Soul Bound

Chapter 40

"Look!" Anna pointed at the mountains looming ahead. After trekking all day through the desert, they were finally gracing the Knights with their wondrous sight. They could make it there by nightfall if they rushed.

Anna seemed to have the same train of thought; with an excited hoot, she kicked her horse into a gallop. Eva was more excited to finally see green again, rather than feeling the relief of finally arriving at their destination. The closer they got, the more thick grasses sprouted from the sand, the more palms stood tall, casting welcomed shadows. The air grew cooler, not just because of the sun going down, but because of the moisture in the air. It was so humid, in fact, her skin had adopted a permanent film of sweat. Her clothes clung to her flesh unforgivingly and made it difficult to adjust.

They stopped by a waterfall to refill their canteens. A flock of colourful birds flew over them, hurrying to their nests before dark. If this jungle was anything like the forest back home, they should follow in the birds' footsteps and find shelter for the night.

Using her senses, Eva saw the large jungle cats patrolling the area and a phoenix or two guarding their nests. After travelling in the heat all day, she did not feel like wrestling with a jungle cat.

Using the map Sasha had drawn, she led Annaliese to the village. It wasn't like the traditional map Anna had taught her how to use; this one used landmarks, most of them being distinct trees or huge boulders. One landmark was of a creepy doll woven together with vines; its spindly finger pointed to a path that they would have missed if it weren't for its direction.

It wasn't long before a wall came into their sights. As far as walls went, it was primitive; a stack of logs, really, lain horizontally along the village boundary, held in place by poles and rope. The base of the wall was lined with spikes, pinned at a forty-five degree angle. Simple it may be, it looked strong enough to hold back a basilisk.

They approached the main gate. The warriors called out to each other from their posts above the gate, announcing the Knights' arrival. A small latch opened on the gate, revealing a man's face. He was maybe in his early thirties, but he had tufts of grey hair mixed with his dirty blonde hair and a scar that ran down the side of his face, from his temple to his jaw. He examined the Knights with a heavy furrow on his brow.

"Is it just the two of you?" He was surprisingly well-spoken. Most of the residents Eva had come across tended to slur their words and definitely had a limited vocabulary.

"Yes," Anna answered, stepping forward. "We've come a long way. May we enter?"

Sooner was better than later. They didn't have a fifteen foot wall up to keep the bunnies away.

His gaze dashed to their left then to the right, undoubtedly checking to see if they were truly alone. "What business do two heavily armed women have with my village?"

"Sasha Remoar sent us."

All the blood drained from his face; his jaw fell slack in his shock. Knowing Sasha, that seemed like a reasonable reaction.

"Stirward!" A woman shrieked from deep within the village. "Stirward!" She was closer now, her heavy breaths coming the other side of the gate. She struggled against the warriors behind the gate then managed to pop her head in view of the latch hole. "Ye've come fer Petal?" she asked them, a certain desperation in her eyes that made Eva's heart clench.

Anna nodded, taking another step for the gate. "We were told she is sick. Sasha asked us to bring her back to Storm Cove."

Tears sprung in the young woman's eyes. She tossed a quick prayer up to the gods then turned to Stirwar, gripping his shoulder with the determination of a mother protecting her child. "Let 'em in. I requested Sasha's help."