Zephyr let out a startled laugh, doubling over when she turned around to see Bennet wearing one of Agitha's extra cloaks, the brilliant, flowery pattern shimmering in the light of the full moon as he twirled around to give her a full view. Zephyr put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter and Bennet flourished the cloak one last time before folding up his wet tunic and jacket. The trio had been walking through the woods, just off the main road from Bremerton to Faron, for several hours before the rain finally abated. It was at that point that Bennet had begun to relentlessly complain about how cold he was from his wet clothes. He didn't stop complaining until Zephyr offered him one of Agitha's cloaks from the bag, an offer that was meant as a joke but was taken as sincere.
Zephyr ducked behind a bush to change into one of her extra sets of clothes, a green tunic, black jacket with silver buttons, and another pair of simple black pants that hugged her hips. Folding her wet clothes as she walked back toward where she had left the men, Zephyr smacked into Jasper, who was ringing out his shirt. Jumping backwards, she tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her backside. Jasper looked horrified, thinking he had knocked her to the ground, and immediately offered his hand. Zephyr's cheeks reddened furiously as she took it and allowed him to help her up, her blush partially caused by embarrassment from the fall, but mostly because of the half-clothed man whose hand grasped hers.
"Careful, Jasper! I don't want to have to carry her to Faron if you knock her out," Bennet said with an amused smirk. Jasper smiled sheepishly as Zephyr tried to wipe the mud off her bottom and hide her embarrassment.
"Sorry about that," Jasper said, releasing Zephyr's arm he still held while steadying her as she stood.
"Oh no, it wasn't you," Zephyr assured him. "It was me, I tripped. I do that fairly often, so don't worry about it." She offered him a small smile, which he returned. Zephyr was relieved to see him put his undershirt back on, her blush caused by his well muscled top-half finally receding.
"So did you find anything else in the bags, besides the clothes and the..." Jasper trailed off, realizing what he was bringing up. He looked at Zephyr in alarm, his nearly-black eyes wide, worrying he had upset her. Zephyr did feel a pang of sorrow in her chest, but she pushed it away, deep into the hole inside her. Besides, the letter wasn't the only oddity she had found in the bags.
"I found this dagger," Zephyr said as she pulled out a short, dull blade with a rather abnormally fat handle. She held it out for Jasper to inspect, and Bennet stepped up to have a look as well. "I've never seen it before," she continued. "I wasn't aware of any weapons in our house actually. Agitha only ever used a broom to chase off mice or the occasional drunk that wandered into the shop." This statement garnered a chuckle from both men. Jasper handed the dagger back to Zephyr.
"I don't know why she even bothered to pack it," he said. "As dull as it is you probably couldn't even slice cheese with it." Zephyr nodded in agreement, turning the small blade over again in her hand. The dagger was worn down in a way that made it look ancient, with a jagged crack in the edgeless blade and obvious wear from what must have been years and years of use on the handle. Zephyr wondered to herself if maybe it had been an heirloom passed down through Agitha's family.
"What's that gem? There on the hilt," Bennet pointed to a tiny, black stone embedded in the dagger's handle.
"I'm not sure..." Zephyr mumbled, running a finger over the stone. As she did so she heard a slight whirring noise and felt a faint vibration inside the dagger's hilt. Suddenly, both ends of the weapon seemed to explode, metal shooting toward the ground from the bottom and the blade bursting upward as the metal expanded in that direction as well. Unfortunately, Zephyr had the blade pointed directly toward Jasper's face. He frantically jumped away right as the pointy end shot past his left cheek. Zephyr dropped whatever the dagger now was and also bounced backward, staring wide-eyed at Jasper. Bennet cursed at the weapon and he too quickly stepped back from it. All three of them simply stared at the elongated dagger now lying between them.
"Stars! What is that thing?" Bennet spat, looking back and forth between Zephyr and the blade.
"I don't know! I didn't know it was going to do that, I really didn't!" Zephyr stammered as she turned to Jasper. "I'm so sorry!" Jasper wiped a drop of blood from his cheek where the blade's cracked edge had barely knicked him.
"It's fine, it's just a scratch," he assured her, although he still looked quite stunned. None of them wanted to touch the weapon after the surprise it had just given them, but Zephyr decided to inch forward, tentatively reaching out to pick it up. The metal that had protruded out of the dagger's hilt was in immensely better condition than the handle appeared to be. It stretched out to stand slightly taller than Zephyr, tapering slightly at both ends from where it had tucked in on itself. The whirring had stopped, the vibrating had ceased, and the weapon seemed to be safe to hold.
"It's some kind of spear or staff, but not like any I've ever seen," Jasper noted as he and Bennet dared a step closer to Zephyr and the weapon. "I've only seen ones made from different kinds of wood, and those aren't nearly as deadly as this one could be," he continued.
"Well good! Now she has a weapon and we don't need to defend her anymore," Bennet said as he slapped Zephyr on the back and turned to begin picking up their things. Zephyr looked up from the weapon in panic.
"I don't know how to fight with this!" she squeaked. "I don't know how to fight with anything!" Jasper chuckled at her sudden anxiety.
"I guess we could try to teach you some basic techniques, but honestly, I've never fought with a weapon like that." He gestured to the sword sheathed at his waist. "Just this and a bow."
"Same for me," Bennet said as he walked back to the pair, holding out bags for both of them to carry. "But I really think we shouldn't worry about it right now. With the weather clearing up troops are going to be moving a lot faster and they will definitely be scouring these woods looking for us." He looked earnest for a change, and Zephyr realized they had probably wasted too much time stopping. She looked up at the now cloudless sky to see a full moon. It's brightness would make it much easier for soldiers searching from the road to spot the fugitive trio. Jasper seemed to have been thinking along the same line as Zephyr.
"I think we need to go further into the woods. Anyone one the road could spot us now," Jasper said. Zephyr nodded in agreement and grabbed her bag, careful to point the staff's dagger end away from the men as she did so. As soon as she had her things gathered up, the three companions started off once again.
They soon came within view of a small farm. Horses could be seen grazing in the pasture under the pale moonlight. Zephyr noted them longingly as she felt the rainwater begin to soak into her boots. She saw Bennet looking in the same direction. He turned and caught her gaze, his own eyes alight with mischief.
"There are three of us," he said. "And there just happen to be three decent mounts right there," he gestured grandly toward the field. Zephyr decided that he must do everything grandly.
"We can't just take them," Jasper responded as he rolled his eyes. "For all we know, the farmer may not have enough money to replace them, and there's no way of knowing if we will come back this way."
"What if we left some money for them?" Zephyr asked, torn between guilt at stealing the horses and a desire for dry feet.
"I didn't really have time to grab anything before we left," Jasper said sheepishly.
"Neither did I," Bennet sighed.
Zephyr reached into Agitha's bag and produced a smallish pouch. Coins jingled inside as she lifted it up.
"Seems as though Agitha thought everything through," Zephyr said with a small smile, feeling another pang as she said the woman's name. Bennet's eyes lit up.
"Perfect! We can leave them more than enough money for the horses, which will soothe our friend's sense of justice." He shot a teasing look in Jasper's direction, who rolled his eyes once more. Zephyr decided that Jasper must always roll his eyes.
"We can't leave it all though, we might need some later," Zephyr said, pouring several of the coins into her hand. "I don't know the first thing about what horses are worth..." She trailed off and gave the men a questioning look, holding out both the coins and the pouch. Jasper took them and counted out enough for the horses, plus a little extra for the trouble the farmer would have to go through to replace the animals.
"Okay, who wants to sneak in there and get them?" he asked. Zephyr immediately looked to Bennet, who put on a wounded look.
"I can't sneak out three horses by myself!" he exclaimed. Jasper sighed and handed Zephyr her pouch.
"Will you be okay staying here and keeping watch for us?" he asked her. She nodded, stuffing the pouch with their remaining money back into the bag. "If you see any soldiers, come and get us quickly, but quietly." She nodded again, and Jasper turned to Bennet.
"Let's get this over with."
~
Jasper felt guilty leaving Zephyr to guard their backs as he and Bennet snuck in through the gate to the pasture. He wasn't sure that she was ready to be alone, but she obviously didn't want to be involved in the actual act of stealing the horses, so he had to be content with leaving her behind for the moment. He turned his attention back to his friend and the horses that were now grazing just a few feet away. One was, as far as he could tell in the pale moonlight, a stout chestnut gelding who met them halfway and nickered in excitement. The other two horses were less apt to trust the intruders.
Bennet seemed to have made friends with the chestnut and had seemingly forgotten about the other two mounts that were needed, leading his new horse away and leaving Jasper to deal with the other two. Jasper rolled his eyes at the other soldier, something that had become a habit when they were together, and walked up to the two horses in front of him.
They were quite a pair, standing together with only the moon to light their gleaming coats. One was a solid black mare, the other a shining white stallion. Both looked strong and capable of making a quick escape if the need should arise. Jasper once again felt guilt nagging at him for stealing the beautiful creatures, who would obviously be sorely missed by their owner. He did his best to push away that guilt and reached for the bridles of both animals.
Jasper didn't have a problem with the stallion, who simply stared at him with marble shaped black eyes that stood out against a startling white coat. The mare was a different story. She jumped back as Jasper reached for her reins, huffing out a puff of air at him as she retreated. He reached for her again and once more grasped nothing but air as she continued to prance away. Jasper, growing frustrated, glared at the mare. To his surprise, she very much glared back at him, stomping a hoof and snorting in his direction. Jasper almost felt a chuckle arise at the animal's outright stubbornness. With one last burst of effort, he jumped forward, making sure to keep hold of the stallion's reins lest that one decide to develop a temper as well. This time the mare wasn't quick enough in her escape and Jasper was able to catch her reins just before she swung her head away from him. With a satisfied glare at the obstinate animal, Jasper began to lead the pair back toward the road.
~
Zephyr paced behind a cropping of brush that ran along the road in front of the farm where, much to her chagrin, her new friends were headed to steal a preferable mode of transportation. She walked back and forth anxiously, the way she was afraid she was going to begin doing everything. Now that she was alone, Zephyr had to fight much harder to keep the dark thoughts out that kept threatening to overtake her mind. She couldn't afford to fall apart right now, not if she wanted to stay safe and alive.
Growing frustrated with herself, Zephyr began to miss Saria more that she already did. Saria always cheered her up and kept her nervousness at bay! Oh how she missed her friend. Zephyr realized that thinking of Saria was just making her even more anxious, and she had begun to chew on her nails, a habit she detested but had found impossible to break. She quickly pulled her hand away from her mouth and began using it to fiddle with the hem of her jacket.
Zephyr realized that though thoughts of Saria hadn't really reduced her anxiety, they had caused her to cease with the pacing, something she was sure the grass beneath her feet would thank her for. Relaxing the slightest bit, Zephyr glanced over her shoulder at the road, and her nerves all but exploded. Just over a mile or so up the road, a troop of mounted soldiers had crested a hill. And in the brightness of the moon, despite the distance, Zephyr could see the change in their countenance as they spotted Jasper and Bennet in the field beside the road. The oncoming soldiers couldn't know for sure that the men they saw were the fugitives they were after, but they didn't seem to want to take a chance at missing them. The entire troop burst into a gallop down the hill, straight toward the farm. Zephyr turned and began to sprint toward the fence, hurtling herself over the planks and dashing across the field toward Jasper and the two horses he was leading.
As soon as she caught Bennet's eye she motioned toward the road and the soldiers, never slowing her pace. She saw confusion in his eyes, until he glanced in the direction she pointed. He immediately scrambled onto his mount, not quite gracefully, as the horse wasn't wearing a saddle. Seeing that he was good to go, Zephyr turned her attention to Jasper. He had begun to run in her direction with the horses. As she reached him midway across the field, she ran up to the black mare that he held closest to her. Jasper began to protest as Zephyr reached up around the animal's neck and swung herself onto it's back. Jasper looked stunned and stopped speaking mid-protest.
"Hurry up, they're almost here!" Zephyr snapped at him. That jarred Jasper out of his stupor and he was on the white stallion's back in seconds. Zephyr had only ridden bareback a few times in her life, but she didn't have time to let that thought overwhelm her. She grasped the horse's mane and gave it a stern kick. The mare seemed to know exactly what she wanted, taking off and building to a breakneck speed across the field in the direction Bennet had fled. Jasper was right at her heels, his stallion quickly outpacing her, flying over the fence and dashing onto the road. He looked back over his shoulder as Zephyr's mount approached the fence.
Zephyr felt a rush of fear at her mare leaped into the air, soaring over the fence. Her stomach seemed to push up into her chest and she couldn't breathe for the few moments before the horse landed safely on the the road. Zephyr's breath wooshed out of her as the mare began to gallop down the road, catching up to Jasper who had slowed just a bit to meet her.
Bennet hadn't left them behind, they were able to catch up to him in a matter of seconds.
Zephyr dared a glance behind her and saw that the soldiers were no longer gaining on them, but they weren't getting further away either. She didn't know how strong the horses they had just stolen were, how long they would be able to continue at such an intense pace. Her panic was threatening to overwhelm her once more as she heard Bennet begin to shout and gesture. She looked to where he was pointing up ahead at a bend in the road. Just past the bend there was a trail leading off into the woods that could just barely be seen. If the three fugitives could get around the bend and reach the hidden trail before the soldiers could see it, they might have a chance at escaping. The brush and trees surrounding the trail were dense and dark, blocking it from the reach of the moon's glare. They were lucky that Bennet had even noticed it.
They reached the bend and were around it in moments, and Bennet shot onto the trail, with Zephyr right behind him and Jasper following her. She heard the galloping directly behind her cease and glanced back once more to see Jasper swing off of his mount, grab leaves and fallen branches to throw over the dusty trail floor, and then bend and pull some of the brush to make the trail even less noticeable. He was done in a flash and back on his horse, galloping up the trail toward her and Bennet. Zephyr hoped he had been fast enough to have escaped notice of the oncoming soldiers.
The three of them kept following the trail, pushing their rides to the breaking point, for what seemed like an eternity, weaving through the dark forest. Zephyr's entire body had begun to ache to the point that unwanted tears of pain were rolling down her cheeks. Just when she thought she would fall from her horse, Zephyr heard Jasper call out from behind her. She was barely able to look back at him, but was immediately flooded with relief as she saw him slow to a stop and dismount. She and Bennet quickly followed suit.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, Zephyr's legs gave out and she sank to the forest floor. Bennet didn't look as though he fared much better as he sat down and leaned up against a tree trunk. Jasper approached the two prone figures and chuckled.
"I don't think they saw us take this trail, I haven't heard or seen them behind us since we left the road," Jasper said as he joined the other two sitting on the ground. "I really think we would have seen them following us by now, and the horses couldn't have kept going like that much longer anyway." Bennet only offered up a nod in agreement.
Zephyr could barely hold her eyes open, but she forced herself to sit up straight and address Jasper. "So are we just taking a break or are we stopping for the night?" she said as she looked between the two young men. Bennet responded by putting his pack under his head and closing his eyes. Jasper gave him an exasperated looked and turned to Zephyr.
"We can sleep for a few hours," he said to her. "Probably shouldn't take the whole night off, but all of us need to rest for a while." He glanced at the horses before continuing. "I'll take care of them and tie them up, you can go ahead and get some sleep."
Zephyr felt guilty leaving care of the horses to Jasper, but her eyes had slipped closed before she could formulate a response and she was asleep against a large, mossy tree root in moments.