Chapter 14
After the completely impulsive decision I made in the middle of the library, I make haste to my room, throwing on black riding pants, a black fitted top, and setting a black cloak in my bag to keep me warm through the journey.
I’ll go to sleep in this attire tonight.
That way I can wake up before breakfast ready to go.
Sleep takes far too long to find me. I toss and turn, trying to quiet everything in my mind, but it won’t stop racing, thinking of the possibilities.
I nod off for a little while, then wake on my own, knowing it’s long before breakfast bell.
And, of course, I can’t fall back asleep.
I pace my room, nerves overtaking me, as I make certain I have everything I need.
Finally, when I think the sky has turned from onyx to gray, I grab my satchel and rush to the stables outside with a fire orb in hand.
There are a few people heading to breakfast already that give me a curious glance, but I pay them no mind.
There’s a frigid bite in the air as I exit the castle and make my way down to the stables. It’s supposed to be wintertime soon, based on the calendars, but it’s not quite arrived yet. Thankfully.
“Harleigh. Hey girl,” I say in a calming voice to my onyx horse. I haven’t visited her nearly as much as I should these last few years, and I think she’s a little bitter about that.
“We’re going on a journey to Wraithmere Forest.”
Harleigh whinnies and snuffs, clearly displeased.
I don’t know how she knows. We’ve never visited the allegedly haunted place.
Legend has it that the dense forest is crawling with wraiths created by the witch to do her bidding.
As children, we loved swapping scary stories about the dark woods that aren’t at all far from Ellyar, though we all knew most of them were false.
I quickly prepare her for the long ride, then hop on and make my way out of the stables.
If I don’t take too long in the forest, or get killed, I should make it back by night.
You don’t want to find yourself outside the town or castle walls after nightfall.
It’s a different level of darkness, and not even a fire orb will help you.
Mysterious, vicious beasts roam the night.
I take the main exit, as to not look too suspicious, and inform the guards I’m heading into town to do some shopping. They don’t question it. When I hit the warn, open dirt trail at last, I feel free.
Once the castle becomes a speck in the distance, we pick up the pace.
I ride for a while before I stop for a break, finding a small tavern on the side of the road meant for travelers.
The Ellyar Inn. It’s surrounded by tall stone walls on all sides, making it look more formidable than it actually is.
I’ve been here in the past with Father, when he used to take me with him on political visits.
They make a hazeberry pie that people risk traveling the continent for.
I don’t have time for that today, though.
I packed snacks in my pack, and I can eat on the ride. No time for unnecessary stops.
All I need is a proper place to relieve myself.
No one recognizes me when I enter. There are a few patrons having a late breakfast, but no one gives me a second glance.
I approach the innkeeper and inquire about my needs, and he points me in the right direction.
Five minutes later, I exit the place, promising the innkeeper I’ll stop in on my journey back for a slice of pie.
Not long after the curse was cast, trade became extremely difficult for a time.
Travelers started going missing in the night, their carriages never to be seen again.
People whispered about mysterious beasts born of the curse and the darkness, but most people didn’t survive the night to tell tales the next day.
That’s when King Oshenor, who still ruled over the elves for many years after the war, put the inn system in place.
There had already been established dirt roads between all the regions from years of trading goods and traveling between lands, but they realized that even though our continent is small, there was too much distance between most regions to make the journey in a day.
So they calculated the maximum distances you could make in a day along all the trade routes and placed inns there that would offer travelers safety and solace for the night.
Each inn was fortified with tall stone walls, different from the ice walls of Ellyar.
Trading was more important back then. These days, we rely less on other regions.
A lot of goods are sourced straight from Ellyar, but there are some things you simply cannot get from our land.
When I approach Harleigh, I notice two more horses that weren’t there before, but I don’t see the riders. My stomach drops. Something doesn’t feel right.
“Where ya headed?” Daegan emerges from around the corner, arms crossed, his expression neutral.
“Are you kidding me?” I say, exasperated. In shock that he followed me this far.
Raef emerges from behind him, a wide grin on his face. “You should be glad to see us, princess,” Raef says. “Wraithmere? Seriously? By yourself?” He looks like he’s about to scold me like I’m a child, even though the corner of his lip betrays his act, telling me he’s rather amused by the idea.
I throw my arms in the air, tilt my head back dramatically, then let them drop to my sides as they both stand there watching me. I brush past them and untie Harleigh, then mount her.
“Elysande, stop,” Raef says, but I ignore him.
“Bye, fellas,” I call back to them as I take off. I don’t have time for this.
As I half-expected, they ride up behind me on their horses a few moments later.
Part of me didn’t know if they’d give up and just turn around, not caring what happened to me.
But that would be ridiculous. They came all this way already.
Did they even plan to talk me out of it, or are they just too curious, dying to know what a princess could possibly be up to all by herself in a haunted forest. Another part of me is secretly grateful to have company, and to not have to enter those woods alone…
assuming they plan to follow me all the way there.
“Elysande, slow down for a minute.” This time, it comes from Daegan. I look back at him in surprise.
I give in, slowing Harleigh down. Releasing an exaggerated sigh, I glance between the two of them, Daegan on my left, Raef on my right.
“So, you’re coming with me then?” My gaze remains to the right.
“It would be lovely if we knew why we were following you into certain death,” Raef chortles.
“Certain death? Don’t be so dramatic. There’s a witch who is a seer. People have gone to her seeking answers in the past and came out unscathed. I just have a few questions for her.”
“Have you ever been there?” Raef asks.
“No.”
“Then how do you know there aren’t other dangerous, violent things in that forest? There’s a reason not many people go there. Even we’ve heard tales of the forest all the way down south.”
He raises his eyebrows at me. He thinks I’m being a fool.
He’s right.
But it’s for a good reason.
“Did you even bring a weapon to defend yourself with?” Daegan asks. “Not that you’d know how to use it,” he adds under his breath.
I whip my head to the left, where he rides alongside me on a brown horse.
“Yes, I did. If you must know. I also have water magic, I’ll remind you.” He doesn’t need to know that I’ve never trained for battle with it. I squint my eyes at him. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
He shifts his gaze forward and my eyes catch on the angle of his jaw. “Fine. Keep your secrets.”
My gaze lingers on him for a few moments as he looks ahead.
It’s actually annoying that he’s so… good-looking.
He sits tall on his horse. Proud. His wavy light brown hair catches the wind just right, but he also looks…
tired for someone only a couple of years older than me.
Not that it takes away from his attractiveness at all.
If anything, it somehow makes him even more attractive.
Rugged. Like he’s been through more than I could ever imagine.
Not that I’m pitying the person who threatened me with a knife to my throat the first time we met.
Suddenly, he turns his head and our gazes lock.
Neither of us look away for a moment. It’s like he’s trying to beat me in some sort of game that I have no interest in playing, so I relent, narrowing my eyes just to give him one last scowl, then I face forward and pick up the speed.
I assume they’ll follow. We don’t have time to take a leisurely jaunt all morning.
Now that we’re moving faster and they’re in line behind me, we ride in silence, only the smacking of the horses’ hooves is heard on the long, dirt road.
It gives me time to think about what I’m going to tell them once we get there.
I either take a big risk and reveal my entire plan, hoping they’ll join me on my quest, or I try to find some way to talk to the witch without them, keeping them in the dark.
I have a feeling they’re not going to make the second option easy for me.
I’ll have to improvise.
Eventually we slow for a bit, giving the horses some rest, with Daegan and Raef falling side-by-side behind me.
I hear them muttering quietly between each other and I try my best to pick up on what they’re saying but it’s hopeless.
I continue to ride in silence, looking ahead into the dusky gray world.
A smooth, deep laugh makes me whip my head back, because I know immediately it didn’t come from Raef. It came from Daegan. But by the time I catch his face, his expression has fallen again.
“Did you actually laugh?” I ask with mock surprise.
“Raef needs an ego boost now and then. I have to make him think he’s funny sometimes,” Daegan replies reluctantly.
“Most of the time,” Raef corrects him.