The Blood Knight

6 - Escape

With just one horse and no party to accompany, Daisy the horse ran across the forest as swiftly as the wind. Sapphire held on to the mare's mane, the Earl morning cold wind piercing her face and skin like icicles.

Cedric had only one destination in mind. The only place where the land was free and doesn't belong to any kingdom, and where disputes within kingdoms were not allowed.

Dragon-port.

And the only place where they could catch a ride on the Iron Dragon.

Daisy rode hard and fast. And by the time the mid-day sun rose to it's peak, the horse was exhausted. Cedric had to force himself to make up his mind to to stop the poor animal for a drink. They were fortunate enough to find a stream.

Also, they were hungry.

"We can't stop long," Cedric said. He watched as the horse drank gulps from the soft flowing stream. Even he felt his hunger crawling into his stomach. Sapphire sat under a tree, holding the water skin which had blood. Cedric filled up the larger water skin he has with fresh water from the stream. It was then that he unwrapped the long bundle which was always strapped onto the saddle.

Sapphire's eyes widened.

"Is that a sword!"

"Yes," replied the doctor as he securred the longsword onto his back with the sword belt.

When the horse seemed rested enough, they rode on. This time, the horse trotted slowly.  Cedric was happy as long as they were moving. He was quite sure that Sir Leonard Cohen would come riding after them. With the knight's personality, he didn't seem like someone who would give up that easily.

By evening, the two of them in addition to the horse, were starving. Sapphire tried her best to make a fire with the the branches and twigs that she could find as Cedric went off with his bow and arrows to hunt. The girl pilled up her branches and started to make a cone with them. She had watched the soldiers do it. But she was lost afterwards. She didn't have a fire stone. The soldiers did, and she wondered whether the doctor carried one.

The doctor's belongings were small. Just his satchel of herbs and a pile of clothes wrapped with a rug. Since the sword was taken out, these were pretty much the only luggage left. Sapphire opened up the clothe pile, hoping to find a firestone and almost turned over all the tiny bottles of herbs neatly stacked inside the hard leather satchel.

"What in the goddesses name are you doing child?"

Sapphire quickly bundled up all the doctor's belongings before turning to look at the man. He didn't seem angry and he was carrying a large wild pig with one hand by it's feet.

"For a firestone," the girl mumbled.

"I don't have one," the doctor replied with a sigh. "And you don't necessarily need one either. "

In truth, Ceder didn't think much about alot of aspects of their survival after they left the group. He was quite used to moving about, but he forgot that he was used to moving about alone. The fact that he had a child to look after didn't cross his mind to much. He could stay without eating for two days, keep on walking for three days straight and could sleep pretty much anywhere at that point. Even the cold, which he always despised was more comfortable than having to make a fire.

And as most know, fires are exhausting without a firestone.

And so the girl watched at the doctor chopped up some wood with his dagger. He scrapped of the bark of one branch and cut another branch into a rectangle. He then choose some dried fallen leaves from near his feet.

"We call this tinder," the doctor explained, "You first make the fire on the tinder, then place your firewood on top to burn."

"Why not lit the wood on fire straight?"