Goldentracks

Chapter Thirteen

Sabrina had secured the scroll back in its casing a long while ago, yet the flames burning around her heart were still burning strong. She couldn't bear to sit and wait for the searing pain to subside while sitting in a hole in the dirt. Picking up her short sword by the scabbard but leaving the bow, she quickly left the shelter. The dark of night oppressed her, but the breeze helped keep her from hyperventilating. What she really wanted to do was scream, but that was absolutely out of the question.

So, she walked and walked, moving aimlessly through the forest. And though Sabrina moved quietly enough, she knew her abstraction was making her an easy target. She continued on for a mile or two, until the exertion began to have the desired effect. Her mind was calming itself and her burning grief was dimming down to a dull sorrow. As her mind cleared, she noticed her surroundings again. She'd walked farther than she'd realized. Hearing the stream, she continued toward it.

When she reached the water's edge, she squatted down, one knee on the muddy bank, and scooped up some water to drink. In her hurry to leave the shelter, she'd forgotten her gourd. But then, she hadn't planned on coming to the stream either. After several more scoops, she sighed. Moving back a few paces, under the cover of some bushes, she sat down. She didn't want to go back, yet she had nowhere else to go. The sound of the water with its chorus of frogs and insects soothed her. I can stay here a little longer, she thought. Finding a more comfortable spot between the foot of a tree and a couple of large bushes, she sat with her back against the tree.

Over the stream the sky was visible. The moon is bright tonight, she thought. A shooting star flew past and, for a moment, she forgot she was alone in the woods of a foreign land. She gazed up at the beauty of the stars and marvelled at the majesty of the night sky. Feeling her heart begin to swell again, she looked down. She sighed and then chuckled, remembering her most demanding instructor, Enzo. What would the burly man who had been one of her favourite teachers think if he could see her now, all lost in sentimental stargazing.

A sudden noise on the other bank further downstream brought her attention back to reality. Listening carefully, she surmised that it had most likely been made by a fleeing animal. However, in her current position, she could only see the shrubs before her and the sky. She slowly got up to venture a peek over the bushes. From where she was crouching, at the apex of the bend in the stream, Sabrina could see down both banks well. She was thankful for the cloudless night and the half moon shining brightly over the scene. But because the creature kept to the forest's edge, its movements were difficult to see. Was it a wild boar? No. She could already tell without a doubt she was looking at a person.

As the figure moved closer to her hiding place, Sabrina wondered whether she should steer clear of the stranger or wait where she was. Avoiding danger was what she always did. But there was something so familiar, so obviously untrained and alone in the person's movements. Had it been Calderone, or one of his men, she wouldn't have heard or seen them coming from such a distance. Unless they mean to trap me using this person as bait. She wouldn't be surprised if they did. She scrutinized the shrubs and trees in the vicinity for some sign of an ambush. No, she decided. It's too risky to set that sort of trap here and in the dark. My chances of escaping would be too great.

With quick, somewhat jittery steps, the figure kept moving straight toward her hiding place. Though no longer in fear for her life, Sabrina decided avoiding any accidental meeting with this person would be best.The figure looked back toward the place it had come from, apparently searching for signs of pursuit. Despite herself, Sabrina was intrigued. There was still time to slip back into the forest and leave unnoticed. She tensed herself in readiness to flee, but kept her eyes on the shadowed figure.