Ruin and Revival

Chapter 55: The Hunt

ARIKA

My legs are cramping painfully as Bri and I crouch in the dark, awaiting Axel's signal from the other side of the market.

"I've lost all feeling in my legs," I whisper to Bri. She cracks a silent smile in agreement. We had been here since three in the morning, awaiting dawn when the weapons supplier always smuggled goods. I had spent the past two days observing him, reporting back whatever information I could glean to Axel. However, that was all that went down between us. Just two partners working toward a common goal. Our interactions were stiff and distant. I yearned for the warmth we had built, the connection that had come crumbling down. We had fallen completely out of touch. 

The signal didn't come until dawn, as expected. I shiver in my thin black fighting suit, built for stealth and speed, so many darts and blades concealed within its pockets. Hopefully, I wouldn't need any of them. I watch the clouds of my breath disappear into the golden blue hues of the sky as the first rays of morning crept in. Its rays touched me with their heat and I relish that sensation as it thaws the cold of the night.

"Let's go." We sprint toward the tent right before the vendors. The tent is empty for now, the vendor who occupied it enjoying the freedom of slumbering late in the day. Axel's face is tinted a rosy red, the cool air of the day bringing out his sharp cheekbones, his strong jaw. Summer is almost over. I recall the beauty and nostalgia this season would always bring me, would always remind me of what true joy really was. Because you'll never feel that bliss again. I blink back the moistness in my eyes.

"We follow him until we learn where their base is. Bri, you go back to the castle to grab reinforcements. Arika and I have glove experience so we'll distract them until you arrive." We nod grimly.

"You sure it'll be safe for Bri to go back alone?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. You are the one I fear for." Our nervous chuckles are shut down by Axel's warning glance as he peers out of the flap. We remain in the chilly tent for yet another half hour.

"Okay, stop twiddling your sorry thumbs. Let's go. We've got a lot of running to do. We can't risk any cars or horses." I shrug. In the military, I was a runner, a messenger to the front lines. A few extra miles here would do no harm. I give Bri a sympathetic grin, her face displaying her discomfort.

"We are running! Why didn't you warn me about this!" Axel's indifference twinges a nerve inside me.

"What did you expect? Do you want to be part of this or not?"

"You don't have to be so rude about it!" I snap sharply. He flinches at my tone but looks away.

"It's okay. I'll manage." I give her an encouraging smile.

"I know you will. You are a good runner." I squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. We take off into a dead jog into the forest, away from the city, the comforting sight of the Palace. I focus on my breathing, tucking flyaways behind my ear.

"I figured they would go this way." Axel mumbles, more to himself than anyone in particular. The man ahead crouches low on his black steed, favoring speed over stealth, trampling over the tall, resilient grasses of the field. He disappears into the trees.

"We are losing him!" I huff in alarm. I didn't run this much to lose him.

"It's okay. It won't be too far if he is going that fast with such a huge supply of weapons. In a dense forest like this, it is not hard to stay so well hidden." We run in a single file line now, Axel's piney scent leading me through the closely packed trees. We pick up the pace, having not slowed for an hour now. My breath comes in short pants. The distance between Bri and us increases, having not had the same strenuous endurance training as I did in the military. Rather she was a better fighter, strong yet graceful.