A Dreamer's Knight

Chapter 31 - In Pursuit of Happiness

Jeronem bolted forward the moment the lift doors opened to reveal the forest floor. Fortunately, Mikaen expected this and kept a firm grasp on the hood of the young vuestan's robe.

"C'mon! Lemme go!"

Leaning down to speak in his friend's ear, Mikaen said, "Or we could not alert her to our presence, thus maintaining some semblance of stealth while we follow her and find out who she's been seeing. Which do you think sounds better?"

Pouting, Jeronem crossed his arms. "Fine. We'll be quiet. Can we go now?"

They walked through the woods as quietly as they were capable, listening intently for sounds of Rydiana, if indeed that was who they were chasing. Mikaen had to keep an eye on Jeronem, who was always just about a few seconds away from just dashing into the woods. Mikaen couldn't blame him; his own heart was racing with the thrill of the chase.

After about an hour, Jeronem nodded toward a dense cluster of trees just ahead of them. "We're close to Yuna Lake."

After motioning for Jeronem to stay put, Mikaen slowly crept forward into the brush.

The Yunalesca River flowed peacefully just a short distance from the tree line. Just a short ways downstream, Mikaen could see Yuna Lake shimmering in the moonlight. He peered at the moonlit landscape for several minutes before he realized that Jeronem was beside him.

"See anything?"

Mikaen shook his head.

Jeronem scrutinized the area. "Definitely two people nearby."

"Can you sense a direction?" Mikaen breathed.

Closing his eyes in concentration, Jeronem slowly pointed to a small plot of grass near the far side of the river.

Mikaen looked at the spot. "I don't see-"

He stopped abruptly. There was something there. It was hazy and hard to make out, but he could definitely see enough of it to make out a rough shape. The longer Mikaen stared at it, the more the seemed to solidify in his vision, the object's surface rippling slightly in the nighttime breeze.

Jeronem glanced at him. "What is it?"

"There's a tent with an illusion enchantment set up on the riverbank."

Jeronem peered at the river. "I don't see it."

Neither Jeronem nor Mikaen knew that sentients, being creatures closely linked to the flow of lifestream, have the ability to detect irregularities in the natural flow of the lifestream. Magic alters the flow of the lifestream, and magical effects such as illusions, enchantments, and charms are easily visible to those sensitive to such things when the affected object is in motion. This is because the stream of such a spell remains in place while the stream around it flows as usual. This was in fact why Mikaen could 'see' Jyle and Rydiana, and why he had always been able to spot a fellow magic-user.

Of course, Mikaen didn't know any of this as he stared at the tent. He was about to move forward when a sudden rustle of bushes nearby made him crouch down for cover.

A few moments later, a winged figure emerged from the forest on the far side of the river. It was a young sentient man, barely out of his teens from the look of him. He was well-dressed, though the style was unfamiliar to Mikaen, and his neatly combed hair faded to white at the tips. His white-feathered wings were large, much larger than Mikaen had expected, though it occurred to him that they would have to be fairly large to lift a humanoid body into the air.

The sentient leapt over the river in a single bound, one beat of his wings more than strong enough to propel him safely to the other side. He landed silently on the opposite bank, his wings instantly folding against his back with surprising compactness. He glanced around briefly, Mikaen catching a glimpse of eyes orange with caution before the sentient quickly entered the tent.