The Shadows of Erisdar

Chapter 9

The wolf nudged Alex as she lay on the forest floor. Groaning, she opened her eyes. It was dark. Exhaustion pressed down on her, but at the sight of the shadow wolf, the memories rushed back - and she bolted upright.

They were in a forest that she did not recognise. Through the treetops, she could see a familiar mountain belonging to the Erisdar mountain range; however, she was on the outside. How and when she got there, she did not know.

Her last vivid memory was being nudged towards the mountain base in the south by the ominous shadow wolf. For now, she could not care how she got here. She had to focus on the road ahead.

She dragged herself to her feet and picked up and slung her pack over her shoulder along with her bow and quiver. She didn't know if she was free to go or if she was a prisoner. She's supposed to contact Darcy if and when she can get out of Boronduin to safety. She planned to stay in Erisdar until things died down a bit before going to Eldara. She should be able to get help for her pack there.

Alex started walking, tiredly, away from the mountain, but she stopped when a growl sounded behind her.

"Guess I'm not free to go." She said aloud to herself.

The wolf dropped to his belly in front of her and looked at his rump and then at her. He repeated the motion when she didn't move.

Alex frowned in confusion. "You want me to get on?" she asked, slightly shocked, and the wolf nodded, surprising her at its language comprehension. Alex grimaced at the idea. It would be like riding a spiny horse that did not have back muscles, maybe worse. Slowly and carefully, she got on and was surprised to find that she was, in fact, wrong as the wolf took off at a leisurely trot, away from the mountain.

By noon the following morning, it had been drizzling for a few hours, and Alex had been taken far south to where the Erisdar mountains only took up a third of the horizon. They reached a small, slightly overgrown dirt road where a grey wooden wagon was located.

She could see a tall, brown-haired man with tanned skin tying several straps to a pair of mules. He was very well built and clearly very strong and athletic, but Alex was too exhausted to notice how handsome he was.

"About bloody time." He said, and the wolf only snarled at him. She swung her right leg over the wolf's shoulders and slid down, but her legs, cold and stiff and sore from holding on, buckled and gave way, causing her to fall back against the shadow's ribcage and onto the ground. He merely scooted away before taking a backpack from the young man's outstretched hand. The man moved to help her up.

Unfortunately for him, she was in a foul mood. The moment he grabbed her under the arms, she squirmed and pushed him away. "Get your hands off me," she said angrily.

"Alright," He said as he put his hands up and picked up her bow, which she had dropped beside her before moving away from her. "Feisty, aren't we?"

Alex glared venomously at him as she hauled herself to her feet. "Maybe if I weren't being held hostage by that beast of yours, I might have been a little more friendly."

He reached for her back to direct her to the wagon, but she once again violently slapped his hands away. She knew it was futile to try and run now, so she climbed into the wagon voluntarily while he put her belongings in a trunk in the back. She welcomed the warmth that the wagon's covered top provided; it soothed her chilled body.

"I can assure you, I had nothing to do with Darryl dragging you all the way here," He said as he climbed in the front and handed her a blanket.

"You expect me to believe that whatever that is, wasn't following your orders?" she asked snidely.