“We need to leave now,” Wolf finally said, rushing over to Logan. Elisa followed, glancing behind her where the men had gone, just to be sure. She prayed they didn’t have bows and arrows hidden somewhere in there. When they reached Logan he was still limp. Elisa knelt beside him, cradling his head in her lap as Wolf detached his foot from the horse. He was pale, but his breathing was normal. She wiped away the dirt and strands of hair that covered his face, then felt along the back of his skull for any sign of major damage. There was a bump on the side that was the size of an egg, and another on the base of his skull, but she didn’t feel any blood.
Wolf splashed some of their water in his face. Logan moaned, his eyes slowly fluttering open, glazed and unfocused. When he saw Elisa staring down at him, a small smile formed on his lips.
“I’ve always dreamed of waking up like this,” he said in a hoarse voice. Elisa couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Wolf said, smiling down at his friend.
“What happened?”
“You were knocked out with a rock,” Elisa said, keeping her legs still so she wouldn’t jostle him.
“By who?”
“Petty thieves, but don’t worry, we took care of them,” Wolf replied, crouching down beside them.
“You’re bleeding,” Logan pointed out. Elisa looked up at the gash on Wolf’s forehead.
“I’m fine,” he brushed them off.
“No you’re not,” Elisa sighed. Lifting Logan’s head up gently, she placed it on the ground, and walked over to the pack on the back of the horse. Inside she found the blanket Logan had used for them to sit on, and ripped a long strip off it. She walked back over to Wolf, reaching her hand out to his cheek to turn him towards her. “Hold still,” she instructed as she poured some water on it, and began wiping away the blood.
“I’m fine,” he complained, trying to tilt his face away from her.
“Just hold still!”
“Goddess, she’s bossy,” Logan moaned from the ground. Elisa ignored him, wrapping the cloth around Wolf’s head as tightly as she could, hoping the pressure would stop the wound from bleeding further.
“There,” she said, stepping back, satisfied with her work. “Now, let’s get going before they come back.” Looking around, she soon realized the other horse was missing. “Where is your horse?”
“It got spooked and took off!” Wolf spat.
“Ok, you two get on this one, I’ll walk beside it.” Both boys looked at her disbelievingly. “What? You’re both injured, I’m not. It will take us longer, but we don’t have any other choice.”
“We’re not going to let you walk,” Logan argued, sitting up slowly, one hand holding his head.
Elisa quickly retorted before Wolf could agree. “Stop treating me like I’m a helpless girl!”
“We’re not,” Wolf disputed. “You’re the only one out of the three of us who managed not to get hurt, so that’s a pretty good indication that you’re not helpless. However,” he continued, trying to make his case, “your legs are a lot smaller, and I’m sure the horse wouldn’t appreciate having two full grown men on his back. I’m not that injured, so I can walk.” She wanted to argue, but he just held up his hands in protest. “Elisa please, just get on the horse.” They stood defiantly facing another. If there was one thing that annoyed her the most, it was when Wolf told her what to do.
“Elisa, just do what he says,” Logan interrupted, trying to stand up. “I really don’t want him sitting behind me when I could have you there.” He smiled at her, trying to ease the tension. Taking a deep breath, she lifted herself up on the horse first. She just wanted to get home, and the longer they stood here arguing, the more danger they could be in. Wolf helped Logan up while Elisa steadied him there. They started a slow progress towards the city, the sun lowering in the sky.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Riders kept Aiden busy for the majority of each day. There was always something that needed to be done, and Hawk made sure to include him. Finally, one late afternoon, Aiden found himself alone. He searched out Moose.
“I need your help,” he said in greeting. Moose looked up from the horse he had been tending to.
“With what?” he asked, his hand frozen in mid brushstroke.
“I want to go over to the Shaman’s,” he answered, leaving out the incriminating part of why. He didn’t want anyone to overhear that he was essentially planning on snooping around the old man’s place. Moose understood immediately, and nodded his head.
“Right. Let’s go.”
They walked to the Shaman’s in silence. When they neared the house, they veered off the road and headed towards the back. The windows in the rear were all dark and vacant. The house seemed empty.
“Well this won’t do,” Moose murmured.
No it wouldn’t, Aiden thought frustrated. They skirted the walls until they came up to the kitchen window. There were a few bushes there, but they’d have to duck down if they heard anyone approaching. Crouching low, Aiden turned towards Moose, lowering his voice to a whisper. “We need to see if he’s in there,” he said.
“Of course he’s in there,” Moose replied. “He never leaves.”
Another problem. “How are we going to look around then?” Moose shrugged his shoulders in answer. Great, thought Aiden. He hadn’t thought his plan out properly, and now they didn’t have one. From the window came the low murmur of the Shaman’s voice. They froze. Aiden could imagine the man’s head sticking out the window and screaming “Caught ya!” at them. Could a Shaman curse you for snooping?
After a minute he realized they weren’t found. He breathed a sigh of relief. Leaning closer, they strained to hear what the Shaman was saying.
“I am working on it.” There was a low reply from someone else, but Aiden couldn’t make out who it was, or what they were saying. “Of course. My only wish is to please you.” Aiden looked over at Moose questioningly.
“Who is he talking to?” Aiden whispered.
“I don’t know,” Moose answered. “I don’t recognize the voice.”
“What are you two doing?” Both boys jumped at the sound of Hawk’s voice behind them. They spun around to see the Chief standing before them, his hands on his hips.
“Honestly father! What are you, part forest person?” Moose exclaimed. “What grown man moves that quietly?” He pressed a hand to his heart.
Hawk rolled his eyes. “A whole army could have snuck up on you two. Why are you both listening at the Shaman’s window?” Aiden felt horribly guilty. Part of him was aware that the talking inside had suddenly ceased, while the other part was mortified by being caught by the Chief.
“Uh, we were just seeing if the Shaman was alright,” Moose explained lamely. “We thought we heard a distressed sound, so we came to investigate.”
Hawk didn’t look convinced. “And so you decided to listen out here, rather than just knocking?”
“Well, if it was some sort of foul play, we wanted to be able to sneak up on whoever it was. You know, protect the Shaman… and all that,” Moose replied.
He narrowed his eyes at the two of them. “And?”
“And what?” Moose asked.
“And we heard nothing, sir,” Aiden answered, not looking at Moose. “It must have just been an animal – or something.”
The Chief stood there for another moment before shaking his head. “You two are an odd pair. Come in and help your mother prepare dinner, Moose.” Then he turned and left.
“Phew,” Moose said, giving Aiden a small smile. “That was close.”
“You can say that again.”
“Phew that was clo – Ow!” Moose rubbed the spot on his arm that Aiden had just punched.
“Come on,” Aiden said, walking back towards the road. “We’re not going to figure anything out this way.” They crossed to Moose’s house. “I’m going to wait outside and see who comes out,” he informed him as they reached the gate.
Moose nodded. “Okay, let
me know.”
Aiden waited for what felt like hours, but no one emerged. It was so strange. He was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the mysteries surrounding him. It didn’t help that Lily had shown up for the past two nights at his window, begging him to leave with her, but wouldn’t say why. She was a strange addition to the list of problems he seemed to have. The biggest being the questions Aiden still had. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the people around him, but he just knew that there was more going on than he was aware of. He needed to find out who had the answers and get them as soon as possible.
A possibility occurred to him. Looking back at the house, he figured he still had some time before supper, so he headed towards the outskirts of the city. The late afternoon sun warmed him as he approached the forest. Taking one last glance behind him, Aiden entered the dark woods.
The air was colder in the trees, the sun completely blocked by the leafy canopy above him. It didn’t take him long to find her, just as he knew he would. Standing behind a large tree, the trunk was four times the width of her. She wore a green dress that looked like it was made of leaves. Bright purple and blue flowers were strung through her white hair.
“Lily,” he greeted her, smiling despite himself. She made him nervous, but a part of him was always happy to see her. A playful, sly smile spread across her face. Her expression looked genuinely pleased to see him, which lifted a bit of the nervous weight off his chest.
“Aiden,” she greeted him in her smooth voice. They stood in silence, looking steadily at one another. “How did you know I was here?”
“Lucky guess,” he answered. “I was hoping to find you,” he explained further. Pleasure filled her eyes at his admission. “Lily, I need to know what’s going on. Do you know how the Shaman managed to bring me here?”
Lily looked nervously back at the village as she wrung her hands together. Before he could think better of it, Aiden reached out and grabbed them in his. He needed Lily to trust him enough to let him know what it was that was bothering her.
“I really need your help, Lily,” he urged.
She shook her head, looking down at their entwined hands. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I wish I did, but I don’t.”
A wave of disappointment washed over him. “You must know something.”
“I just know what I feel, and it isn’t good. There is something disrupting the energy around the Riders’ village. I don’t understand it, though.” Aiden was about to ask more questions, but he didn’t get the chance to. “Your friends don’t know you’re here,” she continued in a low voice.
“Pardon?”
“Your friends in the Capital, they don’t even know you’re here. Doesn’t that seem odd?” Aiden thought carefully. Had Hawk said he’d tell them? He couldn’t remember, but he must have. The King would need to know he was back.
“I’m sure Hawk sent someone,” he disagreed. “Do you think I’m here in secret?” She just looked at him.
“Come with me,” she urged again.
“I can’t do that –”
“Please,” she interrupted, her voice pleading. “I will keep you safe. I will take you to the witch.” Was she referring to Diana? A lump formed in his throat. Since he had arrived, he had missed all the people he had come to love there. It would be wonderful to see Diana and the others, but the Riders had been so good to him. He didn’t want to leave just yet.
He gave her slender fingers a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to protect me. I can do that all by myself. I’ll go there soon, when I’m ready.”
“I do not trust them,” she shook her head back and forth rigorously. “There is a dark force here.” She stepped closer to him, breaking the hold between their hands. Her tiny body fit neatly against his, her head resting under his chin. Instinctively, Aiden brought both arms around her. They stayed in an embrace for a while. Time seemed to move slowly whenever he was with her. Aiden thought about what she had just said. Did he trust the Riders? Yes, he did. He trusted Hawk’s family, just like he trusted Wolf. The Shaman? Well, he wasn’t sure about that one. Not anymore.
Finally she stepped back and looked up him with an expression he couldn’t read. The deep purple of her eyes against her glowing skin and white hair always left him speechless. She was so perfect it almost seemed impossible. All his worries seemed to vanish. There was only her standing in front of him that was suddenly important. Tilting his head towards her, their lips met for the second time, all thoughts leaving his mind again. The same surreal feeling wrapped around him. It was a soft kiss at first, but deepened quickly. Her arms reached up around his neck, keeping him firmly close to her. A small moan escaped his mouth as he pulled her tightly against him. Then, without warning she broke free.
“I have to go,” she said, breathless. Before he could even ask why, she took off, disappearing into the thick woods like a ghost. He had to give his head a few hard shakes before the cloudy feeling disappeared. What the hell had just happened? One minute he was thinking about his growing list of concerns, and the next he was kissing her! This is messed up, Aiden thought, bleakly. When he exited the forest, he saw Hawk standing leisurely by the outskirts.
“Aiden,” he greeted, his eyes looking past him questioningly.
“Hawk,” Aiden returned, keeping his voice low and respectful.
“Are you ok? What are you doing out here?” he asked, searching Aiden’s face.
“I just went for a walk,” he lied.
“It is dangerous to be unarmed in the forest. You should be more careful.” Aiden nodded his head appreciatively, assuring Hawk he would remember that for next time. They headed back towards the village. Lily’s question about his friends not knowing he was there repeated in his head. It was definitely odd. He needed to make sure she was wrong.
“Did you tell the High King that I returned?” Aiden asked, trying to keep any accusing tones out of his voice.
“Of course,” Hawk answered, immediately. “We sent someone as soon as you arrived.” It didn’t sound like he was lying. There was no reason Hawk would lie. Was there? A suspicious feeling built in Aiden’s gut, but he thought better of it. Maybe Lily was deliberately trying to sew distrust as a way to get him to leave with her. Moose had said the forest people were very deceptive. When they walked up to the house, Moose stood lazily against the small fence that ran around their home.
“Where have you been?” he asked, looking at Aiden with a suggestive expression.
“Just went for a walk,” Aiden said in a voice that really said to drop the subject. Moose nodded his head, unconvinced, a smirk plastered on his face.
“Must have been a vigorous walk. You’re all flustered.” A full smile spread across his wide mouth, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Hawk walked past him and entered the house, leaving the two of them standing outside. “Where were you really?” Moose asked again. Aiden sighed.
“The forest,” he answered, leaving it at that. Moose chuckled.
“So? Who came out?”
Moose’s question brought him back to the important matter at hand. “No one,” he answered. “I watched for over an hour, but nothing happened.”
“Strange…” They both turned to look at the house.
“You heard him talking to someone, right?” Aiden asked, making sure he wasn’t going crazy.
“Yup,” Moose answered instantly.
“My only wish is to please you,” Aiden reiterated. “What can that mean?”
“Maybe he’s talking to those spirits he’s always going on about?”
“Maybe…”Aiden trailed off. He wasn’t convinced.
* * * * *
Later that evening, as they were all eating dinner, there was a loud knock on the door. Sunny stopped mid-sentence in the story she had been telling, and looked questioningly at Hawk. Aiden thought her husband looked relieved for the interruption, and took a bite of meat to hide his smile. One of the older men Aiden had seen around the village stood outside, his face visibly frigh
tened. He was speaking quickly to Hawk, his voice too low for any of them to hear. Moose looked over at Aiden, his eyebrows raised in question. Aiden shrugged unknowingly. When Hawk came back, his face was a mask of stone.
“You two,” he pointed at them. “Come with me. Girls wait here.” Sonny started to ask what was wrong, but he held up his hands to stop her. “I’ll come and talk to you later. Right now we need to leave.”
Aiden and Moose got up wordlessly, following Hawk out of the house. Aiden cast a glance at Rain before he left and saw a mixture of fear, anger, and something else on her face that he couldn’t quite place.
They were standing in a large circle outside the border of Avalon. The men were speaking in hushed tones when the three of them approached. Hawk took position in the middle, a cohesive hush running through the crowd.
“We’ve just received word from our men positioned close to the mountain pass that the northern army has been spotted about a day’s ride from here.” Hawk announced. Everyone except a few started to speak at once. Aiden and Moose looked at each other. A cold sweat began to build on the back of Aiden’s neck.
“Quiet,” Hawk instructed. They all went still. “I’m sure this comes as a surprise to a lot of you. We were not expecting the north to move so soon, but it looks like they have shifted their sights to us. As worrisome as this is, we all know our homes are veiled from outsiders. This being said,” he continued, looking around at all of them, “until they have left, please keep your wives and children inside the limits of our shield, and be on full guard. If they want a fight, they will have it. But we shall not act unless it is necessary.” The men began nodding in agreement. “Be thankful that the God and Goddess are on our side during this time of war, and with us is the great young warrior from the other world,” he turned to smile at Aiden. Moose gave him a playful nudge, snickering under his breath. Aiden didn’t find any of this funny.
“Go back to your homes and assure your families that we are safe from harm.” With that, he ended the meeting, sending everyone their separate ways. Moose and Aiden walked up to meet him.
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