The Last Beacon

XX

By the time Sascha and Lion finally met up with Laurenz, the sun was dipping low in the sky, the clouds beginning to turn a pale shade of orange.

Laurenz seemed relieved when he finally caught sight of them, immediately rushing over to embrace Sascha in a strong hug.

"I'm alright," she assured him, "both of us are."

Laurenz let her go and smiled, "I'm glad to have you back. You had me worried there, for a while, kid, I'll give you that."

Sascha laughed, and Laurenz joined in with a hearty chuckle.

In that moment, Sascha forgot about Decius. She cared not to remind herself of his words and actions. Instead, she focused on the welcome reunion.

Although they hadn't been separated for long and their relationship to date had been fractious at times, it somehow felt like their time apart had dragged on for much more than either would have liked.

"I apologise for breaking this up so quickly," Lion said, "but I would strongly suggest we keep moving. We've been delayed, and I believe it would be best to make up as much ground as possible before we find somewhere to rest."

"That sounds sensible," Laurenz agreed, "come on, the path is just back up this way a bit."

He then turned and began to walk in the direction away from the ravine, and Lion and Sascha followed closely behind.

They made their way through the treeline and into the forest. Sascha was glad that the greenery was much less dense on this side of the ravine, and that it was much easier to navigate through. Before they knew it, they were on the path again and making their way towards their destination.

As they walked, Sascha's mind wandered to Lion. Her thoughts drifted to his painful retelling of his past, and then to the kindness that he had shown them over the journey so far.

Before she realised what she was doing, she looked down at him and spoke.

"Lion?"

"Yes, miss?" He beamed up at her, his golden eyes shining with admiration.

"I know I've not known you very long, but I just want you to know I'm glad you're on this quest with us. You've been nothing but generous, and I'm happy to have you in my life," she admitted.

"Well said, Sascha," Laurenz chimed in, "I wholeheartedly agree."

Lion smiled bashfully, "Oh thank you, friends. I do wish I knew more humans like you both. Your kind words mean more to me than you will ever know."

"You're welcome, Lion," Sascha smiled.

After that, they fell into a peaceful silence as they walked.

Sascha felt as though the rows of trees on either side of the path looked the same as one another; leaving her with the impression that they weren't making much progress.

Just as the concerns started to circle in her mind, Lion broke the silence.

"I do seem to recall this area, now that I think about it. There is a crossroads up ahead, and I believe this is the path that intersects the main trading route from Ligall to Rabael," Lion informed them, "and if you don't mind me saying, I would rather we get past the crossroads as quickly as possible."

"Why's that, Lion?" Sascha asked.

"The folk who generally travel that road are merchants, but there tends to be some, uh, unsavoury characters that frequent the area. They mostly stick around because they know people will be carrying goods or currency."