"How is he doing?" Jenevi inquired as she stood by the bed and looked at Mace's sleeping face.
"He hasn't woken up yet," started Peter. " I have cleaned his wounds, and he needed stitches in a couple of places. Other than that, he should be waking up any time now."
"Alright. I'll be on my way then." Jenevi turned to walk out when Peter grabbed her arm.
"I haven't made your food yet. I've been up all night by Mace, and I can't have you leave without getting the food I promised you."
The young woman opened her mouth to argue when Mace started to stir.
Peter's eyes lit up as he turned his attention back to his son, releasing his grip on Jenevi in the process. "He's waking up!" He exclaimed.
Mace's heavy eyes opened. He turned his head and saw Peter. "What...happened?" he muttered.
"You got yourself into a bit of trouble, son," said Peter sternly. He looked over at Jenevi and said, "This woman saved you. We're lucky she was there when she was."
Mace sat up and looked at his savior. A young woman with long, tangled black hair and dull green eyes. The blacksmith apprentice was stunned by her appearance, but then he started to wonder how a small girl like her defeated the large brute, Ronen.
Not wanting to respond to Mace's confusion, Jenevi turned to Peter and asked him if he could pack the food so that she could leave as soon as possible. Peter nodded his head, got up, and then left. The young woman was about to follow when Mace called, "Hey!"
Jenevi turned her head to the side. "You require no further assistance from me," she said.
"I know, but...thank you for saving my life. I owe you."
"Forget I was even here. You don’t owe me anything."
"Where are you headed?"
Jenevi turned around, annoyed. "I'm trying to find someone. I'm not entirely sure who, but I will find him.” Jenevi shook her head, realizing how ridiculous she sounded. “Never mind that. Forget what I just said. How are your wounds?"
Mace looked at the palm of his left hand where there were stitches. The skin around the thread was still red and sensitive. "It hurts, but I'll live. I can heal pretty fast. What's your name?"
"My name is Jenevi."
"I'm Mace."
Peter came into the room with an animal skin pack and said, "I've packed your food and some supplies. I wish I could give you more." He handed the sack to Jenevi who took it.
"Thank you for your kindness," replied the young woman who started for the door. "I'll be around the city for a bit, but I'll be on my way soon. Goodbye, Peter." As she opened the door to the shop, another woman stood outside. She had short, curly blonde hair and blue eyes. The woman stepped back when she saw Jenevi, but when she was out of sight, the blonde woman went into the shop.
"Peter?" she called.
"Is that you, Pia?" asked Peter from his son's room. Pia appeared at the doorway and locked eyes with Mace who ate his food from a wooden bowl that his father handed him.
"Are you alright?" asked Pia as she approached the foot of the bed. "I heard what happened last night...Ronen is locked up right now, so you don't need to worry about him."
"I'm much better now, thanks," responded Mace with a smile. "Just some cuts and bruises, but I've had worse working in a shop full of weapons."
"Don't remind me," mumbled Peter as he stood up. "I'll leave you two alone. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen." The large man took the empty wooden bowl from Mace and walked away.
When Peter was out of earshot, Pia sat on the chair by Mace. "So, was that woman who walked out of here..."
"Her name is Jenevi," said Mace. "I'm lucky that she was there. She kicked Ronen’s ass."
The blonde nodded her head. "Thank Slarin for that. Though she seemed a little...odd."
Mace didn't respond, but instead, he looked out the window and started to question the woman who saved him. Who was she? Where did she come from? Where did she learn how to fight so well? The young man felt something stir within him. She was still somewhere in the city, and he felt the need to go to her. There was a strange pull that energized him enough to make him jump out of bed.
"Mace?" questioned Pia, taken back by the boy's sudden movements. She watched as he gathered a few of his things and stuffed them into a sack. "What in Slarin's name are you doing? Peter!"
Peter raced into the room, worried that something bad happened. He stood at the doorway for a moment as he watched his son pack. "Son?" he questioned. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"Father," started Mace. He stopped what he was doing and faced the large bearded man. He approached him and said, "I know you wanted me to be your apprentice, and I did as well, but what I want more is to travel. Jenevi is my opportunity. I owe her my life."
Peter and Pia's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. The blacksmith shook his head and asked, "You're going to leave?"
Mace smiled and said, "I'm going to go on an adventure. I just know it."
"B-But how do you know that Jenevi will let you go with her?" questioned Pia.
"I will follow her if I have to." Mace swung his pack over his shoulder and looked his father in the eyes. "I'll come back home, Father, with lots of stories to tell. I will send a Lulu bird eventually when I have enough money."
Pia looked over at Peter with wide eyes. She expected the large man to deny Mace's advances on leaving since he was very protective of his son, but she watched as the blacksmith's eyes softened.
"Alright," said Peter as he rested his hands on the young man's shoulders. "But I won't let you leave without proper supplies and a couple of horses."
"Peter!" shouted Pia whose eyes were starting to water. She didn't want Mace to leave her side.
Mace turned and took Pia's hands. "We'll see each other again," he said softly before kissing her cheek.
Jenevi's trail was still cold. She didn't even know where to start when all you have is the name of a man. She ended up asking if there was anyone by the name of Gaelen in the city, but everyone she asked either said no or they quickly left, knowing she was the one who put Ronen in his place and could easily put anyone in theirs.
The young woman walked through the market and saw a vendor selling some maps along with pointless knick-knacks. Jenevi didn't have any money on her, so she decided to steal a map instead. While the seller wasn't paying attention, she swiftly picked up a map and shoved it into the sleeve of her cloak without anyone noticing. The young woman quickly left the vicinity and leaned her back against a brick wall.
Jenevi took the map out and examined its contents. The closest village looked like a two-day journey on a horse. Jenevi's grip on the map tightened as she thought about how someone foolish stole her horse while she helped Mace.
"I better start walking now," muttered the young woman as she stuffed the map into her pack and began to leave the city. When she passed the border line, she heard the sound of horses coming towards her. Jenevi turned her head and saw Mace riding on a white horse as he held the reigns of a brown horse. The young man had a large grin on his face that seemed as though it kept growing the closer he got.
Jenevi stopped, questioning what he needed. She watched as he jumped off his horse, and that's when Jenevi realized that both animals were equipped with a bag and that Mace had a sword attached to his belt. "Going somewhere?" she asked.
"Well," started Mace. "Now that you mention it...since you saved my life, I thought it would make sense if I accompanied you on your trip."
Jenevi's eyebrows knitted together, but she said nothing and waited for an explanation. Mace looked away nervously at Jenevi's cold glare and said, "I-I want to travel with you. I already got my father's permission, and he gave us two horses and more supplies."
"No," Jenevi stated. She turned around and continued to walk back in the direction she was originally going, ignoring the young blacksmith who stood, stunned.
"Wait!" Mace called as he followed closely behind her. "Think of how this
could benefit you!"
Without batting an eye, the young woman replied, "Benefit me? All you'll do is bring me down. You couldn't even handle an idiot brute, so how do I know you can stand up to what I may come across? You're better off in your little smithy with your father and your girlfriend."
Mace stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Excuse you? Pia is not my girlfriend. And I can handle myself."
Jenevi stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Oh really? Yeah, you're strong from all that work that you do, but you don't know how to fight. I can't use you, and I refuse to accept the horse if it means that you're coming along."
Mace ran in front of Jenevi and looked her in the eyes. "Teach me how to fight, then. You obviously have plenty of experience."
"I'm not teaching you shit," replied the young woman as she attempted to push past her opponent. Mace wouldn't let her, though, causing Jenevi to huff in annoyance. The brown horse neighed, taunting her. The young blacksmith's eyes didn't leave hers, and finally, after several stressful moments, Jenevi gave in. "Alright, fine. But I'm not teaching you anything. I'll use you as bait and leave you when you slow down."
Mace smiled, pleased with her answer. "You'll teach me eventually," he said as he handed Jenevi the reigns of the brown horse. "I'm a fast learner."
Jenevi rolled her eyes and hopped on the brown horse and rode away.
"Hey, wait!" yelled Mace as he frantically jumped onto his horse and hurried to catch up with her. His smile widened. He was finally going to start his adventure, and he knew that Jenevi would be the right person to follow.
CHAPTER THREE
Jenevi and Mace rode along the dirt trail. The young blacksmith brought his horse closer to his companion's. "So...Where are we going?"
"You should have inquired about that before you hastily made your decision to follow me," said Jenevi, not even glancing over at the young man. "What if I was heading towards the Forest of Despair?"
"Well..." started Mace as he scratched his head. "I would know that you weren't because the forest is the other direction. From the looks of it, we're going towards the Village of the Crows."
"Then why in Slarin's name did you ask where we were going if you already knew in the first place?" inquired Jenevi as she gritted her teeth together.
Mace dodged the question. "So why are we headed to the Village of the Crows?"
"Why are you still talking to me?"
"Are you trying to find your father? Are you trying to find your husband?"
"I don't know who I'm trying to find, you imbecile."
Jenevi stopped her horse, causing Mace to stop his. The young man looked at her curiously and asked, "You...don't know? Wait-"
"I don't remember anything, okay? I've lost my memories. All I could pull out was my name and the name of a man named Gaelen."
"How did you lose your memories?"
Jenevi's mouth gaped as she looked over at Mace, hoping that he was kidding. "Are you serious?"
Mace chuckled nervously. "I guess that was a silly question. So...are were just going to ask around for however long it takes until we find Gaelen?"
"However long it takes. There's just something wrong. I can't explain it, but I can feel it in my gut. There;s got to be someone out there who will know." said Jenevi with a frown as she urged her horse forward.
The sky started to change colors and Jenevi began to grow nervous. If what happened the previous night was reoccurring, she could be in trouble. Mace could react just like the bandits from the woods did. He could try to kill her after accusing her of being a demon.
She thought about killing him beforehand to save her the trouble, but his father was kind enough to give her, a stranger whom he has never met before, supplies and a horse for the road. She did save Mace's life, but Jenevi appreciated his gratitude nonetheless. Looking at Mace from over her shoulder, Jenevi's frown deepened. The young man was smiling at her.
She wanted to kill him just because of that.
"I think we should make camp," started Jenevi as she stopped to look around for a place to rest.
"Already?" questioned Mace as his horse slowed to a stop beside his traveling companion. "We could move forward for another hour to find a better camping spot. We're far too out in the open to be safe right now..."
Mace did have a point, for they were in the middle of a wide, open field. Jenevi grunted and shouted, "We are camping here. Go to sleep, boy!"
Mace got off his horse in fear. He took supplies out of his pack to start setting up camp. "Why do you want to camp here so badly?" Mace wondered.
"Why do you have to talk so much?" Jenevi retorted. She pulled out Ronen's dagger from her boot and hopped off her brown horse. She pointed the sharp weapon towards Mace and said, "You have no idea how close I am to cutting your tongue out."
"Okay, okay." Mace backed off and continued to set up camp.
It took Mace and Jenevi some time to find wood and dry grass, but after the fire had been set, the young blacksmith sat by the flames as he started to pull out fruit from one of his sacks. He glanced over at Jenevi who sat with her back towards him. "Are you going to eat?" inquired Mace.
"Eat and go to sleep as quickly as possible." The woman replied.
"Why? What are you going to do? Are you going to take off?"
"I'm tempted."
Jenevi watched as the sky got darker and thought, Peter doesn't need to know what happened to his son if I killed him. Mace and I are in the middle of nowhere, and there are wild animals nearby. If Peter and I ever met again, I could say a beast killed Mace, which would be true.
Jenevi partly turned herself around and stared at Mace who ate a firefuit. Its red juices streamed down the sides of his mouth after he took a big bite out of it. "You want to know why I want you to go to sleep so badly?"
"It'd be good to know what's going on. I would love to be informed." Mace wiped his mouth with the end of his long-sleeved shirt. Jenevi said nothing as she continued to stare at the young man. Mace sighed and asked, "Why do you keep doing that? You keep staring at me without responding. It's creepy."
The sky became dark and Jenevi's eyes lit up like it was the sun. Mace thought it was a trick of the light at first, but then soon realized what was really happening. Jenevi's eyes glowed. "What...what's going on with your eyes?" Mace asked as he inched backward.
"It happens at night," started Jenevi with a devious smile. She held onto her dagger, ready to plunge it into the young man's heart when he was to get up and run. "I've heard some call me a demon. I've severed a man's arm. Want a demonstration?"
Mace saw the evil glint in the woman's bright eyes, but he calmed himself. He questioned if tagging along with the strange, mysterious woman was a good idea, and debated whether he wanted to jump on his horse and run back to his city or stay. He didn't want to die, but after what happened the previous night, he didn't think he would last too long if he decided to take off.
"So..." started Jenevi. "Aren't you going to run now?" Mace shook his head, making Jenevi confused. "Why not?" she whined.
Realizing Jenevi did not have the intent to murder, Mace relaxed a bit. She was just trying to scare him away. "You're not going to kill me," he said.
In a blink of an eye, the young woman was behind Mace with his blond hair clenched in her hand and a knife by his throat. "Say that again. One more time," growled Jenevi menacingly.
"You're not going to kill me."
"And how do you know that?" Jenevi pressed the blade onto Mace's skin, slightly cutting into the flesh.
Mace winced. "Because I can just tell. I may not be able to read people well, but I know you're not going to kill me."
Jenevi stared into Mace's hazel eyes. He seemed relaxed, and he wholeheartedly believed what he said. Which a scoff, the woman pushed his head forcefully and drew her blade back. "We'll leave at first light. Don't worry about taking watch because I can still sense things in my sleep."
"How do you
know that?"
Jenevi laid on the piece of fabric that she placed for herself and took the animal skin cover at her feet and pulled it up, wrapping herself in warmth. "Among many other things, I could sense you were twitching a lot in your sleep and you were softly moaning in pain," she said before closing her eyes.
Mace stared at her with knitted eyebrows. He was going to ask why she focused on him, but then thought that it might have been because she was worried about his condition. The young blacksmith glanced down at his bandaged hand and smiled, thinking, not as vicious as you seem, are you?
When Mace woke up, the sky was still dark, but he could tell that the sun would soon be rising. It was time to leave, and he assumed Jenevi would be up and getting ready. The young man sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Are you almost ready to go?" he asked. After a few moments without getting a reply, he looked over at where Jenevi slept and saw that no one occupied the sheets. He jumped up and scanned the field. Neither of the horses were in sight, either.
"Really?" He called. "Not one horse, but both?"
The packs that were on the horses looked like they were scattered around the area. Mace grabbed one that contained food and then hooked his sheathed sword to his belt. He was going to find Jenevi and give her a piece of his mind.
The sun was heating Mace up by the time he got to the woodland. He shrugged his pack off and fell to the ground with it. He rested his back against a tree and took out a leather water pouch, gulping some of the contents down.
"Mace."
The familiar voice caused the young man to jump to his feet. He looked around and called, "Jenevi? Is that you?"
Jenevi stepped out from behind the trees, her face expressionless.
Mace, on the other hand, was furious. "Where in Slarin's name did you go? Why did you leave? Why did you take both horses?"
Jenevi sighed. "You should see this." The young woman led Mace deeper into the forest. Finally, she stopped at a vast area that had no trees, but in the center of the soil were two dead horses.
Darkness Falls (The Dark Series Book 1) Page 3