Evergreen [Book 1 of the Hierarchy Series]-Revising

Chapter 18

Chapter 14

            "Daniel we need to get going," I started, shaking his sleeping body, trying to get him on his feet.  "It's sunrise and we need to cross over Scavenger's Beak today."

            "Scavenger's Beak," he mumbled the question, still groggy as he blinked his eyes, trying not to strain against the sun beams peeking through the trees.

            "It's the point where this country meets the wastelands.  It's called Scavenger's beak because the wasteland looks like a bird's beak cutting though the country.  We need to cross over it in order to get where we are going in good time."

            "Isn't it dangerous," he asked.  "Aren't there thieves in the wastelands?"

            "There is a cult of them where we are headed, but I have something that will help us get through safely.  The only problem is, we'll have to split.  Once we reach the outlands, I'll be taking off, and you'll ride Luthera through the cult's lands and to their arena where we'll meet everyone else."

            "How do they know to meet us there," he asked, packing up his bag.  I already packed up, ready to take on the day.

            "Liebei told me what to do when we reached Scavenger's Beak.  We all had to split up no matter what."

            "Are you sure," he asked me, his eyes more awake now that he was aware of our situation.  He grabbed my arm, his eyes inches away from mine, filled with worry.

            "Yes I'm sure.  We've had this plan ever since we started.  I just, kept it from you guys because I didn't know we could trust you yet...but now I do," I watched his eyes soften, adoring me more than I was comfortable with.  Something last night made me more aware of what was going on with him, and now I felt cautious, but something inside me still longed to know him and all of the things he wanted to share with me.

            "Why didn't you tell me a little earlier, we could have gotten a head start," he continued stuffing everything into bags.  Once we hooked them onto Luthera, I hopped on, Daniel pulling up behind me.  He took the reins though he knew I had full control over her.

            "How long will it take to get there from here," he asked.

            "It will take a few hours to get to the border.  Then it will take close to an hour for Luthera to get to the arena.  She already knows the way, and she'll be walking since it isn't our territory."

            She started automatically, pushing into a sprint as fast as her legs could take her.  She rode fast, running to the sunrise.  I pressed my back into Daniel's chest, making the ride more comfortable.  Daniel's stomach growled against me and I couldn't help but laugh.

            "Did you think about breakfast this morning," Daniel asked.  I nodded, shuffling something out of the cloth satchel resting against my thigh.  I handed him a piece of bread.

            "One of the fairies gave me a satchel of bread and cheese," I replied as he took the bread from me, hesitating.  "She came while you were still asleep and left without saying much.  Don't worry, there is no poison I already ate some.  She said it was a gift since we didn't make it to the feast last night.  She also said it is good food for long journeys."

            "So, how long is this going to take...this whole journey?"

            "It depends on the people we meet up with and any obstacles we run into," I replied, trying to keep from getting distracted.  Though Luthera knew where she was going, I wanted to make sure our path was right on target.  "I imagine we'll get back to my kingdom by the end of the month."