“Do not move,” Rin said as she reached up with one hand to catch hold of the bridge. Once she got hold of it, she released Sara’s legs and pulled herself back up. She sat on the walkway for a minute before getting to her feet.
“Can you reach her?” She asked, her voice irritated, as she glanced at Jake who was watching them from the platform. His face was drawn with worry.
“I’ll try,” he replied without a moment of hesitation. He laid down on the platform and slid partway onto the walkway. He reached his right hand out to Sara. “Reach for me.” His eyes did not leave Sara when she let go with one hand and reached out for him. Their fingertips brushed but Jake could not get a grip on her. He eased out a little bit further until he could grab her hand and pulled her toward him. Rin crouched on the walkway when it started to wobble.
Jake had to stop twice while he pulled Sara across the bridge so that he could slide himself backward off the walkway, but he never let go of her hand. After what felt like an eternity to Sara, Jake had her off the bridge and safely on the platform. She gave him an apologetic frown before she glanced toward Rin. Now that the way was no longer blocked, Rin walked off without a word.
When everyone was across, they started setting up their blankets so that they could sleep on the square twenty-foot sized platform. There were no walls but there was a roof built of tree branches. It blended in and appeared like a natural part of the tree. Rin had Jake and the girls put their blankets closest to the trunk of the tree. She did not want them falling off in their sleep.
Once everyone was settled, Rin made her way to the edge of the platform. She sat down and let her feet hang off the edge. She had her eyes closed listening to the sounds of the forest when Wren walked up and sat down beside her. They just sat in silence for a while before Wren spoke.
“What do you think?” he asked. “How do you think we should proceed from here? I cannot think of a route that does not run the risk of confrontation.”
Rin opened her eyes and looked up at her brother. She hesitated, “I do not believe you shall approve but I know of a hidden way into Caradthrad.”
“I have never heard of there being a hidden way into the city,” he said with a frown. His brows rose as suspicion clouded his face.
“That is because you have never used it,” she said with a grin. “Did you not ever wonder how Ronin and I always escaped from you? You would attempt to keep us in the city when we would visit and yet we got out no matter what you did.”
He gave his sister a long look of disapproval before he sighed, “I suppose this should not surprise me. The two of you were always inventive and clever.”
“I believe this is our best and only option if we wish to make it undetected,” Rin said before her voice became serious. “I only worry about the condition of the path. It has been many years since anyone has used it and there are a few treacherous spots.” She paused and when Wren only nodded, she continued, “We must travel by day from now on. I will not be able to navigate the marshes in the dark, but I am uncertain we should remain here that long. A full twenty-four hours in one spot is not wise with so many searching for us.”
Wren tilted his head, “I believe this is as good a place as any to wait for the sun. If you cannot navigate in the dark, we have no choice.”
“Will that not give him too much time to track us?” Her voice was filled with apprehension when she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. Wren noticed the change in her demeanor and frowned.
“Rin do not fear him,” he said, his voice soft. “I understand why you would be afraid but do not give him that power over you. You are stronger than he is, and he knows it. Why else would he resort to such methods?” He paused and looked down at her. “What have I always told you?”
“Be calm,” she whispered. “Nothing can be accomplished if you are not calm.
“Correct,” he replied. “If you are focused on remaining calm there is no room in your mind for fear. You were not calm tonight and it could have ended poorly.” Rin shrank at his words. She did not wish to fail her brother. “Do not think you have failed,” he continued with a knowing look. “You have accomplished much and done great things for one so young. I do not wish for this one elf to ruin anything for you.”
“I shall do better,” she whispered.
He reached up and ruffled her hair,” I am certain that you shall be fine.” She gave him a dirty look and pushed his hand away. “Why do you not try and get some sleep? I shall keep watch.”
Her expression fell, and she looked down at her hands, “I wish to wait for Kaedin to wake.”
“Are they truly that bad?” He asked with a frown. It was rare to see her bothered by something and it worried him. When she did not reply he put a hand on her shoulder. “Rin?”
She kept her eyes locked on her hands, “Yes, I… I keep seeing him almost take Kaedin from me. O…or being trapped in the circle.” She glanced up when she felt his grip on her shoulder tighten. His face was clouded with concern and it caused her to look back down with an embarrassed shrug.
“Wait for Kaedin,” he said, his voice gentle. “He seems to be able to assist you.” He let go of her shoulder and got up. “I shall sleep.”
She watched him walk down the platform and lay down on his blanket before she sighed. Drawing up her knees, she rested her chin on them while she stared at the mountains. She found comfort in the sounds of the forest around her while she mulled over everything her brother had said. She knew he was right but was not sure how to keep calm around Londar. He truly scared her, and she hated it. She balled her hands before she stood up with a frown. He would not control her.
Turning her attention to something else, she looked up at the sky and saw that it was late morning. She made her way across the platform to a small fire pit. If they kept it small they should be able to have a fire. This would allow her to make a stew out of a large portion of the fresh vegetables. They would be able to eat it tonight and it would keep for in the morning. Stepping around the fire pit, she moved to the far end of the platform where the supplies were kept. A frown crossed her face when she realized the wood supply was empty. Her riders knew better than to leave nothing in their safe places.
With a loud sigh, she peeked over the edge of the platform. If they were going to have a fire she had to get kindling and logs. Her gaze drifted over to her brother and Kaedin while she struggled with the decision of whether to go alone or not. She knew they would not wish for her to go alone. At the thought of recent events, a shiver ran through her. She took a deep breath and moved over to where Raven was sleeping. As much as she did not wish to wake anyone, she knew she could not go down alone. She put her hand on his arm and shook him awake.
“Time already?” He asked while he rubbed an eye with his hand.
“I apologize,” she said. “I require your help for a little while.” He sat up right away. “I need to start a stew but there is no wood in the supply cache. I should not go down alone to retrieve what we need.”
Raven did not hesitate as he pushed his blanket aside and stood up. “Of course, you should not, my lady. I shall go with you.”
Rin nodded with another frown before the two made their way to the base of the tree. It did not take them long to gather enough firewood to keep a small fire going for a day. Once they returned to the platform they placed all the wood near the fire pit.
“Thank you,” Rin said. “You may go back to sleep if you wish.”
Raven nodded with a large yawn before he headed back over to his blanket. He was asleep again in a matter of minutes. Rin shook her head. She felt like it had been a waste to wake him up.
A few hours later, Rin had a stew boiling in a large pot on a tripod she built with sticks. She added another log to the fire when she saw Jake move out of the corner of her eye. Looking over at him, she saw he was sitting up rubbing his face with his hands. His hands trembled enough that she could see from a distance.
“Jacob, are you all right?” Her
quiet question caused him to jump and his gaze flew to her. He did not realize anyone was awake. When he only stared at her, Rin tilted her head as her eyebrow rose. She could see that something was bothering him.
“Does…Does having to take a life ever get easier?” His voice was so quiet she almost missed the question. She walked over to him and sat down.
“I can only speak for myself,” she began. “The act of taking a life itself is not difficult, but the guilt of taking it lingers. For me, that has never lessened. I shall carry with me for life everyone whose lives I have ended.” She paused until Jake looked over at her. “I do take some comfort in knowing the lives I have taken are evil beings, but it does not change the fact that they are dead. I am uncertain if this assists you at all. Were the orcs the first time you took a life?”
Jake nodded, “I work to save lives not take them.” His gaze fell to the staff that was laying on top of his gear.
“I am sorry to say that only you can find a way to deal with taking a life,” she said, her voice sad. “I would be more than willing to listen if you need to talk, and I am certain my brother or Kaedin would also be willing.”
“Right…” Jake said before he could stop himself.
She shook her head with a sigh. “I know that the two of you do not always get along, which I cannot say I do not understand. You both wish to protect what is most important to you and this often puts you at odds.” She paused, and a fond smile crossed her face as she looked at Kaedin. “He is most kind and would be willing. We have all been through what you struggle with now.”
Jake could not conceal his skepticism when he glanced at Kaedin. He was not sure he would be as generous as she said. When he looked back up and noticed the look of disapproval on her face he shifted.
“Thank you,” he mumbled.
“It is no trouble,” she said as she stood up and returned to the fire. She tended the stew until the others began to wake near sunset. After putting out the fire Rin handed everyone bowls of stew before she took Kaedin’s and walked over to where he was sleeping. She sat down beside him and put her hand on his chest to wake him but stopped when she felt the large scar through his shirt. Her expression darkened when she ran her fingers along it. It was an inch thick and extended from right below the right shoulder joint, all the way across his chest at a slant that ended at the bottom of his ribcage on the left side. She balled her hand into a fist and almost could not keep tears from welling in her eyes.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered. “This is my f…” She trailed off with a startled gasp when Kaedin put his hand over hers. She thought he was still asleep.
“No, it is not,” he said. “I will not hear you say it. As you said to me, it was beyond our control. If you wish for me to believe it then so must you.” He sat up when she dropped her head and he wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him and put her head on his arm.
“I shall try,” she whispered after a few moments. He kissed her cheek before he took the bowl of stew out of her hand.
“Have you slept?”
Rin shook her head and would not look up at him. “I was waiting on you.”
He said nothing as he moved off the blanket and motioned for her to lay down. She peeked up at him before she laid down and he slid closer to her, so his leg was against her back. She could not hold back the relieved sigh and her eyes closed on their own.
“Rest easy,” he said in a gentle voice. “I shall not leave your side.”
She did not have a chance to even nod in response before she was sound asleep.
While Rin slept, everyone else finished their meal and they hurried to clean up before it became too dark in the tree to see. Once the sun sank below the horizon the only light they had was from the moon and stars, but most of this was blocked by the branches of the roof. Paige was the only one that was really bothered by this. She could not find anything to occupy herself and she laid on her back staring up at the roof. She already complained several times about being bored. In frustration, Wren told her to try and sleep or it would be a very long night.
Kaedin remained beside Rin as he told her he would. He looked out the side of the platform toward the mountains deep in thought until a sudden glow caught his attention. Looking down, he saw a light coming from one of Rin’s vest pockets. His eyebrow rose as he pulled what was glowing from her pocket. It was no larger than an inch across and looked like a small black stone. The light emanating from it was an eerie red that illuminated tiny runes along the top and bottom. A look of realization flashed across his face.
“Lord Wren,” he said looking up. “He is tracking her with this.” He paused and tossed the stone to him. “He must have slipped this into her pocket before you and Jaeha freed her.”
Wren snatched the stone out of the air and only looked at it for a second. His face grew angry when he recognized it as a tracking stone. He stood up as he weighed their options, but the sudden sound of dogs, just audible in the distance caused his head to snap up. He cursed under his breath before he closed his eyes in concentration.
“Ēlipor ntāera raitama,” he said, and the stone disappeared from his hand. As soon as it was gone, he opened his eyes and surveyed the group before he shook his head. “We have too many innocents with us. He would use that against us if we engaged him now.” He paused and glanced toward the sound of the dogs. “Raven, Hikaru, attempt to lead them away from here.”
Kaedin grabbed Rin’s bag that was next to him and pulled out the only extra shirt she had. He tossed it to Raven, who caught it and disappeared off the platform with Hikaru on his heels.
“Everyone must be silent,” Wren whispered. “We cannot afford a confrontation now.”
Sara shifted closer to Jake and he put his arm around her. Her nerves were beginning to show now that she knew Londar was close to them again. She glanced over at Paige and noticed she was staring at where Raven had disappeared. It was obvious by the look on her face that she was not pleased he left.
They only had to wait a few minutes before Raven and Hikaru reappeared on the platform. Raven rushed over to Wren as soon as he saw him.
“That will not work for long,” he said. “He is prepared this time. There are dark elves with him.”
Surprise crossed Wren’s face, “How many?”
“I counted at least fifty that I could see.” Raven glanced up at Hikaru who nodded in agreement to the figure.
“Did you see in which direction the marches lie?” Wren asked, to which Raven shook his head no and again glanced at Hikaru.
“They lie to the southwest, but I could only see what I believe is the edge since the moon reflects off the water,” Hikaru said.
Wren fell silent for several minutes before he looked up. “We must leave. There is no point in remaining here waiting to be discovered. We make for the marshes and if luck is on our side we shall have time to wait for the light. Everyone gather your things.” He did not wait for a response before he headed over to Rin and Kaedin. “How long has she been asleep?”
“An hour, two at the most,” Kaedin whispered.
Wren stared at his sister for a moment before he shook his head with a small grimace. “She shall be most angry when she wakes up, but we need her to rest so she may guide us effectively.” Kaedin tilted his head confused. “I am about to cast a sleep spell on her. That is unless, you would prefer to wake her, and inform her we must carry her, so she may rest and not leave a scent trail.”
Kaedin thought long and hard as he watched Rin sleep. “Will a sleep spell even work?”
“If she were awake no, but since she is asleep already perhaps,” Wren said with a small shrug as he knelt beside them. He put his hand on Rin’s forehead. “Ungāeh.” As soon as the word was out of his mouth Rin glowed a pale yellow for a few seconds before it faded. They both almost held their breath waiting to see if she woke up. When she did not, Wren breathed a small sigh of relief before he stood up. Kaedin wasted no time and wrapped the blanket around her so her
arms would not fall while she slept. He scooped her up and waited for the others to be ready. They were dividing up the gear. Jake and Hikaru took most of it, leaving Wren and Jaeha unburdened in case of battle.
“Raven you will take point,” Wren ordered. “Let us go.”
Raven moved closer and, once he was certain everyone was touching, he closed his eyes. “Cūdāe.” They risked the short port spell to get them out of the tree since they could not wait for Paige and Sara to traverse the walkway. Once they were back on the ground, Raven led them at a jog away from the tree. They traveled quick and it was not long before Sara started to fall behind.
Jake dropped back to run with her. “Grab hold of my shirt,” he whispered. She did as he asked, and he picked up the pace, so that they were keeping up with the group. “You can do it. Just breathe.”
Sara grimaced and did her best, but she never enjoyed physical activity and usually stayed inside. She managed to keep up for another mile before she could not run anymore. Raven noticed the trouble she was having and dropped back to run beside Wren. He did not say anything when he glanced up at Wren. His lord looked back at Sara and Paige before he shook his head with a sigh. After getting a nod of approval from Wren, Raven moved back to point and slowed to a brisk walk. He led them for a couple of hours before he raised his hand and they came to a stop. While the others rested, he slipped back to Wren.
“We do not have much cover left,” he whispered. “The forest ends once we approach the marshes and there are still several hours until dawn.” He paused and glanced down at Rin. “I cannot navigate the marshes. I can only get us as far as the small wooden dock that marks the safe entry point. We could wait at the edge of cover for light or I could skirt around the marsh and take us around the northern banks of Lake Kiyoyaema.”
Wren glanced up at the sky before he made his decision. “Take us to the entrance and we shall wake Rin there. Perhaps Lord Ruehnaur shall allow luck to be on our side.”
Whispers of Time Page 34
