Norikai: Destiny Foretold

Chapter 8: Darius' Castle

Once they had all eaten, everyone went back to their rooms to pack. Andrew took a spare change of pants, an extra t-shirt and a hoodie that he could wear under his jacket if needed. They all met in the castle's large foyer.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Maura asked.

"Think so." Carlos answered. "Unless anyone has to use the-"

"Okay!" Ava interrupted him, "We're all ready."

"Great! Let's go!" Conn cheered as the gates were opened. This time, each of them were given a horse. That way they would make it there all the more quickly.

"Is now a bad time to say I don't know how to ride a horse?" Jason asked.

"It's easy." Andrew smiled. "My dad taught me."

"Just ride Kane." Jason glared at him.

"Whatever you say McClain." Andrew laughed. They embarked on the new journey. This time there would be greater danger. "There's a chance I don't make it back." Andrew thought to himself, "I have to tell someone at least."

Soon night came on the travelers and they tied the horses to some nearby trees. They set up camp a short walk away from the path. They were still surrounded by woods. "Tomorrow we won't have the cover of the trees." Sari told everyone.

"It'll also be getting colder. We're heading towards the frozen plains." Andrew added.

"That's right. So, I hope you all prepared for the weather." Dae said. Everyone nodded as they all packed extra layers of clothing.

"Then let's get some sleep." Carlos declared. "I'll take first watch." No one argued and they all drifted to sleep one by one.

When Andrew awoke, he saw everyone else was already up. "How come no one woke me up?" He asked.

"We all tried. Each time you just fell back asleep." Kendra replied.

"You kept mumbling something about time being an illusion." Laura added.

"That's ridiculous." Andrew stretched out his arms and yawned. "If I said anything about time, it would have been that time is a relative."

"Same thing." Maura said.

"It's too early for your smartness." Sari stated.

"It's actually... Nevermind." Andrew shrugged. He got up and helped pack up camp. They all had some more powdered eggs and were back on the trail.

"Hey, Jason." Andrew started. Those two were in the back of the party.

"Wasup?" Jason asked.

"Well, I need to talk to you about something." Andrew continued. "I need your advice on something, actually"

"You need my advice?" Jason looked shocked. "You mean there's something that I know more about than Mr. Knowledge himself?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone knows more about this than me." Andrew admitted.

"Then what is it?" Jason asked.

"You know what? Maybe later." Andrew shook his head. "Forget I brought it up."

"I don't even know what you brought up." Jason stared at Andrew, confused. They continued on the path, and as they were told, they lost the cover of the trees and it progressively got colder.

"We're making good time." Conn announced as they went along.

"Yeah." Karr agreed. "We'll be there soon."