His Captive Sorceress

Chapter 57: Home

A tree with an inky black trunk towers above the forest canopy, bare of branches except for the very top. The afternoon wind tugs at its leaves. There's something about it.

"Jade," Trevus calls. He's walked quite a distance ahead. How long have I been staring?

The tree peaks high above the rest, and it doesn't share the shape of the winding-branched trees that surround it. It sticks out, like it belongs to a different forest. I remember that tree.

I stray from our path and enter the forest, heading straight towards the tree.

"Jade?" Trevus calls.

I don't have an answer for him just yet. The tall tree stretches high above the sparse canopy, acting as a beacon.

The woods boast a distinct mossy scent. A dusting of tiny pink flowers dots the ground. I've been here before, a long time ago.

"What is the reason for this detour!?" Giddius calls from behind. The three of them hasten their pace to keep up.

I'll explain later. I rush faster through the forest - leaping over raised roots and ducking under branches.

The beacon's dark trunk comes into view. I stop. Despite its height, the base of the tree is narrow enough that my arms could reach around it. That wasn't the case ten years ago. I've grown.

The three men catch up. "Girlie, what do you seek in the forest?" Marcellus asks.

I tear away the ferns from the base of the trunk and brush the dirt off.

Trevus steps beside me. "What drew you to this nosawood-" He stops at the sight I've uncovered. The letter J is carved in the tree's black bark, with the wood long since healed around the knife wound.

I liked this tree. It was different to all those around it - like it didn't belong in the forest.

Giddius and Marcellus stop on either side of me, waiting for an explanation.

I climb over a large root and continue around the tree. "I remember the rest of the way."

"You remember?" Marcellus asks.

"I walked it as a child," I say. "We're close."

Trevus follows on my left, and Giddius takes the right. They remain vigilant as we walk, their guards raised. With Asarus's experience raiding, he's an adversary to be wary of.

We're minutes away from my home village. In the first few years of captivity, I longed for nothing more than to return here. When laying on the straw in the tower cell, I'd imagine waking up snuggled in my bed in Elder Hannah's home.

When I reached sixteen, I began to come to terms with the fact that my bed at Elder Hannah's house would have long since disappeared. I was an adult. No longer would the elders of the village volunteer my care and shelter. Despite living there for the first ten years of my life, I never truly belonged. Even in Mephia, a child that could put others to sleep instinctively led to distrust. The elders provided for my needs not out of love, but obligation.

Dry sticks snap under our boots. We're close now. I like to think some of them missed my absence. Elder Eric was happy to have my help in his fields, and Victor the physician humored my effort to prepare his supplies. Would I even be welcome now? The last they saw of me was when the militia raised by Lord Asarus invaded their homes to carry out my abduction, a terrifying experience brought upon them by my presence.

What will they say when they see my face today? Will they shoo me off, just as many did in my early years?

I look to the three large men at my side, my eyes finding Trevus. It doesn't matter how the people of the village react to my return. This is no longer my home. I don't need their acceptance anymore. They're not even the reason I'm here.