Unbroken (Untouched #2)

Chapter 11

THE four of them trudged through their trees, their shoes sometimes slipping on the sodden slop of the earth. The foothills sang to them with musical tones but the group didn't sing back.

It had come to be one of those situations that no one dared to say a word – not one – for the fear that their presence would be betrayed to any lurking, venomous and hungry creatures. The group didn't know if there were any out there, watching – waiting – for even a brief moment of weakness.

It had taken them a mere two days for them to band together; to get their small party formed.

They hoped that the two days was not enough of a delay that it had already decided their perils ahead and ultimately, their wavering fate. But as they had all agreed, having Ellen amongst them was pivotal and thus they waited, planning and madly scheming within the depths of the Manor, until the Guardian swept through the corridors and broke the news that she was well enough to make the journey.

She didn't know where they were going or where they even were right at that very moment in time. But Ellen let her gaze wander across the thicket of the trees and let the intoxicating scents of nature tickle her smell.

Faces of rock and moss stared at them from beneath the patches of white and brown, and bright beams of light filtered spectacularly through the canopy overhead. Motes of dust danced in the sunlight, until they swirled into the darkness and faded away.

There was a beauty to the place but there was also a more hidden, sinister element to it that no one really wanted to mention especially in their current, heightened state.

The truth was that mountainous terrain did little to give them an advantage. The scattering outcrops of rocks and the everchanging elevation was not to their favour and acted almost like impermeable barriers to their abilities. It made trying to remain alert and informed of their surroundings – more so, any unwelcome company – that much harder.

Still, she pushed on with a heaving chest, numb hands and a sharpened mind.

Ah, there it is. Ellen heard Hans in the back of her mind.

She glanced ahead, her eyes darting across the horizon. It took a moment but sure enough, nestled amongst between rockfaces, was exactly what they had come for.

A wall of wood and stone peeked out towards them from between the trunks of the trees.

Let's push on.

With each step they took, their destination grew painstakingly closer until Ellen was able to make out the entirety of the cabin.

Piles of wood had been stacked against the wall, and an axe hung motionless from a bracket. Snow and dead leaves had accumulated at the steps to the door, and rocks had been placed in a neat circle on the ground. Blackened, fading remains peppered the inside of the ring. The smell of a fire or smoke had long disappeared. But Ellen's heart sank as she put the pieces of the lifeless reception together.

The windows were dark and the chimney that reached out from the roof reached towards the sky lifelessly.

She turned to look at Hans who returned her gaze.

He doesn't like visitors. Mind you, he is also a warlock. They are notoriously private beings and the saying that 'all is not as it seems' is especially true for these people. Just remember that. You never know what you will get with them.

Claudia beckoned towards the door of the cabin as Dvorak thrust his hands into the pockets of his coat impatiently. Looking around the thicket, Hans crossed the threshold and stomped on the wooden floor. He took a few swift strides towards the door and rapped on the solid panel.