CHAPTER SEVEN
With her arm tight around Ilain, Evylin practically carried her toward the gate. If they could make it to the forest on the other side, they’d be safe, hidden in its thick foliage.
Careful to step where the terrae was already disturbed by footprints, Evylin moved with purpose.
Her sword jostled against her hip, and she grimaced whenever a guard came near.
Ilain was getting heavier; her breathing was becoming shallower.
They were about to pass under the portcullis when one of the men stepped too close and clipped Evylin’s shoulder.
“What was that?” he gasped, whirling around.
Evylin froze for one second before deciding she couldn’t wait to see what the guard would do. Tightening her hold on Ilain, she made a break for it. Doubling her stride, she almost dragged the woman, her shuffling feet struggling to keep up.
She could hear a terse debate beginning behind her—likely the guard’s companion telling him that he was imagining things—but she refused to look back.
There was another line on the Waulden side of the gate, travelers looking to enter the Reach.
But the guardsmen on this side were far fewer in number.
Evylin veered to the right, guiding Ilain toward the trees. They’d hardly made it past the first branches when the highlady gasped, her knees buckling. Carried down by the woman’s deadweight, Evylin dropped with her. They fell into the underbrush and bushes, water splattering their faces.
While Ilain lay there motionless, her eyes squeezed shut, Evylin checked their surroundings.
With Allore’s mercy, they were out of sight.
However, she didn’t like how close to the edge of the forest they were, so she tucked her arms under Ilain’s shoulders and dragged her farther into the cover of the trees.
Setting her down again, Evylin placed a hand on Ilain’s arm. “Are you all right?” she whispered.
Eyes still closed, Ilain’s whole body trembled with exhaustion. “Yes,” she murmured. “Just tired.”
Not fully convinced, Evylin drew one of her knives, watchful in case the guard had grown suspicious enough to pursue their run-in.
She couldn’t see the gate through the thick trees.
Only the faint rumble of conversation, the creaking of cart wheels, and the distant thump of footsteps kept her informed of the goings-on outside their hiding place.
She waited for several tense minutes. But no one came.
Evylin sat in the cold foliage, Ilain lying at her side, for several minutes before realizing her mistake. The men didn’t know where they’d gone. They didn’t even know that the women had left them. And they wouldn’t be able to search for them until they were out of the guards’ sight.
With Ilain in her present state, Evylin didn’t think it wise to leave her.
Not even to scout to see if the men had gotten through yet.
She reminded herself that Ethenn would have noticed.
He would know they were gone and be able to track them.
All she needed to do was keep them safe until he found them.
Taking the time to rest, Evylin settled in. She reset her hood and straightened her coat. Then she made Ilain more comfortable, tucking the woman’s cloak more securely around her and brushing slick fire-bright strands off her cheeks while the woman rested.
She waited in the forest for a quarter of an hour, listening for any sound of Ethenn’s arrival.
The braying of horses, the groans of wagons, and the chatter of travelers on the road were all she heard for a time.
Ilain’s breathing had steadied. Evylin wondered if she’d fallen asleep.
Then she heard the soft crunch of leaves in the distance.
Whipping around, Evylin saw Deckard and Ethenn emerge from the dark woods. Immediately, she smiled. “About time,” she lamented.
The men rushed forward upon seeing Ilain’s prone figure. Evylin rose to meet them. “She’s all right,” she assured them, then furrowed her brow. “I think.”
“I’m fine,” Ilain muttered, though she didn’t lift her head. “I’m just bloody exhausted.”
Ethenn knelt next to the Mage with a gentle grin. “Would you like help?” he asked with a small chuckle and held out a hand.
Her sharp green eyes flashed open, peering up at him. “Are you laughing at my misery?”
“Just pleased to see that you’re safe,” he promised.
“Mm.” Ilain pursed her lips, dubious, but she took his hand, letting him pull her up to a seated position. She eyed him with a wily expression. “I don’t think I have the strength to walk.”
Ethenn’s neck and ears burned red, and Evylin suppressed a laugh. However, the young man graciously offered to carry the highlady, at which point Ilain patted his cheek and accepted. While Ethenn cautiously lifted the woman, Deckard placed his hand on Evylin’s shoulder.
She looked up at him, finding his brows pinched together. She understood his worry. Their plan had come too close to failing. If she hadn’t acted quickly enough, they would have been caught, and she didn’t want to begin to think of what danger they would have faced.
Evylin set her hand over his. “I’m safe,” she whispered to him. “The Relics are safe. That’s what matters.”
Though Deckard looked about to argue, he nodded. “Come on,” he said, withdrawing from her. “Let’s get back to the others.”
After the long day of travel and the delay at the gates, they didn’t arrive at Blacklion until nightfall.
The introductory terrain and landscape of Wauld proved to be the same as in the Reach.
Vast, thick forests stretched across the countryside, the rain clouds constantly shielding the sky.
Rather than travel on the muddy roads, they kept to the trees.
While it protected them from the rain, it made their journey equally difficult.
Given Ilain’s exhaustion, Ethenn wound up carrying her not just to the team, but also for several miles. Rafferty and Thom teased him mercilessly, but Evylin wondered if the young man cared. After all, he got to be near the beautiful Mage, of whom he seemed to be growing ever fonder.
Once Ilain recovered enough, she walked with Auden’s continued assistance.
They traversed steadily through the trees nearly the entire day, the forest turning dark and alive with the chirping of insects.
They’d found another alcove to shelter in for the night, mostly walled in by large, intertwining trees.
In Ilain’s exhausted state, they’d given her the night off watch to recuperate, which meant that Rafferty would take her place with Ethenn.
“We’re a mile from Blacklion now,” Auden informed them. “In the morning, we can restock and purchase horses.”
“Oh, thank the Heavens,” Rafferty exclaimed. “I could use a nice, soothing pint of ale.”
“You won’t be going in,” Deckard said.
“Why not?”
“We’re in Wauld now. We have to move with caution.”
Rafferty frowned. “I thought that was why we weren’t allowed fires.”
“It’s also why we need to take care in the settlements,” Auden said. “We should only take a small party.”
“So why can’t I be part of that small party?” Rafferty demanded.
“You don’t know Waulden customs, nor do you appear or sound Waulden. You wouldn’t know how to interact, and you’d be bound to make us suspicious.”
While Rafferty opened his mouth to counter, Deckard stepped in. “It’ll just be me and Auden going.”
Auden nodded approvingly.
Evylin smirked at Deckard, sharpening the blade of her boot knife. “I think you’re forgetting something,” she said.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“You’re not Waulden either,” she reminded. “You don’t know the customs, nor do you sound like them.”
From her seat against a tree, Ilain waved her hand through the air. Her whole demeanor was far less vibrant than usual, dark circles tracing her eyes. “That’s hardly a problem,” she objected. “We’ll teach him both the customs and the accent.”
Deckard’s brow furrowed. “Why do I need to learn the accent?”
“Ephrians are not common in Wauld,” Auden explained. “Which means sightings of them are memorable. The guards at the gate are sure to remember us. The best way to ensure that we aren’t remembered in the town is to make ourselves as unremarkable as possible.”
“And that,” Ilain added, “can only happen if you speak like all the rest of Wauld.”
Deckard frowned but motioned toward the siblings. “Go on, then,” he said in resignation. “How do I speak like a Wauldener?”
Seeing the decision made, Thom turned to Ethenn. “We’re out of rations after tonight,” he said. “Should we hunt?”
“I doubt we’ll find much,” Ethenn replied. “But it couldn’t hurt to get a better feel for the wildlife in these forests.”
“Raff,” Thom turned to his friend, “care to join?”
“Nighttime hunting?” Rafferty returned. “No, I’d prefer to hear the colonel fumble his way through the Waulden accent over getting shot in the ass by an arrow, thanks.”
Deckard sent the man a long-suffering frown as Thom chuckled. “Evie?” he then offered.
“I’ve had enough traipsing through the trees for one day,” Evylin replied, perched next to Ilain on the roots of a massive elm.
With a shrug, the two men moved to the edge of the camp. Ethenn already had his bow ready despite his doubts about their success. The thick foliage folded around them, and droplets of water flung through the air as they passed into the darkness.
“Speaking of rations,” Rafferty said, stepping back toward the packs. “I’m starving.”
“Don’t take more than your fair share,” Evylin called.
His silver eyes sparkled mischievously. “Would I do a thing like that?” he asked, then sauntered closer to the packs where the rations waited.
Evylin rolled her eyes with a sigh. “I’d better go watch him.”
As she began to rise, Ilain caught her elbow. “Wait.” She fumbled with her collar. “Take this to him while you’re at it, would you?”