This is chapter 14 of a longer story if you haven’t read the previous chapters it’s recommended to do so before this.

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Chapter 14

I stared at the torn-up piece of cloth for a moment holding it tightly in my hand.  Could this be Alexis. What can I do with a piece of cloth It’s not like I can track her. Theres not any tracks around to follow.

 “Do either of you know how to get an animal to track a scent?” I asked turning the cloth in my hand red stained the back of the fabric. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at what I could only assume to be blood. She couldn’t be hurt.

Raine quickly walked over to me and took the cloth rubbing my arm firmly to try and comfort me in some way, “I can do it.”

It wasn’t long before he was crouched by the water speaking softly to a rat. We couldn’t tell what he was saying, and Kat looked about ready to breakdown laughing at the scene. But it didn’t take long for the Rat to respond sniffing the piece of cloth Raine held. Without warning the Rat skittered off and Raine bolted after it, running at an impressive pace.

Kat and I chased after them barely managing to keep up as we chased the four-legged vermin. The rat went through upturned roots and logs as we followed it making it hard to know where it was at times. Raine ran further ahead of us the cloth still clutched in his hand as he sprinted to keep up.

I saw a few more scraps of the material caught in the sharp branches and brush as we passed. A piece of the fabric hung from a branch, so I quickly grabbed it as I ran past cutting my fingertip on the branch. The blood tasted metallic as I shoved the bleeding finger in my mouth hiding the spare fabric in my pocket.

When we eventually lost the rat, we were in a small clearing surrounded by the remains of a destroyed camp. An old campfire sat in the centre of the clearing the embers still glowing a deep orange. The grass had turned a pale yellow in various places where I assumed there had once been tents. 

Raine collapsed on the ground near the fire, and we soon enough joined him panting heavily. I stared up at the sky from my place on the ground seeing the last of sunrises orange hues pass over us.

Despite my urgency to find Alexis I took the time to calm my breathing before looking around. At the opposite end of the clearing there were deep cart tracks in the mud splitting the ground up. Never before had I been so grateful for the terrible weather.

We finally had something to track, and it we didn’t have to chase it this time. I noticed Kat and Raine relax beside me upon this discovery. Kat was the first to get up she started looking around the camp for anything else we could use. She picked up a few arrowheads and some leather scraps but none of it was any use.

Raine and I got up a few minutes later so we could follow the cart tracks into the forest. There was the distant echo of horses as we walked trying to avoid the slippery mud. Raine kept his hand on his sword as we walked getting closer to the sounds of horses and loud conversation.

Kat followed behind silently slipping her bow from her back. As we got closer, we noticed the cart had stopped three gruff men sat on the cart with tankards and food. They spoke loudly while their horses roamed the nearby area. None of them had noticed us so we took the chance to hide in the woods and wait for them to move on.

There were tracks further on from another cart that must have gone this way earlier. Maybe that’s where we would find Alexis. I finally had a bit of hope even if it wasn’t likely that we would find anything. It was possible we were just stalking merchants.

We followed the tracks from the treeline trying to avoid the sight of the cart we passed when they started moving again. The trees provided enough coverage to hide from the men if we were careful. However, it would be quite easy to see us after they passed so we would have to hope they didn’t spot us.

Our hopes like many others didn’t become a reality. The cart got a few metres away from us before coming to a sudden stop. A man who sat at the back of the cart jumped off drawing his sword. He approached us quickly his companions joining him.

There were no words exchanged they didn’t need words to show they didn’t like us. None of us expected the first strike as the first man swung his sword at me. I managed to get out of the way with only a small cut on my arm.

Raine was quick to move in front to let me get up and grab my sword. He glared up at the man before starting his own fight. It didn’t take long for the first of the men to be on the ground covered in blood. He moved onto the next man parrying his first attack in one swift motion.

Kat stood far behind us with her bow drawn an arrow knocked into place. I saw this and got out of the way as her arrow flew past striking the final uninjured man in the abdomen. Blood slowly dripped down the arrow as he collapsed to the ground his face pale.

I quickly made my way over to Raine who was struggling with his opponent and attacked from behind. When Raine went for his legs, I would go for his head, and we soon enough had the man down on the grass red staining the ground.

While Raine was taking care of the man Kat had shot I went to check the cart. Luckily there was no one else hanging around in there. Which meant we had no leads on where Alexis might be.

I returned to the group quickly realising they kept the man alive. Raine stood over him his sword still drawn as he questioned him, “Have you seen a girl wearing this fabric?” He asked holding the piece up for the man.

“Why would I tell you that!” The man yelled back.

Raine kicked the arrow still embedded in his abdomen making the man cry out in pain, “Well that could be one reason.” His eyes were cold and distant as he glared at the man Kat at his side trying to stop him.

“They’ll kill you. You kids don’t stand a chance!” The man yelled. That was all the answer Raine seemed to need.

He walked away going straight to their cart and untying their horses so they could be ridden. Kat jumped up onto one silently Raine getting on behind her and I sat on the other tightly holding on. Raine was quick to take off down the tracks and I quickly followed careful to not be bucked off the horse as we went.

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The sun was at its apex when we found the end of the tracks. We stopped quite far away from a large ruin site. There were tents and people everywhere, but no one paid us any mind if they saw us. I got down from the horse I was on and turned to Kat and Raine. The gravity of the situation finally set in my heart pounding in my chest as I pulled out the medal the queen gave me.

“Take this back to the city get the queens and the caravan here.” I say quietly watching as Kat gets onto the horse I was on, “I’m going to find her.”

Neither of them said anything Kat looked worried her bottom lip sat painfully between her teeth and her hands white knuckled the reigns. Raine was unreadable and distant but he nodded taking the medal from me with a forceful smile.

“Be safe,” Was the only thing said between us before they left, and I turned toward the ruins. My heart hit painfully in my chest and my breaths were ragged but I made my way inside no one taking any notice of me.

The ruins were crawling with people doing various jobs or just relaxing. A group of teenagers sat in a corner playing some odd card game a pile of gold in the centre of the game. Some older men stood together with drinks talking loudly about nothing important. None of them paid me any mind as I walked past covered in blood and dirt. I kept my sword sheathed as I wandered through the ruins not sure what I’m looking for.

Eventually I ended up in an area with not many people around other than a few younger adults sat playing cards. They were surrounded by gold and speaking quietly amongst themselves. I approached them quietly waiting for someone to notice me.

“Hey look this is really embarrassing but I kind of got lost I was sent to pick someone up.” I said hoping they might believe the blatant lie. Maybe they would give me directions to Alexis or one of their bosses so I could figure out what I’m looking for.

One of them looked up at me indignantly before questioning why they should tell me anything. I sighed but realised I had a bargaining chip. The pouch of gold I was paid for saving the queen was quickly dropped on the table in front of them.

“I win you tell me you win you get all of that,” It didn’t take long for them to take me up on the offer and we started a game. They were happy enough to explain it to me and I recognised the rules from watching Lauren play it when I was younger.

I stared intensely as we played watching for every movement none of them were great at hiding their sadness at bad cards. I lost the first round but won the second and third meaning I won the game. They didn’t seem happy, but they willingly gave up the information and I kept my money heading in the direction I was pointed.

Eventually I found a long staircase into the ground and made my way down hoping I was going the right way. At the bottom there was two people covered head to toe in black fabric. I nodded to them as I made my way past confused by how easily they let me wander around the camp.

Inside was a mess of broken mossy stone and plant foliage invading through every crack and into the cells that lines the way. The ground was sticky, and I could hear my feet pull from the ground each step resounding with a ripping sound.  A sickeningly strong smell of iron filled the halls, and I walked down them twisting and turning past dozens of empty cells.  

Turning into another corridor I heard sniffling my heart raced and immediately I tensed up. I hadn’t planned this far. What if it is Alexis what do I say to her, ‘hey sorry we had an argument and now I’m here to save you also your mothers may have wanted me dead?’ I’m sure she would find that hilarious.

I drew my sword making my way closer to the sniffling I turned the corner and saw a tall man stood over a trembling cloaked form. He had a sword to her throat and was speaking too quiet for me to hear him, but I could hear her cries.

There was nothing I could do where I was without risking hurting her. If I ran in he could hurt her and I didn’t have anything with range on me. So I just stood there watching hoping he would move away so I could take him out. Hoping he would do anything that would make my life easier.

Her cries because louder the longer he stood with her and it made my chest tight. My legs trembles as I took a step closer. I wasn’t paying attention to anything else until I saw something reflect on the wall beside me. That was the last thing I saw before I felt white hot pain, and the room went black.