoed in Ava’s thoughts as the rodents scurried toward her and then back to the forest again.

So, they did.

Pushing herself to a run, she bounded through the last open area outside the camp, Remy right behind her, before being engulfed by the forest. Chancing one last glance over her shoulder, she looked to where the bear had been.

It was gone and had left a dozen bloody bodies and several crushed tents in its wake.

She turned back to follow the mice, hoping they were leading her the same direction Isolde told her.

Ava ran at full speed through the dense forest, trying to put distance between her and the camp before they noticed the two of them had gone missing.

Remy stayed right beside her, keeping up surprisingly well.

She knew it wouldn’t take the soldiers long to figure out they had escaped, and hoped Isolde didn’t pay the price.

Legs weak and wobbly from weeks of her captivity, she pushed on, using the adrenaline to overcome her fatigue.

She was free. Liberated from her torture, she focused on what lay before her.

She must get as far away as possible and find somewhere safe.

Now that she was no longer in the army camp, she could feel that thread of fate pulling her to the mountains once more.

The ones she saw the day she arrived. That must be where the capital of Monterre was.

So that was where she would go.

Her energy eventually started to waver and she had to slow down, hoping they were far enough away by now. “I’m tired,” Remy whispered from beside her .

“Me too,” she replied. “Hopefully we’ll be there soon.”

She continued walking, ducking under trees and stepping over logs, breathing deeply to slow her heart rate and conserve energy. Her companion stayed next to her throughout the journey and remained silent.

The forest was mostly quiet, though an occasional screech or growl sounded in the distance. The trees were crowded, and it was difficult to make out the terrain under the dense canopy. Some had giant roots sticking out of the ground, forming little makeshift shelters for the animals of the forest.

Some time later, the forest opened and they came upon the river. Loud and raging, it wound through the landscape and looked impossible to cross, capable of sweeping them away within seconds. Like a sliver of anger cutting through the terrain, it churned and roiled its wrath.

She sat on a small boulder near the edge, resting for a moment as she assessed the best way to cross without drowning, Remy plopping down next to her. Reaching into her satchel, she found the water skin Isolde had left, and handed it to her friend.

Remy took a big drink and handed it back. “We must cross,” he said, gesturing to the river.

“Do you think we can make it across that?” She pointed to a fallen tree.

“Yes. Carefully.”

Thank you, she mouthed to no one as they made their way toward the makeshift bridge.

The mice had disappeared, and Ava wondered where they had gone as they crossed the river, careful not to slip off the moss slick log.

Once safe on the opposite shore, Ava turned to Remy. “Can you help me push this log into the river?”

“Why?” he asked, curiosity in his eyes .

“Hopefully it will slow them down if they come after us,” she answered.

Remy nodded and they both knelt and placed their hands on the fallen tree.

A small boulder sat just a couple feet from the log, so Ava pressed against it with her feet as she lowered down and pushed with all her might.

Though weak and malnourished, her years of weight training paid off as she imagined she was pushing a weighted sled across the gym floor.

With one last grunt, the log moved and a loud splash sounded as it fell into the river and was swept away.

They both stood and she wiped her hands on her pants and looked at her friend. “Alright,” she said. “Next, we find the cave.”

Illuminated by small slivers of moonlight peeking through the canopy, they began to search. Unsure where to start, they walked back and forth, starting at the shore and making their way back into the forest.

The dagger bounced at her hip with each step, reminding her of its presence should she need to use it, and the sounds of night drifted through the forest. The familiar hoot of owls comforted her, their haunting song threading through the night sky as they searched for their mate.

The buzz of insects was a constant hum, different from back home, but pleasant nonetheless.

If the creatures called, she knew no predators lurked about.

Knew this meant the soldiers were not nearby.

They came upon a clearing in the trees at the top of a hill, providing them with a better view of the area. She scrutinized the landscape and noticed a rocky bluff with definite potential for a cave and pointed. “I think it might be over there.”

“Yes. The rocky place. Let’s go.”

Working their way down the hill, they meandered through the trees and reached the limestone, searching for any semblance of an opening. They walked back and forth for an hour, and Ava felt more and more lost as time went on .

“I don’t see anything,” she said to Remy as she leaned against a tree and closed her eyes.

“It’s there,” he said from beside her. “Somewhere close.”

At the sound of his voice, she prepared herself for more searching when a rustling sounded in the bushes behind her. She whirled around, dagger in hand, and pushed Remy behind her. The bushes moved again, and she backed away, readying herself to grab him and run if necessary.

The three mice emerged.

“Oh! You came back!” she said as she slid her dagger back into its sheath and crouched down. “Do you know where the cave is?”

Remy watched with curious eyes from beside her.

The mice took off toward the hillside, running along the stone, and then disappeared into a small opening she never would have noticed on her own.

As she crept closer, the opening appeared, only visible from a particular angle, and they were able to slip inside as dawn was breaking over the horizon.

The entrance was an illusion, cleverly hidden among the brush and shadows.

It should be impossible for Deidamia’s soldiers to find them unless they knew about this cave already.

She hoped they didn’t.

The entrance was narrow, eventually opening into a small room brightened with the glow of a neon blue fungus growing in the nooks along the walls.

“We’re here.” She smiled down at her friend.

An old bedroll lay against the wall, surrounded by several discarded weapons.

A reminder this cave had been used before, but not in a long time if the dust and cobwebs were any indicator.

A forgotten sanctuary for a former hunter or perhaps an adventurer looking for a place to sleep for the night.

Ava inspected one of the glowing mushrooms on the wall, reaching out her finger and touching the cap gently.

It quivered and glowed brighter for a few seconds before returning to its dimmer illumination.

Fascinating .

She set her pack next to a bow and quiver of arrows, relieved at the sight of the familiar weapon. A weapon she knew how to use. A small dagger had also been left behind by the previous occupant.

Settling herself on the bedroll, she unbuckled the belt and laid it next to her, within reach in case she needed the weapon, and then opened her pack and removed the packages inside.

Remy scurried about, cleaning the cave with a fully leaved tree branch he was using like a broom.

“Remy, what are you doing?” Ava asked, curious.

“A dirty cave is no place for the one who saved my life. Too much dust,” he replied.

Ava smiled. “You don’t have to do that. But thank you.”

So, she let him clean, having something to do obviously bringing him peace.

It was something she used to do as well, and she understood the comfort of having a task to focus on.

Laying the contents of her bag in front of her, she took inventory of her supplies.

Her food consisted of several apples, some dried meat wrapped in fabric, hard cheeses and bread.

Not much, but hopefully she could make it last until she got to her destination.

There were also four small vials containing the tonic Isolde had referenced.

Remy sat down next to her, finished with his cleaning. She handed him an apple and sighed. “Where’s your home?”

He took a bite of the apple. “Deep in the forests of Monterre. Not close to any towns. In a giant tree with my brothers.”

“I’m from the earth kingdom too,” she said.

“I know.”