Unknown L (Book 1) [Editing]

~ I Don't Like Surprises ~

L thought her life had become weird enough already but travelling across the countryside with two Ogres, two Elves, a Fairy and a Dwarf definitely tipped the weird scale. They walked all morning and afternoon, finally stopping in the evening for a break, which didn't last very long. They pulled out their food and sat in silence to eat. Bryce had repeatedly said that stealth was the most important thing for them right now. They had left the forest base far behind them, and every Demon working for Frallica would be on the lookout for L.

Despite the skill and strength of her companions, L still felt on edge; as though a Demon was about to pop out from behind every tree or hedgerow. L tried to keep her mind on what they were doing instead of what may or may not be lurking around every corner. Because they were quickly on their way the moment they finished eating.

Her thoughts never strayed from Robbie and his family, however. She needed to believe that they were still alive. Her nightmare was threatening to overwhelm her the closer they got, and the anger that she felt about it almost boiled over multiple times. She managed to keep it under control using one thought in particular. To bottle it up until they got to this farmhouse and unleash it on the Demons.

It must have been the early hours of the second morning when Bryce finally stopped the group again. L noticed they were coming up to the peak of a small hill. She could see fields and farmhouses surrounding them for miles. She raised her brow in question to Bryce, but he shook his head.

"We're not remotely close yet, but I figured this would be a safe place to get some rest... And we can look at teaching you something new for the rest of the journey. We definitely need a way to shroud how noticeable you are."

L was too exhausted to get excited about it but she didn't want to admit it out loud. Instead, she nodded to Bryce and moved to sit down against a nearby tree trunk. She opened up her bag and took out another sandwich. She felt uncharacteristically hungry and wondered if it had something to do with the apprehension she felt. She sat and ate in silence while watching the others set up a place to rest.

Gart and Lort sat down anywhere and began eating unfamiliar pieces of meat from a sack they'd been carrying. Folen laid out an unusual looking grey mat, then sat down. He looked disgruntled but L was starting to think that might just be his usual temperament. Emilia and Bryce were in the middle of a heated conversation, at the edge of the peak, a good distance away.

L didn't care enough at that point to find out what it was about. She finished her sandwich and was about to settle down to sleep when movement caught her eye. She looked around to see Hallie fluttering towards her. L watched carefully as she flew over to sit on the edge of L's bag.

She appeared to be talking, and L shook her head. "I can't hear a word you're saying, I'm sorry."

The little Fairy didn't seem too bothered. She smiled and turned to look over at Folen, who was the closest to them. He frowned and reluctantly got to his feet a moment later. He picked up his mat and carried it over. Setting it down next to them and sitting on it before speaking.

"She wants to know who gave you that bracelet, and was it made for you?" His voice was gruff but not unkind.

L looked down in surprise at the flower bracelet that was peaking out from under her sleeve. She all but forgot about it most of the time.

"I got it from a Fairy named Elisie. She was on this black bus Bryce took me on when we were coming to the base. But why are you asking?"

L couldn't be sure, but the look on Hallie's face seemed to flicker between shock and amazement.

She began speaking rapidly, and L glanced to Folen for an explanation. His face didn't change much, but his mouth appeared to twitch to what L thought must have almost been a smile.