Aide Me

Chapter Ten - Protect Me

Their caravan traveled long that day without many breaks. Emaia suspected Hanke to be testing Aide's perseverance, but Aide never fell behind. Hour went by and they made it out of the Bartian Woods and into open ground. For hours, they rode the open plains without any problem caused by mischievous roots or mud. None of the men spoke to Aide, and Emaia could feel the thick tension in the air as they reached yet another forest.

They started heading through the bushes and trees and kept an eye out for thugs. This part of Senwarth Kingdom was known for their large forests filled with thugs. They called this particular forest the Thugwoods.

As they headed deeper into the woods, Emaia noticed how Aide became more and more tense. His eyes were narrowed as he gazed at the trees and she saw him jerk his head to the side several times when he clearly heard something she didn't. The sun was slowly setting and the light was becoming dimmer.

At one point Hanke pulled the group to a stop and ordered the men to set up camp. All men had their usual tasks; Some made sure the horses were watered and fed while others collected wood and set up tents. Emaia's only job was to unload the rabbits from the carriage and bring them to the fireplace. In the middle of all the settling, Emaia lost track of Aide. After she had brought the rabbits to the fire, she searched around the camp, but couldn't find him. Had he wandered off? Maybe it had something to do with that errand he had to do this morning?

Whatever it was, Emaia didn't see him until he showed up after they'd eaten. The men hadn't even noticed he'd disappeared while they ate and drank their dinner. He came back from the woods and seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that no one offered him any food. He looked towards the men around the fire, but chose to sit by a tree by the outline of the camp.

"He's kinda strange, isn't he?" Dashel sat down next to Emaia and followed her stare. "He's acting all mysterious and stuff. It's like he won't reveal too much of himself."

"Can you blame him?" Emaia reasoned and took another shy glance at him. He was carving an arrow, it seemed. "And to be fair, he's actually revealed quite much. His specie, his weakness, their story..."

"But what about his name?" Dashel frowned. "Why can't he tell us that? Do you really think that the elf customs are that strict about not telling your name?"

"Yes, I do," Emaia said and put down her mug of soup on the ground. "He hasn't lied to us so far. Maybe when some time passes, he'll open up more."

"Maybe," Dash shrugged. "In any case, he's a weird fella."

"Don't call him that," Emaia said with a soft smile. "He's just... different."

"The guy has silver hair. It's weird!"

"It's probably normal where he comes from!" Emaia argued, but then sighed. "I think I'll go to bed. I didn't sleep well last night."

"I don't think any of us did," Dashel agreed. "Goodnight, Em. Sleep tight. Don't let the elf-bugs bite."

Emaia rolled her eyes. "Very clever. G'night, Dash."

She headed to her small tent and got cozy under the pelts. The air was lukewarm, but it was still cold enough to need a blanket. Emaia felt her body grow tired after a minute or two. With all the excitement from the past few days, it would be nice to finally get a good night's sleep. Somewhere in the distant, she heard an owl howl. She was lulled to sleep by the comforting sounds of the forest...

~*~

A loud scream awakened Emaia in the middle of the night and made her jump out of her pelts. Now that she was conscious, she heard the sound of blades meeting blades and the roars of fighting men.