The Warrior sword tapped against her leg as Leyla made it to the outer Gate. The sun had yet to make an appearance, but the sky was streaked with shades of blue that pushed for the darkness to end.
"Protector," two guards approached at a run, surprise written across their faces. It was not unusual to see her up so early, but she did not usually leave camp at this hour.
It was unfortunate, but Leyla was going to have to lie to buy time. "Lock the gate behind me, I'm going to check on the traps."
"Yes, Protector," the men nodded then lifted the heavy wood that kept the doors from opening.
Leyla looked back at the camp one last time. Athiri had come to her the moment she left her hut, so she left him sitting in front of the medical hut and instructed him to wait. The trusting look in the animals face made her chest tighten, but she was doing this for all of their safety. And if she didn't return, Gabriel would take good care of him, of that she was certain. He would take care of them all.
"Pass on my command. The Sage is in charge in my absence."
The guards bowed quickly, "Yes, Protector!"
The forest was quiet, the ground frosty under a blanket of fresh snow. Frozen leaves crunched beneath her boots as she moved through the trees. The lookouts would be watching her, she knew, but that was fine; they were not instructed to relay information about the movements of their own people.
Once she was past the sight of the last Protectorate scout, Leyla searched the ground for tracks. They were not hard to find since the Bone Eaters did not intend to hide.
The sun was climbing over the hills behind the camp when Leyla finally found them. The Bone Eaters looked up soundlessly from where they had been sitting, sharpening their daggers. One of them spat on the floor while the other stared at her with a blank gaze.
It was like he felt nothing at all, while Leyla could barely suppress her fury. Were these two a part of the group who slaughtered the Water People? Her fingers itched to draw her sword, but she held back. Killing them would have little impact on keeping her people safe. Shik was the key.
"Follow," the men said once they had put their blades away. Bones clinked against each other as they moved to where their horses were tied.
There were three horses, Leyla realised with disgust. Shik must have foreseen this outcome after he ordered the deaths of all those innocents.
"Get on." The blank eyed Bone Eater untied the reins of the horses and pointed at a brown mare. It was smaller than the two black stallions beside it, and thus very likely slower. They must have chosen it as a precaution in case she tried to run, but she had no intention to run from this fight.
Lifting herself into the saddle, she took the reins and looked to the Bone Eaters. They were strangely still, standing beside their horses as if they were waiting for something to happen.
A sudden wave of dizziness swept over her and a tingle of dread rushed down her spine. No! She knew this feeling, but it couldn't be! Trying to hold on to her consciousness, she looked down at her hands. The reins that fell from her fingers were covered in a familiar white powder.
Her last thought as the Bone Eaters reached up to steady her falling body was: How?