I closed my eyes and held my breath, expecting to be submerged under the water when we jumped into the lake, but it never came. I felt the breeze suddenly stop and a split second later a cool wind blew on my face and my feet slammed into the ground. Emy's hand was jolted out of mine, both losing our footing from the force of the landing. I opened my eyes and saw her fall, meanwhile I was flailing and about to fall backwards.
I started panicking, trying to find something to hold onto but there was nothing there. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out and grabbed me, pulling me forward and away from the crossing point. I fell into them and held tightly, my heart was racing and I knew somehow that it wouldn't be good if I had fallen back through.
I looked up at whoever had saved me and my heart started beating an unusual rhythm. It was Blaike, he was looking into my eyes and he looked worried.
"Are you alright?" He asked, checking me over himself and then looking into my eyes.
"I'm fine..." I told him slowly.
My legs were shaking badly from the impact of the landing and he still had a strong hold of me. I tried to pull away from him and almost fell down, he caught me again and stood me up, holding me carefully. This was worse than if a stranger had caught me, I must have looked so weak in front of him, but why did I care what I looked like to him?
"Maybe you should sit down," he suggested, still looking at me worriedly.
I looked around quickly, "No, I'm fine but... where's Emy?" I started panicking that she wasn't in sight.
"I'm over here, Cass!" Her voice called from the other side of an ancient looking tree.
I walked around with Blaike still holding me up. She was sat on a tree stump, Kaleb was stood over her and seemed to let out a long breath when he saw us, as though he'd been holding it for a while.
I went to sit with Emy when Blaike finally let go of me and I hugged her tightly.
"Are you okay?"
I checked her over to make sure and cringed internally when I realised I was doing what Blaike had just done to me.
"Yeah, I nearly fell flat on my face but Kaleb caught me and pulled me out of the way just like Blaike caught you. I came over here because I think I twisted my ankle."
I frowned at her, "I thought you said you were alright?"
She smiled at me, "It's a twisted ankle not a broken neck, I've had worse injuries from work."
I took a deep breath to calm myself down, she was right and it must have been the adrenaline from the trip making me overreact. I peered up at Blaike and Kaleb who were watching the crossing point expectantly.
"Thank you for catching us, I don't know what would have happened if I'd fallen back through." I glanced sheepishly at Blaike's face then to Kaleb's as I said it.
"Well I do know and you are welcome," said Blaike in a kind but firm voice.
I was about to ask what would have happened when both their heads turned in the direction of the crossing point. It was camouflaged against a much larger lake on this side, judging by what I could see of it in the dark.
The sky had so many more stars here and they all reflected off the water, but the moon was nowhere in sight. The lake had a ripple moving across its surface and I knew it was Merkell and Kayle coming through. We watched as the two of them jumped out after a few more seconds. They both landed expertly beside each other and it made me wonder how many times they'd done this before.
They looked around as soon as they landed and Blaike stepped around the tree to shout them over.
"Is everyone alright? No accidents?" Merkell asked, already checking us over and we each nodded in turn.
"Everyone is fine. A slight mishap when Cassandra almost fell back into the crossing point, Blaike was ready and waiting though. Also, Emily twisted her ankle in the landing."
Kaleb relayed to him, I still couldn't get used to how strange our names sounded coming from him and Blaike. Merkell looked upset for some reason, he came closer to Emy and I. He kneeled in front of Emy and put his hands out towards her ankle.
"May I?" He asked.
She looked just as puzzled as I felt but gestured for him to go ahead. Too curious to speak we watched him take her boot off carefully and push her legging up to reveal pink fluffy socks which he also pulled off. He wrapped his hands around her ankle and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
Emy sighed appreciatively, "It feels all warm," she grinned at me.
Merkell opened his eyes and let go of her ankle, "How does it feel now?"
Emy hesitantly moved her foot and her mouth fell open, she moved it in circles and stood up on it.
"It's better, like I never twisted it, thank you... how did you do that?"
Merkell stood up while Emy put her sock and boot back on.
"You don't need to thank me, I should have prepared you better, if Cassandra had fallen back through..." He trailed off.
I was beginning to panic again, wondering what would have happened that would make them react like that.
Blaike was watching and must have seen the panic on my face.
"Well she didn't sir, I caught her and she's alright just shaken." He emphasised the last word, making Merkell turn to me and his expression changed to calm, a little too quickly.
"Yes, that's true, everyone is fine now," he covered his underlying worry with a smile. "Well done for ensuring their safety, both of you."
They both nodded to him and Kayle came closer and smiled at us in what looked like relief. They soon began discussing which was the best way to go from here and I turned to Emy while only half listening.
I mouthed the word Blaike said that had jolted my curiosity.
"Sir?"
I raised my eyebrows to her.
She shrugged, "Ask him," she mouthed back with a slight smile.
I rolled my eyes and turned to listen to what was being said.
"...On our way here a few days ago we heard word of Scavengers attacking people on the North Road." Blaike was explaining.
He thumbed the pommel of his short sword and I laughed internally, I didn't think people actually did that.
Merkell looked wary now, his eyes had lost their gleam.
"We will avoid the North Road as much as we can but that lengthens our journey a little. What about the Trading road? That is usually quiet at this time in the season."
Kaleb was shaking his head before Merkell had finished speaking, "It has become much busier since everyone is avoiding the North Road."
Merkell sighed and they all stood thinking, this was just giving me more questions however and I took the opportunity while the silence lingered.
"Why does it matter if this... trading road is busy? Isn't that a good thing? We could blend in with the other people there."
They all turned to me and then we all turned to Merkell.
He frowned for a moment then shook his head, "Because we don't want anyone seeing or recognising any of us until we are back in your village." I opened my mouth to ask why but he held a hand up, "Please don't ask me any more questions that I cannot answer, at least not yet anyway."
I sat in silence after that, waiting for them to decide what to do next.
"Let's just stay in the forest until we reach Hawksend, then travel the last part when darkness falls," Kayle finally suggested while playing with a twig between his fingers.
Kaleb laughed and clapped him heavily on the shoulder, "Goof, you never cease to surprise me. Could you not have suggested that sooner?"
Kayle grinned and shrugged, "It's what their parents plan was when I brought them through here last night, it just came back to me."
Blaike and Kaleb snorted in unison, everyone looked to Merkell who nodded his satisfaction.
"Yes, I believe Kayle just gave us our route back and we can thank your parents when we arrive." He half smiled at us but as soon as it came, it was gone again.
It took few more minutes for them to figure out the finer details. I gazed over at what I could see of the lake, wondering if there was ever any going back.
Emy nudged my side and I shifted my gaze to her.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
She seemed to see everything but she couldn't see inside my head and I couldn't have her worrying about me.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I smiled and she gave me a disbelieving look. "I am fine, I'm just a bit shaken from that crossing and the doomsday talk about what would have happened if I'd fallen back through."
I shivered just thinking about it and pulled my cloak closer around me. Emy still had the same look but she didn't ask anything else, she knew if I wanted to talk about it I would.
We finally set out on their newly formed route, the sky grew lighter and morning dawned in the forest. The four men seemed to have agreed on a plan of action but most of it didn't make sense to Emy or myself. Merkell made us walk in the middle, Blaike and Kaleb on either side, which was starting to become far too familiar. Kayle was in front humming to himself and Merkell was behind us.
He seemed calm but extremely focused, the bag on his back looked so out of place with the rest of his clothes and I figured ours must look like that too. He smiled at me when he saw me looking back at him, I smiled quickly and turned to watch where I was going.
Emy was busy talking to Blaike and Kaleb, "So, how many times did you actually go to our world?"
She peered from one to the other, they seemed to be avoiding answering and she grinned.
"That many times, huh? Was it always to see Cass and I?" They glanced briefly at her and away again which only made her giggle.
"We're not that interesting you know? Well I am but Cass isn't."
I nudged her side, "Cheeky."
Blaike and Kaleb half smiled but it disappeared as soon as Emy's attention was back on them.
"So why did you come through to see us so many times?"
A mischievous smile curled her mouth when she asked that and she side glanced at me. I shook my head just enough for her to see but her smile only widened.
Blaike actually answered this time, though it was hesitant.
"Just as we told you before, we were curious."
Kaleb nodded in agreement but didn't say a word.
"Okay, and what were you curious about exactly?" She asked a bit quieter this time.
Probably so Merkell wouldn't hear her, it didn't work however because he cleared his throat.
"Emily," he said, in a way that hinted that she knew she shouldn't be asking.
"Fine!" Emy huffed, "Forget that one, how did you know the crossing point was there and how to cross to our world?"
That was something I also wanted to know and all of this secret keeping was getting tedious. Blaike looked back at Merkell, who must have been okay with him answering this one.
"Well we can use magic and that's what is needed to use a crossing point," he stated as though it was big news.
"Yeah we already know that from the little tiff you had with Merkell, we were in the trees watching, remember?" I told him, surprised he'd forget that already.
"Oh yes, my head was still disoriented from being thrown into a tree," he rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly. I guessed there was probably a lump forming there.
"Yeah and we saw what you both were doing with your hands too," Emy added on with a shrug.
They both looked surprised, "You saw that from the trees and figured out it was magic, just from that?" Kaleb asked with his mouth hanging slightly open.
"Yep," we said together.
"It's not difficult considering you were standing so peculiarly, it couldn't be for any other reason. You were directing the magic from Merkell into the ground, weren't you?"
I asked Blaike, smiling at the shocked expression on his face. Emy and I were winging it now, we'd had no idea at the time but now it all made sense. It was a good job we were really good at improvising, otherwise we would have looked really stupid.
"And you were helping him somehow, weren't you?" Emy asked a shocked Kaleb, they both nodded and I thought their mouths were going to drop to the floor.
"How could you ascertain all of that from the way we were stood?" Blaike asked but we just smiled at him and then each other.
"It was pretty obvious really," Emy told him.
We walked a little faster in front of them, laughing together. I was sure I heard a chuckle from Merkell as well, it was nice to be the ones with surprises and knowledge on our side for once.
They eventually caught up to us and we walked in silence for a while, they still looked confused and shocked but didn't bother to ask more. It was much lighter in the forest, if time worked the same way here then I'd have guessed it was about eight or nine in the morning.
I could see the forest surrounding us more clearly, the trees looked like they went on forever, this place was definitely bigger than the forest we had just left. The trees were spaced apart enough that we could walk through as a four, they were giants though, it would probably take five or six people with their arms stretched just to circle one. I knew this meant they were old but how old?
I was pondering the origin of this forest when I suddenly got the feeling that we were being watched. Blaike and Kaleb were both searching the trees so I knew it wasn't them this time. I kept going and subtly nudged Emy to get her attention, she looked at me and as soon as she registered my expression she knew something was wrong.
I had begun to trust my instincts after the last few days and now so was she. I gestured with my eyes towards the trees, hoping she would understand what I was trying to say. She shook her head once almost imperceptibly while looking perplexed. How could I tell her and the others without alerting whoever, or whatever, was watching us?
I decided Merkell was the only person who would be able to understand quickly enough and help in time. I turned my head to look at him without stopping.
"Merkell?" I said in a serious tone, straight away he knew something wasn't right. "Do you have that 'skill' of yours switched on?" I asked in a quieter voice.
I gestured towards the trees with my eyes and he nodded once in sudden understanding.
"Yes Cassandra, I do now," he said in a calm voice, "Is something wrong?" He emphasised the last word but he already knew the answer, he was tactically playing along.
"No, not exactly," I could feel the others eyes on me so I made my voice as calm as I could manage.
"I just have this strange 'party' kind of feeling, that's all."
I hoped with all my might that he would understand the reference and in turn what I meant by it. I heard a tiny gasp from Emy that told me she had understood. Merkell took a few more seconds and something told me to radiate my panic towards him.
I saw his expression darken when it finally dawned on him and he spoke just as calmly as before.
"You might be tired, we shall stop and rest a while... Kayle!" He raised his voice a touch to bring Kayle back and he turned around to come and stand with us.
"What is it?" He asked, seeing my face and then Merkell's.
"We're going to rest for a moment, Cassandra isn't feeling well and we think it might be similar to what she felt at your party," he raised his eyebrows.
Comprehension fell over Kayle's face, "Oh I see," he spoke with eerie calmness and his face was suddenly very alert. "Let's stop here and she can sit down."
He gestured to a boulder that was residing at the bottom of a tree trunk, nestled between its roots. We sat down and Emy leaned against me while Blaike and Kaleb stood guard, waiting silently and patiently for an explanation. They were more than aware that something was going on and they looked ready for anything.
Kayle and Merkell took a very brief, almost unnoticeable, glance around the trees and back at each other. Kayle very subtly nodded which I figured meant he'd seen something.
He turned to Blaike and Kaleb, "While we're stuck here, how about a game of Target Finder?"
He pulled his Slingers out of his sleeves and strangely crossed them over into opposite hands. When he did this however, both Kaleb and Blaike straightened up. A strange smile crossed their faces too, as though they were forcing them and trying to hide something else.
"Of course," said Blaike, taking a step back and pretending to search for a target.
Kaleb took a side step in front of Emy and I but not enough that we couldn't see, it was almost like he was guarding us again. Merkell knelt next to us and made out as though he was watching the game they were starting. The Slingers had obviously been some form of signal between Kayle, Blaike and Kaleb, although I wasn't sure how that would even work.
Kayle and Blaike stood a few steps apart, pretending to joke and pick a target.
"Come on Goof, we haven't got all day," Blaike teased. He pointed to a tree far to our left that had knots all over.
Kayle started twisting the Slinger in his left hand, above his head as he looked at the tree, Blaike stood well out of his way. He twisted it faster and smirked when Blaike put his hand out in a gesture that said 'go ahead'. At the last possible moment, Kayle swung around and shot the Slinger behind him. A split second later and a couple of trees away, something screamed and fell to the ground with a thud.
Blaike and Kayle were already running towards it before it hit the ground; Blaike had his short sword drawn and Kayle was swinging the Slinger again. They disappeared into the trees and we stood up to see where they'd gone. I could hear a struggle and moments later they came walking out of the trees carrying a body between them.
Emy and I gasped and put a hand over our mouths.