Anastasia spent the rest of the day packing her things. She hadn't seen hide nor tail of Rowan since their fight. He had probably gone in to town to take care of his usual business, and with both of their emotions at an all-time high, it was for the better. She looked over her meager pack to make sure she had accounted for everything. She had never been to Gamaliel, but she had heard travelers from town often say it was only a three days' journey by foot. Examining her items, she contemplated whether to take all the magic protection wards or pack a few more days' worth of undergarments. On one hand, the trip could go smoothly and she could have the luxury of clean clothes the whole way there. On the other hand, if she was attacked by road bandits, she would need the protection spells. With a heavy heart, she replaced her clean undergarments with the extra protection scrolls. Perhaps it was an ingrained instinct in her to be clean, but she really did despise the idea of not being able to wear laundered clothes, no matter how poor they were.
Anastasia looked out the window to the setting sun. She would need to leave soon. Grabbing a few days' worth of bread and cheese from the kitchen, she wrapped up her precious food items and stowed them in her bag. She turned to look at her small home, the place she had grown up most of her life with her step father and Rowan. Fresh tears pricked her eyes. She furiously wiped them away. She had done enough crying already, but that didn't mean the sadness in her chest was any less. She did not know what her step father meant when he said there were stirrings in the underground, but she would not let Rowan get hurt because of her. They had ruined her life once already and she would not give them the opportunity to do it again.
Anastasia shut the wooden door behind her, her fingers lingering over the grain as she recited a short protection spell. Small white lights from her fingertips emitted pulses that ran along the grain of the door in every direction, engulfing the entire house in a second, and then disappearing as fast as it had come.
The necklace she wore began to warm at the use of her magic. She touched it gingerly and frowned. Even a child could cast a protection spell, but just the slightest use of her magic was dangerous. Use too much and they would find her for sure.
Looking out over the small village from her hilltop home, she let out a long sigh. She did not know if she could ever come back, but she still had hope. Casting one last lingering glance, she made her way to the edge of the woods and finally onto the beaten road.
~~~~~
Day was breaking over the horizon as Anastasia finally came to the end of her first day of travel. She had not anticipated how boring her trip would be. There were trees and trees for miles, but nothing else. No other people, no animals, just her and the spindly things that liked to trip her with their twisted roots. Even the bunnies she had attempted to feed on one of her breaks chose to scurry away just because she accidentally stepped on a stick! She desperately missed Rowan's presence. She had felt lonely with him standing right beside her, but now that she was actually alone, it was as if her chest was caving in. She often had to stop to catch her breath when the panic attacks hit her. She was never one to worry too intensely about anything, that had always been Rowan and her step father's job. Now, though, just the idea of her being captured sent her running as fast as she could toward Gamaliel.
After some searching, Anastasia finally found a small, hollowed out space under some particularly gnarly roots of a giant tree. The area looked like it had once been an animal's home, but had long since been abandoned. The snap of a branch from deeper into the forest had her hair on end as she stared into the darkness. The sun wasn't high enough to see too far in just yet. She let out the breath she was holding when a small animal darted out of the brush. She had never actually camped before, so she was a little on edge. Sleeping under the stars was something she heard her step father talk about often, but nothing she had ever had any interest in actually doing. 'It can rejuvenate you, Asa! Bring you closer with nature and make you stronger!' She remembered him saying as he flexed his muscles at her while she laughed at his display. Anastasia felt herself smiling again just at the memory.
She shook her head of her old memories and began to set up her camp. She laid her cloak out on the ground as a barrier from the cold dirt, but it did little to stop her shivering. Despite the days getting warmer, the early mornings and night were still too cold for her. Her constant walking had been her only reprieve during the peak of the cold hours in the night. Perhaps she could light a small fire? Just a small one, to warm up with and fall asleep. It would be out before she even woke up. Yes, a small fire sounded just lovely.
Getting up from her little hole, Anastasia searched the area for some dry wood. After gathering a sufficient amount, she tried to rub two of the sticks together like she had seen Rowan do so many times. She rubbed and rubbed but nothing happened. Not even a little spark. She threw the sticks into the pile with frustration and let out an angry huff.
She stared back at the taunting pile of nature carcasses. Bested by trees, of all things. Anastasia absent mindedly ran her fingers along the chain of her necklace as she contemplated how to light her fire. The pendant hanging from the chain brushed against her hand and a thought struck her. Maybe a little magic wouldn't hurt. Just a little spark to get things going. Yes! What a brilliant idea!
Smiling triumphantly at the pile, she snapped her fingers over her other hand and a small red flame cast its warmth over her index finger. Gently she touched the small flame to the bit of dead leaves she had added to her pile and watched as the flames took hold. Finally, some warmth! She spread her chilled fingers over the fire, a feeling of accomplishment in her belly. She had lit her first fire! Rowan would be so proud! Well, maybe not so much, since she had to use her magic, and the burning around her neck was a clear indication of that. In any case, she could finally drive away the chill that had settled into her bones.
Taking one last look around the woods, she lay her head down and drifted into a black sleep.
~~~~~
Anastasia woke sometime later in the evening, just as the sun was setting. Her meager fire had lasted only a half hour before completely sizzling out, leaving her cold and shivering again. She had used her cloak to cover herself, but it did little to ease what now felt like hypothermia. Anastasia sighed. She knew she was over exaggerating, but her restless sleep had left her quite cranky.
Gathering up her things and rubbing her sore neck, she set off along the road again. The walking had been pleasant the first night, but she did not expect her feet to be so sore today. There were two whole days to Gamaliel and only one whole day to go back home. The temptation to turn around was strong. Her step father's letter flashed in her mind just as she was about to give in. That's right. She hadn't come out here on her own to be miserable in the woods for nothing. Onward she would go, no matter how much her muscles protested.
The night passed just as uneventfully as the previous one. How could there not have even been one traveler! Well, she was traveling in the dead of the night, that may have had something to do with it.
She had found a place to settle down as the sun was waking up. She repeated her routine of the previous night, setting up her little camp and gathering some wood to warm her chilled bones. This time, however, she had vowed not to use magic. She started rubbing the sticks together the same way she had done the night before. After a few minutes of nothing, she reevaluated her strategy. How exactly had Rowan done it? She hadn't paid much attention but she tried to copy his hand positioning and movement the best that she could remember. She sat down on one stick, using her foot to hold it in place, while the held the other stick with both hands and ran it vigorously along the other until she started to see some smoke. She couldn't believe what she was seeing! She found herself grinning from ear to ear as she continued to rub the stick together. Quickly grabbing her collected leaves and dead pine needles, Anastasia transferred her small, burning ember to her kindling and watched as the smoke rose into the sky. She let out an excited squeal as she watched her little fire grow.
"Oh Rowan, I wish you could see this! I made a fire all on my own!" she called out to the empty air as she hopped up and down.
A movement and what sounded like a growl from the nearby brush had her freezing in her tracks. Panic rushed over her. It sounded like it was large. Maybe it was a bear or maybe even a mountain lion! There weren't any mountains nearby but Anastasia couldn't be too sure that they wouldn't venture miles away, lured by the smell of lonely, human girl meat. As quickly as she could, she covered her fire with as much dirt she could find and stomped on the few remaining embers to put them out. She was sad to see it go, but quickly wrapped her cloak around her and huddled unto the animal's burrow she had found. There seemed to be quite a lot of those out here.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the black in the trees, trying to hear for anything else. It wasn't long before her lids began to feel heavy and she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She fought against it as long as she could, but again found herself in a restless darkness.
~~~~~
Anastasia snuggled farther under her cloak, the chill of the evening not really bothering her for once. She needed to get up soon. By the morning, she would reach Gamaliel. That was enough motivation to get her out of her little hole in the ground. She began packing up her things when a small blanket caught her eye. Had she packed a blanket? She couldn't remember, but she would not be surprised if she had forgotten about it. How she had managed to freeze her butt off the first night and not remember was beyond her. Though, she had packed in a rush, and she had been more concerned about her clean underwear than anything else. Folding it neatly, she stuffed the blanket into her bag, forcing the bag closed just to make it fit.
One more day of walking and she would finally be there. Anastasia felt new determination fill her bones, even though her feet seemed to have not gotten the memo. Grumbling against the pain in her sore toes, she marched forward. The trek was as bland as the first two days. She had stopped to take a few breaks, her sore feet slowing her down more than she had hoped.
As the early hours of the night approached, Anastasia felt her stomach pang with hunger. Taking out the last of her bread and cheese, she found a nearby stump to sit on while she ate. She emptied the last of her water satchel as she smacked her dry lips together. She could hear some running water nearby, but wasn't keen on venturing too far into the woods. So far, she had been close enough to the road to keep it in sight. Her dry tongue convinced her otherwise.
Listening for the water, she walked deeper into the woods, keeping track of where she had come from - a weird looking tree on the right, a bush with strange flowers on the left, and so on she went.
Anastasia finally made it to a small stream. She was overjoyed to see the crystal clear water flowing under the bright light of the moon. She filled up her water satchel and splashed the frigid water on her face. She didn't appreciate how cold it was, but it did its job in waking up her weary muscles. She heard a thump and some grunting from the small clearing nearby and saw two black shapes wrestling with each other. Anastasia could feel her heart catch in her throat as she made a mad dash back for the road. The last thing she wanted to do was get caught up in an animal fight!
Her nerves only heightened as she realized her genius plan of memorizing the foliage was only useful if it didn't all look the exact same no matter which way she turned. She could feel another panic attack hit her she started to hyperventilate. She turned in every direction, trying to find anything familiar. Suddenly, a sharp, high pitched birds call caught her attention. It had a familiarity she couldn't place, but she was too scared to really ponder it more than that. Running toward it, she listened as it got louder. Her breath came out in heaves as she ran, bursting through the thick of the woods and onto the road. The birds call came again and she spotted a small nest in the tree next to her. "Thank you," she whispered under her breath as she calmed herself and hurried toward Gamaliel.
~~~~~ ~~~~~
The last thing Rowan saw before the door slammed shut was Anastasia's tear stained face. He felt disgusted with himself for yelling at her. What had he been thinking? She was hurting and he had only made her pain worse.
Sighing, he threw Antoni's letter on the bed and stood up. That blasted old man! What could he possibly have been thinking! And Anastasia was actually going to listen! Rowan couldn't believe it when she said she would go. Meeting a strange man in a foreign land, sure, that sounded safe. How stupid could she be!
Rowan rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to not work himself up again. They both needed some space right now. He would go into town, get away from the house for a little while and talk to her again when they had both had some time to think.
Rowan trudged down the little hill they lived on into the small town, greeting those that welcomed him with a few faint smiles. He wasn't in the talkative mood today, and the townspeople knew of their recent loss.
Rowan's first order of business was the blacksmith. He needed to check on the new weapons he had ordered. Antoni's letter was very grim. He had feared they had been found out and it was only a matter of days before trouble came knocking on their door. But how could he have known? And why didn't he tell Rowan about any of this sooner? Instead, the senile old man wrote it all in a damned letter, died, and left Rowan with nothing but questions!
The shop bell rang as Rowan roughly opened the door to the blacksmith's shop. A slender young boy looked up from his hammering, putting down his tools before standing to shake Rowan's hand.
"Micah, good to see you," Rowan said.
"You too, sir. Your order is ready," the boy, Micah, replied as he grabbed a bundle of fabric from the back table.
Micah placed the bundle on the front desk and opened it. Rowan let out a long whistle as he picked up one of the daggers. "The material was not too difficult to work with?" he asked, eyeing the young boy as his face lit up with excitement.
"No sir! It was some of the best magic stone I've ever seen! I don't know where you got it, but it was top quality!" Micah replied excitedly.
Rowan smiled and nodded, wrapping the weapons back up with satisfaction. He placed a bundle of coins on the counter and took his order.
"Thank you, Micah. These should do for a while. I wont be stopping by for a bit, so take care. And I hope your mother starts to feel better," Rowan said before turning to leave.
"Uh, yes sir, I will," the boy replied, biting his lip as if wanting to ask another question.
"Uhm, one more thing, sir. Are you planning to leave town? You seem to be stocking up for something," Micah asked embarrassedly.
Rowan turned to face him and nodded. "Yes, visiting... family."
"Oh I see," Micah said, casting his brown eyes at the floor. He was still biting his lip nervously.
"Out with it, Micah," Rowan said exasperatedly. He knew where the poor boy was going with all of this.
The boy immediately stood to attention. "Yes sir! Right! Uhm, well, uhm, uhm, will Miss Asa be going with you?" Micah's face flushed as red as a tomato as he said her name.
Rowan stared down at the boy with a small smile. The poor lad had been head over heels for Anastasia for years. Rowan had hoped he would grow out of it, but as a teenager now, it seemed his feelings had only gotten stronger.
"Yes, she will. Is that all you wanted to ask, Micah?" Rowan replied, turning to actually leave this time.
"Yes, sir," Micah whispered disappointedly. "Oh! One more thing sir!"
Rowan was getting irritated as he turned his face to look at the boy. Micah sensed his annoyance and took a small step back.
"It's just, uh, that I've, uhm, heard there have been some bandit attacks recently on the roads. Just wanted to let you know. Not that bandits would be a problem, uh, for you, sir," Micah rambled on, his face flushing red again as he rubbed the back of his neck and glanced nervously back and forth from the ground to Rowan.
"Thank you, Micah, I will keep that in mind," Rowan said, leaving the shop with furrowed brows. Bandits? He had been considering letting Anastasia go, but this piece of information changed everything. She would be staying right here, next to him, where she would be safe.
It was late in the afternoon when Rowan finally finished all his errands. If he was being honest with himself, he had been lingering around town a little longer than he needed just so he could put off apologizing to Anastasia. She was going to scold him like a child, he just knew it.
Rowan let out a low groan as he trudged back up the hill to their small house. He could see the residues of magic outlining the house as he got closer. He touched the door handle and felt the protection spell. She really was scared. Perhaps Antoni's letter had spooked her more than Rowan had originally realized. Although, he wasn't too happy with her using her magic so carelessly. He could have easily placed the protection charm for her when he got back.
He opened the door and stepped inside. "Asa, I'm home," he called to the quiet house.
He waited for a reply, something, anything, but was met with more silence. Dear gods, he knew she was good at the silent treatment, but this was too much.
"Asa, I know you are upset, but let's please talk about this," he said, knocking gently on her door. When he again got no reply, a feeling a dread began to wash over him.
"Asa, open this door right now," he demanded, knocking harder. He didn't wait for a reply this time and barged in, throwing the door open as it slammed against the wall. She wasn't here.
"Anastasia!" he called out, his anger and worry breaking through his voice. He opened every door in the house, looking under the beds and in the closets. A quick search of his own room and he realized all of the protection wards were missing.
He let out an enraged scream as he threw items into his travel bag. That infuriating girl! She left! She bloody left him to travel on her own, alone and without protection! When he got his hands on her, he was going to... he was going to... he didn't know what he was going to do! He swallowed the fear forming in his throat as he flung open the door and ran full speed into the woods.