Dragon Heir [Book 1] [Watty Award Winner 2012]

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Copyright © Gem Higa 2011

 

Three days and counting,Leiv thought to herself.

The group had been in high spirits when they left the cabin, each person thinking the same thing: saving Hana. Not a word was exchanged, as they packed all their belongings—or what was left of them anyways—as they made their way to find their kidnapped friend. What they hadn’t realized was that tracking a group of battle mages who refused to be found, was more difficult than expected.

It was like tracking ghosts: you could neither see them nor expect where they would end up. The eldest of the group, Karmine and Eli, took the lead as each of them offered one another assistance tracking the mages. Her father was still sour with the debacle about the rider’s arrow narrowly missing her, but they put it behind them for the meantime. She and Deklan could have taken the lead as well, but their tracking skills weren’t as progressed and well trained as the two hunters ahead of them. So in light of their situation, they settled for holding the group supplies along with Kenji who struggled to keep up with them.

She turned to look at him. Most of his muscles were defined in his upper arms, strength developed from countless hours of chopping wood and repairing things around the Inn. He had no difficulty in carrying their belongings, though it was the long walks that got to him. There was also the matter of the sling, which supported his arm and wrapped around his neck. Deklan offered to take some of the load, but he refused, insisting that he could carry his own weight.

Since Hana’s disappearance, Kenji’s mood had taken a sour turn: it was as though all the optimism and happiness was drained from his thoughtful face, and an impassive scowl took its place. She didn’t bother asking him what was wrong; she knew that in time, he would seek her comfort whenever he was ready. Kenji reached up to his head at the spot—the same where her own throbbed. Leiv watched him apply pressure on it, and she suddenly winced in pain, as he continued to massage it, oblivious to her reaction. He closed his eyes for a few moments and shook his head, clearing the pain before it worsened. She tripped on a twig as the disorientation made her falter on the path, but quickly recovered and walked along behind Deklan, who hadn’t noticed her slight misstep.

They had wrapped and cleaned the wound atop Kenji’s head to prevent infection, and left it at that. Leiv wondered why she felt pain when her head remained unscathed. The coincidences were eerily similar, but she dismissed the thought, probably just bad nerves that were making her see and feel things that weren’t really there. As soon as she turned her head back to the path, she abruptly bumps into a stiff barricade of muscle in front of her. Deklan quickly faced her, startled by their spontaneous collision.

“Are you alright?” He asked, gripping her shoulders to steady her.

The sudden concern surprised her, making Leiv shrug out of his hold quickly.

“I’m okay… Just wasn’t paying attention.” She tried playing it off, but he refused to drop the question.

“I know you’re lying to me. You’re attempting to run through a solid wall: it’s not going to work.”

“I could, if you don’t mind the hard impact,” she smiled, making Deklan grin back.

His smile faded as the concern returned and clouded his face. “In all seriousness, what’s wrong?”

But before she could respond, something hard hit the ground behind them. Karmine quickly turned, clutching at the bow that was strapped around her torso, grasping it so tightly her knuckles turned white under her grip. Eli laid a hand on the hilt of the sword strapped around his waist and swiftly scanned their surroundings. Releasing her shoulders, Deklan turned and clutched the end of his own sword, its leather hilt scraping against the roughness of his palms.