The Curse of Sunderwood

Chapter 4

Assuric hopped from tree to tree above me as I followed his direction through the undergrowth. Walking was monotonous through the morning, but I eventually fell into a groove and my legs seemed to move by themselves as my consciousness wandered to other things.

Words and people ran through my mind, shuffling and filtering down until something caught hold. One of them was of Assuric after I met him. His wording interested me. He specified Nathor as 'only lost', but later theorized his death. Was it just to discourage me from trying to find the wizard, or did he know something? I couldn't reason why he wouldn't want me to do this and then suddenly offer his help. I also couldn't reason why he would keep a secret and then lead me to the truth.

Glancing up at the branches, I spotted Assuric with his neck craned behind him, watching me. I turned his direction and when I neared him, he jumped a little farther.

I was probably overthinking a simple misunderstanding. The forest had a way of twisting my gut and making me paranoid. Sometimes I startled myself when crushing a stick underfoot.

If this world had the same directions as Earth, we were traveling west; I assume straight to the river. Assuric didn't tell me anything about it so I imagined it wouldn't be too much trouble.

Assuric's head snapped the other direction. He let out a shuddering huff and leapt onto a long branch above me. He skidded to its end and it bowed low, stopping just a foot away from my face.

"Stay here," he hissed. His wings sent a powerful gust as he lunged into the air and above the treetops.

What did he sense? I didn't hear anything, but then again I hadn't been paying attention. The air around me was eerily still and silent without the sound of Assuric's claws scraping against wood. I pulled out my bow and scanned the forest

"By Arv! Another trav-"

I whipped around and loosed my arrow at the voice. The thrill that ran through my body urged me to run, but I remembered Assuric's order.

"Whoa!" A figure about sixty feet away from me fell into the bushes with a crash of what sounded like pots and pans.

A roar echoed from the sky and Assuric dove through the air. Two legs burst out of the bushes and kicked Assuric away. The figure scrambled to its feet as Assuric circled back with his talons bared.

It was a man with dark hair and a large pack which he shed off his shoulders. Crossing his arms across his hips, he unsheathed two, thin swords that curved slightly at their ends. He swiped them across Assuric's chest, but they glinted off his scales.

I snatched another arrow and aimed. They moved and crossed in front of each other. I wasn't sure I could hit the man without accidentally hurting Assuric.

Maybe he won't expect me to get close.

I barreled through the shrubs and jumped over a log to see the man jabbing a sword to the sky. I kicked him in the back, sending him to the ground. The blades knocked out of his hands. I grabbed one by the hilt and pointed its edge at his throat as he rolled on his back.

"Stay down!" I threatened. The man nodded as his dark eyes flickered from the blade to me.

Assuric landed on a low branch and growled, "Why were you following us?"

"I wasn't!" the man said, "I'm just a passing Ranger. I thought I might catch a few words with a rare traveler in these parts, but I didn't know you had a pet dragon!"