Aiden's Quest

by Dane Bagley

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  With Jashion in, Aiden turned his attention to the wolves. He’d hoped to watch Jashion and ensure his friends success, but he was in a precarious position himself. Too many wolves surrounded him and not enough distance to take many down with his arrows. He scanned the surroundings. He had three choices. Fight, run, or dive in and swim himself to safety. More than once, he considered a backwards dive in and a trip to the promise land. He’d come so far. Dromreign was wounded. Mirinda was in Cardsten. But this pack of wolves had him in the most dangerous position he’d ever been in, before.

  Jashion’s sword lay at his feet. He retrieved it. The first wolf sprang and Aiden laid it to rest. A second and a third then met the same fate. More wolves arrived. They each packed tighter and slowly came closer. The water may be his only escape. He looked the wolves in the eye. One at a time. He saw fear, not in all of them, but a few. Two of the most fearful were side by side. Without further wait Aiden charged towards them brandishing the sword. They flinched and he made it through. Aiden, who’d been running near sprint speed for nearly a quarter of an hour just moments before, ran even faster. His lungs burned. The pack was not far behind him. They’d been fooled more easily a few minutes before, but they knew his moves this time. They followed him more closely. His legs ached and he worried about a cramp. Still, his body had never failed him before. Aiden found a second, perhaps third-wind, and ran with his might. The pack had lost some ground, just enough; he would have to out maneuver them.

  Slowly he lost the pack. He stopped by a tree and listened carefully, panting for air as quietly as he could. He’d lost them, for the moment. He’d circled back to the pond before. It sounded as though they expected the same and were heading that way. Soon they’d discover their mistake and would be back on the hunt. Aiden walked. The ground and the terrain were unfamiliar. He’d explore later. At this point, he just wanted distance, time to think, time to rest, and time to recover.

  Something caught his eye. A fallen soldier, he thought. Reconsidering, he realized the battle and the men were nowhere near here. He came up carefully. Sure enough, a man lay on the ground and he looked dead. Aiden approached to make sure. The man breathed, though barely. He’d been attacked by wolves, some time ago by the looks of it. His body was warm with infection and the wounds were horribly infested. Only a very strong man could survive this. His face, sickly as it was, was entirely unfamiliar.

  Chapter 26