From The Ashes

Chapter Thirty-One

Three Weeks Later 

I was sitting by the stream Artemis and I had discovered a few weeks ago, lazily making ripples and waves in the shallow water.

Once a day, we would come out here to train together. After everything that happened at the cave, King Ruben decided it was best we kept up on our skills.

I sighed, thinking back on the memory.

Anton had been hurt pretty badly; the wounds in his back and leg were deep and took longer to heal than expected.

King Ruben assumed it was because the Fate Spinner may have had some sort of poison coating it's body, which hindered his accelerated healing process.

Needless to say, he wasn't very happy being stuck at the safehouse all the time. Once he was finally able to walk on his own again, he packed his stuff up and began staying in the cave for days at a time.  

King Ruben had taken Valen and Von to make sure the Fate Spinner was gone for good, which it was, before setting up camp. Now, the cave resembled a military base.

There were tables with maps everywhere, cots, secret files, and much, much more. I wasn't keen on the idea, and hadn't been back there since the attack. 

Most days, I spent my time training with Artemis, helping Aislinn out with her daily duties, or spending personal time with Valen.

Things had been surprisingly tame.

To be honest, it made me a little uncomfortable and restless.

Today was a little different, however, because King Ruben had finally been able to round up all the warriors that had been posted as security the night of the ball. He, Anton, and the princes were questioning them in the cave now. 

I huffed in annoyance and laid back in the grass, removing my hand from the water.

I had begged Valen to let me be apart of the interrogation, but he and everyone else had held firm that I shouldn't be there.

I have no idea what their motives were, but I knew I couldn't disobey. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and they still weren't back yet. 

I heard a twig snap behind me so I flipped over and rose from the ground, scanning the trees for any signs of a threat.

I lowered my posture into a defensive stance, ready to attack my intruder, when Anton stepped out into the light with his hands raised. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as I put my hands on my hips. 

Ever since the incident with the Fate Spinner, Anton had barely spoken to me.

I guess you could say it was a step up from the outright aggression he had shown before, but it was a little awkward when you could tell someone was avoiding you at all costs. 

He cleared his throat and looked down.

"I came to get you, they've finished the questioning." 

"Did they find out anything useful?" 

He shook his head and frowned.