Frost and Snow

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine.

Sleep had eluded me again last night; the thought of other minions roaming about and the possibility of Asalie being near were enough to keep me up. In the light of the moon I had used the time to clean my armor and weapons of blood. I had even borrowed a comb from Valeria’s chest to brush my hair and melted some snow so I could wash my face.

I had no idea where this sudden desire to look presentable came from. Maybe it was just a way to spend the time while my Mage companion got her rest. After she had bandaged my wounds and poured some healing energy into them she had gone to sleep immediately. I was beginning to think that this journey took more of her than she let on. 

During the night the clouds had disappeared from the sky and I woke Valeria up just before the sun would rise above the horizon. We were very close to the location where Asalie was seen last and I had the feeling that we might even be able to find her before the day was through.

The sunlight did wonders for our mood. After a quick breakfast of porridge and winter berries we set out, sticking to the smaller roads, though not traveling far from the main road. It was the preferred way of traveling for people like Asalie and Bloodstrike – out of sight, but close enough to ambush unsuspecting travelers.

“What does she look like?” Valeria spoke after we had traveled in silence.

“I am not sure.” I answered. Last time I had seen her she had worn armor much like mine, but there was no telling for sure if she still was. I explained it to Valeria and gave her a short description of what my childhood friend looked like.

We kept our eyes open as we traveled, but only met the usual travelers on our way. Somewhere I had hoped that we would find Asalie easily, but I realized that it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. There was no certainty that she was still in the area and even if she was, the area was large.

I had never excelled at tracking – or any other useful survival skill. From the beginning the one who got us out of tricky situations with skill and cleverness had been Asalie and I had been the one with strength and courage. But I had watched her many times, tracking the trail of some animal – only once or twice had we tracked bandits.

So I watched out for signs – broken twigs, footsteps, remains of a fire – keeping Valeria up to date with my findings. It was already afternoon when I found a decent trail, one that I could, with some difficulty, follow. The footprints this person had left were a bit too large for Asalie, but they might lead to one who could tell us more about her location.

We followed the trail slowly; Valeria was leading the horses and I was walking in front of them, examining the signs. They lead us over a small and not often used path – luckily it was large enough for our horses and cart and it helped with tracking.

“And exactly why are we following this trail?” Valeria asked, she sounded annoyed.

“Because – Well, it is not like I have a better idea. Have you?” This was better than traveling around without a goal; at least we would find something at the end of the trail.

“Well – Well, no. But we have no idea who – or what – we will find at the end. If we find it at all! Astre, are you listening to yourself?!” She yelled and I glared at her, gesturing that she should not talk so loud.

“Whatever it is, I can handle it.” I kneeled down to examine a footprint; we were still going in the right direction.

“You can handle it? You can handle it?! You may be strong, but you have fought a hard battle yesterday. And if anything, you are getting weaker as your curse fades away!” Valeria halted the horses. “Astre, this is madness. We should go to a village or town, ask around there – not follow some random trail in the middle of nowhere…”