The Elven King's Consort

Chapter 40: Fog

I stared down at the group that formed nearby. It was cloudy and gloomy today; the rain came in hard last night, and the noise bouncing off the tent lulled us to a deep sleep. The night air, once muggy and hot, turned cool and breezy. It was only slightly humid this morning, but the fog was deep and thick. The sun has risen, but one wouldn't have noticed unless they looked at the sky and saw the iridescent orb floating in place.

Cesteil was upset, waving an arm around as he spoke loudly to the group; the other rested above his hip, accentuating his figure.

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

I knew who he spoke of. It was the blonde warrior. Of course, even in her absence, she claimed to be the center of attention and a nuisance.

"You're sure you've searched everywhere?"

"Yes, Cesteil. She's nowhere to be found."

He sighed loudly and rubbed his face through his hair; a wrinkle formed between the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, enough. We need to head out before it becomes too late. She may have returned to the town for who knows why."

Leaving the mass, he gripped the saddle and threw himself on behind me, his arm laced around my waist. Pushing his chest against my body, he clicked his tongue and pushed off; the others followed behind silently.

She'd been missing all morning. No one was able to find her or any traces of her departure. But something told me that after she saw us two last night in that tub, she up and ran away. To where I wasn't sure, but I hoped back to town.

Cesteil gripped the reigns stiff and tight, obviously frustrated and annoyed. I stared on, unable to think of anything to lighten the mood. No one looked our way, and everyone kept quiet, but part of me was convinced they blamed me. They lost a healer, and now things have become dangerous. If we were attacked, there was no guarantee there wouldn't be any losses.

I felt a bit guilty, but I brushed it away as soon as it began to manifest. This was not my doing. I hadn't bothered the tramp once. She came on to me first, and as a result, a slap of reality hit her. If she couldn't take it, then the loss is on her, not me. But I did pray hard and long that we wouldn't be attacked.

Theron leaned his horse our way until he was nearly side by side with us, and I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The awkward silence between Cesteil and I was driving me crazy. The elven warrior saw me perk up, and his face softened.

"We are coming up to the path leading to the forest."

"It's too open," Cesteil replied dryly.

"We'll be fine. As long as my sister has scouted the area and says otherwise, we should make it there in a handful of hours."

"What if they are waiting for us at the entrance?"

"We have plenty of skilled warriors to fight off a small army, your highness."

"That's not good enough."

"There are other paths we can take, but it will jar our purpose by another day's worth, and the possibility of being gone too long from town isn't wise. An attack can happen at any moment, and we haven't left enough bodies to protect those who are innocent."

"Tsk."

Frowning, I gave Theron a sympathetic look, and he nodded, leaving us alone again. Great, the awkwardness settled in once again. Sighing, not caring that he could hear it, I spoke up, trying to ease the tension in the air; it was suffocating me.

"I've come up with a few questions for the fairy queen."

He remained quiet, but I could feel him relax a bit against me, and I took that as a sign to continue speaking.