Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

Alice

Cool night air caressed Liam's skin as the wagon rumbled softly over the smooth, flattened earth on the well-travelled road. It had been several hours since their group had left the grassy plains and entered the tightly compact wooded area. As they travelled under the towering trees, Liam, who found himself incapable of falling asleep, leaned back on the wagon's angular sides as he restlessly watched the low-hanging branches go by. Staring off to his left, he observed Helen laying peacefully on her side with her head resting on a pillow made of multiple folded, thick, woolen blankets. At her side sat Sylvie, head resting on her chest as she too had managed to steal herself a spot in the blissful realm of sleep. Although seemingly tucked away in the land of dreams, Sylvie's hand still remained at the pommel of her sword as if ready to draw her weapon at a moments notice. Eyes straying to the other side of the wagon, he spotted Alice sitting directly opposite to him fidgeting with a worn, golden coin. 

After a full day of riding, she'd opted to stay in the wagon in the hopes that she'd be able to get some much needed rest. Unfortunately for Alice, even after settling herself into a comfortable position, like Liam, she too had found herself unable to fall asleep. Finding herself in a clearly undesirable situation, she wished that she could return to her mount, however, after announcing her intentions to rest inside, Xavier had attached the animal alongside their own horse to pull the wagon. Feeling a penetrating gaze resting over her, Alice suddenly looked up at Liam, who in turn quickly averted his eyes. Despite the prior arrangement Alice had made with Xavier, she had yet to question Liam in the two days they'd been travelling together. 

Every time she'd found an opportunity to question him, something would always arise, halting her progress before she'd even begun. This time was no exception, as the moment Alice had dared to open her mouth, the wagon stopped abruptly, tossing the supplies into chaos as the items toppled over. Sylvie, who'd somewhat recovered from her injuries, immediately sprang into action, standing with her sword drawn. As she hovered defensively over the princess, Helen awoke with a start, worriedness painted all over her expression alongside several strands of hair that remained flattened on her face from her previous resting position. Liam, who sat directly under the open flap of the white canvas, readied himself for action as Alice regained her balance. 

As the group stared tensely at the partially open entrance, Xavier tore the flap ajar, poking his head inside. Reacting quickly, Liam coated his hands in dark aura, grabbing Alice's dagger midair as she struck blindly at his companion. 

"Easy there," Liam soothed as he let go of Alice's wickedly sharp blade. 

"Say something next time," Sylvie scolded at Xavier, "You almost got yourself killed."

Xavier, who audibly gulped at his near miss on death replied, "I just came to check on everyone after that sudden stop." 

"Is everything okay?" Liam asked, quickly directing the conversation elsewhere. 

"The bridge that leads into the next town seems to be damaged," Xavier responded, shaking his head, "I just barely saw it through the darkness. If I hadn't...well, I'd hate to think what could have happened if I didn't stop when I did."

"All that matters," Helen spoke up, brushing the loose strands of hair out of her face, "is that we're all alive and well. I say we stop here for the night and figure something out in the morning." 

Recognizing the sense of her words, they all agreed, hopping off the wagon as Xavier pulled their horse drawn transportation off to the side of the dirt road. Settling into a small clearing beneath the monolithic denizens of the forest, Xavier doubled back to the wagon to grab the cooking utensils and produce as Sylvie got to work on starting a fire. After a few minutes of waiting, Xavier returned with an iron pot with wooden bowls and spoons in one hand and various vegetables in the other. Dropping off the cooking apparatus, he quickly set off to the wagon once more, this time returning much faster with a bow slung over his shoulder and a huge jug of water in tow. On arrival, Sylvie and Helen had already began setting up the iron pot on a tripod made out of surrounding fallen branches, suspending it over a roaring fire.