Things Lost and Found (a Waglington and Mianite fanfiction)

Chapter 28

How did this book jump up to 8.1 k views? O.o (I am slightly mad that I missed 7,777 views. >.< Oh well.) The song of the day is "For Those Who Wait" by Fireflight. I love the music video they did for this one. Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. My biggest lab project of the semester is now done. *Sigh of relief* I have 3 weeks of classes left before winter break. :D We'll have some fun when that time comes. The next chapter should be up on Tuesday. :) All OCs used in this chapter will be credited at the end.

*? POV*

I walked through the camp, noting tents rising at a satisfactory pace and small fires pits being lit. We'd all had to sharpen our survival skills and tighten our belts since we went on the run nearly a year ago. I made my way to the clump of walnut trees we'd designated as the infirmary to see how the injured and ill had fared with the sudden move. I wished we had been able to stay longer at our jungle camp, but we had to relocate after a group of mortals nearly stumbled upon us last night. Even worse, I hadn't seen them coming. Usually I got enough of a warning to scramble everyone and scatter before we could be found. I didn't know that group of mortals had gotten so close until Aduladi came flying into camp hooting up a storm. Thankfully they had left without finding us less than a mile away.

As I entered the walnut grove, I passed several students with splinted bones, wrapped cuts, and less obvious ailments resting against trees or on blankets; a few of them were already collapsed and sound asleep though the sun had barely begun to set. Charlie's petite form, with her white hair and pale complexion almost making her look like a ghost in the evening light, flitted between patients, smiling to raise the wounded's spirits and using some of her healing magic to make the more painful apprentices comfortable enough to hopefully sleep through the coming night. What everyone really needed was rest, but staying one step ahead of the Mianite patrols didn't allow much time for that.

On the far side of the infirmary, where it was most quiet, lay Winter. She had gotten a nasty concussion and possibly a cracked skull after we got trapped between two patrols a week ago and had to fight our way out. We had barely escaped, and Winter was the only master wizard left in our group when the dust settled. The other two masters—Malisis and Regina—had covered our retreat but failed to meet back up with us after. Winter had been recovering slowly in this relatively warm climate; being a wizard with a strong ice affinity had its downsides. Thankfully she was peacefully asleep when I walked up to check on her; I suspected Charlie had something to do with that and grinned, leaving her to her rest.

From the infirmary, I followed the perimeter of the camp, looking for potential escape routes and places an ambush could be waiting for us. The trees of the surrounding forest were old and well established. The trunks of the deciduous giants were spaced out with small clumps of underbrush growing in the patches of sunlight that found their way through the patchwork of limbs. The leaves were turning a rainbow of autumnal colors from brilliant red to pale yellow; there was one species of tree whose leaves even turned a soft pink before fading to brown. (Yes, there is a tree like that. No idea what it is, but I've seen them outside Atlanta, Georgia when visiting relatives.) The leaves had just started falling a few weeks ago, and the friable leaves coating the ground would make someone sneaking up on us unlikely. However it would also make it hard for us to disappear if someone made it within ear shot. The narrow gullies cutting through the woodland would likely be our best way out of trouble; we'd camped along one such watercourse to satisfy my paranoia.

I started to relax as I neared my tent on the northern edge of camp; I'd already thoroughly scouted this part of the forest. Northeast was Dagrun—the most likely source of trouble, since the king there served Mianite. The earlier my sixth sense or foresight—whatever it was—got tripped, the better. Seconds could mean the difference between a clean escape and apprentices getting captured or worse. I'd already known that, but everyone else here had to learn the hard way those first few months.