ONE POINT FIVE (1.5 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 30

Aknon's POV

The road wasn't too tricky to find, but it was a little disorientating trying to figure out which way we had come from. Judging by the aches and pains in my body, Char had taken me to the forest and then began dragging me through the uneven terrain, instead of dragging me along the road and then to the forest. It had taken me about a full hour before I realised I was walking in the entirely wrong direction.

After another hour and a half of walking in the right direction, I came across a disturbing sight. There were blood splatters along the road, and I knew that this was where I had been when I saw the riders. I recognised the rock I hid behind, but that was the only landmark of importance.

I followed the blood splatters into the forest, holding my sword in my hand as I cautiously looked around. I didn't know if the prisoners would be awake, but I wouldn't blame them for being on high alert. I knew that holding my sword wasn't the ideal picture of peace, but I wanted to ensure that I could defend myself.

Char was acting odd, lingering by the edge of the trees, but I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He looked nervous, but not fearful at least.

The carriage wasn't too far away from the road it had once been travelling. It was in complete disrepair, but what caught my attention was the lack of horses, and the state of the riders.

They were thrown a few feet away from the broken carriage, definitely dead. The cause of death was peculiar though, as they all seemed to have been impaled with arrows. I knew for certain that I didn't have any kind of archery equipment on me, and I doubted that Char could've summoned arrows. I entertained the thought of perhaps conjuring some arrows when I was in my panic-induced state earlier, back when I had blacked out. But I knew that wasn't the case as I examined the arrows.

They were all made of some kind of lightweight wood, which were almost white in colour. I knew for sure that my magic had never created anything like this, especially not by accident. It was only then that I figured that Dwi must have something to do with the magic which I produced consciously and unconsciously. Even if I tried to create something soft, light-coloured, or bright, I had never been able to. It made me feel somewhat bitter, but it also told me that I must have some kind of speciality somewhere.

I snapped out of my thoughts and stood. I stared at the forest for a few minutes, before taking a few steps further in. There were no footprints on the ground leading further into the trees, but there were also no footsteps leading back to the road. I wondered where the two prisoners had gone.

I shook my head and made my way back to Char, a deep frown on my face once again, "I can't find them," I told the horse. "Do you know what happened?"

Char nodded his head, as though he actually understood me.

I stared at him expectedly, waiting for the time when the horse stopped his neighing and actually used a human voice. "I'm going utterly mad."

He nodded again.

I pinched the bridge of my nose before getting on Char's back, sheathing my sword beforehand so I didn't accidentally hurt him. "They might be a little way up the road, but we've probably lost them considering we went the wrong way." I patted the side of his neck, and we began moving once more, hopefully to the wandering village. And if we saw any dishevelled wanderers on our way, making sure that they were safe.

It was incredibly boring, riding a horse all day along a road which basically never changed. I took some time to admire a lake we passed, collecting water, thinking of the mermaid we had met a few months back. I cleaned my wounds and got back on the road. There weren't even any thumbs or bandits running around trying to knock me down and steal from me. I should be grateful for that, but I was just far too bored.