“Gather your things, we leave now,” Wren said with a sigh.
The group slung their packs over their shoulders and waited. Wren looked at his sister and it took her a few moments to notice his gaze. Once she did, she looked up and found everyone waiting on her.
“We shall move fast,” she said with a frown. “I am certain they will send horses after us soon and we must reach the edge of Rythilion Forest before they do.” She turned and set out at a slow run.
The way forward was not an easy path. She was leading them through the tall grasses to keep them hidden from the road. As they traveled, she glanced up at the sky, using the stars and large moon to keep them on the right path. It was not long before she glanced back and noticed that Sara and Paige were already struggling to keep up. She stopped with a heavy sigh and walked back to them. She took the girl’s packs and slung Sara’s over her back. Handing Paige’s to Raven, he took it and put it over his shoulder before she moved away from him.
“Can you carry her and keep up?” Rin asked Jake as she took everything he was carrying. She handed Kaedin the pack and medical bag while Hikaru took his weapon.
Jake glanced over at Sara before he looked back at Rin. “On flat terrain, yes, but I don’t know on hills.”
“Let her run as long as she is able then carry her,” Rin said after she studied him for a moment. “We cannot slow down. If you tire too much my brother or Jaeha can assist in carrying her.”
Jake nodded as he reached over and took hold of Sara’s hand. Rin motioned them all forward again and they began jogging. They ran for almost an hour before Rin raised her hand and they all stopped. She dropped to a knee and they all followed suit. Jake exhaled hard when he let Sara off his back. He had carried her for the last half an hour. She gave him an apologetic look. He just shrugged and pulled her down beside him.
“Do you require a break?” Wren asked. “We have covered many miles.”
Jake frowned when he glanced at Sara. “Yeah, that probably would be a good idea since I don’t know how far we have to go.”
“I shall take her this leg,” Wren whispered. “Sh--.” He stopped talking when Rin raised her hand into the air again. With her right hand, she signed the number three twice, a sideways two, then her thumb and pinky, and a quick point to the left.
“What does that mean?” Jake asked in a whisper.
Wren leaned over so that he was closer. “The first three were numbers. Ten, ten, and five. The fourth was the troop type, cavalry. The last was the direction they are in.” When Jake did not appear surprised, Wren tilted his head. He found the reactions of Jake intriguing since the humans of Asaetara were so different and far less intelligent.
“Why does she take point?”
Wren’s eyebrow shot up at the question and he gave Jake a long hard look before he replied. “This is what she does, the riders act as scouts for my ground troops. She is quite good and has always been able to hear much farther than I can.”
Jake nodded before they both fell silent. Several minutes passed before Jake could hear the cavalry Rin said was there. They waited until the sound of hooves faded into the distance before she stood up and they started running again.
More than an hour passed before she held up her hand to stop them. Wren set Sara down as soon as he stopped.
“I apologize if I was rough with you at all,” he whispered.
She shook her head no, that he had not been rough, and went back over to Jake. He grabbed her hand as soon as she was within reach.
Rin held up one finger and slipped into the grass. Jake watched her go but made no move to follow her. He figured she must want them to stay put since no one else moved. A few minutes passed before Rin reappeared. Her expression was grave as she maneuvered over to Wren without a sound. She glanced at Jake before looking back at her brother.
“The bridge up ahead is swarming with cavalry and city guards,” she whispered. “We could go further upstream, but it will force us to swim across. It shall also add travel time.”
Wren shook his head with a quiet sigh. He had anticipated this would happen but hoped their head start would have prevented it.
“Upstream is our only option. We cannot be caught.” As soon as her brother made his decision, Rin turned and slipped back to the front of the group. She motioned everyone to follow her again and they moved forward at a slower pace. With so many troops nearby, they had to go slower to avoid detection.
Paige could not keep from sighing when they were only walking. She was starting to have trouble keeping up and did not want to have to be carried like Sara. Raven reached back and took hold of her hand. He pulled her with him as he kept pace with Rin.
Rin led them through the grass for what felt like an eternity to Sara before she stopped. Rin held up one finger again before she slipped forward. When she returned moments later, she motioned for them to gather around her.
“I see no one,” she said. “We shall go in two small groups. Jake, Sara, Kaedin, and I will be one group. Raven, Hikaru, Jaeha, Wren, and Paige will be the other.” She glanced at Jake and when he nodded, she led them out of the grass and to the edge of the river.
Sara’s eyes widened with fear when she saw the water rushing past. The river was swollen from its usual banks due to recent rains and was now nearly a quarter of a mile across. Sara started shaking her head, there was no way she could swim that far.
“Cross here,” Rin said pointing to a point in the river where it was the narrowest. She started into the river and the others trailed behind. They trudged through the deepening water almost a quarter of the way across before it was over all of their heads. Sara did the best she could to keep up with Jake as he swam beside her, but the currents were quite strong. He stayed on the downstream side, so she could not get washed away from him. They were nearing the halfway point when he noticed she was floundering. He wrapped an arm around her, just under the arms, and started pulling her with him.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“It’s fine,” he said between heavy breaths. The exertion of pulling them both across the rushing river left him a little winded. When they were almost across, he glanced over at Rin and Kaedin and almost stopped swimming. His surprise was clear on his face when he saw Kaedin was pulling Rin with him.
“You can’t swim?” Jake asked.
She gave him a dirty look, “Hush.” It was obvious that she was bothered by the fact she had never been able to learn to swim.
Jake did his best to swallow his chuckle as he finished crossing the river. Once they reached the far shore and climbed out, Rin blew a quiet, low whistle. When the other group made their way out of the grass and began their trip across the river Rin looked back at Kaedin.
“Please take Jake and Sara into the grass and wait for me,” she said, pointing at the tall grass about fifteen feet away from the river. Kaedin raised an eyebrow and she could see he was not pleased, but he did as she requested. Once they were out of sight, she turned her attention back to the river. The other group was over halfway across, and everything was going smoothly until Rin’s head snapped up. She waved her hand and motioned that horses were coming. Wren, Jaeha, Raven, Paige, and Hikaru picked up the pace and climbed out of the river. They hurried into the tall grass. Rin was still on the edge of the grass trying to cover their entry point when several horses came into view. She dropped to the ground where she stood and did not move. Being just inside the grass, anyone who stopped too close would be able to see her.
The elves slowed their horses as they approached her hiding spot. The one in front looked around for a minutes before he stopped his horse.
“Why are we out this far?” He complained to one of the other elves. “No one would attempt to cross this far upstream.”
“Our orders were to check,” the second elf replied. “Everyone search this area so that we may head back.”
While the elves dismounted, Rin glanced up at the sky when the light around them dimmed. The moon was covered by
a thick cloud. Rin looked back at the elves before she tried to ease deeper into the grass. She only moved a little when she froze as a sword tip slid past her ear and pressed into the side of her throat. Without moving she glanced up at the guard out of the corner of her eye. The cloud covering the moon shifted allowing the light to illuminate her face. When the guard got a good look at her, his eyes widened, and the sword dropped.
“Did you find something?” The elf in charge called to him. The guard stepped to the side so that Rin was blocked from view.
“No sir,” he replied. “I thought I did but it was just an animal.”
The captain remounted his horse, “I do not see anything. Let us head back to the bridge.”
The guard beside Rin did not move to get back on his horse. “Sir, I…uh… need a moment for uh…. some relief.” His face flushed a brilliant red when he could not come up with a better excuse.
“All right,” the captain said with a laugh. “Be quick and catch up to us.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard watched as the other elves rode off. Once they were out of sight, he sheathed his sword and turned to face Rin. “My apologies, my lady, I could not tell it was you until the light of the moon returned.” He waited for Rin to stand before he continued. “They know you make for Caradthrad. All roads are being watched, as well as Lyrin and Laethys. Though if I am correct, Lord Wren’s troops and your riders are in Lyrin. This may provide you with some support.” He paused and glanced back over his shoulder. “Please go, my lady, I shall see to covering your tracks.”
Rin reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for your assistance and be certain that you are cautious. I do not wish for you to be harmed for helping me.”
He bowed his head and put his fist against his chest. She squeezed his shoulder before she let go and slipped into the grass. When she found the rest waiting on her, she motioned them all to follow her. She pushed them harder over the next several hours as they continued to run across the plains. They needed to get to the cover of the forest before the sun rose. By the time they reached the outskirts of the woods and Rin allowed them to stop, everyone was showing signs of fatigue. Wren and Kaedin were both breathing heavy when they dropped the extra packs on the ground. They had taken them when the others were struggling to keep up. Jaeha sighed when he set Paige back on the ground. She was unable to keep up and he was forced to carry her for the last hour.
Jake let Sara down, but he did not sit down with the rest right away. He paced for several minutes while he caught his breath and allowed his heart rate to come back down. He was not sure he could have gone much farther without a break.
“From here we shall travel slower,” Rin said looking back at the group. “Rest for a little bit then we must keep moving.” She paused and glanced at Raven. “Give them some of the water and I shall return in a few minutes.” Once he nodded, she slipped into the underbrush.
When Rin was gone, Jake sat down and laid back on the ground. Sara sat down next to him and gripped his hand.
“Are you okay?” she asked. He only nodded as he covered his face with his other arm, and it was only a matter of moments before he was sound asleep. Sara watched him sleep for a little while before she reached over and brushed some dirt off his elbow. Her expression fell with a sigh, she felt terrible he had to carry her.
A snapping of a twig caused her to look up and see Rin was back. She was carrying a large cloth full of berries and was handing them out to everyone in small squares of cloth. When she reached Sara, she gave her two of them.
“He will need to be awake soon,” Rin said with a frown when she saw Jake was asleep. She did not wait for a response before she moved past them to continue passing out the berries.
Sara opened one of the clothes and stared at the berries. They looked similar to raspberries, but they were a bright yellow color instead of red. She hesitated before picking one up and putting it in her mouth. As soon as she bit into it her eyes widened in surprise. They were very sweet and tasted almost like a candied apple. With a small smile, she ate several more before she dumped the rest of hers into the cloth for Jake. She figured he needed them more than she did. After waiting as long as she could, she was gentle when she shook him awake.
“Already?” He asked with a quiet groan.
“There are some berries Rin gathered,” Sara said, her voice quiet. “You should eat before we have to move again.”
Jake sat up with a large yawn and took the cloth from her. He opened it and tilted his head before he tried one. “Not bad,” he said as he glanced back at her. “Did you eat?”
Sara nodded and showed him her empty cloth. He again tilted his head but did not say anything further. They sat in silence while he munched on the berries until Rin motioned for them all to get up. He put the last two into his mouth before he got up and held his hand out for Sara. She took hold of it and he pulled her to her feet. A shy smile crossed her face before they both picked up their packs.
Once everyone had their own gear back, Rin set out at a brisk walk. It was still fast but much slower than she was pushing them before. She led them without any hesitation deeper into the forest. As they continued on the mountains in front of them got larger. They traveled for several more hours before Paige and Sara were both exhausted. Raven was holding Paige’s hand and helped her along. Sara was almost asleep on her feet as she stumbled along. She tripped over a rock in the dark and pitched forward. Jake caught her in time to keep her from falling.
“How much farther?” Jake asked with a frown. “The girls can’t keep going without some rest.”
Rin frowned and glanced up at the sky. The first hints of dawn could be seen in the lightening of the sky.
“A couple more miles,” she replied. “There is not much time left before sunrise and we are too close to the road to remain in the open.” She paused and looked at her brother. “A rider safe place is just to the south in the Prydaer Mountains. We should make for it if we plan to rest for more than an hour or two.”
“I don’t think they will make another mile or two,” Jake said, irritation slipping into his voice. He was also exhausted, and it was beginning to show.
“We must make it to a protected place,” Wren said, and Jake looked over at him. “If we must carry them then that is what we shall do. Rin would not push so hard without a reason.”
Jake sighed, “I know.” He slipped the pack off his back, and Rin took it from him. His eyebrow raised but he did not say anything while he got Sara on his back. By the time he was ready to go, Rin had four extra packs over her own shoulder and Paige was on Raven’s back. Without another word, Rin picked up the pace and they covered the last four miles much quicker. When they reached a spot along the bottom of a steep cliff covered by a thicket she stopped and dropped the packs. She pushed her way through the thicket to reveal a small cave concealed behind it.
“Jhyōta,” she said, and a small flame appeared in her hand. After checking to be certain that the cave was secure, she came back out and allowed them all to enter. The cave was nothing more than a large hole into the side of the cliff. It was just barely big enough for all of them to fit. In the far back corner, there was a small cache of supplies. There was dried meats, blankets, and canteens.
Once they were inside everyone laid out their blankets and got as comfortable as possible on the cold stone floor. Jake, Paige, Sara, and Raven were clumped together at the back of the cave. They were asleep as soon as they laid their heads down. Rin took the spot beside the cave entrance and Kaedin sat down right next to her. When she noticed that everyone was laying down, she put out the flame in her hand.
“How often have you used this cave?” Wren asked with a yawn from where he laid down on the opposite side of the entrance.
A slight smile crossed her face, “More times than I would like to count.”
“Does anyone other than riders know of its location?”
“No,” Rin said as her smile slipped. “We are the only ones w
ho use it and we keep our safe places secret.”
Wren chuckled at her tone as he rolled over with another large yawn. He was asleep a few minutes later. Rin watched everyone around her sleep for a while and by the time she laid down the sun was peeking over the tops of the mountains.
A few short hours later, Rin jerked awake and sat straight up with a gasp. She was almost panting and soaked in sweat. It took her several moments to collect herself enough that she remembered Kaedin. She looked down at him and was relieved to see he was still asleep. Her entire body started to tremble as she drew her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.
“Rin?” Her head snapped up when she heard Sara’s whispered voice. She stared at her for a moment before wiping her face off with her hands.
“Should you not be sleeping?” Rin asked with a frown.
Sara fidgeted with her sleeve before she moved closer and sat down on the edge of Rin’s blanket.
“I can’t sleep,” she said. “You’re having nightmares.”
Rin’s eyebrow shot up before she dropped her head onto her fingertips. “You have not seen the memories before now?”
“No, this is the first time.”
“It must be because we are in such close proximity,” Rin said with another frown. “I cannot control my magic while I sleep.”
Sara pulled on her shirt sleeve, “Have you had them for long?”
Rin lifted her head and gave her a look of disapproval before she sighed. “They began when I woke in your world.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Sara asked, her genuine concern visible. “They’re…” She trailed off when she was not sure how to bring up the subjects of the nightmares.
“No, I do not.” Rin’s answer was sharp. “I apologize for waking you. Return to your bedroll and sleep, I shall remain awake.”
“Don’t you need to sleep too?”
“You need it much more than I,” Rin said as she pointed at Sara’s blanket.
Sara hesitated before she got up with a sigh. She could not help but wonder if what Rin said was true. If the nightmares began before they left she was the one in need of a good night’s sleep. With another sigh, she climbed back under her blanket. There was no point arguing with her, she knew Rin would not budge. Sara closed her eyes and was asleep again within minutes.
Whispers of Time Page 31
