Sentria: The Knight Prince (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Crossing of Swords

It was dark when we made camp deeper in the Winding Forest, deeper than I had originally planned. The trees were verdant and amazingly tall in the area and there was a persistent gentle breeze like some specter was brushing up against me, but when I turned to find them they were no longer there. None of that captivated my attention at that time; Eldwyn was still in pain from the fall and I wanted to give him as much time to recover before we were on our way again. 

We chose a small open spot that provided a good view in case anyone came for us. I tied Brio to a tree, thanking him for his service as I pet his face. There was no trail to be found, yet it never felt like e were lost. Eldwyn said that in this place you are to feel your destination, not to follow a well-trod path. "We will get there, once we arrive," he said, and given that this was his domain I didn't disagree...at least not outwardly.

We ate our bread in the tent and then we slept soundly. I kept my distance from him. It wasn't appropriate to be so near to him given my engagement with one Prince Lucas. It wasn't fair to lead him into believing that there was something more to us...and it was hard to resist him. Creating space between us helped quell my cravings.

I allowed myself a couple of hours of rest that night. I didn't want to leave us open for any intruder, animal, or shadow daemon to come upon us. And for some reason, thoughts of that wood fox that I saw after the previous battle vexed me. It felt an omen of sorts, but of what I did not know. 

In the morning, before first light, I woke up and rustled up some redberries for our breakfast.

"Are these berries safe?" I asked, entering the tent. "They aren't magic are they? They won't turn us into stone?"

"No, night," he said, covering his mouth to hold in a laugh. "They are safe." 

"How was your rest?" I pour Eldwyn half of the berries into his cupped hands.

"Splendid," he said, chewing with his mouth open. "I feel refreshed and ready for the day. That's the grace of the Winding Forest. Pain doesn't last long here."

"What do you know about the shadow daemons?" I avoided the many questions I had about the magic forest. His voice has regained its vibrancy, and I'm just relieved for that. 

"Not much, only what I've heard from the elders. I've never seen them myself, but these are dark times, knight, and they thrive on misery and shadow."

"I thought they were storybook tales. Scary stories retold through the ages to keep naughty children in line."

"I was told that they existed in the dream realm, but could come out during times of great upheaval and danger. They rise from the pools of fear and anger that the world feels. Something is coming to an end it shall never be the same again."

I frowned and looked away from him. "Well, that sounds hopeful."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Eldwyn placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and I flinched subtly. "Whatever the fates have planned for us is what was meant to be."

I turned to look back at Eldwyn incredulously. "How do you mean? If the fates want darkness to overtake the world, then we fight fate. We don't let it engulf us."

"I'm not suggesting that we should give up." His hand moved to my wrist. "We should continue to fight with all our might and if we succeed, then that's how it should be."

"Failure is not an option, Eldwyn. We must defeat this evil Oblivion Witch for the sake of Askeran." I looked down at his hand holding my wrist. His touch was warm and despite my own rules about distance and the severity of our conversation, I had the urge to kiss him again right then and there. I looked deeper eyes and I knew that he felt the same as I did. I closed my eyes and leaned in to give him that kiss when I heard the sound of footsteps on dry ground outside of our tent.