As he tracked her, her footprints grew wider apart. She had been rushing, wherever she was going, before turning off into a dense patch of undergrowth.
Why had she--? Oh! Realisation hit him - she had gotten up to relieve herself.
Lephas span around, looking for more clues. The tracks ended here. The snow all around him was crisp, untouched perfection.
The demon glowered angrily. This didn't make any sense. He studied the scene before him again, prayingto see something he had missed.
Lori had walked into the bushes and stopped. He could tell by the depth of her prints and how the snow was disturbed that there had been some sort of commotion... Then nothing.
The princess had vanished into thin air.
“Lori!” Lephas roared, blood pumping in his ears.
Had she been ambushed? No, she couldn't have been. Not only did Lori's tracks stop dead, but there were no others to be seen anywhere. The demon yelled with frustration and slammed his fist into a nearby pine tree, shaking snow free from some of the lower branches.
Where was she?
With nowhere else to look, Lephas tore on ahead. There were no tracks, but he couldn't just stand around staring at the snow. He had to try to find her. Never had he missed Karn's keen sense of smell so much.
“Lori?” he cried hoarsely and jogged on through the forest. A rabbit bolted from underneath a nearby bush, leaping frantically away from his heavy, thundering footsteps.
Panic began to settle into a heavy sense of dread at the pit of his stomach. He swiped his palm down his sweaty face.
Her father had captured her, he must have. She had told him he was a majborne - maybe the king had sent other majick users to retrieve her? Majick was the only thing that could possibly make a person disappear into thin air like that.
Lephas felt sick. If he stood any chance of getting back to Awrelwood, he would not only have to complete the trek back to the main road but he would then have to travel at least another day and a half on top of that to get back to the faerie capital. Maybe more.
He would never make it in time.
Was she even still alive? He shuddered. Lazuli's men hadn't been under orders to capture the princess, they were instructed to kill her. Clearly the king had no intentions of burying his daughter. She would be left out in the snow to be picked clean by the birds.
Lephas felt white hot rage flaring. He swore to all the universe that he would hunt Lazuli down and slaughter him personally if he even dared hurt her. Zelrus wouldn't be happy about it, but he would turn his back and commit treason to avenge Lori's death.
Her death. He shook his head, sprinting forwards. He couldn't think about it. He had to keep looking.
“Lori?!”
The sun had risen and the rosy morning light sparkled on the snow's surface like diamonds. Lephas paid no mind, just continued to hunt relentlessly.
After an hour or more of running through the forest in blind panic, the demon pulled himself up. His chest heaved and he leant an arm out to steady himself on a nearby tree.
Lephas dropped a shoulder and removed his pack to untie his water skin, only to find the container mysteriously absent.
Shit...He had left the water skin back at the camp.
Lephas admitted defeat, his head slumped forwards and sweat stung his eyes. He would have to go back for it, he would never survive out here without water. Besides, the faerie and whoever had taken her hadn't come this way. Maybe he would have more luck re-tracing his steps.
He turned back on himself, trudging wearily through his own tracks. Maybe Lori had somehow made it back to the camp and would be awaiting his return?
Despite his better judgement, Lephas felt his pace increasing. It was a long shot, but he had to cling onto any hope he could muster.
It took him longer than he had thought, following himself back the way he had come. Lephas hadn't realised he had run so far, though his aching muscles andthe sweat that coated him should have been a giveaway.
The demon powered on, fuelled only by his desperate attempt to believe Lori might still be somewhere nearby.
“Lori!” he shouted. Nothing.
He walked on further. The snow grew slightly sparser and he began to recognise his surroundings. He was getting closer to the hot spring once more.
