Six months! We've been on the run for six months. I thought the night we escaped the capital was the last time I would see a soldier in a while, but I had been terribly wrong.
After we reunited with Kaida at the border, we made camp and rested for the night, we then proceeded to ride for two days in order to put some distance between us and the capital should they come looking for us.
On the third day, we encountered a dozen sentries whom we handled quite easily. The perks of having two witches in the group. We couldn't stay in Sundara, it would be pretty obvious that that's where we'd stay because it was Acrisius' city, Temeria had been taken weeks after our escape to ensure we had nowhere to run, much to his dismay. I also tried to get us to the Ashwood residence, but it seemed as though we encountered sentries at every corner of the kingdom.
We stayed wherever we could, abandoned houses and inns, that's until soldiers came looking for us and we'd have to leave. I had to give it to them their tracking skills were impeccable, but then again they were Herbert's men, not my brother's.
The hut that stood alone in the midst of the dense woods was the longest place we'd stayed in a single location in the six months we've been on the run. Its wooden beams weathered to a soft, silvery gray, the thatched roof was patchy in places, with springs of greenery pushing through the gaps. A narrow path, overgrown with weeds and ferns, led to the hut's entrance, a simple wooden door creaked softly as it swung open, revealing the interior.
Inside, the hut was functional, the single room was dimly lit, with only a small window on one wall to admit a silver of sunlight. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows on the walls.
Against one wall stood a rough-hewn wooden table, scarred and scratched from years of use. A pair of stools sat beneath it, their legs uneven on the earthen floor. A small, blackened kettle hung from a hook over the fire, and a cauldron sat on a nearby trivet, emitting a savory aroma. Alice had been busy.
Shelves made of rough planks lined one wall, holding a few basic provisions we stole from a supply cart heading for the capital.
In the corner, a narrow pallet bed was tucked away, covered with a worn woolen blanket. A small, leather-bound book lay on the bed, a spellbook that Kaida gifted me, from Eleanora's archive.
The air inside the hut was thick with the scent of smoke, cooking and damp earth. Despite its simplicity, the hut felt cozy, a warm and welcoming refuge.
Alice came in abruptly, but stopped in her tracks "Forgive me, my lady I did not know you had returned" I smiled "It's alright Alice, I see you've been busy, I take it we'll have a feast tonight" she smiled and nodded.
I unfastened my cloak and threw it on the bed and went to the back of the hut where a large copper tub was, I stretched my hand towards it, made a gentle sweeping motion and muttered "Aguamenti, tenuis mea." Cool and clear water began filling up the tub and stopped when it was close to the brim. I removed my clothing and stepped into the tub, I eased into the water, letting the cold seep into my muscles, letting it relax me after training with sword and magic the whole day.
I didn't hear the footsteps until he was right in front of me, Drazhan. He'd cut his waist long hair and it was now chin length, his muscled skin held bore the scars of all the cuts he'd received when he fought off Herbert's sentries.
He silently removed his clothes and stepped into the tub wincing at the coldness, I chuckled "You don't like?"
"Could be warmer" he responded. I swirled my fingers along the water, and it slowly began to heat, I stopped when it was comfortable for me "Better?" I asked, he nodded and smiled "Much"
"Did you find anything today?" I asked, he shook his head "No"
Since our arrival, tasks had been assigned to us, and not by me, but by Amenadiel. Acrisius would go hunting, Drazhan would go scouting, and he would remain to protect the area. I think he remained not for me, but for Alice. Their romance had bloomed these last months.
Speaking of romance, Ace had taken a liking to Kaida, who dismisses him at every turn, stating that he's only attracted to her because she's the only female that's not taken, though he claims otherwise.
The hut itself was small, so only I slept here, the rest had set up tents and slept in twos. Alice and Kaida slept in one, Acrisius and Drazhan slept in the other, and Amenadiel insisted he's better off alone if he's not sharing a tent with Alice.
We spent an hour in the tub, partly because I enjoyed the warm water and partly because Drazhan and I had sex. When we returned, the rest had set up a campfire and sat round it, with a plate of porridge in their hands.
I took a seat beside Kaida, her dark hair grew longer, and her face no longer possessed that glow it once did, neither did mine really, I guess that's what happens when you're on the run for six months and have nowhere comfortable to sleep.
Alice handed me a plate and I ate, savoring the delicious taste "Won't the smoke give away our location?" I asked Kaida, she only shook her head "There's a spell preventing the smoke from going up" I thanked her and ate silently, we all did.
Since our escape from the capital, life hasn't been all roses and smiles for everyone, at least not for me. Ace was still upset that his ancestral home had been taken by a foreigner, apparently it was a common knight that held Temeria and served as viceroy. It upset me too because that's where I grew up and had most of my childhood memories, I promised him we would take it back, however long that took.
Alice grew weaker because her body couldn't handle all the sudden moving and running and riding, she begged us at some point to leave her behind, saying she'd only slow us down. It took Amenadiel's intervention for her to continue with us.
Kaida and Drazhan had no problem, as long as they stayed by my side, they'd go anywhere, their words not mine.
Drazhan rode into the woods to secure the area when nightfall came as usual, to secure the area while we slept, and upon his return, Acrisius took first watch for about three hours, then Amenadiel would follow, then Draz.
I stepped outside my hut when everyone had retired for the night, half an hour into Acrisius' first watch. He stood beside a large tree, and played with his dagger, throwing it in the air and catching it, "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked, then spared me a glance and sheathed his dagger "Can't, I haven't been sleeping very well lately"
I kept thinking of Cynthia and how I failed her, and it became worse when news reached us at an inn where we stayed the night that Ramiel and Melissa had been married, and the coronation happened immediately after. Rage like no other coursed through me and I had to leave the premises to unleash my power that threatened to be set free.
"Make that two of us" he replied.
Ace doesn't really blame me for Temeria, though his growing distance said otherwise. He's only worried for his home, his people and what they must have done to them. "You're thinking about Temeria aren't you?" he frowned "How couldn't I? For six months we've been on the run, and we've heard no word, none"
"And I promised you we'd take it back didn't I?"
His scowl deepened "When? I can't stay here knowing that my home is under the grasp of invaders"
"It's my home too!" I snapped "more than the capital ever was, and when I say we'll take it back, I mean it"
Whatever he was about to say was swallowed up when the crunching of leaves caught our attention, then the sound of hooves came next, torches were seen in the distance, multiple torches, we were discovered.
"Wake the others," I commanded "We're under attack"