The Fireborn Chronicles: The Lost Maiden

Chapter 8: The Daily Life of a Traveler

 The more he traveled, the more Isaac wanted to turn back and give up this pointless search.

Isaac and his family had tried numerous towns across Západun, and the only answer they could ever get was that Silva Dreida was dead and nothing else. No one had any information about her, and it was like she had disappeared completely from this world. It wasn't before long that Isaac couldn't take the delay anymore.

They had left Rolnik a week ago, and they were already unfitted and unequipped during that time. Food supplies were narrow, and since they had all quit their jobs in Rolnik they now had to save all the money they had which was difficult. They still did not give up, as every time it would get more problematic to travel through the harsh conditions of the edges of the Orscińa Mountains, they grew even more determined to find Silva.

They had stopped at the capital Orscińa a couple of days ago. It was a decently sized city, but the rough conditions for the soil coming from the mountains made it hard for crops to grow. As a result, Isaac and his friends had to settle with food on the market, which was tough for them because they were so used to getting crops straight from the farm at the orphanage and all the beets that had grown there as well.

Right now, they were close to the border of Kingston and Západun, and they had to make a choice. They still had no idea where Silva was, and it seemed like they were wandering idly across the island country without any sense of direction. Isaac grew even more worried because when they visited Orscińa, the people there still had no information on Silva. They only kept spreading rumors that the Blood Hunters had taken her away, and these were all the same rumors he had heard before.

She was not with those criminals in the forest, Isaac had wondered, so she must have been taken by somebody else, or she escaped with her life. They must have assumed she would return to the church, which is why they came to Rolnik. 

This made him even more concerned because it led to him concluding that if Silva had run away, then why didn't she come back home immediately? Thinking of this made him question if she wanted to return to Rolnik or not. Isaac started having second thoughts in his head, with all of them interrogating him on what Silva would really do.

She wouldn't leave us, right? There's no way, we've been like a family all this time! We all treated Siva the same, saying that she belonged with us and that it didn't matter that she was an elf. She must have been kidnapped, right? After all, there are many cruel people in this world; they would do anything to get their hands on an elf. Anything! And they wouldn't care at all; they'll still think that they're human! No, they're...

"They're all demons!!"

He soon took a second to realize that they had set up camp nearby the border, as it was late at night. Getting up from his wool blanket, Isaac glanced at Mary, George, and William, who were all sleeping soundly under a willow tree. A peaceful lake rested beside the willow tree, the water beaming white from the Moon's light. The scenery was enough to calm his rising anger.

Isaac got up from his blanket, and he waltzed slowly towards the three to adjust the blankets for them. He was relieved that he didn't wake up anyone, as they were all still fast asleep. After that, Isaac gathered up their pots and bowls by the campfire and stuffed them back into one of the bags. They were all too tired to clean up after dinner, which was unsurprising since they had covered a fair distance so far. 

 Isaac snatched another bag and took out a wrapping of carrots. He fed them to the horses, and they were all curled up together and tied to the willow tree. They ate their food with appreciable excitement. With all his chores done, Isaac took the opportunity to sit beside the lake and relax his mind before going to sleep again.