A Savior's Worth (Book #3)

Chapter Fourteen

About mid-afternoon, Eldon suggested another break. He needed to stop for his stomach's sake. It kept growling as he daydreamed about the roast Annaliese and Booker had eaten the day before.

While they made themselves comfortable, he searched through their bag of food, finding various breads, fruits, and vegetables. He helped himself and passed around the bag.

Henry gestured to his bow and mentioned they could save the bread to eat their dinner with whatever they hunted later, and Eldon felt a sting of nostalgia creep up on him. When was the last time he'd hunted any of his meals? He almost felt spoiled as he realized it'd been a good six months by now.

Elouise indulged in strawberries, and Eldon smiled every time she hummed in delight. She eventually caught him, and her face turned pink as she looked down in shame.

"What do you think could be there?" asked Henry, covering his mouth as he chewed on a piece of apple. "Certainly, you two have thrown around possibilities."

"The map says that it is 'the true story of us,'" Elouise reminded him. "I truly cannot imagine anything that could be there to indicate that."

"What if it's a burial site?" offered Eldon, shrugging a shoulder.

"Whose?"

"Ashton's?"

Elouise raised her eyebrows. "How saddening if that is the case."

"And if it is, then perhaps Beatrice had things buried with him," Henry suggested. Then he grimaced. "We are not going to go digging through a grave, are we?"

Eldon snickered. Then he stopped when he saw the color drain from Elouise's face. Even the rosiness on her cheeks was paling.

No one else elaborated on the subject.

After they ate, Eldon encouraged them to take a nap while he kept watch on things. When they woke, they asked him to do the same. He couldn't bring himself to waste any more time, though, and they eventually gave up trying to persuade him.

They got back on their horses and continued onward. A little down the trail they rode along, they came across a few travelers who mentioned Elouise looked familiar to them. Elouise sputtered then blurted how she was usually told how much she resembled the princess but looks were as far as those similarities went. Henry made a noise in the back of his throat, and Eldon tried giving the travelers his best smile, hoping they wouldn't sense anything off.

Fortunately, the travelers found Elouise's rambling hilarious and endearing. They headed on their way without further questioning.

When the sun began to set, they stopped and decided to hunt.

Despite Elouise's protests, they hunted the jackrabbits since there didn't seem to be anything else around.

Henry apologized to her, and she eventually told him it was fine and started a fire with the wood they'd gathered. They skinned the animals, roasted the meat, and ate their dinner with bread in silence, too tired to speak.

And it was just day one, too.

Day one and they were already missing their own beds and the meals prepared for them. The rabbit meat was bland and there wasn't even enough of it. Eldon's stomach growled after he finished his portion. It might've growled a little too loud at some point because Henry offered him the rest of his food. Eldon shook his head even though part of him had selfishly wanted to snatch it from his hands.

Elouise put the fire out before she and Henry drifted off to sleep once again. Eldon attempted to stay up to keep watch. He dozed off after a while and jolted awake sometime before dawn, expecting to find their small camp ransacked. Everything and everyone looked fine, though. He gently woke his friends and they hurried to gather their things.