A Savior's Worth (Book #3)

Chapter Fourteen

They were back on track before the sun finished rising. Eldon hardly took notice of how much higher they were steadily getting until he saw it for himself. The thin trees were becoming more spread apart as their pathway led them along the edge of a hill. Looking out to his left, he saw the sparkling eastern ocean and the tips of the elite manors high above the beaches. He was mesmerized by the sights until he felt Elouise shift behind him. Then he glanced back at her.

Elouise meekly smiled and whispered, "How are you feeling about all of this?"

About the journey so far? Or about the fact that the woman he adored was so close and holding onto him tightly?

Either way, his answer felt right. "Good."

"Truly?"

Eldon faced forward. "I guess I thought somethin' bad woulda happened by now, but"—he looked over at Henry who was peacefully riding beside them, enjoying the view of their surroundings. "We're all safe. I think we'll stay that way." He heard Elouise giggle, and he grinned.

"If you believe so, then I shall as well."

Eldon couldn't stop smiling. He hoped she and Henry wouldn't notice.

---

Halfway through day three, the temperature dropped in their area.

Henry was especially fragile to the bitterness of the air, and more so at night. So, he slept close by the fire or to one of them. Eldon didn't mind the cold too much. At least not yet. His face numbed after a while, but it wasn't too bad. Then again, he didn't come from a kingdom that never experienced any snow. He was used to temperatures even lower than this, especially with all the time he used to spend outside in Ilsen.

On the morning of day four, they studied the map Daisy had given Elouise. They searched for the entrance of the lowest tunnel, which, according to both maps, wasn't too far from their current location.

"We go through there, then exit beyond the forbidden area?" questioned Henry.

"By the looks of it, yeah," Eldon answered.

"And what if the exit is blocked? Surely, if the miners do not want people going to the area, they would have prevented that by now."

"If that is the case, we will find another way," Elouise piped up, refusing to lose any hope.

"What if"—Henry paused, turning his head away to cough. It wasn't anything worrisome, but that small cough quickly turned into Henry clutching his chest and gasping for air. And after he finally recovered, he faced them with glassy eyes.

Elouise put a hand on his shoulder and asked him if he was alright.

Henry nodded, smiling faintly. That cough was just the beginning.

When they rode through the night, Henry's constant sniffling and sneezing was hard to ignore. It worried Eldon how much Henry struggled getting on and off his horse and how he stumbled a bit every time he stood. Sure, they were all lacking sleep and were stiff from the horseback riding, but Henry's energy was draining the fastest.

Around dawn, Eldon offered to help him out—maybe heal him from his illness. Henry laughed about this and promised he was not as terribly sick as he appeared. He promised them both he would feel better soon. He explained how, throughout his entire life, colds never lasted more than two days. This was nothing.

Despite that, Elouise had Eldon promise that, if Henry got any worse than this, he would heal Henry in his sleep. Until then, they kept moving forward with the hopes of reaching the tunnel entrance by the end of day six.