Dryads and Nymphs

Chapter 35-The Dryad

Breakfast was rushed that morning-in fact everything was rushed. Markus was sitting at the table with his family, discussing tactics with Salem and Dylan. Ariana sat the table listening intently to her father for once.

“It is a four hour long journey on foot,” her father was saying. “We should get there at eight in the night easily if we start at three or four in afternoon.”

Salem nodded. “How will we know where to go? We haven’t observed the castle before.”

“That’s where Ziluis comes in,” Markus assured him.

She pushed her plate away-she did not have much appetite. “Where is the meeting today, father?” she asked.

Markus turned to her, frowning at her sudden interest. He had not talked to her at all since their last confrontation a week or so ago, when he almost hit her after she had screamed at him. “Why, it will be in village square of course,” he told her, eyeing her inquisitively. “We couldn’t arrange it in the stables because there is not much outdoor space there, with all the stables sprawled around, so the square will have to do.”

“Perfect,” she said and smiled sweetly at him. He nodded towards her awkwardly and turned to Salem again. Ariana lost her interest in talk then; she had what she wanted to know.

After the hurried breakfast, Ariana went into her room, to change for the battle. She was not going to until she saw the green dress lying on her bed. It would camouflage with the trees nearby perfectly.

 She met Dylan outside her room and went downstairs with him, grabbing the bow and quiver along the way.

“We are going for a bit of practice, mother. We’ll come straight to the square so don’t wait for us,” she told her mother. Her mother nodded at her, her eyes worried. She was not going on the excursion herself and neither was Rose or Maryse’s mother and Clove, but she was worried for all who were, especially Ariana.

“Be safe,” she whispered to her, embracing Ariana tightly, before smiling and nodding at her to go. Ariana smiled back before following Dylan out of the house and into the woods. They took a different path from the one that led to the lake and emerged on the clearing with the creek running down the centre, cutting it into two equal halves. They crossed the creek by stepping over some stepping-stones and Dylan pointed out where they could hide the wagons; there was a thick cluster of trees, crowded together so it was impossible to see inside, but had a wide enough entrance to let them push through, and inside was a wide enough space for a dozen of wagons to be crowded together. Dylan took out a sword from its sheath, strapped at his side, and began hacking at the branches around the entrance. Soon there was a hole just wide enough for a wagon to pass, but Dylan was covered in sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead, breathing heavily.

Then they set off to bring the caravan to the clearing. Both of them agreed to see if the stables were still being guarded before bringing Silver out from the fathers stable in which a few horses were kept, but were rarely checked on, with all the preparations being done for the uprising. When the Commander and his soldiers had come, some of them had started to keep their horses there, while they were in the village. That had allowed Silver to be kept there without attracting too much attention.

They stood in the shadow of the trees and watched the stables for movement. In the light of the day, everything was still, except for the cool winds that blew lazily across the area. She waited for Dylan to say something and when he did not, she said, “Well?”

“Seems deserted. We should go see,” Dylan said.

They moved cautiously towards the nearest one to the back and Dylan tried its door. It was open. He cast Ariana a confused look before stepping inside. She stood guard outside, scrutinizing the place. “No, one’s in here,” Dylan called out.