An Eternity of Change

Chapter 11

December 13, 1831

Jaylyn crawled through the snow, using the high banks to stay hidden, while up ahead her target slowly walked in a circle watching for her. He paused for a moment looking in her direction before turning again to study some snow-covered brush nearby. She took her chance and darted to the next snow bank before sinking back down into the snow. Sure it was cold, she was only wearing a light jacket and pants so she wasn't too bulky, but if she could finally beat Adam in a skirmish it would be worth the freezing ice and snow. A branch cracked under her as she moved forward again and Adam whirled back in her direction, Jaylyn tried to flatten herself even more to the point she went into the snow bank a bit, before pulling out the branch and throwing it at the brush again.

When Adam didn't attack her a few moments later, she risked looking up and saw him walking over to the brush with his dagger drawn. Jaylyn took out her pocketknife and darted out of hiding. The snow dragged down her momentum but she still managed to wrap her arms around his neck before he allowed himself to fall back, crushing her beneath him. She felt him disarm her before flipping around and planting one hand on her shoulder and held the dagger under her chin with the other.

"You're getting better." He spoke up in the once more silent forest side country air. "But you still move too slow, you know once I manage to catch you, you can't escape. Next time don't sling to me unless your blade has already entered my throat, got it?"

Jaylyn smirked. "What if I let you catch me?"

"Then you're just-" He was cut off as she landed a sharp jab at his throat and kneed him between the legs.

She knocked his dagger hand away from her neck before unbalancing him so he crashed into the snow. Jaylyn scrambled to her feet before he could recover and grabbed her fallen weapon before ducking into some trees nearby; behind her she could hear Adam catching up. She noticed a fallen tree leaning against a taller upright pine and made for that, she ran up the leaning one until it became too steep and started climbing it instead. It shook a bit and she looked back to see Adam starting to follow her. She started climbing faster and reached the pine before ducking into its branches to help hide her until she thought of a way to stop him.

"Those were cheap shots Jaylyn." Adam called out to her as he came nearer. "You can't hide up a tree all day."

Jaylyn yelped in surprise, as he appeared climbed onto a limb almost right beside hers before dodging his grab and began to climb higher. A branch creaked under her weight and she stopped moving for a moment before cautiously pulling herself onto another branch, Adam was forced to stop below her as her accent caused pine needles and snow to crash down on him. Jaylyn tried to climb higher but the next branch broke out from under her and she barely managed to grab a stronger one before falling into a frozen lake below. Another crack rang out below her and she looked down to see the branch that had creaked earlier break off entirely and take Adam with it. He grabbed at another branch as he fell but his dagger hindered one hand and he missed, a few seconds later Jaylyn heard a crack of ice and a splash.

"Adam?" She started to climb down as quickly as she dared. "Hey, this isn't a trick is it?"

She dropped down onto the ground when she was close enough before walking over to the edge of the water and finding his dagger lying on top of the ice a few yards away. Jaylyn looked down at the dark water lapping at the broken ice and shuddered before making her way out to retrieve the dagger, shouldn't he be getting out of the water now? She was almost to the middle of the lake, a few inches from the dagger, when the ice gave a groan beneath her and cracked. She swallowed nervously before leaning forward and grabbing the dagger, the cracks grew wider and water began to lap at her shoes as the ice broke up. Jaylyn quickly backed away as the trail of broken ice began to follow her, and nearly tripped over the hole Adam made before finally reaching safety on the shore. She still didn't see the other immortal until a cough came from her right and his head looked out from behind a tree as water dripped down his hair.