Free Fall - Into Other Worlds

Chapter 21 - To The Mage's Manor (Part 2)

Mage Wix's worry of being pursued only lessened once they'd been riding for a few hours with no sign of being chased. As it was only Kara's second time on a horse, the mage didn't want to risk having the horses go faster than a light trot. That man back at the farm was surely a bounty hunter, but what power did he possess that he could smell forest magic? Then Wix thought about the tudaryns in the front paddock. Was that it? Was that man one of the bounty hunters they'd evaded while crossing into the deep forest? Eron had said there was an oddly capable man among them, was it the same man?

"You okay back there?" Mage Wix asked as he looked back at Kara. She'd been very quiet since leaving the farm.

"I'm fine," she replied. Her gaze was fixed off to the side where the towering sea of trees that made up the Living Forest could be clearly seen in the distance as they rode up a hill.

"By the way Kara, how did you come up with such a good lie so quickly back at the farm?" He asked hoping to distract her from her worries.

"Hmm? Oh that," she said before a heavy sigh. "It was the excuse Eron told me to use if we got questioned about having traces of the Living Forest on us. He said a lie that contains truth always works best."

"Oh, I didn't know he'd thought that far ahead." He regretted asking now, as he'd been trying to take her mind off the one they'd left behind. As a high ranking mage that worked with the army when necessary, he was long used to losing those he worked with, and death was no stranger. Eron's case was no different, other than the fact his attractive appearance had aroused Wix's lustful side. In fact the mage's biggest regret when thinking of their young guide was that he hadn't gotten even a taster of such a fine body before it had been destroyed. Wix sighed heavily just thinking about it being such a waste.

With the horses making good pace, the two passed another three towns and four villages before the sun hovered above the horizon. Worried about bounty hunters, they opted to camp under the stars rather than venture into another town. Mage Wix cooked up a stew with the rations he'd bought in town that day. But once it was done, Kara found it hard to swallow her food. Her chest was tight with anxiety that was only getting worse with time. The mage found it odd for her not to be gulping down her meal as she always did, but didn't pry as to why. For it could only be that his food tasted bad, or she was still worrying about Eron.

"As long as we don't meet any trouble, we should reach my manor in two days," he told her after emptying his bowl.

Kara looked at him with eyes full of angst. "That long? Can't we go faster?" she asked with a hint of desperation. She wasn't sure she could cope with not knowing if Eron was okay or not for another two days. It was already hard enough to not turn and hurry back they way they'd just come.

"I suppose we could get there in a day if we rode at a canter, but would you be okay?" In truth he'd prefer to get home faster where they would be safe from attack.

"Let's do that then," she told him firmly. "I'll be fine." She said that, but she wasn't quite sure what a canter was. Though she was confident she would manage if it meant reaching their destination sooner.

The sun rose and the two packed up camp and mounted their horses. As Mage Wix brought the mares to a canter, Kara was scared at first, but soon got used to the horse's movements. She tried her best to mimic Wix as they rode, and soon developed her own rhythm. The thrill of riding briefly took away some of the emotions that had been weighing her down. The fact that this journey would soon be over left her with mixed feelings, but it coming to an end was certain. Though whether or not she would need to set out on a new journey had yet to be known. It would all depend on the outcome of Wix scrying for her friends. Part of Kara really wanted both of them to be in this world so she could find them and take them home, but another part of her just wanted to hurry home into her mother's embrace. Though she wouldn't be happy doing either option if Wix couldn't show her Eron was okay and back at his grandmother's place.