The Emerald Legend (Book 1)

Chapter Seventeen: Tracker

The footprints must have been hours old from the looks of them, but Calhūn took that as a good sign, rather than something to grieve about. He knew he would be the one to find Amalia—no matter how far she'd traveled.

"She passed through here not long ago," Calhūn said raising himself to look at Prince Korvon who sat promptly on his steed. Korvon looked down upon Cal and nodded. "Let us follow," he said pushing his stallion forward. Cal quickly mounted his faithful Syndra and followed close behind.

The path they took weaved between the vast miles of Algaza. Much of the lands beneath the soaring pines were unscathed by human interaction. It was filled with many creatures, some shy, and some wild, but everything was balanced here. There was a shroud of mystery that hung over Algaza, for no man had mapped paths or recorded the animals that lived there. It was untouched.

There were many legends about the widespread forest. Some say there was a lurking treasure hidden within the soaring land of pine. Others told stories of creatures unseen by man, with powers beyond human comprehension. These legends were slowly proving themselves to be true with each passing step.

The light of day was beginning to break through the trees now as the two unexpected allies trekked through the density of Algaza. Every so often Calhūn would jump from his horse and inspect the surrounding terrain. He was following closely to a trail that Amalia's rider had left when she moved on from the Emerald Shrine.

Korvon always sat comfortably atop his stallion, unwilling to be bothered by the work of tracking her.

It took them an entire day to push through the dense forest. Each twist leading into a sharp turn and each sharp turn leading into another twist.

With the power of luck on their hands, by the onset of night they had reached the edge of the forest. In front of them was a large rocky clearing with one unmarked path leading up the mountain. Rocks of all sizes laid scattered across the land, some small but many larger than the both of them.

"We should camp here for the night," Calhūn said looking towards the mountains that stood before them. It had been two days since he'd slept and continuing on without it would not be a wise idea.

"Aye, we shall pick up our trail at daybreak." Korvon slipped down off of his armored stallion and onto the rocky soil below. Calhūn followed, dropping off of Syndra. When they dismounted, they realized just how chilling the air had become. Calhūn put his hands to his arms and rubbed them to create warmth.

"Who knows, she could be close by and stumble upon us," Calhūn said turning back to the densely wooded forest. "We should start a fire, so it will be easier for her to find us."

Korvon arched a brow. "Yes, you should start a fire," the prince said sitting down upon a large rock. Calhūn sighed at the entitled attitude Korvon never failed to share with him. He breathed a bit of warm air into his hands and rubbed them together. Without another word between them, Cal walked into Algaza once more and began collecting fallen branches and sticks that lay across the mossy land.

He returned to see Korvon still sitting upon the rock, shivering and rubbing his arms with his hands. He set the pieces of bark and wood down and began clearing a space for the fire pit. Calhūn gave him a short glare and placed the logs and branches into a triangle tipi shape.

After he fixed the pieces, he went to find a nice striking rock in the surrounding terrain. Cal knelt down next to the fire and pulled out an oddly shaped piece of moss from his pocket. Korvon gave a look of disgust and leaned forward slightly. "What in the world is that?"