The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Warmth Amidst the Cold

"What the hell was that?!" Arthur exclaims the second we're out of sight of the jail.

"Would you have preferred to die?" I question him in response.

"The mission was simple, Amaris. You seduce the master, you retrieve the asset, but since you decided to go rogue, now we have the master, but no asset!"

I catch a glimpse of the Grim Reaper glancing over his shoulder in Arthur's direction as he says this, but he quickly returns his gaze back forward, and I wrinkle my brow in confusion, entirely ignoring Arthur.

"Are you even listening to me?! The Duke is going to kill us" Arthur adds, drawing my attention away from the Grim Reaper.

"Need I remind you that, without me, you would probably be locked up in a dungeon for the rest of your life after being caught by those guards you were supposed to get past. So, I think what you mean to say is thank you" I reply.

"Will the both of you shut up? We have bigger issues on our hands then petty arguments about 'missions'" The Grim Reaper interrupts, drawing our attention towards him.

"We're in enemy territory" He explains as we glance at him in confusion.

It only takes a moment of me scanning the horizon to finally realize where we are. The barren and dry terrain is a dead giveaway. This was Rochdale. Arden's direct enemy in the war.

Rochdale was located on the outskirts of Arden, where Arden's citizens used to reside in peace and prosperity, until Rochdale's people became jealous of Arden's enriched ways of life and invaded their territory, taking over and forcing Arden to move to less profitable lands further down.

That had only been the beginning of the war between lands. Now, many other cities were picking sides and contributing to the war themselves. Many people who sided with Arden did so because it affected them, since Arden was a main crop provider for many other cities, but others joined simply because they liked the idea of revenge.

"If you value your lives, you'll follow me" The Grim Reaper says, breaking the intense silence as we all stare out at the land we'd used to call home.

Arthur and I exchange a strange look before I break the gaze by turning back to the Grim Reaper and nodding fervently in response.

"Good choice. I know these woods better than anyone else. Now follow me" The Grim Reaper says.

I jump a bit as I suddenly feel his hand in mine as he begins to lead me through the forest surrounding Rochdale. He stops for a second, turning to look at me as I jump, but quickly returning to his task as I settle down. I look back towards Arthur as I'm lead through the trees, waving at him to follow behind us. He shakes his head in disapproval before starting to follow us again.

The forest floor is dark as we walk, and I'm unable to see the ground beneath me as we continue on through the trees. I step cautiously as I'm lead, but it doesn't prevent me from almost falling into a trap that's been carved out of the forest floor, which plummets almost six feet down and features large wooden spikes at the bottom.

My foot slips on the very edge of the trap and I almost fall victim to it, but The Grim Reaper grabs my waist, pulling me towards him at the side of the trap and holding me there as we both stare into the dark abyss below.

"Watch your step" He says as he turns back to me.

I breathe heavily as I stand there, our noses almost touching, and my heart racing from the narrow escape.

"Arthur, trap" I manage to say to Arthur as he approaches, stopping him just before he too also succumbs to the trap.

"Come quick. We must get to the border before midnight" The Grim Reaper says, continuing to drag me along.