Engraved - The Hunted Warrior

Chapter 24.1 - Lasthome

Alam stopped running. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees. His breathing was ragged gasps, his legs wobbled, and his strength was gone. No matter how much his mind wanted to keep running, his body had done all it could. Alam looked up. Tajar was limp between Frost and the horse's neck. Frost pulled on Mist's reins and turned towards Alam. There was fear in her eyes, she was not even trying to hide it. Alam knew that the same look was in his - the fear that it was too late to save Tajar. He had come to a hard decision minutes ago, but finally admitted to himself there was no other way.

"Go. Ride. You have to get to Lasthome before..." he could not bring himself to say it.

Before he dies.

"You take him," she replied. "He's your friend and Mist is your horse."

"No. He needs you. You are his best chance. The townsfolk will not trust me."

Frost nodded and tightened her grip on Mist's reins.

"Frost, the weapons." She reached down and handed Alam the axe and bow. He grabbed the reins desperately and pulled himself close to her and Tajar. "You have to make it in time."

"I know," she nodded. She turned Mist's head and kicked her heels into the horse's flanks. Mist whinnied and launched forward, kicking up dust.

***

Frost held Tajar tightly as Mist thundered along The Trail.

"Don't die," she muttered. Tajar was so limp she had no idea if he was still alive. It was with shock that she admitted to herself that she was afraid of him dying, or perhaps it was that she was afraid of him leaving her, she could not tell which.

"Damn it!" she spat.

Attachments get people killed.

I've let myself get soft. I've spent too much time with these barbarians.

Teacher would tell me to abandon him now.

No, she would tell me to kill him. That would purge the weakness.

It would be easy. Simply releasing one of the reins and he would fall and dash his brains on the ground. No blade or poison would be needed. "Use nature to do your work when you can," she had said. No one would suspect me if he fell. After all he is a fully grown man and I am just a helpless little woman.

Even easier would be to slow down and make sure I take too long to reach Lasthome. Time will take him soon anyway. Maybe it already has.

She neither let him drop nor slowed her pace. Instead she leaned further over Mist and gripped Tajar tighter between her arms. His head flopped back against her shoulder and she heard the faintest exhalation of breath.

"Yah!" she screamed and she kicked her heels in again. "Run, Mist! Run!" The horse responded. Even though she had been cantering already, at Frost's urging Mist lengthened and quickened her stride. The land raced past.

After traveling for a couple of hours, sometimes galloping, sometimes walking, they came around the side of a long hill. Suddenly the steep roofs of Lasthome burst into view. Relief flooded into Frost. Her eyes stung and watered up. She urged Mist forward into one final sprint. The tears were blown towards her ears by the onrushing wind.

She steered Mist onto the road that led into the town.

"Move!" she screamed as they dashed into the street. Townsfolk scattered before her. Others rushed to the street to see what the commotion was about. Frost pulled the reins to slow Mist into a trot. Her eyes jerked from side to side until she saw what she was looking for: a temple. She cursed her luck. It was a Temple of Trisen.