Scepter

Daniel had come, grabbed the pack, and disappeared without a word. Frustrated, Olivia paced the woods, awaiting their return. She jumped at the sound of the approaching boys and sprinting out of the woods, she threw herself at Aidan. When Daniel hadn’t stopped to tell her anything when he’d come back for Aidan’s pack, her imagination had gotten the best of her.

  “Thank goodness you’re okay,” she blurted out. “I thought maybe something awful might have happened. You are okay, aren’t you? You look…” Olivia broke off as her nose wrinkled up. “What’s that smell?” she asked, taking a step back.

  Daniel burst out laughing. “Wet bear. Nasty isn’t it?”

  Aidan frowned. “Shut up. I can’t help it. I’ll wash later. Let’s go get Lilly, and then I’ll worry about taking a bath.”

  “Now that you mention it, where is Lilly?” Olivia asked, her eyes darting to Daniel.

  “When the dragon was chasing us, I took her and ran her to a safe place just north of here. Then I came back for you two.”

  “Safe? Where is safe?” Olivia inquired, looking back and forth between Daniel and Aidan.

  “It’s a little cave by a tributary that feeds the Styx River,” Daniel replied. “I figured the safest place to be is in water. This place is about as close as you can get without actually swimming. It’s a bit of a hike. We should be able to get there soon enough though.” Daniel’s stomach rumbled. Embarrassed, he looked to Olivia. “I know now isn’t the time to stop and eat, but may I have some of your food? I’m starving.”

  Aidan gently grabbed Olivia’s arm and turned her around. Digging into her pack, he pulled out a handful of dried meat. “Ask and ye shall receive,” he said. He handed them to his brother who immediately shoved an entire strip into his mouth.

  The three set out swiftly along the path, letting Aidan lead the way lest he tire from his adventures in the river. It wasn’t long before they came to his shredded pants littering the side of the path. Aidan scooped them up and shoved them in his pack, but not before untying the small pouch from one of the belt loops and transferring it to the pair he was wearing.

  “What’s that nasty odor?” Daniel complained.

  “I don’t smell anything,” Olivia replied quickly, shooting a pleading look at Aidan.

  “I don’t smell it either,” Aidan offered. Olivia let out a sigh of relief. “Let’s get moving.”

  “Let’s!” Daniel agreed. “It stinks. It’s worse than Aidan. It smells like someone threw up. I can’t believe neither of you smells that,” he remarked. He pushed past Olivia and Aidan. “Between that and wet bear, I think I’ll take the lead. Yuck!”

  “Thank you,” Olivia mouthed at Aidan as she fell in behind Daniel. Aidan gave her a small bow and smile as she passed.

  “How long until we get there?” Aidan called from the back of the line.

  “About an hour, maybe two,” Daniel hollered back over his shoulder. “We can sit down for lunch when we get there, and then start moving south again. Unless you’ve had enough for one day and just want to stay there and move out tomorrow. It’s up to you three.”

  “I think I’ve had about enough for today if everyone else is okay with that,” Aidan grumbled.

  “I agree,” Olivia added. “Let’s just get there, set up camp, and relax. Almost being blown up by a dragon is more than enough excitement for one day.”

  Daniel kept a quick and steady pace, and they arrived ahead of schedule back at the cave where Daniel had left Lilly. When they rounded the corner and entered the cave, Lilly jumped up from where she was sitting next to a campfire. She stumbled and bumped her way across the cave to her sister and gave her a big hug before turning and finding Aidan to give him a quick squeeze as well.

  “I was so worried about you two,” Lilly exclaimed. “Daniel snatched me out of there so fast I didn’t know where you two went. What happened?” Lilly’s nose twitched. “And what stinks?”

  “That’s it,” Aidan answered. “You three can set up things in here. I’m going out to take a bath and wash my clothes out.” Dumping his bag on the floor near the fire, Aidan opened it up, dug out a fresh set of clothes and left the cave. “I’ll be back in a little bit,” he hollered back over his shoulder as he stormed out.

  “What was that all about?” Lilly asked, confused by Aidan’s outburst.

  “He stinks,” Daniel replied with a laugh. “Having you point it out again I guess was the last straw.”

  “That was him that smelled like that?” Lilly gasped. “He get sprayed by a skunk or something?”

  “That’s wet bear smell,” Daniel replied.

  “Wet bear?”

  Olivia saw the bewilderment in Lilly’s face. “Aidan turned into a bear in the woods when we were trying to escape the dragon. I couldn’t run any longer, and he changed so he could carry me. We came to a river and started to follow it when the dragon found us. It blew a fireball, knocking me into the woods and Aidan fell into the river. Wet bear.”

  “Gross,” Lilly replied, scrunching up her nose. The girls burst into a fit of giggles. The sound of their mirth put a smile on Daniel’s face as he unpacked some food from his pack and sat down on a rock near the fire.

  “Sorry it’s kind of damp and cold in here,” Daniel offered as he took a bite of jerky. “Comes with being in a cave on the river I guess. Hopefully the fire will help dry it out at least a little bit. We can all sleep around the fire tonight and not get too wet.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Olivia answered and sat down next to him. “I’ll go collect some more wood so we can make the fire bigger. The more heat we have in here, the better.”

  “I’ll go grab it,” Daniel answered. He stood up. “Aidan’s still out there bathing, so he’ll probably be a little less uncomfortable if I stumble across him.”

  Olivia nodded. “Anything we can do here while you’re gone?”

  “Nothing I can think of. I guess get some rest. It’s going to be a cold night, and we’ve got a long hike ahead of us tomorrow if we’re going to find Argyle’s men.”

  It took a while to find dry wood, but finally Daniel returned with an armload that would last until nightfall. He’d make another trip later with Aidan to get more for overnight. Entering the cave, Daniel saw that Aidan had returned, his wet clothes draped over the rocks closest to the fire. Sitting on the ground and leaning back against a boulder, Aidan smiled as Daniel dropped the wood.

  “I feel like a new man,” Aidan announced. “Nothing like a good scrub and some fresh clothes.”

  Daniel piled some of the wood on the fire, stoking it as he went. The girls announced they were going to go bathe as well and disappeared with their bags. When the flame was high enough, Daniel sat down next to Aidan. Aidan closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the blaze before him. When he opened them again, he glanced over at Daniel. Sitting cross-legged, Daniel’s gaze seemed far away, as if lost in another time or place. He fidgeted with his ear unconsciously.

  “What’s wrong?” Aidan inquired, leaning forward and grabbing his pack. He pulled out a sewing kit and began mending his torn pants, every now and then glancing toward his brother.

  Daniel started and turned his eyes to Aidan. “I was just thinking about this afternoon, when we saw the dragon. I don’t know a whole lot about dragons, but how did he hear you? He was still pretty far away when you shouted. His reaction was like you’d screamed right into his ear.”

  “I guess it heard me more with its mind than with its ears,” Aidan answered. He poked himself with the needle. “Ouch!” He shoved the tip of his finger into his mouth and sucked on it.

  “You’re mind can connect with it?”

  Aidan shrugged and went back to sewing. “Not like I can other animals,” Aidan responded. “It’s strange. I could feel it, but I couldn’t control it, connect with it. I think it felt me when I shouted and that’s what scared it. I get the feeling it doesn’t like to be scared,” he said with a smile.

  “Do you think you could make a connection wit
h it? Is it possible?” Daniel pressed, ignoring Aidan’s attempt at humor for the moment.

  Aidan cocked his head to one side and glanced at the ceiling. “Who knows? I guess maybe. Not the unicorn though. I couldn’t really get anything from it. I guess it’s kind of like werewolves, just the opposite.”

  “Makes sense I guess. As much sense as it can when talking about controlling an animal’s mind I mean,” Daniel joked.

  “Funny.”

  Daniel stood up and started digging through his pack. “When the girls get back, let’s go get some more firewood. We need to get some water too.” He pulled a small pot from his pack along with his water pouch and set them on top. Aidan pushed himself up to a standing position and dropped the pants he was mending on a nearby rock. The two brothers paced back and forth in the cave, anxious for the girls to get back so they could leave. Aidan collected his own flask and flung it over his shoulder. When they finally heard the sisters’ voices as they approached the mouth of the cave, Daniel grabbed the pot and pouch and the two boys headed out.

  “We’re going to grab some water to heat up for dinner and some more firewood. I want to make sure we burn the fire hot all night,” Daniel said.

  “Give me your water pouches,” Aidan added. The two girls dug into their packs and handed them over.

  “Bring the water back first,” Lilly called back over her shoulder as the boys headed off. “Maybe we can put something together for dinner while you’re out.”

  The boys did as they were told and were met with a warm meal upon their return with the firewood. They all dug in, talking about the events of the day as they ate. When dinner was finished, Daniel ran the bowls down to the river for a quick rinse. Aidan found his clothes, the mending finished, and shoved them back inside his pack with the sewing kit.

  “Thank you to whichever one of you finished mending my clothes,” he said to the girls. “The pants were a mess, but I guess the shirt needed a bit of work too.”

  “It’s the least I could do for saving me,” Olivia replied. “Looks like it wasn’t the first time that you’ve had to change forms while still dressed. Your shirt was more stitching than actual fabric,” she giggled.

  “Yeah, it seems like that’s happening more and more these days,” Aidan answered with a smirk.

  Daniel returned and Olivia rekindled the fire, sure to put enough wood on to keep it burning for a few hours while the others set up their beds in a circle around the blaze. Darkness came quickly outside, a deep chill creeping its way slowly into the mouth of the cave as the night wore on, only to be turned back when Aidan, who was sleeping closest to the exit, tossed the remainder of the wood on the fire and drifted back into a peaceful slumber.

  The morning arrived unnoticed by the four youngsters because the mouth of the cave faced west, so the rising sun failed to rouse them. It was midmorning by the time Olivia awoke, shivering. She sat up slowly and rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm her flesh. Seeing the embers burning dully in the pit, she grabbed the few twigs that Aidan had missed and tossed them in. Her rustling awoke the others though Lilly merely pulled her blanket tighter around her and rolled away from them.

  “I’ll get up when the fire’s going again,” she grunted.

  Olivia walked outside into the crisp morning air, pausing as she went to stretch. She spent the next few moments grabbing what little dry wood she could find before returning to her friends. Once the fire was restored, they boiled some water for coffee. The heat and smell finally roused Lilly from her slumber, and she sat up to sip from the cup Aidan handed her, still wrapped in her blanket.

  “What does today have in store for us?” Lilly wondered aloud.

  “Just another long hike I hope,” Daniel offered. “We didn’t get as far yesterday as I thought we would due to our little encounter. It’s not like we’re in a big rush though. We’ll close in on Argyle’s men as fast as we can do it safely. Once we catch them, we’ll attack when we can find a good spot. Doesn’t really matter to me if that’s two days from now or three.” Olivia nodded her agreement.

  “Sure wouldn’t mind running into them today though,” Aidan mumbled. He thrust a branch into the fire as if it were a sword and the flames a servant of Argyle.

  “We’ll have our hands full with them soon enough,” Daniel answered. “No need to rush into it.”

  With their meager breakfast finished, they packed up and set out. There were no unicorns or dragons on this day to break up the dullness of the walk. What little chatter there had been that morning died out as the weight of the packs and their quick pace began to take their toll. They stopped only once for lunch, pressing south toward where Lilly felt Argyle’s men to be. All four slept well that night before setting out for another day’s journey. The morning was uneventful, but around noon things started to liven up.

  “We’re getting close,” Lilly announced as they crested a small hill. The others stopped and gathered around her.

  “How close?” Aidan inquired.

  “I can’t tell you exactly,” she answered, “but I’ve got a really strong attraction to them now.” She pointed down the hill, and the others followed the direction of her finger to a small road that ran southwest and disappeared in the distance. “If we keep heading that way, we’ll run into them.”

  “I’m going to go take a look,” Daniel announced, handing his quiver, bow, and pack to Aidan. “You wait here. I’ll be right back.” A slight breeze blew back Lilly’s hair as Daniel flew past.

  “I guess we’ll wait here then,” Aidan joked as he dropped Daniel’s belongings on the ground at his feet before sitting down. “Let’s eat as long as we’re stopping.”

  Olivia, Lilly, and Aidan sat around, chewing slowly on their jerky and rinsing it down with water from their pouches. A cool breeze dried the sweat on their brows, and Olivia closed her eyes and raised her face to the warm sunshine. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the smells of the grass and trees that surrounded them. The pine scents were strong in the late autumn air.

  Daniel’s voice intruded on her tranquility. “It looks like we might have a chance to test out our skills this evening,” She started at his voice, always flustered at how he could get so close before she knew he was even there. He stood, hands on his hips, taking a few deep breaths. After a minute he continued. “There’s a group of men coming north about an hour ahead of us on this road, just as Lilly felt. They don’t seem to be more heavily armored than the last group we encountered, nor does there seem to be any more of them. It looks like they may be on their way back to the castle.”

  “Maybe they’re a group that was already out when you attacked the other group. They haven’t had a chance to hear about us yet,” Lilly offered.

  “I think you’re right. There were at least ten kids with them, chained together. We’ll have to try and draw the men away from them so they don’t get hurt.”

  “I can take care of that,” Aidan interjected. The other three looked at him expectantly. “Not the nicest way to do it, but I can try to scare them off. We’re not going to have time to chat with them,” Aidan said defensively when he saw the frown on Lilly’s face. “It’ll get them to move and move quickly. I’ll apologize for saving their lives later.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Daniel replied. “They’ve almost reached the woods again. If we hurry, there’s a place where the trail slips out of the trees and runs along the base of the mountains. I saw it when I circled back to get a better look at their group. We can set up there, get the girls up in the boulders while Aidan and I attack from the trees. It looks like a good spot for our ambush, at least the best place I could find in a hurry. It should work though. We’ll have to move quickly to get there ahead of them and still have time to set up.”

  The girls and Aidan jumped up and threw on their packs. Aidan handed Daniel the rest of the meat he’d been eating as well as a few small pieces of fruit he’d grabbed during their morning hike. “You need this more than I do, especially if you
’re going to keep it up during the fight.”

  “Here’s the rest of mine too,” Olivia said. She handed a strip to Daniel.

  Lilly shrugged and blushed. “Sorry, I finished mine.”

  “Thanks, this should be enough. Give me a second to eat, and then we’ll go. I’ll carry Lilly so we can move faster. Aidan, can you carry her pack?”

  “Sure thing,” the younger boy replied. He helped Lilly remove her pack and threw it over his shoulder.

  With that, the four set out, moving swiftly along the path before peeling off to the west to try and pass the soldiers unseen. While not fast, the four traveled quite a bit quicker than their quarry, and they arrived at the ambush point well ahead of them. Scrambling up the mountainside while trying to avoid starting an avalanche, the girls soon found a nice perch that provided Olivia a view of the path through the trees, and clear, uninterrupted sight as it ran past them. Cover was provided by a small earthen rim that had been formed by water runoff. The shallow ditch completely concealed the girls when they lay flat, and even when squatting only revealed their heads. Lilly loaded one gun while Olivia took care of the other.

  Aidan spent the time scouring the nearby forest, searching for as many animals as he could find. Given the circumstances, he recruited the big and small, figuring the larger the numbers, the more advantage they would have in the attack. Soon the forest was alive with the scurrying and plodding of hooves and paws.

  “Reminds me of the night I met the boys,” Olivia whispered to Lilly.

  “It’s kind of spooky,” her sister replied.

  “It was. Just wait until they get quiet. It’s creepy now knowing they’re all lurking in there, but when it’s silent, it’s even worse.”

  As if on cue, the forest below them fell mute. All that could be heard was the rustling of leaves and the occasional clatter of a rock down the mountainside. After a few minutes, the low murmur of voices could be heard. The volume grew steadily as the group approached. Raucous laughter and angry shouts announced the arrival of the gathering party. Olivia peeked up over the lip of the ridge, watching the first of the men appear. She shifted her weight slightly to try and steady herself for a better shot, but her foot slipped out from under her. A pile of rocks was dislodged and went tumbling down the cliff. Ducking back down, Olivia cursed silently under her breath. Both sisters heard the shouts below and the sounds of someone climbing toward them.

  With the crash and a string of profanity that made Olivia blush, the man below them went sliding back down the mountain. Olivia poked her head back up and saw a man, bloody and dirty, pushing himself up to his feet. Another man at the back of the party was swinging his sword wildly at nothing in particular, turning to and fro, his eyes wild as they jerked this way and that. Olivia, suspecting Daniel to be the cause of the man’s alarm, set the barrel of her rifle gently along the top of a flat rock and fired.

  Screams and shouts erupted at once. The soldiers drew their various weapons as their eyes searched in vain for their enemies. Sporadically, one or two of the men would drop where they stood, no movement seen besides their bodies slumping slowly to the ground.

  Olivia had grabbed the other rifle and was setting up for another shot when she saw an enormous mountain lion emerge from the woods between the men and the kids. It moved slowly and deliberately at the child in front, baring its fangs. Olivia could only imagine the growl that must have been emanating from its throat. She watched as the children began backpedaling, tripping over one another as they scrambled back the way they had come, pulling the slower ones by their chained hands. Aidan closed the distance, ensuring their continued retreat. Olivia cringed at the terror so evident in the faces of the children even though she knew that Aidan was doing what needed to be done to keep them safe. Still, it was hard to watch.

  “Why aren’t you shooting?” Lilly yelled at her sister. Olivia snapped her head around to see her sister offering her the next rifle, already loaded.

  Focusing her mind back on the task at hand, Olivia was scanning the scene for her next target when she spotted two men with swords who had moved away from the main group and now were sneaking toward Aidan. Whether they suspected the mountain lion was something other than what it seemed, or they were just trying to get the children back, Aidan was in danger. Swinging the rifle quickly to her left and lifting up, Olivia pulled the trigger. One man dropped to his knees. The other dove quickly to his right, landing about halfway into the brush. Bad idea, Olivia thought as she saw his legs kick and then get dragged quickly away.

  The entire battle lasted only a few minutes at most. Though Lilly had reloaded again, her nimble fingers moving quickly through the process, Olivia wouldn’t need the extra round. As before, the animals disappeared along with the bodies of their prey. Eventually, after all had fallen silent, Daniel walked slowly down the path, waving at the girls to come down. Aidan stepped out of the forest and stood next to Daniel as the girls made their way to the gathering spot, careful to avoid slipping and falling. When they reached the bottom, Daniel spoke, his eyes never leaving the point where the trail entered the trees.

  “I think you two should go in and get them,” Daniel murmured to the two sisters. “I don’t want to scare them. If you two go in without your rifles, I think they’ll be more receptive than if Aidan or I go in there. I’ll move around to make sure you both stay safe. Agreed?”

  The girls spoke in unison. “Agreed.”

  Daniel stepped immediately into the woods. Olivia and Lilly handed their rifles to Aidan and began marching along the path to where they’d seen the children disappear, Olivia leading the way, Lilly’s hand on her shoulder as she followed. As they stepped into the trees, Olivia paused as the darkness washed over them. It seemed as black as night after leaving the bright hillside with its whitewashed rocks. Olivia squinted to try and make out the path as she shuffled forward. Finally, eyes accustomed to shadows, she began searching for signs of the group. The broken branches and trampled earth made for easy tracking. They finally found them, dirty, scratched up, and huddled together at the base of a fallen tree. It wasn’t nearly large enough to conceal the group, but it was as much protection as one was likely to find in these woods. Approaching cautiously, Olivia extended her hands.

  “It’s okay now,” she began. “It’s over.”

  “Stop there,” the boy closest to her demanded. He was tall and lanky with dark skin. Olivia could see his fist closed around a large rock. Not wanting to provoke him, she stopped and grabbed her sister’s hand.

  “We’re here to help,” Olivia answered. “We’re here to take those chains off of you.”

  Olivia could see the hesitation in the boy’s dark eyes. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Olivia. This is my sister Lilly. What’s your name?”

  The boy glanced back at the others behind him before answering.

  “I’m Atreyu,” he announced.

  “Nice to meet you,” Olivia replied, taking a small step toward him and squatting down. “Are you from around here?”

  “I...we...most of us are from Exile. We picked up the others later.”

  “I know you’re scared,” Olivia murmured. “I was, too, when I was freed from Argyle’s men. But it’s real. You don’t have to be afraid. His men are gone.” Olivia waved her hand back around her to accentuate the fact that they were alone. “My friends are the only ones still out there, and they won’t come forward until I tell them it’s okay. Can I tell them it’s okay?”

  Atreyu’s eyes scanned the woods around them before looking back and whispering to the others. There was a brief moment of discussion before he turned back to Olivia.

  “It’s okay,” he sputtered.

  “You sure? You’re still holding that rock pretty tight,” she said, nodding her head toward his clenched fist.

  “Oh, yeah.” He let the stone fall from his hand.

  “It’s okay to come out!” Olivia yelled back over her shoulder, her eyes never leaving Atreyu’s.
>
  Daniel walked out from behind a nearby tree and casually leaned against it. Aidan appeared a bit further back and trudged forward to stand near his brother. Neither of them spoke.

  “That’s Daniel and Aidan,” Olivia offered. “They’re the ones that freed me. They also saved my sister from Argyle’s men.”

  “We just barely got out before they got there,” Lilly interrupted. “Now his men are after us!”

  Olivia whacked her sister on the shin. “Sorry for the interruption Atreyu. My sister gets a little excited sometimes.”

  Lilly rubbed her leg. “Sorry.”

  “Anyway, they saved us. Now we’re trying to save others like us. They took our parents, and they were taking you too. We think it’s time someone put a stop to it. You probably shouldn’t go back to Exile though, or wherever you’re from, at least not yet. Like Lilly said, Argyle’s men are looking for us, and they’ll be looking for anyone that should have been brought in already. You should get as far away from here as you can and hide out.”

  Atreyu stood, shaking his head defiantly. “No,” he replied. “My brother’s still back in Exile. I’m going to go get him first. I’ve got to get him out. There’s nobody left to protect him from Argyle’s men. They took our parents. Then they took all the other healthy adults. It’s just us now. We’ve got to look after one another.” He yanked at his chains, pulling one of the other children off balance behind him. “Get me out of these. I’ve got to go back.” His voice cracked with urgency.

  “Relax,” Daniel said. He stepped forward. “I don’t think they’re that close behind us.”

  Atreyu turned his attention to Daniel. “She said you were here to free us. Then do it!” He rattled the chains urgently, holding them out in Daniel’s direction.

  “I will. I just don’t want you to panic. If you’d like, once we get these chains off of you, we can all go back to Exile together. We can get your brother and all set off together. You can join us if you’d like. Any of you are free to join us.”

  “I’m not going back there,” came a voice from the back of the group. “I’ve got nobody back there. You set me free and I’ll leave now, thank you.” Others began muttering their agreement.

  “Fine,” Daniel answered. “Do as you will. You want to go, I’m not going to stop you. If any of you want to go back to collect your things, or to collect your loved ones, we’ll go with you.” With that, Daniel squatted down and picked up a large stone. Carrying it over to where Atreyu stood, he dropped it with a thud at the boy’s feet. “I’ll be right back.” With a blink, he was gone. Atreyu swayed where he stood and shook his head.

  “Wha?” he began. Daniel reappeared in front of him holding a broad axe.

  “Kneel,” Daniel ordered. Atreyu looked at him defiantly. “So I can break the chains,” Daniel explained. Atreyu didn’t move. “If I’d wanted to harm you, I’d have done it back in the clearing with Argyle’s men.” Atreyu glared at him suspiciously before kneeling down and placing his wrists on the rock.

  He looked over at Olivia. She smiled. CRASH. Atreyu jumped at the noise. CRASH. Again he started, but looked down to see his wrists freed from their shackles. He rubbed at the raw red skin and then set the manacles around his ankles on the rock. Daniel continued the process until all were freed, wrists and feet, from their irons.

  Daniel stood back and surveyed the motley group standing before him.

  “Who wants to leave now and who wants to go back home to gather your things, or your family?”

  “I’m going back,” Atreyu stated, stepping forward.

  “Anyone else?”

  A few mumbled replies and glanced sideways at the others. There was a brief discussion. In the end the rest seemed content with striking out on their own.

  “Very well,” Daniel conceded. “If you continue south along this path, you’ll arrive at Void by nightfall tomorrow. You should be able to get some food and drink there, maybe provisions for your journey if you’re lucky. I don’t think any of Argyle’s men are down that way.” Daniel glanced to Lilly. She seemed to know he was waiting for a response from her and shook her head slightly. “It’s getting dark, but I’d advise you get moving,” Daniel concluded.

  As Daniel turned back to Aidan, Atreyu stepped up next to him and touched his arm. “When will we be leaving to go back to Exile? You said you’d go back so we could collect our things, so let’s go. I know you think my brother Halem is safe for now, but I’d like to make sure with my own eyes. I’m his older brother. I need to take care of him.”

  Although he didn’t respond, Daniel jerked visibly at the comment. “We can leave after we eat,” Daniel grumbled after a moment’s pause. “I need food, and you look like you could use some too.”

  Daniel sat down on a log and dropped his bag in front of him. He took out a handful of meat and vegetables and handed them to Atreyu before pulling some out for himself. Aidan joined them, followed by the girls. The four sat in a semi-circle around Atreyu, sizing him up when they thought he wasn’t looking.

  “What?” Atreyu finally asked. “Why do you all keep looking at me?”

  “They’re just trying to get a feel for you,” Lilly answered. “You were the one who seemed to take charge of the group back there. You’re also the only one willing to go back to Exile. If you’d like me to ignore you instead, fine.” Lilly turned to face her sister, her back now to the new arrival. “Nice shooting back there, at least I think it was. We won, so it couldn’t have been too bad,” she commented, smiling and changing the subject.

  “Thanks,” Olivia replied, her eyes darting over Lilly’s shoulder to Atreyu.

  “Listen,” he interrupted. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I shouldn’t be so rude and actually, now that I think of it, I haven’t said thanks. Thank you,” he said. He stood and gave a small bow, “to all of you. We never would have escaped on our own, so I owe you my life. Please, accept my apology.”

  “Apology accepted,” Olivia answered. She smiled sweetly. “And you’re welcome.”

  “Happy to help,” Daniel muttered, gnawing at his venison.

  Aidan leaned in toward Atreyu and whispered. “Don’t worry about Lilly. She can get a bit hot under the collar. She’ll settle down.” Lilly overheard and stuck her tongue out at him. Aidan laughed at her gesture and leaned back against the moss-covered trunk behind him. “She’ll be back to her charming self before you know it.”

  Packing up their things after having finished dinner, Daniel handed his water pouch to Atreyu who drank deeply. “We can move out now if we have to. The sun’s going to fall behind the mountains soon though so I’d rather not go too far. We should camp out for the night and make the rest of the journey tomorrow, maybe the next day. You okay with that?”

  “I don’t suppose I can argue with you. I could go by myself, but it would probably be safer to stay with you. I’ll trust you that Halem is safe for now.”

  “Great. Let’s get moving,” Daniel called to the others. “Not that I don’t trust all of Aidan’s little friends, but I’d like to camp in an area where we’re not so...popular.” Atreyu gave him a puzzled look. Daniel just shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”

  “You really don’t,” Lilly agreed, catching a bit of their conversation as she walked by holding onto her sister’s arm.

  “And what’s the deal with her?” Atreyu whispered, leaning close to Daniel.

  “She’s blind.”

  Shocked and unable to believe his ears, Atreyu raised his voice a little too loud when he responded. “She’s WHAT?”

  “She’s BLIND,” Lilly yelled back to him. “Not deaf.” And she strolled off up the path with her sister.

  Daniel chuckled to himself and glanced up into Atreyu’s startled face. “You asked.”

  Daniel and Aidan snatched up their packs, and the group set out, this time headed back the way they’d come. By the time they’d walked a few miles, Olivia was walking with Atreyu, making small talk and being friendly while Lil
ly and Aidan walked behind them trading insults and smart remarks. Only Daniel was quiet, lost in thought, trying to find the errors in their attack to better prepare for the next.

  They made camp after a couple of hours and stayed the night huddled close together for warmth. They rose with the sun and set out once more. The group traveled north, paralleling the White Mountains. Lilly and Aidan had moved to the front of the group and walked in silence side by side. As the sun settled slowly toward the peaks of the White Mountains, Lilly reached out and grabbed Aidan’s arm, bringing him to a stop.

  “Shhhh.”

  Aidan glanced over at her and pulled her quietly off the side of the path. The others followed suit, moving quickly into the cover of the brush.

  “Can you hear that?” Lilly whispered to Aidan.

  Aidan held his breath and strained to listen. He was silent for a moment before refocusing his attention on her.

  “Come with me,” Aidan said, as he led Lilly back down the path to where Daniel stood and waved at Olivia and Atreyu to follow.

  “There’s someone up ahead,” Aidan whispered.

  “Friendly?” Daniel asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  “I don’t know. Whoever it is, it sounds like they’re in trouble.”

  “Let’s go take a look,” Daniel replied. He started forward along the path.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Aidan said, stepping in front of Daniel. “I think there might be werewolves up there too. I’m not sure, but like last time, the rest of the animals have scattered.”

  Daniel surveyed the rest of the group.

  “Why don’t you all stay here, and I’ll run up and check it out.”

  “Are you crazy?” Atreyu interjected. “There might be werewolves and you want to go to them?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Daniel answered. “Everyone else okay?”

  “Be safe and come back quickly,” Olivia said. She put her hand on Daniel’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

  Daniel nodded and took off, leaving Atreyu stammering and confused.

  “What just...?”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Lilly laughed as she patted his back.

  Atreyu was still looking back and forth at the others when Daniel reappeared next to Olivia.

  “You’re right Aidan,” Daniel panted. “There’s a pack of werewolves up there.” The others took a step back. “The pack has a baby centaur cornered against the mountain. There’s a grown centaur on a ledge above who’s holding them off for now.” He shook his head and looked at Olivia. “I don’t know how much longer he can keep them away. He can’t pull the baby up, and it doesn’t look like he can get down to her.”

  “Let’s go,” Olivia said, pulling her silver bullet pouch out of her bag and dropping the rest. “The rest of you should stay here. I’ll shoot while Daniel gets the baby.”

  Lilly and Aidan nodded and murmured their agreement while Atreyu stood silent, mouth agape.

  “Let’s get up some trees in case the werewolves come this way when the shooting starts,” Aidan suggested as he reached up for a nearby branch. He pulled himself up quickly and reached down to help Lilly. Atreyu stood, watching Daniel and Olivia disappear along the trail.

  “Hey!” Aidan shouted. Atreyu started and looked up at him. “Start climbing.”

  Atreyu scampered to a nearby tree and climbed up level with Lilly and Aidan. He sat on a large limb, glancing nervously at the others while they awaited Daniel and Olivia’s return.

  Chapter 18

  Making Friends