The World of the Ranger

Chapter 3

It was all she did for the few hours left of the morning. Walking and walking. The road ran relatively straight, a few turns here and there, but no forks or detours, just game trails.

When the sun crowned the sky, Jilly moved to the shady branches of the trees to fuel up on some vegetables and a small bit of meat. She are the meat sparingly, since she had sparing amounts of it, and also because it was salty and the canteen she had filled to the brim, at a clear stream an hour into her journey, made a hollow splashing when she shook it.

Lighting a fire seemed next to pointless, as she would likely begin moving again in a half hour or so. When she had eaten enough to cease her hunger pangs, Jilly put the remains in her backpack and leaned back against a tree to assess her predicament.

She was in fantasy country, Araluen, part of a world that only existed in books. She'd heard of the pages of a book having life in them, but this was ridiculous. With any luck, she was walking in the direction of a village or township. The majority of wizards she'd seen and heard of were frauds or actors at the Renaissance Fair, but Jilly had read many books in which magicians had played quite the role. Maybe there was an active one here. She worshipped the Ranger's Apprentice series, but being IN the book frightened her, and she'd much rather be at home in Texas with only the pages of a book surrounding her.

Noticing that the sun had begun to sink while she sat there, Jilly got up, stretched, and continued on her way.

The continuous walking took her far; most likely several miles. It also rewarded Jilly with painful blisters on her heels. Her feet ached, but she thought she could see high signs of  activity on the road, she continued on. She could be near a settlement.

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At long last, Jilly saw a thatched roof. She walked a bit faster, and saw another building, and another. The tense nervousness that she hadn't realized was building in her chest shrank to a ball of relief. At the very end of the village, a hill rose up, topped by a castle with three corner towers and a very tall central keep. Jilly hadn't heard of many triangular castles, but one in particular swirled in her mind. At that moment, the sun set behind her at just the right angle. The castle was encased in a marvelous crimson red halo that engulfed the surrounding area in a pinkish glow. The landscape had a peaceful, yet fortified, tone. It was this stunning scene which confirmed Jilly's theory that she was in Redmont Fief.

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Yeah! Third chapter! I'm sorry it took so long to upload, I've just been really busy with school and ffa and all that. High school's been kicking everyone's butt. But I'm surviving, which means I can still write. I think the next chapter will be up quicker since I've already got a plan together. Happy writing y'all!!! 😋✒️📖