Growling at Mirror, Rhea asked, “Could you actually help us in the here and now?” Putting heels to her horse, Rhea urged it to get more speed. “Those cliffs are beyond our reach, so be useful and give me a nearby location or hiding spot.” Cheeks flushed slightly at this new power play from the sentient featherhead.
Suddenly the earth rumbled and shook, pitching the horses forward, causing them to stumble and shy. “Whoa.” Rhea kept her seat as she slid her palm against her horse’s neck, gently calming her.
Adrian hopped off his horse, placing a hand in the dirt. “They released some abnormal creature from its bindings…” He glanced up at Rhea, panic written over his features.
Shaking her mirror, she took a deep breath before giving it defined search parameters. “Show me a safe location nearby. One we can actually make it to before being spotted.” Mirror flipped through the air.
James’s eyes shot open, and he spoke rapidly. “A cave. It’s close.” After a quick, deliberate glance around, he pointed unerringly west.
Mirror chirped in confirmation, the image on her back displaying a new location while glowing green.
Rhea turned her horse in the direction James and Mirror indicated, giving the horse’s flanks a bit of pressure with her heels to go deeper into the hills.
Adrian hopped back onto his horse, turning him around to follow her. Lagging behind, the third horse seemed to follow of his own accord. They needed to find shelter, soon.
Mirror zoomed ahead, yet stayed within line of sight. The four of them stayed silent, tense, as they followed.
In the distance, Mirror flashed a small, bright light, and Rhea picked up her speed.
Once they began to descend, Mirror zipped around a fallen tree. It was then she understood what made it safe. Soapsweed grew thick on and around the decaying tree. “Hurry and dismount. We’ll send the horses away and be safe here.” Quickly, James and Eric slipped from their horse.
Adrian hopped down, putting a hand on the ground again. “Whoever is following us is getting closer.”
Nodding, Rhea swatted the hindquarters of the now rider-less horses. Crashing through the underbrush in the woods, they ran in a tight grouping, due east away from them.
“Now what?” Eric asked, brow furrowing as he watched the fleeing horses.
Picking her way carefully through the soapsweed, so not to break the thick, knee high stalks, she found the crack in the earth behind the log. Ducking down, she entered the cave, the soft steps of the boys right behind her. “Now we wait until our pursuers have passed by or given up. Hopefully Adrian will be able to tell us when our way is clear.” She made her way farther into the cave as it opened into a rough room big enough to stand up in. Letting the overpowering scent of the small, green plants wash over her, she relaxed.
James sneezed a couple of times, grimacing. “Never enjoyed the smell of soapsweed. Don’t know how anyone could,” he grumbled.
“Soapsweed?” Adrian questioned, gaze swinging to the plants surrounding them.
“Soapsweed,” James confirmed, adding in a lecturing tone, “A small, green plant which grows in cool, damp places, rich with decay.” He gestured to the damp cave walls and thin layer of dead leaves under their feet. He helped Eric hobble farther into the cave before they both dropped to the ground, heedless of the water that soaked into their clothes. “Commonly made into fragrant soaps, hence the name.”
“Is it really a weed, though?” Rhea questioned, sinking down to her knees.
“Actually, yes.” James gave a small laugh as he helped Eric remove his boot. “Hiding out here should give Eric enough time to fully heal before we need to leave again.”
Adrian sat down, using a twig the size of his forearm to trace shapes in the moist muck covering the cave floor. A howl in the distance made him shudder. He smiled at Rhea, tossing his stick at the entrance of the cave where a soapsweed covered boulder magically appeared, covering the exit. James and Eric seemed to relax after it materialized.
Eric leaned back against the wall while James worked on his ankle. Rhea wrinkled her nose, speculating about all the bugs and debris clinging to the craggy surface. She bit back a screech as a spider skittered past, nearly brushing against her knee. A brown creature as big as her head, with eight hairy legs stretching out from its body as it walked, it scuttled into the illusion and out of the cave.
James frowned. “It’s only a cave spider. It won’t hurt you.”
“You didn’t see how it menaced at me as it crawled by,” she replied in a whisper, not wanting to draw the creature back.
Eric snorted, scowling at her. “Cave spiders can’t see. Where did you say you came from?”
“A city near the sea. I can assure you there were no cave spiders where I’m from. Most of the spiders I know of are somewhat venomous,” she retorted.
“If a spider bites you, James will heal it,” Adrian spoke up, amusement coloring his tone.
“I will? I didn’t agree to heal anyone. And a cave spider won’t do any harm.” He paused for a moment, gaze narrowing on her face. “How do you know about our magic?”
“Mirror and I have been together for years, and she sees almost everything.” Rhea smiled fondly at her. The bird might be contrary, but Rhea wouldn’t be able to watch the boys or try to keep them out of trouble without her.
Minutes ticked by before Eric stood up, testing his weight on his ankle. Rhea smiled, remembering the multiple times James tried healing in the past few years. Forcing an injury to heal completely sapped his energy, but coaxing it to heal faster didn’t. Adrian perked up a little as Eric seemed able to put weight on his ankle without pain. “You still broken?”
James rolled his eyes at his twin. “He was never broken to begin with.”
“Unable to walk by himself, therefore, broken.” Adrian slumped backward, rolling his eyes.
James raised a brow while his lips puckered. “Sometimes I wonder how we’re even related.”
“Nope. Mom found you under a rock and decided you were cute, so she wanted to keep you. Almost like a lost puppy,” Adrian shot back, lips twitching in a smirk.
James scowled, but before he could reply, Eric broke in. “That’s enough, you two.”
James opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it again when they caught the sound of rustling leaves and the snap of a branch near the mouth of the cave. Going still, Rhea breathed out a sigh of relief for the illusion Adrian created.
Rhea and the boys stayed silent, the sound of metal clanking together, moving closer. Catching herself holding her breath, she breathed out slowly as the crunch of dead leaves grew softer. They stayed there a while longer, even after the sounds completely disappeared, to make sure whoever it was truly left. Rhea stood quietly. “We need to go. We’ll need to stay ahead of them if we hope to request an audience with the king before they report your charges.”
“How do we know they’re gone?” James spoke softly, voice shaking.
She tapped Mirror’s wing, spinning it to face him. Eric stood behind James, brows raised in question. “What’s that supposed to be?”
Turning the bird back toward her, she frowned. The picture no longer reflected the mouth of the cave, but the back of a well-muscled man in armor. Dulled silver reflected firelight around him, illuminating a large, black beast. A dog-like head situated on powerfully built shoulders, two red eyes blinked seemingly at her from the angle Mirror showed. What chilled her to the bone was a third, closed, eye in the middle of its forehead. Sharp, white teeth dripped saliva as the man tossed it a hunk of meat. It devoured the entire thing in one gulp.
James came up behind her, watching the scene playing out on Mirror’s wings. “A bloodhound.” His chest brushed against her back, and she froze, breath catching in her throat.
Adrian moved closer, leaning over her shoulder. “Really? A bloodhound? I remember hearing of them before, but… what’s that?” He brushed a finger over the beast’s third eye.
“Third eye, it ope
ns when they track. Although bloodhounds have two red eyes, the third eye appears like an empty socket if it’s open, until they catch a scent and start tracking their prey, and then it glows red,” James explained.
Adrian shuddered in revulsion.
James nodded. “Difficult as it is to imagine, bloodhounds track scents with the third eye. Scent becomes visual for them.”
Turning back to Mirror, Rhea asked, “Why show this to us?”
The picture zoomed out, showing her their location in relation to the cave. “Oh, I understand.” The beast and man blocked the easiest way out of the woods. Rhea and the boys wouldn’t be able to get past them without the bloodhound picking up their scent. To get around the creature’s ability to track them would take them far out in either direction.
Eric frowned. “What are we missing?”
She bit her lip, trying to figure out what options were available. “It turns out we’ll be taking the seaside cliffs after all.”
“C-cliffs?” James rubbed his palms against his tunic, trying to stop them from shaking.
Rhea sent a sympathetic glance in his direction. “I know you aren’t a fan of heights, but to come out of this alive, we need to avoid the guards and the bloodhound, which leaves the cliffs as our only option.”
“Wait, how do you know I’m afraid of heights?” James questioned, frowning at her.
Rhea went back to the memory of watching a younger James and Adrian playing in a barn. Going up to the hayloft, James had frozen in place when he realized how high up they climbed. Eric ended up helping him down.
“The mirror,” she reminded him, answering the question clearly written on his face. “And a story for another time. For now, we need to decide if we should camp out in here until morning, or if we should travel to the cliffs right away.”
Adrian found another twig, drawing shapes in the dirt. “What do you suggest?” he asked her.
Tapping her chin with a finger, she went through the pros and cons. “Although it would be easier to evade the bloodhounds at night, the cave is protected. It will be easier to scale the cliffs during the day.” Adrian, whose stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear, interrupted her decision.
Peering over at him, she saw he stopped drawing to rub his grumbly stomach.
Jumping up before she could, James exclaimed, “Wait, you can’t leave!”
“It isn’t me they’re searching for. I’ll just be a late night hunter.”
Eric frowned. “You will return, though, right?”
“I will return shortly. For your assurance, I’ll leave Mirror with you.” Nodding, she continued, “We will stay here tonight, and leave before the sun comes up.”
“We will wait for you here, then,” he grumbled, clearly not thrilled with the plan.
Hunting without her mirror would be tedious, but at least they wouldn’t doubt she would return.
~
Returning with four rabbits and a pouch filled with berries, she stepped past the illusion blocking the entrance of the cave.
“What did you catch?” Adrian sat straight up, eyes sparkling expectantly.
Holding up her find, Rhea replied, “We need to skin and find a way to cook these before we can eat.” Dropping her pouch to the ground, she sank down. She didn’t enjoy skinning, but she pulled out her knife.
Kneeling down next to her, James held out a hand. “I can take care of those.” Relieved, she handed the rabbits over.
As he picked up her pouch, Adrian sent a smile in her direction before investigating the contents. “Oh, my favorite!” He plucked a small, bright-pink berry, popping it into his mouth. His mouth puckered. “A little tart.”
“They aren’t exactly in season, right now,” James answered absentmindedly.
“I still like them,” Adrian replied, munching on another berry. In summer, instead of early spring, the berries would be sweet, almost like candy.
Eric leaned against the wall, crossing his ankles. “What will our next step be after getting to the cliffs?”
“We climb. It’s the only way we’ll be able to get around the mountain,” Rhea answered.
Pulling moss and soapsweed off a rock buried in the floor, James broke in, “Can you do that fire thing here?”
Between one breath and another, a steady bluish blaze burned on top of the rock near the mouth of the cave. On the plus side, his mage fire lacked smoke, so it wouldn’t alert anyone else of their presence.
“Is there any other way out of this forest?” Eric inquired, watching James start to cook the rabbit strips.
“Not according to Mirror. This forest is bracketed by mountains, more forest, and the sea, narrowing our escape options to three. Head toward the seaside cliffs, the bloodhound on the mountain side, or back through the forest we came.” Scuffing her boot against the ground, she cleared away some of the grime covering the stone floor. Gingerly, she lowered herself to the barely improved patch of ground. “Going back, we risk recapture. Obviously, the bloodhound is a bad idea, and mountain travel without the proper supplies would be difficult. Going to the cliffs and around the seamount is going to be the quickest route.”
After listening to her reasoning, Eric nodded thoughtfully. “Sorry, James. It seems the cliffs are our best option.”
James’s lips thinned as he turned the meat over the flames. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” He stared into the fire, seemingly shoring up his resolve for several minutes while the aromas of searing meat filled the cavern. Once the rabbit finished cooking, James passed a few pieces to everyone, laying the remaining bits on a cloth next to the berry pouch. Sitting down with his own food, he said, “I’m sorry we ruined your birthday, Eric.”
Eric shook his head, finishing his bite. “Not your fault.”
“We didn’t even get to give you your gift,” Adrian grumbled.
“No gifts. We already agreed, Adrian.”
Adrian shook his head. “No, you decided you didn’t want gifts. We didn’t agree to anything.”
Knowing where this argument would end up, Rhea butted in, “Eat, rest, and I will stand watch while the three of you sleep.” She took a bite of the meat, savoring the rich flavor.
“What about you?” Adrian asked with a yawn.
“I will be fine. The three of you will need your strength tomorrow.”
As soon as everyone finished eating, Eric snapped his fingers, putting the fire out instantly. “Chances are I’ll wake up early enough to let Rhea rest for a few hours.”
She refused to fall asleep, but stayed silent. The sooner the guys fell asleep, the sooner they could be on their way.
~
Mirror chirped, waking Rhea from her light doze. Darkness obscured her vision as she stood, stepping through the illusion and away from the cave to take care of her personal needs. After she finished, she went back inside to wake the guys.
Eric, already up and rummaging through the bag, swiftly pulled some leftovers out.
Rhea knelt down, gently shaking James’s shoulder. “We need to get going.” He sat up with his eyes still closed. His blond curls stuck up in all directions, and he ran his fingers through it to try and tame them.
Rhea moved on to Adrian, knowing he wouldn’t be as easy to get up. “Adrian, time to go…”
“Don’t wanna,” he mumbled, rolling away from her.
“I know. A few more days, and you’ll be able to relax in a nice, cozy bed.” She worried her lip with her teeth, hoping they really would be able to sleep in a bed later on.
“Fine,” he grumbled, still lying on the ground.
“Adrian,” she sang out his name softly, poking his ribs with a stick.
He jumped up, scowling. The glare didn’t seem to be aimed at her, but at the morning in general.
Eric handed everyone some of the meat from last night. “Hopefully we’ll find some more of those raspberries on our way to the cliffs.”
Adrian snorted. “I doubt it. We’ll barely even be able to glimpse our
own feet through the darkness out there.”
“Well then, probably a good thing we have Mirror to help us,” Rhea reminded him.
Adrian glanced at the bird sheepishly, worried she would attack him for forgetting about her existence.
Rhea soothed her bird with soft words, leading the way out of the cave and into the black pre-dawn morning.
Chapter Five
The Cliffs
Water crashed against the rocks below, sending sea foam spraying into the air. Rhea eyed the wet sheen of the stones jutting out from the side of the cliff. Every so often, an overly large boulder stuck out far enough that they might even be able to rest on them. “We must be careful. The rocks will be slippery.”
They stood on a cliff overlooking the sea, a small beach below them. The scent of sand and fish hung heavy in the air. Her nose stung when she sniffled in the biting wind. Frozen air seemed to bounce around in her head. Climbing this wall would be an even bigger challenge than she realized.
“We’re supposed to climb this?” James took a step closer to the edge, swallowing hard. After a fast peek, he grimaced and took a quick step back.
“I’ll go first.” Stepping forward, Rhea put her hand in the nearest handhold.
“Wait!” Eric’s voice stopped her as Rhea started to lean into the wall.
“Yes?” Hopefully, he wouldn’t ask for more time.
Eric bent over her feet without saying anything else. He pulled the back of her dress between her legs, tucking it into her belt. It resulted in a pair of makeshift breeches, making climbing easier.
James glanced down at her legs, his cheeks turning pink. Women didn’t customarily show any part of their body, aside from their faces, hands, and possibly their necks. Rhea didn’t feel embarrassed about showing skin, though. She hadn’t been a part of this world for many years. There were no such restrictions where she came from.
Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the cliff. With her legs free of her skirt, she didn’t need to worry she might get tangled up while climbing. “Let’s go.”
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 86
