The sound of rustling wings and anguished cries still echoed in my mind when I pried my eyes open the next morning. I awoke to a blanket tucked around my shoulders, and for a moment, I was disoriented, surrounded only by trees, until I heard the sound of voices chatting nearby.
I stood up, bracing myself against the oak tree as I stretched my legs and saw the figures left in the dirt from Rylan's drawings. They were still perfectly intact, and though their real-life counterparts were long gone, replaced by the sun and blue skies, I thought if I looked really hard, I could almost imagine them still up there.
"Hey there, sleepy head."
Rylan's eyes found me first, warm and well-rested, when I walked into the clearing. Knox was busy packing his bedroll, though he looked up and gave me a friendly smile, and Anders was camped on a fallen tree, chewing a piece of stale bread. And the twins.
"Where are the twins?" I asked, looking around the clearing. They were nowhere to be seen, though their packs still lay on the ground, waiting for their return. Rylan turned around, eyebrows knitting together.
"They were just here-"
At that moment, the twins emerged from the trees and soaking wet. Water dripped from their hair -now a dark shade of gray- onto the only article of dry clothing they wore, staining their trousers with little dark specks.
"You guys have got to check this out." Haigen said, shaking the wetness from his hair like a stray pup and showering his brother with a spray of water.
We gathered our bags against the protest of the twins, who claimed that this was more important than our meager belongings and followed them through the trees. The twins moved as if they were a part of the forest, their steps never faltering as they seamlessly stepped over roots and ducked under branches. A stark contrast to Anders, who crashed through brambles, cursing as thorns caught his clothing with every step.
It wasn't long before an unusual humming filled my ears, sounding like the air itself thrummed with energy. The grassy path turned to mud and rocks, and something shimmered between the trees. We rounded the corner and the source of the sound revealed itself.
The waterfall was the purest blue, tumbling over an outcropping of rock above our heads and plunging into the depths of a rippling dark pool at the bottom, sending a spray of mist in every direction. When the sun hit it just right, I saw an explosion of colors in the air.
The twins kicked off their shoes -they hadn't even bothered with socks- and climbed the rocky cliff to the top of the waterfall. I watched them with bated breath as they grabbed mossy stone and slick rock but they never slipped, not stopping until they reached the top.
Anders followed after them, shedding his shirt and discarding on the sun-baked rock. How he managed to find the right handholds, I don't know, but he was almost as nimble as the twins had been. Even Knox folded his wire glasses and stashed them carefully in his pack before wading into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Which left Rylan and I standing side by side on the shore.
"Go ahead." I gestured for Rylan to join the others in their swimming as I plopped onto the ground, stretching my legs out in front of me. "I'm perfectly fine where I'm at." Not to mention I was a disaster magnet when it came to anything water-related.
It didn't take much convincing for Rylan to leave me sunbathing on the rocks. He pulled his shirt over his head in one swift motion and dove into the pool. It must've been pretty deep because he didn't resurface until a few seconds later, rivulets of water streaming down his broad shoulders.
I untied my sling, rolling the aching tension from my shoulder. It had grown stiff in such an awkward position and it felt heavenly to stretch my fingers. I tilted my head back, the sun's rays soaking into my skin from where it brushed the treetops high above, and I listened to the sound of splashing coming from the pool as the others treaded water. My eyes slipped closed as I laid back on the sun-baked rock.
The breeze played with my hair, brushing the tips against my shoulders, and I could feel my worries slipping away as if the sun itself were melting them. I forgot about the spiteful king that wanted me dead and my family unknowingly awaiting my arrival. I just let myself exist, in this moment. I just let myself be.
That is until I was doused in a spray of water.
I sat upright, my eyes snapping open as I brushed the cold droplets from my body as I searched for the source of the splash.
Knox was floating on his back near the waterfall, spinning in slow circles. Anders was crouched at the top of the cliff, preparing for another cannonball. That left the twins, who were in the midst of their own splashing war, and Rylan swimming past innocently but the mischievous glint in his eyes gave him away. I glared at him and Rylan, being caught, gave up the act and prepared for another attack.
I scrambled out of the way just as another wave of water came crashing down in the exact spot I was in moments earlier. I glanced around, looking for anything I could use to protect myself from another attack. Or maybe...
My eyes caught on a pile of small rocks near my feet and I stooped down, clutching one in my hand and throwing it in Rylan's direction.
He ducked under the water and when his head popped back seconds later, his hazel eyes were wide. "You're throwing rocks now?"
A teasing smile lifted the corners of my lips as I picked up another rock. Rylan dove back under, and I took aim, waiting for him to reappear. The others had stopped to watch us now. Even the twins had ceasefired.
When Rylan's head broke through the surface, he raised his arm and a handful of mud squished between his fingers. My eyes widened, dropping my rock in surrender. "Don't you dare."
"You were going to hit me with a rock!"
"It was more of a pebble, really."
Rylan lips curled into a devilish grin, rearing his arm back. I squealed, jumping out of the way, but I wasn't fast enough. The mud splattered against my hip and ran down my leg, leaving behind a brown-smeared stain.
I took cover behind a tree, laughter bubbling past my lips despite the cold sensation of wet mud seeping through my pants leg. Another wad of mud flew past my hiding spot, narrowly missing the side of my head. I heard splashing from the pool but I didn't dare expose myself.
Between the roar of the waterfall and my rapid breathing, I didn't hear the footsteps creeping up behind me until a pair of hands reached around the trunk of the tree to grab me. I raced into the forest, feet flying over the mossy ground. I didn't make it far before I was tackled to the ground, landing hard on top of someone.
Rylan's lazy smile grinned up at me from the forest floor, his mud-stained hands gripping my waist. That along with my hands pressed flat against his bare chest was enough to cause a scarlet blush to spread across my face.
"I could get used to this." Rylan waggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and moved to shift off of him, but he kept me in place with his hands on my hips.
"Are you sure that rock didn't hit your head? If not, maybe it should have."
Rylan's laugh rolled off my skin like the warm spring breeze, leaving goosebumps in its trail. His skin was warm beneath my fingers and still glistening from his dip in the pool. I splayed my fingers, caressing the hard planes across his chest as I leaned down to close the distance between us.
A branch snapped in the woods beyond our little hiding spot and we froze. Rylan cocked his head as he listened, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my hips. Surely it was just one of the others looking for us.
Then we heard two distinct voices drift through the trees. Unfamiliar voices.
Rylan carefully shifted me off of his lap and we crawled over to the thick brush separating us from the voices. We peered through the leaves and caught a glimpse of two men marching past us. I couldn't make out their words but they wore a matching pair of brown armbands wrapped around their biceps.
"Let's get back." Rylan whispered, grabbing my hand and leading us back the way we came.
"What was that?" I asked when we were far enough.
"Foot soldiers." Rylan's lips pressed into a thin line. "Likely patrolling the border."
I perked up at that. It meant that we were getting close to Verdana. Another thought crossed my mind. I kept my voice low as if the trees were spying on us. "Do you think they're looking for us?"
"I don't know." Rylan shook his head. He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze but it didn't help the turmoil mounting in my chest.
We were close now, I could feel it in my bones, but if Rylan was right and there were soldiers patrolling the border, it would make it more difficult for us to cross. I hoped word about our escape hadn't reached this far yet.
When we got back to the others, they were already out of the pool and dressed in dry clothes. Rylan told them what we saw and just like that the easiness of the morning was gone as we were reminded why we were traveling through the forest in the first place.