Sitting across from him in the growing darkness, Aizel soaked in the gentle sounds of the crackling fire and Erich’s voice. Leaves rustled overhead and the occasional call of a night bird sang through the sky.
The sounds worked together harmoniously, even with the happy tenor of Erich’s voice mixed in with it all.
She had stopped paying attention to what he was saying. Occasional words and phrases like “dancing” and “sneaking through the hall” registered in her mind.
She listened instead to the silent peacefulness of the moment around her. If only they could stay here forever and she didn’t have to carry out the young king’s plan and murder Erich and...
Her stomach turned. Suddenly, the fire felt too hot, the forest sounded too ominous, and Erich’s voice was too loud.
“I don’t think anyone has ever listened to me so intently before, Azel.”
“It’s Aizel,”she corrected him for the umpteenth time in her head, feeling guilty that she had absolutely no idea what he’d just been saying.
“I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate that.”
Aizel looked up at him with a pretend smile on her face, but he was staring down at the fire, his hands gesturing in rhythm with his voice.
“As I was saying,” he continued.
Aizel watched his hands, fully intending to actually listen to him this time, when a crack in the ferns to her right redirected her attention. Was that the sound of something trampling through the woods toward them?
She held a finger up to her lips, urging Erich to be quiet for a moment. It was probably just a nocturnal animal, roaming through the forest. Hopefully, it was a small one.
He didn’t notice her motion at all, entrenched as he was in... whatever he was saying.
Aizel sat still, trying to listen for any more sounds above the noise of his voice.
There it was again, accompanied by a high-pitched metallic clink. No animal could make that sound.
Aizel waved her arms frantically, hoping to draw Erich’s attention. “Be quiet! Something’s out there!” The words formed in her mouth but never came out.
The footsteps grew closer.
Forcing air through her teeth, she made a hissing noise.
That finally got his attention.
He looked up, a question in his eyes, but it was too late to explain anything to him. She shook her head quickly.
Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she threw herself to the ground and rolled backward under the arched branches of a bushy fern.
She saw Erich scan the area around him, but by the time he was on his feet, five cloaked figures had poured into the small space and surrounded him.
Erich took a step back, only to step right into one of the men he hadn’t seen behind him.
Aizel ran her hands over the ground around her as quietly as she could, searching for something she could use to protect herself if need be. She didn’t know if they had seen her before they rushed into the glade or if she was truly hidden. Her fingers found nothing but dirt and soft, rotting sticks.
“Hello, traveler,” one of the hooded figures spoke. “You wouldn’t happen to have any coin to spare for a few poor farmers who are down on their luck?”
“Coin?” Erich’s voice squeaked.
Thanks to the light of the fire at his feet, Aizel could see his eyes as he took in the hooded figures surrounding him. He threw a glance at her hiding place but then looked away. “How much would it take to satisfy you, friends?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out three coins, dropping them into the stranger’s hand.
“Who was you talking to just now?” another bandit asked.
“Myself,” Erich answered without a second’s hesitation. “It gets awful lonely traveling... alone.”
Aizel sent him a silent prayer of gratitude. He had no reason to protect her, but he consistently did. A small flicker caught her attention.
