**OLD DRAFT**Protectors: Book 1 of Protectors **OLD DRAFT**

Chapter 3

Jade didn’t sleep, nor did she feel any desire or need to. Her body was alive, her mind alert, the horse between her legs never stumbled or slowed. The mare was sure and steady and strong, her ears titled forward, always ready for Jade’s commands. The sun rose unto the sky for a brilliant morning, the scattered clouds were afire with pinks and reds. The farmers were out early in their fields with her oxen and Jade waves to those who lifted their hands. Soon the cool morning air turned warmer and Jade came to a fork in the road.

                She pulled Chance to a stop and the mare danced to the side then stilled. A smile slowly worked its way onto Jade’s face. The choice was hers, whatever direction she wished to go she could go. The southern road would eventually take her to the coast, and the road that went west would take her towards the capital.

                Jade looked down each road, they looked the same; none was more worn than the other. And the landscape all looked the same, which she knew it would for some miles until the climate began to change. Jade knew that if she wished to start her life, if she wanted to prove herself and make money by the sharp edge of her sword then she would need to travel to the capital. There she would have the best of luck finding a job.

                But Jade turned south, because she had always wanted to see the Seventh Sea, to dig her feet in the sand of the Black Beach, and watch the blue waters hit against the shore. She knew it would take time out of her journey, but that was the great beauty, Jade had her entire life before her. There was no assignment, no orders to follow, no time limit. 

                Three days of traveling brought little trouble or change. Jade rode a regular pace; she stopped at night and slept in inns along the road. She watched villagers dance and listened as their accents began to change. Jade loved every minute of it, and not once did she look over her shoulder to the north. Jade’s heart lifted and her shoulders felt lighter. Every night she counted her money and was surprised at how much she had left, she knew that she would sleep outside to save money, but for now, she enjoyed meeting people she had never set eyes on before, and would probably never see again. It was fascinating to Jade how there could be so many people in the world that she had never met before, how there were people in the world she would never meet.

                I’ve been blind my entire life.  

                The road to the black beach was longer and slower than Jade expected it to be. As the land flattened and the tree’s thinned the road became mud instead of dirt. Often Jade was forced to find another path for the wheels of wagons had left great crevasses in the road and she would not risk laming a horse simply because she refused to waste time going off the road.

                Great farm lands stretched out for miles and miles in every direction, farmers were plowing and planting their fields and spring brought the rain with promises of summer.  And the further south Jade went, the more rain seemed to fall. Sometimes it fell from the north and the cold droplets found their way underneath Jade’s cloak, but more often than not the rain came from the south, and Jade would pull back her hood and allow the warm water to wash her face.

                Every night when Jade stopped for the evening she took the time to brush and speak with Chance. The mare would listen quietly and Jade would allow her to take in her scent, she and the horse began to form a bond. Jade knew of course, that the bond would never be what it could have been if she were a Protector, but she knew that over time her and horse would only grow closer and that gave Jade a small sort of comfort.

                “It’s good to know that not everyone and everything from Felkor hates me,” she said to Chance on evening. The mare pushed her nostrils into Jades face and Jade patted her neck. As Jade lay down that night and stared at the stars she thought of Felkor. By now everyone would know of her treachery, she wondered what everyone must think of her. Did her uncle accept the words she had written to him or did he toss it into the fire? She wondered of Gregor, and if he had been punished for helping her.