The Seeress

Chapter Eighteen

Edwin looked behind, seeing the smoke from the pyre that still lifts up to the sky. The grey ashes still itch and haunt him in his mind. He had to drag himself away from that thought, which becomes less of a problem as Harold constantly looks at him as if he shot an arrow above him. 

"You still looking at that smoking pyre there?" Harold asked as Edwin tried his best to not show his fear. "It's long past, no point in dwelling on it," Edwin replied with a straight face. 

Only to remind himself again of how gruesome the details are on each corpse that was left that day. Edwin's eyes shifted away from Harold, as the latter shook his head disappointingly at his cousin.

"You really need to be used to it, Edwin," Harold said as he continued walking forward, before immediately cringing at Agnetha again. He suppressed his feelings with her words back there. Too damned true, were her words. He was effectively trapped with her, and he could only tolerate it by constantly reminding himself of the punishment that would await him. 

As for Agnetha, she herself had her doubts. She looked back at her companions; Edwin looked rather tired, with his shield weighing down on him. The details were on his face, showing his silent, weary eyes. As Edwin's eyes see hers, he gave weak smile to her, as Agnetha did the same to him for his heart is still strong. John was at the back, his regret being visibly shown as he did not want to see her more.

And then she looked upon Harold, as she could not help but anticipate his anger towards her as she quickly shift her eyes away from him.

"Agnetha!" Harold said loudly, as Agnetha looked at him, her heart a little jump as she heard his voice. Only to see him raising her scarf.

"You dropped this," Harold said, as he continued to walk alongside the others. Agnetha looked at him silently, not knowing what to say.

"See this as merely an empty gesture, my lady," Erik said, as Agnetha did not share his sentiment. Something tells her that she might be telling the truth. Nevertheless, she is not in a position to judge him so quickly. There are far better things to do than that.

"My lady, don't you feel the snow is getting more prevalent?" Erik asked as Agnetha looked around, seeing the trees laced with snow at the branches. Indeed, Agnetha could not help but admit it's true. "This is no good, this place will be filled with snow possibly," Erik continued, as Agnetha nodded at his words uncomfortably.

Indeed, the snow gets even thicker throughout the day. Edwin himself could not help but measure how thick the snow is with his hands as he strays from the group. 

"Edwin, what are you doing!?" Harold said, as Edwin still knelt there, looking rather worried at the snow. Harold shook his head fervently at him, having enough of his idiosyncrasies. "I swear, I don't know what he is thinking right now," Harold continued as Erik walked towards him, seeing as he too could not help but want to know. 

"What are you doing?" Erik asked Edwin, the latter pulling his hands from the snow. Erik saw him sinking his hands, and could barely pull them out by himself. 

"It felt rather... deep," Edwin commented while having a puzzled look. "Have you noticed how the air feels hot and cold at the same time?"

Erik's eyes widened, as indeed, the Westerner was right. The wind felt as if it was ironing and soothing his face. He then looked towards Agnetha with a worried face, as he knew what sign of it is. 

"What is it, Erik?" Agnetha asked as Erik looked around, knowing that they were all effectively trapped in the forest. "You noticed how the winds are both warm and cold at the same time?" Erik asked her. 

And Agnetha's eyes widened. She too knows of what a terrifying force is being foretold with such winds. "Where can we go?" Agnetha asked immediately, as Erik looked all around. They were no doubt neck-deep into the forest. Their straying away from civilization was to evade their captors, but it seemed that nature itself is not on their side.