Chapter 26
THEY guided their horses through the bumpy, treacherous mountain pass until the trail’s narrow confines exited to a steeply sloping terrain. The trees and vegetation tripping their horses on the trail were absent from this new area scorched by flames.
People attempting to escape from Adolunde to Rvydom and vice versa had set up camp before challenging the difficult mountain pass. However, Selena quickly observed their camp had been ransacked only a day prior to their arrival.
“Someone was too flashy with their encampment and lured the roaming bandits in. It’s not safe here. Let’s hurry through.”
“…Vigo, that’s not happening,” Selena cautioned, her eyes trained on the scenery ahead.
“Why not?” Yuki asked, surveying the same landscape. The charred clearing was devoid of people.
“They’re waiting at the bottom of the hill. Their numbers are…hm, I’d say they number twenty plus.”
Yuki looked at the bottom of the steep descent but still didn’t see what Selena did.
“We can’t turn back safely either. Several men have taken to the higher cliffs above the pass to jump us if we return.” Horse’s hooves clopped behind Yuki until Selena angled her horse alongside her. “Vigo, return with Yuki. You can handle the smaller number on your own. Come back here in a little while.”
Enemies were all around them. Yet there was a giddiness to Selena’s voice as she locked eyes on the landscape ahead of them.
“…Will you be all right?” Vigo asked, concern lacing his tone.
“You’re horrible for even asking me that. It’s been a long time since I last let loose. You’re pouring cold water all over my excitement.”
Vigo ostentatiously exhaled. Not grasping the direction of their conversation, Yuki studied both their faces. Noticing their flustered younger companion, Selena offered her a smile.
“Yuki, take care of Vigo for me, okay? Also, don’t get hurt along the way. You can come back here once I tidy up.”
“Um, okay, I guess?”
Basically, Yuki and Vigo were supposed to go back and defeat the bandits lying in wait behind them? Anxiety instantly washed over her. Did she have to fight someone again? Did she have to hurt and kill people as she had in Cele? Just thinking about it sent her heart hammering against her ribcage. Unnerved, she wanted to rely on someone for comfort. But the Knight who swore to protect her was no longer there for support.
Looking up at Vigo, she only found indifference as he hastened her back in the direction they came. She looked over her shoulder at Selena who waved as she watched them leave. Pushing through the wave of guilt for leaving her behind, Yuki clenched her right hand and faced forward.
I’m okay. I can’t die until I rescue Luca.
✦ ✦ ✦
MAYHEM broke out immediately. Screams and angry shouts exploded behind them only moments after they parted ways with Selena. Had Vigo not instructed her to keep her head down, Yuki would’ve been severely injured. Several gorilla like men appeared in their path and along the cliffs. Bloodied weapons shimmered menacingly from their hands.
“Run!” Vigo shouted.
Yuki angled her horse to change direction as one of the men came at her face with a spear. Quickly she ducked down and pinned her body to the saddle, narrowly evading the whoosh of the spear grazing by where her head had been. Arrows whipped down around them as her horse galloped in a frenzy, heavily puffing out its nose and mouth. Together with her horse, they ran blindly back down a path they hadn’t taken to get there.
How far had their wild run taken them? The treeless clearing had given way to the woods where leaves swayed ominously. Pulling on the reins to slow the out-of-control speed, she stroked her horse’s mane to calm him. A less trained horse would have bucked her off along the way. She was grateful for the companion she had in this horse who had braved more battles than she had.
Glancing over her shoulder, she confirmed none of the bandits were in pursuit. However, she hadn’t gone as far as she’d initially thought—the sounds of battle were close by. The jarring clang of metal scraping metal as sword smashed against sword and frenzied shouts pierced the still forest air. A howling bellow sent a flock of birds flying out of the trees.
They told me to run.
Yuki ran because they told her to. But the frazzled feeling closing in on her wouldn’t fade. By all accounts, she took the correct course of action by doing exactly as she was told, but internally she was haunted by feelings of that meaning they hadn’t accepted her skills. In the most crucial, dangerous moment, she escaped alone. Even knowing she was a powerless child, she wanted to be of some assistance in this crisis.
I know I’d only get in the way. But…
Yuki studied her surroundings. Squinting through the dazzlingly sunlight, her eyes followed the trunk of a huge tree up to its massive branches perfect for climbing.
“Nothing wrong with helping out if I don’t put myself in danger, right?” she muttered, dismounting her horse and tying him somewhere safe.
✦ ✦ ✦
CLIMBING trees had been Yuki’s favorite game as a child. The thrill of possibly falling off and the accomplishment after safely reaching the top coupled with the sweet reward of seeing the world from the height of a tree brought her great joy. Loving to do something has the natural effect of getting you to work at it until you get good. As strange of a hobby as it was, Yuki became a master tree climber.
“It’s been a while since I last climbed,” she said as she pulled out her bow.
The huge tree had plenty of sturdy, thick branches to choose from. How old was the tree for the top to be lost beyond the white clouds? Yuki climbed to a height where no sword or spear would reach her and the leaf cover kept her hidden from archers.
Surveying the area below, she pinpointed Vigo’s location. His dull-white robe fluttered behind him as he nimbly danced around the battlefield with a speed she didn’t think him capable of.
“I can do this!” Yuki pulled an arrow out of the quiver on her back, put it in her bow, and shut her eyes. Few trees were tall enough to block the wind at her height. The breeze whipped her bangs and skirts around.
Wrapping her legs around the tree to mount herself on it in an unladylike way, she straightened and pulled her arm back to where her hand was level with her chin. She took calming breaths to keep her arm steady and opened her eyes to take aim at one of the men encircling Vigo.
Every attempt the man made to land a hit with his brass knuckles, Vigo agilely spun out of the way. Frustration contorted the man’s pocked face, and he roared as he pulled his arm back for a powerful punch to Vigo’s back.
Now! Yuki’s body moved faster than her thoughts. The strength gripping the arrow in her hand relaxed, sending the arrow slicing through the wind. The released arrow struck its mark in the man’s shoulder, sending him flying backward with the speed.
“Next!”
She pulled another arrow loose and aimed for the downed man’s thigh to make sure he wouldn’t rejoin the foray. The second arrow whistled through the air and hit its target, wrenching a bloodcurdling scream from the man.
Startled, Vigo looked in the sky. To be precise, his gaze turned toward where the arrow came from. Spotting Yuki in her hiding place, his expression instantly twisted into a disapproving frown. He easily dodged the man trying to take advantage of his distraction to strike him with an axe from behind.
“I’m sorry,” Yuki apologized, knowing her voice would never reach him. “But I can’t do nothing when I know there’s something I can do for you.” She snapped up another arrow from the quiver. “Selena isn’t here to help. So I’ll be the one to protect you, Vigo.”
Selena and Vigo had been taking care of Yuki for weeks. She would never feel right by them unless she repaid them in kind.