The Necromanced (Being Edited 7/21/14)

Chapter Ten: To The West

Chapter 10: To The West

Tore looked confused as I kicked Faith into a fast canter. It wasn't safe here. He was less than a length behind me as we took off across the forest path. I pulled my long sleeves down over the mark as we rode. We would have to travel some time before we could rest.

I scolded myself internally. I had been so careful before. Stupid mistakes get you killed. After a while Faith slowed, her flank swelling and shrinking in rhythm with her breath. Tore pulled up beside me with Eddie. We walked in silence for a moment before he spoke.

"What were we running from?"

"You mean, 'What are we running from?'." I paused, "You don't want to know– it's hard to

explain." I was really just avoiding the question.

"Very well, what was that woman talking about then?" He said patiently.

"My mark," I said pulling up my sleeve showing the discolored mark. His eyes flicked down and back to mine, he looked confused. "What about it? It's just a mark."

"You really don't know do you." I was dumbfounded.

"Nope." He said unabashed.

"It's just bad." I said uninvitingly to any more conversation on the topic. "We should keep moving, if they've seen the mark then we've gotta keep moving." I repeated, I tried to keep the tenseness out of my voice.

Tore had questions in his eyes, but kept silent. They pressed on.

Four hours later, their legs felt like jello and the horses had stopped twice for water and were exhausted. We knew dark was coming, and made camp. We had a small fire, the wood we used was damp, but we were careful not to use any leaves or green wood. A smoke signal was the last thing I needed, but it was too cold to go without. We were both too tired to set up watches, we un-tacked the horses and were asleep in moments.

Six hours later I awoke. The horses needed grooming and I was restless. Tore was fast asleep, it was strange. He seemed to be peaceful in sleep. Not so guarded in a way. I groomed Eddie first, he was easier. I took my time to clean his underbelly and around the girth.

Faith was more difficult I groomed her gently by the rough patches of fur around the scaring. Her wounds were completely healed now, but her coat was still pitted with scars. The damage was more internal than external anyway. Faith leaned into the brush as I worked on her flank she seemed to be enjoying it. I rubbed the fur around her ears when I was done with her coat and lengthened her lead so she could graze farther out. She was still a little thin. Eddie was already eating lazily his eyes were droopy from lack of sleep. My best guess was he would drift off soon.

Faith followed me as far as her lead would allow as I headed back to the dying embers. I set another small branch on the smoking pile breathing some life back into the fire. It crackled a bit before slowly relighting.

I checked that Tore was still asleep before heading back to where Faith had begun pacing. She finally calmed down and lay down close to the base of a tall sturdy tree and nibbled at an acorn or two which lay on the ground. I squatted down close to her. She reached up with her warm nose and nibbled at my ear with her lips. I scooted close to her, her warm belly felt great against my ear. I could hear her heartbeat like a military drum beat. I felt it slow as I drifted off.

Tore woke me up just before sunrise. Faith had slobbered on my left shoulder in her sleep. I felt as if a herd of cattle had run past and trampled the muscles in my thighs. I could tell Tore felt the same. We ate a small bit of food before spreading the ashes from the fire and heading out. The horses had rested well and it would be an even longer day than the day before.

We kept to the back roads I made it clear we were trying not to attract attention from anyone. We had to keep moving anyway. By midday the sun was beating down on us. The heat was almost unbearable, but thankfully we were moving away from the heat. I looked up at Tore for a moment to see what was bothering him, he seemed deep in thought about something, but I wasn't in the mood to find out.

He spoke breaking the silent spell which had seemed to be cast across both of us. "What's with the mark? Why does it freak people out so much again?" He looked confused, his brow was furrowed as if he were concentrating hard on something.

"It's called the mark of Cain" I said resentfully. I hadn't had to deal with this for years, until I decided to run away with a complete stranger, I reminded myself ruefully. I sighed and went on to explain how the prophecy written in a book spoke of a traveler with the mark of Cain and how they would travel forever. And lastly how it skipped every few generations but was carried in the family, I had no idea why I was telling him all this. I left out the other stuff of course, all the really weird goings on. The last thing I needed was for my travel companion to get all weirded out over the mark.

Tore looked lost in thought as he muttered quietly, "Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me."

I looked at him, he seemed lost in thought, I wasn't sure where he had come up with those words, it was the prophecy. The one I had spoken of before. I was shocked. It sounded so alien coming from his lips. I spoke to break the silence again, "We should really go." I said as if in a hurry. I wasn't sure where I was wandering– no, going, wandering sounded too familiar. I wished we could just get there already. Tore agreed with a nod and we rode on quietly for the next few miles. I kept my sleeves drawn close around my wrist. it would do no good to have anyone else find out about my mark. Or my curse for that matter.

I hoped for a fresh start in another kingdom, who knew what Tore wished for. He was a strange boy, nothing like his father a fact that surprised me daily. I rode, Faith's back was smooth as her gait. Tore kept up stride as we went along the path. It was a pleasant ride, if not bound by hidden tensions I knew I couldn't quite see just yet. It was a strange thought, I hated to think that something was being hidden from me. But I myself kept my own secrets and therefore couldn't forbid him to keep his own. Something in the pit of my stomach made me wonder at it, even though I vowed to let it be.

We came across another town, it was a typical cobblestone street, nothing atypical. I saw the butchers eyes looked hard of a man who had come back from war. We moved on as quickly as we could. It was obvious we were not in a town that was large enough to disappear in. We would have to move north. It wasn't the most pleasant country, but it was worth a shot. We would have days before someone caught up with us. No doubt Lord Gorath had already started hiring bounty hunters to bring back his lost son.

 "We've gotta move towards the big city, we've gotta find a place to disappear to."  Gods willing, I prayed.

"Okay, then we move." Tore had an unsettling agreement, he seemed to be thinking a hundred miles a minute.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, hoping it was something good, but knowing it wasn't.

"It's just... Well that's the first place they'll be looking." He said hesitantly.

"What are you suggesting?" I asked, being careful to keep my tone low. It would do no good to get the local people riled up.

"We need to head to the west." He had a strange look in his eyes. "If we go south we'll be walking into their arms, same with the east. So that leaves west. North is the first place they're going to look, it's were the nearest city is. So we go one over." He grinned looking boyishly.

"West it is then." I said not being able to help the grin spreading across my own face.