Aidan smiled. “Yeah.” Looking up at Olivia, he offered, “Ladies first?”
Olivia picked up the stones from one of her cups and distributed them on the board. Aidan followed with a move of his own. Olivia watched him closely and could see the joy in his eyes as he placed his stones. While his game with Olivia lasted longer than Lilly’s, Aidan was victorious once again.
“Guess this game isn’t so bad after all,” Aidan said as he collected the pieces and placed them back in the box.
“You’ll play with us from now on,” Olivia announced. “You don’t need to play against Daniel if you don’t want, but I think you should play with me and Lilly.”
“Um. Okay,” Aidan answered.
“I can tell you like it,” Olivia continued. “You just don’t like losing to Daniel all the time. I can understand that. From now on you play us, and we’ll play and lose to Daniel. That way we all get to play.”
Aidan shrugged. “Works for me.”
“Good. Now let’s get started on supper. Let’s make it a good one since it’s our last night here. Why don’t you go wake up Daniel, since he knows where there’s a farm nearby. Maybe we can get some milk and bread from them.”
Aidan nodded and went to go retrieve his brother. After a few minutes, both boys emerged from the bedroom.
“You ready to take Aidan to that farm?”
“Sure. You want anything else while we’re out?”
“I don’t think we’ll need anything,” Olivia answered. “I’m going to make that stew we had. With some bread and milk, I think that’ll be a pretty nice dinner.” Lilly nodded her agreement.
“All right then. We’ll be back in a bit.” Daniel grabbed his bow and quiver on the way out. “Just in case.”
With the boys out of the house, the girls got to work peeling and cutting vegetables for the stew. Olivia retrieved another bucket of water from the creek and set the water to boil on the stove. By the time the boys returned home, the cabin was filled with warmth and the delicious scents of cooking venison and spices.
“Wow,” Daniel exclaimed as he walked in the front door, “that smells incredible.”
“Mmmmm-hmmmm,” Aidan agreed emphatically.
Daniel set two pitchers of milk in the middle of the table and Aidan pulled two huge loaves of bread out of a pouch and placed them next to the milk.
“How did you get all that?” Lilly exclaimed.
“We told them what we wanted and asked if there was anything they needed. They told us they were running low on meat, so I went out and got them a deer. A big meaty doe. It was a bit larger than I think they were looking for, so they gave us extra,” Daniel answered. Aidan’s stomach grumbled audibly. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem with leftovers,” Daniel laughed as Aidan ran a hand over his abdomen.
Olivia and Lilly served up the bowls and brought them to the table. Each of them tore a large hunk of bread off the loaf and then poured a glass of milk.
“Here’s to the start of our journey,” Daniel said, raising his glass. “May it be swift, may it be safe, may it bring pain and discomfort to Argyle and his army.”
“Here, here,” Aidan replied, raising his own cup to Daniel’s. The girls joined the toast and all drank. “Hopefully we can find one of his little parties soon,” Aidan added and shoved a stew-soaked chunk of bread into his mouth.
Olivia saw Daniel roll his eyes and used her own bread to hide the smile on her lips.
Their last meal at the cottage was a joyous and festive one. Jokes were shared, stories told, and all the food eaten. When dinner was gone, Daniel and Aidan pulled out a surprise. At the farm, they’d also managed to procure a blueberry pie. While not the dessert of kings, it was more than enough for the four youngsters getting ready to set out on a perilous journey.
Chapter 15
The Hunt is On
Daniel woke first the next morning and took the opportunity to straighten up the place as much as possible. The fire from the night before had burned down to ashes, which Daniel scooped into one of the buckets and dumped outside, then took the bucket down to the creek and rinsed it out. A quick dip cleansed and refreshed him, and he was anxious to get started by the time he got dressed and made his way back to the cottage. He dropped the pails outside where he’d first found them and went inside to wake the others.
Aidan was quick to get ready, once his sleep-fogged mind registered what day it was and that they’d be setting out in search of Argyle’s men. He was in such a hurry that he almost ripped his pants when he tried to shove both legs down the same hole. The two girls required a few more attempts to get going. Aidan had resorted to threatening to come in and pull them out of bed physically before they finally got up and dressed.
A small, quick breakfast was had before they each grabbed their packs and weapon and headed out. Closing and securing the door behind him, Daniel turned to Lilly.
“Where to?” he asked.
Lilly walked a ways away, turning first east and then back toward the west. After only a few moments, she turned back to her companions.
“There’s a group of them west of us. I can’t tell which way they’re going, but they’re there. I can’t feel them very well, so they’re pretty far off I guess.”
“We can take King’s Road west until we reach Exile. Once we’re there, maybe we’ll have a feel for which direction they’re headed and we can set up our ambush,” Olivia offered.
“Let’s go,” Aidan exclaimed, turning to lead the way north to King’s Road. The two sisters followed next with Daniel bringing up the rear.
It took them two full weeks to complete the journey to Exile, and while a night at the inn would have been nice after sleeping on the ground for so long, there was no money for it. The four young travelers passed by the run-down town and turned south toward their upcoming battle. Roughly a mile south of the city walls, they set up camp for the night. All were tired from their day’s journey so no fire was built. They ate their dried meat in the dark, drank from their water pouches, and retired early.
An uneventful morning spilled into a monotonous and unseasonably hot afternoon. Drenched in sweat, the youngsters trudged south through the woods and prairies, the oppressive heat hunching their shoulders and silencing their chatter. Aidan, still in the lead, stopped suddenly at the edge of the forest. Olivia, who hadn’t really been paying attention, nearly bumped into him. Lilly was pulled off balance by Olivia’s sudden stop.
“Hey!”
“Shhh,” Aidan shot back, holding up his hand and urging Olivia to stay back. Looking around him, she saw what had caught his attention. Her breath caught in her throat.
“What’s going on?” Lilly whispered in her sister’s ear.
Olivia whispered back. “There’s a unicorn.”
Daniel caught up, and as the four stood at the tree line, amazed at the sight before them, Olivia tried to describe the scene to her sister. On the other side of the small clearing stood a unicorn, black as night and majestic. Not wanting to frighten it off, none of them moved. None had ever seen a unicorn. None of them knew anybody who had. Olivia leaned close and continued to describe the magnificence of the creature to her sister. The unicorn was once a rare and magical beast. It had been so long since anyone had actually seen one that it had now become just a legend, a fairy tale being. However, in front of them now stood a beautiful ebony unicorn. Though its coat was black as night, the beast’s mane, tail, and horn were a brilliant silver. The impressively large horn shone and sparkled in the afternoon sun. Something seemed to catch its attention, as it suddenly stopped grazing and snapped its head in their direction. It regarded them for a moment before returning to its meal. Apparently it didn’t feel they posed a threat. Daniel nudged Aidan.
“Can you make a connection?” he whispered.
Aidan shook his head and looked back at his brother. “I tried. It’s…it’s like trying to look into the sun.” He shrugged and turned his gaze once more to the glorious animal in fron
t of him. A breeze caressed its way across the glade, the long grass swaying lazily, and the long mane of the unicorn rippled against its elegant neck. Aidan’s eyes caught a shadow moving across the clearing. What a beautiful scene, Aidan thought to himself, pushing his damp hair back from his forehead and enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze on this face. His eyes moved back to the unicorn when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. Something was wrong. Aidan’s eyes scanned the area, searching for the source of his anxiety. He saw nothing to cause the alarm he felt. Still, the feeling would not leave him. Replaying the moment in his head, he realized what had disturbed the tranquility of the scene. The shadow crossing the field had moved in the opposite direction the wind was blowing. Looking up, Aidan was alarmed to see a large dragon circling the clearing. As it made its final turn, it dropped in altitude, racing just over the treetops as it approached the field. Looking back down, Aidan could see the unicorn was oblivious to the imminent danger. The dragon shifted in flight, its back legs coming forward, razor sharp claws gleaming and flexing in the bright sunlight. Aidan took a step forward.
“NO!” he shrieked.
The dragon pulled up out of its dive as if it had been dealt a furious blow. Alarmed by the sound, the unicorn bolted into the cover of the nearby forest. Pulling up out of its turn, the dragon scanned the field below him until it saw them. A violent roar shook the trees around them.
“Run!!” Daniel screamed. He grabbed the two sisters and shoved them back into the forest. Aidan turned and ran with them, dodging through the thick brush that choked the pathway they’d followed on their way in. Daniel scooped up Lilly in his arms and disappeared in an explosion of leaves from the forest floor. Aidan ran behind Olivia, urging her on when a fireball exploded in the nearby trees. Raising his left arm across his face to shield himself from the blistering heat, Aidan pushed Olivia forward. She screamed but ran on, tears beginning to stream down her face. The small trail they were following forked up ahead, and Aidan reached forward and nudged Olivia to the right, trying to take them off the line they’d been following. Another burst of fire hit behind them just as the passing of the dragon overhead blotted out the sun. Still they ran. Olivia staggered and fell.
“Get up,” Aidan yelled, trying to pull her to her feet.
“I can’t,” Olivia cried. “I can’t run any more.” She choked and gagged as she collapsed back onto her knees.
“We’ve got to keep going,” Aidan insisted. He knelt down next to her. “We’ve got to get out of here before it comes back on another pass.” He tried again to lift her to her feet. She slipped from his grip and retched into a nearby bush.
Embarrassed despite the danger, Olivia looked up at Aidan. “Sorry,” she gurgled, wiping at her mouth.
Another screech filled the woods as the dragon flew close overhead, searching for his prey. Pulling Olivia under the cover of the trees, Aidan shrugged out of his pack, pulled off his shirt and shoes and transformed. Now a large bear, Aidan hoped the brown coat would conceal them from the vigilant eyes of their pursuer. Aidan stood over her, hunched down to minimize any of her skin or clothing that might be seen. Aidan heard the dragon fly by overhead, low and skimming the treetops, before stepping to the side. He looked at Olivia, and then to his back, then back to Olivia, beckoning her to climb on. It took her a second to comprehend his actions, but then she scrambled to him, grabbing his fur and pulling herself onto his broad back. She wedged her rifle across her thighs and bent forward over it, trapping it between her legs and stomach. He lumbered forward. Olivia grabbed large tufts of his coat and squeezed with her thighs to keep herself from falling off as he lurched along. Closing her eyes, she pressed herself tightly against the mass of muscle between his shoulders, curling around it for better stability. She could hear him panting hard, feel the expansion and contraction of his broad ribcage as he struggled to keep going at full speed. She was rocked forward when he suddenly stopped. Looking up, she saw the problem.
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
Aidan stood at the edge of a ravine, the sides of which were entirely too steep for them to climb down. Turning left, Aidan plodded along. His pace had slowed and Olivia sat up to look around. She looked down at the lazy river below, flowing and gurgling in the same direction they were currently headed. Following its path, Olivia saw where it turned onto a new course not far ahead. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes rose just above the lip of the ravine. The dragon they’d run so far to avoid was hurling down on them along the narrow gorge. Her intended scream never escaped her lips when another fireball erupted on the ledge next to them. The force of the blast threw Olivia from Aidan’s back and into the trees as the riverbank collapsed beneath Aidan. He clawed at the loose dirt, trying to pull himself to safety before plummeting into the icy river below. He bobbed to the surface immediately, paddling toward the water’s edge. Olivia scrambled on her hands and knees to a nearby ledge, ignoring the fact that the dragon may be coming around for another pass. She watched as Aidan drifted farther and farther downstream, approaching the bend.
Daniel appeared next to her, hands on his knees and out of breath. He dropped Olivia’s and Aidan’s bags at her feet. A piece of Aidan’s shirt poked out of the hole at the top. “What happened?” he gasped.
Olivia couldn’t speak. She just pointed.
“That’s Aidan?” Daniel asked. He stood up and pulled Olivia with him.
Olivia nodded.
Daniel pushed her back away from the bank and into the cover of the trees and bushes. “You stay here until I get back, okay? I’m going to go get him.”
Olivia nodded.
Daniel took off at a jog, following the embankment downstream and around the bend. Olivia sat down and put her head in her hands, overwhelmed by the events. Where is Lilly? Is Aidan going to be okay? Am I going to be okay? These questions and more raced through her mind until she finally broke down sobbing. She crawled further back into the trees and hid behind the largest tree she could find, somewhat for protection, but mostly because she was ashamed of her tears. All she could do now was wait. Wait and cry.
Chapter 16
Wet dog
Daniel rounded the curve in the river and slid to a halt. He gasped for breath as he strode carefully along the ravine, the stitch in his side causing him to wince with each intake of air. The banks down below were now thick with bushes and low growing trees. He’d never be able to see Aidan in there if he ran, so he moved only as fast as he was comfortable that he’d spot his brother’s bear form if it were down there. He grew fearful the farther he walked. The river current was picking up speed and boulders were beginning to litter the bed. There was yet another turn in the river a short ways down, and although Daniel couldn’t be sure there were rapids down there, it sure sounded like it. A steady roar of rushing water could be heard, growing louder as he walked. I wonder if he can turn himself into a fish, Daniel thought. He smiled to himself as he made the next turn with the river.
His smile froze on his lips. It wasn’t rapids up ahead, it was a waterfall. Daniel ran to the edge, his heart hammering against his ribcage. Skidding to a halt, Daniel looked over the side of the cliff. The waterfall cascaded down a sheer face of rock and crashed violently onto boulders below. There was no way to survive a tumble down those falls. Daniel swayed at the sight before turning and moving upriver, pushing from his mind the possibility that Aidan had been swept away. He moved much more slowly and methodically now, searching everywhere the light would let him. Large shadows from the thick overhanging branches obscured much of the riverbank. Frustrated, Daniel climbed slowly down his side of the ravine and moved gingerly along the thin edge, careful to avoid being pulled into the currents.
“Aidan!” he screamed. Nothing.
Impatient at how long it was taking him to canvas the shore, Daniel slammed his fist into a nearby tree. A bolt of pain shot from his knuckles, through his wrist, and up his arm. Cursing, Daniel shook his hand as if the injury could
be flung off like dirt.
“I don’t see how punching things is going to help me.”
Daniel spun at the sound of his brother’s weak voice. Lying about twenty feet away, half in and half out of the water, his brother struggled to hold on to a tree root. Dashing forward, Daniel grabbed Aidan’s arms and pulled him the rest of the way onto the shore. Flopping onto his back and coughing up a mouthful of water, Aidan choked out his thanks.
“Don’t mention it,” Daniel replied. “You alright?” Aidan nodded. “Good, and good job keeping Olivia safe.” Aidan turned his head toward Daniel. “She’s fine,” Daniel added, seeing the concern in his brother’s eyes. “I left her back up where you fell off the cliff. What happened up there?”
Aidan rolled over and pushed up onto his hands and knees before reaching up for a tree branch to pull himself to a standing position.
“I didn’t fall,” Aidan objected. “We came out of the forest and started to follow the river. I didn’t even see the dragon, just the huge fireball that exploded next to us. She got tossed toward the forest and the ledge crumbled under me. I got pushed around by the current a bit. Good thing I finally managed to grab that tree. I’m glad you got here so quick. My arms were starting to get tired.” Aidan shook them out to accentuate his point.
“Me too,” Daniel remarked. He gave his brother an affectionate nudge. “By the way, did you know wet bear smells worse than wet dog?”
“Ha-ha. Why don’t you save your breath and go get me some clothes? I dropped my pack back on the path on our way here.”
“I got it,” Daniel replied. “I found both yours and Olivia’s packs on my way here. I grabbed your shirt and shoes too. Wait here a second. I’ll be back with your stuff.”
Chapter 17
Back to Work
Daniel had come, grabbed the pack, and disappeared without a word. Frustrated, Olivia paced the woods, awaiting their return. She jumped at the sound of the approaching boys and sprinting out of the woods, she threw herself at Aidan. When Daniel hadn’t stopped to tell her anything when he’d come back for Aidan’s pack, her imagination had gotten the best of her.
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