𝗔 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.
𝗔 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿.
𝗔 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
When senior high school student Elizabeth Carter sees Isaac Belwich at her...
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I watched the city of Listra disappear from view. Belle soon slowed down to a steady trot, huffing from the intense exercise as we got further away. My anxiety crept up on me as the realization set in. I was outside the city, alone, like when I first arrived. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the map of Arvora. I found the path we were on and memorized which direction we needed to go once we got to the fork.
The world turned a calming shade of blue as night settled, the moon peeking over the horizon. I pulled my cloak tightly around me and shivered. It was colder than the last few nights. The wind rustled the fields of long grass that expanded the rolling landscape. It was pretty beautiful. I could easily get lost here, full of the unknown. There was still so much I didn't know. I wished I could ask my dad... but he hasn't gotten back to me since I sent that letter weeks ago. I relaxed against Belle. Her soft fur warmed my aching body, a painful reminder of what happened that night. I hoped we wouldn't run into any more Raven Stalkers.
The sudden stop from Belle jolted me awake. I must have nodded off. Rubbing my eyes, I took notice of our surroundings. We had veered off the road and stopped near a small woodland. The moon was high in the sky, it must be nearing midnight. Belle laid down and turned to look at me expectantly.
"I guess we could stop for a bit." I slowly slid off her and sat down. I pulled out the map and surveyed it again. We were so close; Raven's Pass was just across the way. I could see the treetops from here. I pointed to the manor and turned to Belle.
"That's where we're headed. That's where we can find the book to save Isaac." I said forlornly. I hoped he was still okay and that Lilith's magic would help hold off the poison long enough for me to save him. My mind flashed back to Ember and the castle. I wonder if they realized I was gone? The cold wind howled, and I shivered. Belle tugged off the blanket and tossed it over me.
"Thank you." I pulled the scratchy blanket around my shoulders, and Belle laid her head around me. "You know, for an animal, you are brilliant. It's a wonder you don't talk." I giggled and Belle huffed, blowing her stinky breath in my face.
Disgusted, I waved my hand in front of my face. "Ew! That's not very polite." My amusement was interrupted by a sharp pain that shot up my leg. I hissed and glanced down at my leg. It seems like all the riding reopened the wound, and it was bleeding through my bandages.
With careful precision, I unwrapped the bandages, the deep gash bled steadily, and my leg looked bruised and swollen. I took a cloth from my bag and gently cleaned up as much of the blood as possible. Then, I crushed the healing herbs and placed them along the opening, biting my tongue as it stung. I had observed the process whenever the healers had come to check on me. Placing my hand over the wound, I closed my eyes and uttered, " Ut per vulnus sanandum." My hand shone softly with a golden light. I focused on the healing magic and waited for the herbs to respond.
Once they started to glow- a sign of them taking effect- I pulled my hand away and wrapped a new bandage around it. I sighed in relief as the herbs took the pain away and leaned into Belle.
