AISLIN | I

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

TO FIND, the answer to any question, you must start from the beginning. Sometimes you have to ask other questions. You may get answers you don't like. Sometimes you get answers you do like. Regardless, they are answers nonetheless. The simplest answer to a loaded question could be just the answer you needed to complete your task.

At this moment in time, that was all I wanted. Answers. Aislin was kidnapped for a reason, and we had to find out what it was. To do that, we needed to start from the beginning.

I grabbed my dagger, stashed it in my boot, collected my sword, sliding it into its sheath hurriedly.

"Leland? Where do you think you're going?" A voice said. I looked over to the entryway to Aislin's old office, where I had been staying, to see Kingsley. Her face was pinched together in frustration, which was totally understandable given the current situation. The poison was fully out of my system now and I needed to get started, we had wasted enough time already.

"I am going back to the cliff. I need to look for clues." I explained, shoving my arm through my coat sleeve.

"I will come with you and I'll let Mèabh and Blakely-Rose know where we're going," she stated, giving me no other option. I was planning on brushing her off, but she continued, "I have no limits when it comes to getting what I want. Aislin is important to us too and we will not leave her behind." And with that, she left the room to get her teammates.

I sighed. I can't stop them. It's not even worth trying.

I didn't want to wait for the carriage. That would just be a nuisance and a waste of time, so I set out for the royal stables and selected four horses, walking them out of their stalls and collecting tack. By the time I had picked the horses, Blakely-Rose, Mèabh, and Kingsley were turning the corner into the stables. They each grabbed a horse and saddled up.

Kingsley's horse was a clydesdale. The horse itself was white with spots of brown spattered across its shoulders and rump and a brown stripe. The contrast between the heavy horse and Kingsley's slender frame fit well. The emblem on his chest strap read Abuccus.

Mèabh's horse was a massive shire; sleek, chocolate brown gelding with a black mane and white socks. The nameplate read Cajun. His name matched his fiery personality, but Mèabh didn't let his size intimidate her.

Blakely-Rose's was a Percheron mare: completely white with an attitude a mile wide. Blakely-Rose looked at the engraved plate on her bridle. "Lennox, " She whispered.

My horse was a Friesian; sleek and jet black from head to hoof. She stood tall and proud, exuding confidence that only made me like her more. I look at the pendent held under her neck by the chest strap. Her name was Adella.

I placed my foot inside the stirrup and pulled myself up, throwing my leg over the saddle. Once comfortable, I gathered up the reins and guided Adella around to face the girls who were not so patiently waiting for me.

We took off, leaving the castle fading into our dust. We rode until we reached the well-known cliff that brought memories; some I hoped to forget, and some I hope never faded.

I pulled Adella to a halt and slid down to the ground. I heard three sets of feet drop to the ground behind me.

I turned to Adella dropping the reins to the ground, "Thank you. I'll be back."

In the daylight, the cliff looked majestic. The wild grass coated the earth with a thick carpet of green dotted with small yellow and pink wildflowers. There were only a handful of trees in at this elevation and they seemed to touch the sky. Fog coated the landscape beneath the cliff, concealing the town in its wake.