Chapter 23 Ro
Ro
Ibarely slept. How had everything become such an astronomical mess in such a short amount of time? I’d been lied to, deceived, made to believe our camp fell under the threat of attack, all to serve me on a golden platter to the morally degenerate King of Windguard.
Any relief over being removed from Taja’s sickening presence for this task fizzled into smoke because now I traveled with the person who’d set me up in the first place. She’d babbled in a hysterical fit last night, apologizing and cursing herself for ever believing the wicked king.
Should I feel guilty for the little part of me that reveled in her immediate karma of winding up right alongside me? It was the least she should pay for her penance.
After thoroughly ignoring her pleas and cries, she’d eventually stopped and retreated to her sleeping area.
No comfortable grassy plains for us, but at least the concealed pocket was off the main road.
While I figured chances of running into someone way up here were slim, I knew whoever we found would most likely not be friendly.
The sun began its rise, and I already dreaded the day ahead.
My body ached from days of relentless travel in the warming summer heat, then the sleep on this uneven ground.
I’d been surprised to find a thin sheet for both of us in the provision pack.
It did nothing for comfort, but marginally aided against the night's plummeting temperature. The night would have been easier to get through if Alba and I utilized body heat, but I wanted her nowhere near me. Instead, I’d let my rage be my warmth.
It didn’t work very well.
I groaned as I sat up, my muscles protesting along with me.
Braxius untucked from my side and stretched his little dragon limbs.
While fighting to manage a somewhat tolerable position last night overtop the uneven patch of grass, he at least brought me a tiny bit of comfort.
I ran my hand over his head and down his scaly back.
He arched like a cat under my touch and I chuckled softly.
The stark quiet we found ourselves in screamed its reminder of our mission.
Hardly any creatures remained, but even in the quiet, it was like a blanket of unease settled over the land.
I buried my snarl at the king, that he’d sent us in nearly blind to a situation clearly out of the ordinary.
While wriggling out of my bedroll, I noticed a tiny gathering of berries on a leaf at my side, and beside that, a nearly ripe miraja.
Alba must have found a bushel nearby. I may have been furious, but I scarfed down the offering, humming as the delicious juices hit my tongue.
Maybe not perfectly ripe, but still fresher than the ones the soldiers had provided.
Not an acceptance of her apology, not by a long shot, but it was best to save our protein rations if we could find food along the way to tide us over.
I had a sinking feeling that the deeper we traveled into this strained forest, the harsher the conditions would become.
Braxius looked so cute with one full berry between his tiny clawed hands as he chomped with all the ferociousness of a marshmallow.
Once I finished, my fingertips slightly stained purple, the ground littered with miraja leaves, I packed my supplies and slipped away to relieve myself.
Upon my return, Alba stood ready and waiting.
That delightful gleam in her eye over seeing the berries gone had me clenching my fist. It took more restraint than I was proud of to stop it from kissing her jaw.
“Grab your shit. Let’s go.” I hauled our pack over my back and marched past her. She irritatingly stayed right on my heels as we emerged onto the main road. Her very presence made my blood boil. Thankfully, she’d been struck by wisdom and said nothing as we continued our trek.
I kept my bow in hand on the off chance we ran into someone, or something, threatening.
Even Braxius remained on alert, occasionally slipping worried thoughts into my mind.
I could feel the little dragon’s tension as he continually rotated between perching on my shoulder or scoping the road ahead.
He was anxious. It made the thought of sending him away even more uncertain, so I decided I’d rather he stayed until things felt more clear.
Recycling anger fueled every step as I fell into thoughtless, rhythmic strides, letting the aches and pains melt away with every thud against the ground. Only when I started feeling lightheaded did I stop to hydrate from the dwindling canteen.
That was quickly becoming our biggest problem. A lack of water.
Alba leaned forward, hands resting on her knees to keep herself upright.
If I had to guess, I’d say we’d been walking for nearly three hours, judging by the position of the sun.
My billowing green shirt clung to me from the excessive moisture and sweat dripping down my back as the day’s heat steadily increased.
Luckily, the tree cover provided distinct relief when the shadows passed over us.
Alba wobbled, on the brink of heaving if I read her body language correctly.
My first reaction was ‘good, let her suffer.’ Then a stupid wave of compassion crashed over me, remembering that her body was not primed for this.
Her light skin was heated and pink, and the gray’s muddling her hair flew in all directions from the humidity.
Her burgundy shirt with applique designs around the v-neck darkened in splotchy patches, and I assessed her need for water was soon going to be dire.
“Let’s take a break,” I said, dropping our pack and sitting on the side of the road.
I heard her body crumble to the ground, but didn’t glance in her direction.
“Can you see if there’s a water source nearby?” I asked Braxius.
“You got it.” He zipped off into the forest. After about fifteen minutes, he came back, letting me know there was a quarry up the road, not far from where we currently rested.
In a rush of relief, my body turned liquid and splayed over the ground.
I laughed into the eerily silent woods as Braxius flew circles over me in shared excitement.
Finally, a stroke of good luck. I was due.
My lightened mood immediately soured when we stared at the vast expanse of the obstacle before us.
It appeared someone had leveraged the quarry as a water source, because they’d barricaded anyone south from reaching it.
Felled trees blocked the path, meaning the only route to the quarry, and north, was cut off.
Had there been one or two downed trees, we could have skirted them easily, but this was no small task. Whoever did this wanted to ensure access was restricted, or at the very least that their message was clear: ‘this is our territory, stay away’.
“You didn’t think to tell me about that?” I pointedly asked Braxius.
“The forest all looks the same from up there, and I was too excited about the water to notice the road stopped.”
“What are we going to do?” Alba asked, concern in her tone.
I fought the urge to snap, to yell that this was all her fault, to say she should be the one to figure this flaming pile of shit out. Instead, I inhaled deeply and breathed out. “Braxius, can you see how far the road is blocked?”
“On it!” The tiny dragon sped fast as an arrow above the road’s path before darting out of view.
While he went to check out the scope of our predicament, I climbed atop the felled trunks and grimaced at the barren landscape beyond the trees where the quarry sank in the distance.
Of course, adding to my continual good luck, the water level was too low to access easily.
There was no avoiding we’d have to scale down the rock quite a ways to reach the cerulean pool. However, one positive was the rock hosted many shelves and ledges—nature’s stairs. A blur of blue raced back toward us.
“The road wraps around to the other side, but the entire thing is littered with fallen trees. It’s only clear at the other end.”
I placed my hands on my hips and sighed. “Well, first things first. We need to get to there.” I pointed to the water.
It was no easy feat to traipse through the dense, strategically layered foliage.
My skin bore many new scratches as we maneuvered the road block, but eventually we made it.
Scanning the edge, I mapped our best route before descending the rock face and landing on a sturdy ledge.
The cliffside was a labyrinth of stone steps that led to a natural ramp feeding into the water.
When I reached it, I sank to my knees, cupped my hands, and splashed the cool refreshing water on my face. “Ah, a true gift from the gods.”
The sun rudely positioned itself dead center in the sky.
This would most likely be the last chance to fight against the heat today.
I withdrew the waterskin and submerged it, waiting until the bubbles ceased streaming to the surface.
As much as I wanted to take a swig of the crystal clear water, I wouldn’t risk getting sick.
Our timeline wouldn’t allow losing even one day off from our still unknown amount of travel.
Plus, I held no interest in shitting my brains out on a forest trail.
Tio made that mistake once, and it wasn’t a lesson I needed to learn for myself.
This quarry might very well be the last saving grace we got on this trip.
With no information on what we were walking into, I had no idea what to expect or how to prepare.
An incessant, nagging thought that continually pricked my mind was that this might be a one-way trip.
But what other choice did I have? I had to do my best to find this camp, somehow infiltrate it, figure out the knowledge Taja wanted since he gave me no specifics, and return without getting caught.
Then hope by some gods blessed miracle the king didn’t kill me. I ignored how unlikely that seemed.