Daughter of the Wind

18. The Dark Forest

Seventeenth of Harvest

Belkai awoke to find Davos' arm stretched over her. Absentmindedly, she stroked it as she stared into the early morning sky. She admired his devotion, his determination to stand by her even after she had revealed her secret. She fought off a sense of foreboding. Truth be told, she feared for him. Despite her best efforts, her mind drifted to what would happen to him should she fail to defeat Ashelath. What did the demon have in store for him? Would it be enough for him to simply break Davos' heart? Or would he make her take his life? If the old stories were true, those were mercies in Ashelath's mind. The Father of Serpents. She shuddered at the thought, not realising that she was squeezing his arm.

"Are you okay?" Davos whispered, slowly opening his eyes. He didn't move his arm, even as he stretched in his bedroll.

"I was just thinking," Belkai whispered back, and quickly released her grip. "Nothing to worry about."

"Okay." He knew it was a lie but chose to let it go. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, then dropped back down. "Are you feeling better?"

Belkai nodded. "Today we reach the Forest. I think that is a good thing."

"The end draws closer," Davos noted.

"Every end is a new beginning," she told him. "Hopefully this will be a good one."

He didn't answer as the others began to stir. When it was time to rise and pack up camp, Belkai couldn't ignore the heaviness in the air.

The previous day had been spent mostly in silence, each companion considering the fate of the Watchers. Belkai had wrestled with the Tormentor to keep her new plan a secret, fighting to keep some parts of her mind out of his sight. She had won, but the effort had left her exhausted. Davos found himself watching Belkai closely. What did it mean for her to have this monster guiding her steps? He found his heart growing heavy at the realisation that this whole quest had begun at the command of a demon. What madness was this that he still followed? He realised now the truth of Siara's words to listen to his heart but not trust it. Yet despite that caution his heart still said that there was hope for Belkai, that there was enough light left in her to break free. Or was he fooling himself for the sake of love, for some dream that may never be fulfilled? He feared that by the time he knew the answer to that question, it would be too late.

For her part, Loranna was keeping her eyes on Roulson. He had changed since they found the bodies, become cold. There was a conflict inside him, Loranna recognised, but to her surprise, he announced as they set up camp that he would journey into the Forest with them.

"I've come this far," he'd told them. "I might as well finish the course."

Loranna suspected that something more was behind those words, but kept silent, not wishing to encourage him in whatever darkness was gathering in his mind. Time would reveal what had changed in Roulson. He was no threat to them, she was sure of that much at least. She had taken the measure of the man and was confident that she could kill him should the need arise. But still she watched him as she tried to discern what was happening inside his mind.

"There's smoke to the east," Davos called out, bringing Loranna back to the present. "Towards the Last Outpost."

"The Recluse makes war from the south, the Aliri from the north," Loranna said. "What hope does Svaleta have?"

"We are its hope," Belkai announced, and all eyes turned on her. She was clothed in leather pants and the blue shirt she'd taken from the Watcher. She stood with a confidence that had been missing over the past day. "I was sent here to find the Recluse and discover why he has awakened. Today we enter Narandir. I do not know what we will find in the Forest, but it is a place of danger. You have all come this far for your own reasons. I thank you, but I do not demand that you continue."