The Snake Warriors

Chapter Three

"We're almost to the camp. It's just over this ridge," Foxtail says. We've been walking for five hours, so the cave-camp-place had better be here, and I swear if this turns out to be an ambush after I walked this far I will kill them all. I hate walking. Why did I decide to take this journey on foot? I couldn't have bought a horse beforehand or taken one of the three me and Mother already own. Maybe I should have stayed away from people altogether. Then I wouldn't have to act tough and then I could have made camp earlier and I wouldn't be complaining about this to mysel- Stop rambling and whining Sorcha! You're tired. You didn't sleep well last night, you've refrained from drinking as much water as you wanted from your canteen you packed to appear slightly more conservative, and you didn't think you would walk this much. Well, you did, but you thought it would be accumulated over time. It would have been less if we stayed on the road, but Foxtail insisted it was better if we went through the woods. We reach the top of the ridge. He walks all the way to the edge while I stay a few feet back. He's not looking at me! I grab my canteen from the side of my bag and quickly sneak a drink. The cool water rushes down my throat, refreshing everything it touches. Much better. I replace my canteen and look ahead to make sure I haven't lost Foxtail. He's still there, looking over at what I guess is the camp. I walk forward enough so I'm about shoulder to shoulder with him. Except he's taller than me. I look over at the cam- or rather, lack of a camp.

"I thought you said they were here."

"They are. It's still daylight, so they're either in the cave or out on patrol right now. We don't make camp until nightfall, so it should be a little bit."

"Why not make camp in the cave?"

"Because that's where Lotus has the prisons and the dangerous magical items stored."

"Who's Lotus?"

"Lotus Vixaski. One of the two heirs to the throne of Mallor and our leader," Foxtail almost looks prideful. It's only ruined by the fact that he doesn't have a human face, so I can't exactly make out his feelings. He probably likes it that way.

"Wait, as in Lotus Vixaski the daughter of Estelle Vixaski?"

"You've heard of any other Lotus Vixaski?"

"No, I suppose not." And now we have an awkward silence. I can hear the birds chirping. Hey, you can look directly at the sun as it disappears behind the cave from here.

"So, why did you approach me in fox form earlier?"

"You figured out that was me?"

"It was kind of obvious."

"True. Well, I wanted to make sure you weren't a threat. I thought you weren't, but I wasn't so sure when you took out those bandits the way you did. Speaking of which, how did you do that?"

"Sleeping spell. My mother made sure it was drilled into my head in case of something like that. It's why I always carry powered chamomile. I didn't realize bandits ran in groups that big, otherwise I would have brought more."

"Huh." And now there's nothing else to talk about. So now we watch the sunset. Could be worse.

"I almost forgot how long it took for everyone to get here," Foxtail murmurs almost absentmindedly. He sighs contently and sits down cross-legged. Should I join him? Well, I've been on my feet all day. Might as well rest for a bit. I sit down the same way as him. This is actually quite a peaceful place.

"Do you come up here often?" I ask. Maybe I can use this conversation to find out more about him.

"Yeah. It's my favorite place in the camp."

"Why?"

"None of your business," Foxtail glares at me. So it's personal.

"Okay then." That was a bust. I look away from Foxtail down to Rächer. You can probably see all of their camp from here.

"I forgot to ask, who are you looking for?" Foxtail breaks the silence.

"His name is Cace Bryson. He's blonde, a bit taller than most, and he should be twenty-three years old," I do my best to keep my voice even. I focus on a blue flower by my foot. That's weird, I almost could have sworn Foxtail stiffened a little bit when I said Cace's name. I was watching him out of the corner of my eye, so I must have imagined it.

"I don't think I've heard the name. The description sounds familiar though. He might have passed through and I just never got his name."

"I hope so," I squeeze some grass between my hands.

"Hey," Foxtail puts his hand on my shoulder. I look at him. He's got the closest thing he can have to a smile on his face. "We'll find him, or we'll die trying. Whichever comes first," he chuckles dryly.

"What makes you think we'll die?"

"Nothing, it's jus-" Foxtail cuts off and his ears perk up as he turns his head to look into the woods behind us. As he does that, a bandit runs out of the woods, a pure black wolf on her heels. Foxtail quickly draws his bow band fires. The arrow hits the bandit in the knee, and he falls to the ground. The wolf skids to a stop and sniffs the bandit. Hey, that wolf has a scar on their left shoulder. Really nasty looking, like the skin was boiled, then dried. There are some white lines on it in a specific shape. I can't really make it out from here. After a few seconds, the wolf backs away and is engulfed in a blinding light. I shield my eyes with my arm. The light dies away. In the place of the wolf, there's a blonde lady in all black Mallorian armor. Her hair has a lighter blonde streak that covers most of the right side of her head. It would be split down the middle, but she has her bangs pinned on her left so the streak carries over. Her bangs are really long too, and her hair is simply pulled back into a low ponytail.

"Hey Foxtail. Who's the lucky lady?" she looks at me with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Wha- Lotus!" Foxtail quickly stands up and rushes over to her. Lotus starts giggling. Foxtail punches her in the shoulder. Okay, now she's doubled over laughing.

"Worth... it..." she manages. Foxtail sighs and brings his palm to his forehead.

"Sorcha, meet Lotus Vixaski," he sighs.