When The Heart Sings

Chapter 63

Alex's POV:

I passed through the waygate and almost stopped in my tracks at the sight of the numerous massive trees. I had never seen a forest like this in all of my travelling. Various other Dranek were coming through the waygate, so I moved to the side to let them pass.

Darien barely glanced around as we moved away from the waygate. Serena looked around, but it was more as if she was admiring a familiar place. Both of them had clearly been here before, which was rather interesting. I wasn't too sure what to make of that discovery.

It would take an hour or so for the waygate to recharge, so I followed Darien, Serena, and Saphira to a nearby location with benches that had been put there just for those waiting for the waygate.

Five rather heavily armored and armed Dranek loosely circled us as if to ensure that we didn't cause any trouble. I had no intentions of causing any sort of trouble, even if they hadn't been watching us. I was surprised that Darien wasn't reacting negatively, usually any sort of potential threat had him glaring at the offender.

Serena spoke to Saphira, "Try not to get too frustrated while following us. It isn't unusual for Tarulk to make faces when they see me."

Saphira didn't seem impressed as she replied, "They are fools to judge one they have not met."

I agreed with the Dranek's opinion and wished more Tarulk thought that way. I blinked slowly as I watched Serena. It was easy to know what Serena was feeling since she wasn't good at hiding her emotions. She didn't seem at all bothered by Saphira's proximity or by the presence of the armed Dranek.

I listened to Saphira and Serena talking while I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Darien wasn't bothered by the Dranek, Serena wasn't at all nervous of them, and, now that I was watching closely, I realized that the Dranek didn't seem aggressive or hostile either.

To put it mildly, I was confused with this peaceful truce. Sure, if the Dranek had rescued Serena and helped Darien find her, then I could see those two being somewhat relaxed around the Dranek, but that didn't explain why the Dranek had done so in the first place, let alone why they were still helping them.

The Dranek army had recently disappeared into thin air and it had happened barely a week after Serena and Darien had vanished. The Dranek had been claiming land for a decade and they just pulled back for no apparent reason. Then the waygates had started working properly again. I was certain that the events were somehow linked, but I wasn't sure how.

I dismissed the puzzle from my mind as I focused on our upcoming trip. I wasn't looking forward to it since people never reacted well when they saw Serena, but I felt bad for Darien as well.

Lucas was his only surviving family member, and saying goodbye to his brother would not be easy for him. If it had been anyone other than Darien's brother, I wouldn't have mentioned it since he never really had any close friends. I had waited to see if Lucas would recover, but my wait was in vain and his days were rapidly running out.

Human hospitals could support a human for months or even years, but such medical equipment didn't work here, and Tarulk also tended to be immune to those medications and aids.

Saphira seemed to accept Serena's challenge of following us invisibly, so I suspected that I would see more of the female Dranek. I listened to Serena tease her about something, and the Dranek used her tail to gently swat Serena's leg in jest. It took a force of will to keep my jaw from hitting the ground when Darien didn't react.

Darien had known me almost all of his life and he had a hard time even letting me near Serena at first, yet he wasn't at all bothered by the Dranek's oddly playful actions. I felt like I was floundering in a sea of confusion and bewilderment.

An hour of observation hadn't yielded any clues, but I didn't think it was wise to inquire. I was clearly missing something, but I hoped it would come to light on our trip. One of the Dranek activated the waygate before the five heavily-armed guards passed through.

One came back through the gate, "The area looks clear."

He darted back through the waygate and we started to follow. We passed through the waygate and the area seemed empty enough. I didn't see any trace of the five Dranek that had passed through either.

Saphira looked around alertly, "I will be nearby." With that, she headed towards the trees and swiftly disappeared from sight.

I started walking beside Darien as we headed towards the road. Darien looked around as he tried to determine exactly where we were, "I assume there is a town nearby where we can get a cart?"

We would have no problem walking or jogging, but I knew that Darien preferred a cart for Serena. It would be faster than walking as well. "The nearest town is some distance away, but my cousin has a place not far from here, and she already said I could borrow her cart."

He glanced over at me and inquired, "You still have that dagger on you?"

I had been a fighter for well over 500 years, and he knew it, so I found his question odd. "Of course."

"And the smaller knives?"

I gave him a surprised look, "How did you know about those?"

He grinned without humor, "I didn't, but most older fighters don't wander around without several weapons."

Darien wasn't the kind to rely on subtlety, so when he did, it wasn't something that people expected. Some of Serena's subtlety must be rubbing off on him. He was carrying his usual belt knife, but he tended to rely on his fists. His strength likely hadn't faded, otherwise he would have mentioned something. Anything he hit would know about it.

I shook my head at his perceptiveness, "Well, I am carrying half a dozen small knives as well. Do you have any preferences as to which road we take? I am not sure we want to pass through the big town along the main road, even if it is quicker."

Darien thought for a moment, "Let's still take that road, but we can go around the town by cutting through the forest."

That plan was as good as any other, "Sounds good. Many people went through the waygates in case they were only working temporarily, which means many places are emptier than normal. Anyone looking for the Dranek or you two will be looking much further south anyways."

Darien held Serena's hand as they walked side by side. I kept an eye on our surroundings, but I didn't see any trace of Saphira, although I was pretty sure that she was still around.