Trek Back

When I woke, the sun was already high overhead. Thin shafts of light filtered through the canopy of branches, the leaves swaying gently whenever the wind stirred above. Dust motes drifted lazily through the beams, and the forest was so still that for a fleeting moment, I failed to remember where I was.

But it didn’t take long for yesterday’s nightmare to come rushing back to me.

My hand shot instinctively toward my chest. The bandages were still there, rough against my fingertips, wrapped tightly around my arms and torso. I braced myself for the familiar stab of pain as I pushed upright.

It never came.

I frowned. Slowly, I rolled my shoulders. I flexed my fingers, closing and opening my fist. Last night, even breathing felt like dragging broken glass shards through my lungs. But now, the pain had diminished drastically, to just a faint level of soreness.

I couldn’t fathom it. Did the old man administer an elixir on me while I was out? If so, this was unlike any other concoction I’d ever consumed, and would put any local apothecary to shame. Or was it the Gift? Though I had never heard of any restorative effect being mentioned surrounding the Gift.

Whatever it was made me just as bewildered as I was grateful.

I exhaled slowly as I scanned the campsite. The fire had long since been put out, leaving only a bed of gray ash behind. The old man was nowhere to be found.

A strange unease settled over me as I assumed the worst. Had he left for good? For someone who I had only spent a sole night with, the campsite felt unexpectedly lonely without him.

I then noticed a platter near where the old man previously sat. Resting atop a flat stone was a covered wooden plate, under which was piled with fruit, roasted meat, and a handful of nuts. Beside it sat a folded scrap of parchment, held in place by a smooth river stone. I unfurled the page.

Circumstances forced me to leave. I’ll be back shortly to explain. Meantime, there’s food. Stay put.

– Kaeric

A small smile tugged on the corner of my mouth. This man had saved my life, yet we hadn’t got the chance to exchange names. I tucked the note back under the stone with care.

I settled near the cold firepit and my stomach howled, hunger seizing the reins of control. The first few bites surprised me. The meat was still warm enough to melt apart beneath my teeth, seasoned with herbs I couldn’t name. The fruit was of perfect ripeness, and the nuts carried a faint smoky flavor. My stomach demanded more, and I obeyed, devouring each bite in ruthless succession.

Halfway through the meal, I slowed.

Mother would have scolded me for eating like a starving wolf.

Chew slowly and completely, she’d say, sliding another portion onto my plate anyway. And chew with your mouth shut!

My chest tightened into a deep knot.

I needed to go back to Alder Village.

I had already made the decision last night, even with Kaeric’s warning ringing in my ear. Maybe he would return in an hour and suggest a better plan. But I highly doubted it. He’d certainly tell me what he’d already said–that walking back to Alder was plain suicide, with the supposed state of the Gift within me. But if Mother was alive, then I needed to be there for her. And if she wasn’t… I couldn’t live with myself unless I saw with my own two eyes.

I stopped short of completing the meal and wrapped the rest in a square cloth for the journey ahead. I found a pen Kaeric had left beside his pack, and flipped to the back side of his note.

Thanks for the meal. I’m sorry, but I must head back to Alder.

- Callum

As I returned the pen, a short, thin knife caught my eye, tucked into the corner of the pack. I hesitated, my hand hovering over it. Then I took it. Better to be prepared than not.

And then, I made haste.

***

By the time I exited the forest, the blue sky had begun to disappear beneath the gathering of gray clouds. A cool breeze swept across the grasslands, carrying with it the scent of rain.

At first, I feared that my quest would end before it could even begin. In my life, I had only travelled outside my village on a few occasions, and only to nearby towns. Not anywhere close to the wilderness that Kaeric had taken us.

There was a thin parchment map that Father and I used to hunch over as a kid, back when he would eagerly share the lay of the land with me. I recalled two forested regions marked on the map near my homestead: one to the northeast, and the other to the southwest.

Kaeric claimed to be a royal agent of the Crown. If that was true, he’d almost certainly intended to travel back to the capital Valerian, which was several hundreds of miles north of my village. This meant I had been taken somewhere within the northeastern woodlands.

Well, unless he’d inexplicably dragged my unconscious body past Alder and into the southern wilderness. In which case, I could be stuck wandering for hours, if not days. I tried my best not to think of that grim scenario. I calculated west based on the sun’s position and took a gamble.

Within an hour, relief washed over my face as I emerged out into a grassy plain with a road in sight. Better yet, I recognized the landscape immediately, as I had just taken a carriage through that road a few months prior.

The path was en route to Ravenfall.

I had completely forgotten about Angeline, who I had been set to marry in two days. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. It felt like a lifetime ago, when worrying about marriage preparations felt like the biggest problem of my life.

Unless news of Alder’s demise had already spread, she and her family would spend days wondering why the groom and his family had failed to arrive. They’d probably assume I got cold feet and ran away.

Then a grave thought arose within me.

The Golden Lotus may not stop just with Alder.

Ravenfall was much larger than my village, protected by guards and proper stone walls. But that did little to ease the worry growing in my stomach.

I picked up the pace.

One problem at a time.

I trudged for hours and hours. Rain was now pounding in ruthless assault, the wind howling with such violence that it determined to tear me from the road. I held my ground, step by grueling step, the toe-post on my sandal having rubbed raw on my skin, leaving a stinging throb. I shifted my gait constantly, rolling my weight on one side, then to the other, in a futile attempt to dull the pain.

But all of it was secondary to what was going on in my mind. Did Mother escape the inferno? Was she hurt? Had she watched as Isabelle was taken? Had she assumed the worst for Father and I, who hadn’t returned? Was she alone, or with company from any other survivors? Thoughts of this nature looped endlessly, occupying my time.

It must’ve been around six or seven o’clock when I caught my first glimpse of it.

Alder.

I broke into a run, my legs moving before I told them to.

I was almost there.