The Mark of Arella(Book One of the Dragonfly Chronicles)

Chapter Twenty Five

They made their way thru the forest. It was dark and freezing so Lilly continued to use her magic to keep herself and the group warm. The rocking on her horse made her feel sleepy but after a few hours in the saddle she started to get sore. How did people ride horses without feeling pain like this? She started to shift and grimace more often and Rhylan started to notice. He looked back and saw Logan and Sam deep in conversation but he could tell by Sam's posture that he was also feeling some discomfort. He didn't think to consider this when he brought the horses. He was glad he brought some salve with him in case they needed it. He turned to Lilly and said, "I'm going to have a quick chat with Tam and Finn, I'll be right back." He rode up ahead and fell in beside them. "Lilly is looking a bit worn out. How far do you think we are from the cave?" Tam replied, "I'd say another 30 minutes, we can ride ahead if you'd like and start getting camp set up." "No", said Rhylan, "I'd rather we stuck together. Plus, I think Lilly is using some magic to keep us warm. I haven't felt a chill all night. You might find it gets much colder if you go too far ahead." Tam frowned and Finn said, "Will she drain herself if she uses her power like that? Or will it make her stronger?" "Actually", replied Rhylan, "I'm not entirely sure when it comes to her. I know in general we can burn ourselves out if we use too much at once but with her, it's unknown. We will just have to keep an eye on her" He looked back and started towards her.

Sam was disappointed he couldn't ride next to Lilly.   He supposed that was necessary that Rhylan dictated what they did since he was considered the leader of his men but why couldn't he take the back with Logan? Sam didn't know how to fight and it made more sense for him and Lilly to stay together in the middle. He was brooding on this when Logan spoke up. "You've known Lilly for a long time?" Sam looked over at Logan, he wasn't used to the warrior speaking. He cleared his throat. "Yes, we met on her first day of school when we were eight years old. It turned out that we lived three houses apart so we saw each other pretty much every day after that." Logan nodded and replied, "You must be very close then, it's no wonder she kept trying to get word to you that she was safe and alive. It really tore her up to be isolated from you." Sam grunted and mumbled, "She shouldn't have been taken in the first place. We are her home and her true family and all you people have done is put all of us in danger. She's exhausted and anxious, can't you see that? I know her and she isn't healthy." Logan looked at Sam and shook his head. "I can see you love her Sam and that it is tearing you up to see her like this and also to see her with Rhylan. Things have happened fast since she arrived but perhaps if you knew more about her birth and the events that led up to it you would understand more. This threat we face is very real, and it won't just be in the faery realm, if the dark queen succeeds in taking over Fannon, she will take over the humans as well and she will make your world a world of slaves. We need Lilly to help defeat her. It's a path she must walk, it's her destiny to do this and it's our job to help her." Sam shook his head and said, "I still have a hard time believing she is the savior. She's a 19 year old girl who up until 8-9 months ago was painting pictures and going to school. Now she's been thrust into this fantasy world and being forced to learn to fight and use magic to stop an evil queen who has been alive for hundreds of years. If this queen is as powerful as you say, won't you need more than one magic wielder to stop her?"

Logan considered this for a moment.  Sam had a good point,  so far Master Aeron had been relying on the prophecy which really only referred to Lilly and more vaguely Rhylan.  They were both magic wielders but maybe they wouldn't be enough to battle a huge army.  Unless he believed Lilly could do what Arella did when she battled the three evil mage's centuries ago.  He realized that the group was relying entirely on what the two books said and he hadn't even had the chance to read thru them.  He hoped he would get a chance when they stopped to camp.    Sam was looking at him waiting for a reply and cleared his throat to pull Logan out of his thoughts.  Logan looked up at him and said, "I think we can learn a lot more if we could just read the three books.  I think we should read thru the two Lilly has when we make camp.  In fact, I'm sure that is her plan as well.  Look Sam, we all have one thing in common, and that is we love that girl.  Every single one of us would give our life for her.  She is not only the prophesized savior, but she is my Princess and friend.  I can tell you every person in this group feels the same.  We wont let her get hurt."  Sam stared into Logan's eyes and after a few seconds he nodded.  He could see the earnest way Logan was looking at him and knew he was telling the truth.  Even the huge lion's seemed to care for her.  He had no doubt everyone in this group would die for her.  He wasn't surprised though.  He knew how special she was.  He looked ahead and watched her ride next to Rhylan.