My Villain, My Balance

Chapter 3: The Prey on a Hunt

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊

ⓉᕼE ᗰOᖇᑎIᑎG ᗩIᖇ was crisp and fresh as cool wind tangled my hair. Aleksander was waiting for me at his black carriage. I felt foolish for not realizing that I would be riding with him, but I suppose the alternative would be to ride on horseback with the soldiers in front for several miles without stopping. I'd rather take my chances with someone I do not fully trust yet before riding on a horse for the whole journey.

"Good morning," he greets. "Did you get good sleep last night?"

"Good sleep? Hmm, I prefer staring at the ceiling for most of the night until I eventually fall asleep three hours before I need to wake up again."

Aleksander smiled his rare boyish smile that displayed a small but noticeable dimple on his left side. "I'm glad to know you sleep as well as I do."

He assisted me into the cab and then followed me in. The velvet cushions and puffy throw pillows were softer than anything I had felt before. I suppose that was one of the many perks of being the general. He raised an eyebrow at me when I sprawled across the seat and buried my face in the cushion, but I couldn't care less. It felt like heaven.

"I am glad you like the carriage. It will be our residence for the next month or so. Morozova's Stag was spotted deep in the Fjerdan forest."

I glanced up at him before plopping my head back into the pillows, letting out a muffled groan. Then, I asked, "Why couldn't it have been spotted in Balakirev or Poliznaya. Somewhere close to Os Alta. Why did it have to be far away in enemy territory?"

The Darkling smirked before saying, "You thought hunting one of Morozova's creatures would be easy? There is a reason none of them have been killed or even commonly sighted for hundreds of years."

I huffed and sat up to make myself comfortable. This would be a long ride.

ᗯE SET ᑌᑭ camp after two days of non-stop travel. The comfortable seats became unbearable. I desperately needed to stretch my legs, so when we finally stopped to make camp for the night, I flung open the door and tumbled out of the carriage as if my life depended on it.

The sky was a bright array of pinks, blues, and oranges, and soldiers worked arduously to set up camp. It was imperative that the tents be set up before nightfall; otherwise, it would have been a wasted effort searching in the darkness for stakes and poles laid out on the ground. I wanted to help, but the Darkling shooed me back into the carriage as soon as I had stretched my sore legs. We were getting closer and closer to the Fjerdan border, which meant drüskelle would become more prevalent. If word hadn't gotten to them already about our travels, they would find us eventually, seeing that a group of thirty Grisha and a dozen First Army soldiers were traveling to their woods.