AT A SHORT DISTANCE ONCE MORE FROM ORODEN'S BORDER
IN IWUR'S NEST, THE FOREST OF FOREBODING
To the butcher with grace, Naomi couldn't feign supremacy any longer.
Needless to say, as soon as the atmosphere's darkness had consumed her entirely, she'd faltered on the last step. It could not be helped. Now, she was afraid, and she feared that Judah would catch on and call her out for being a coward after she'd just displayed a quantifiable amount of courage.
Still frozen on the remaining step and trying in vain to block out the vast gloom before her, Naomi's skin almost crawled inside out when Judah suddenly bumped into her in an unceremonious manner.
She quickly righted her stance, catching herself before she stumbled onto the ground. "Your Highness," she hissed beneath her breath, hand flying to her pounding bosom. "It would be helpful if you could control your body's weight for my sake."
Naomi felt his warm presence behind her as he noisily adjusted himself.
Goodness, could he be any less of a clodhopper?
"It would be helpful if your feet possessed any sort of motion at all," Judah's equally hushed tone cut through her thoughts, not sounding at all pleased that she still held a tinge of apprehension as she'd had in the coach. "It's only a harmless ground, Naomi. Just step on it!"
"Fine!"
Naomi tightened her grip on her skirts and took the final stride, ingesting further complaints.
You can do this. It's just dirt. Conquer the dirt. You can do it.
I can do it!
Once the tip of her left leather shoe touched the semi-hard surface, she immediately dashed towards the side of the coach and pressed her back against the cold wooden structure. The contact immediately made her shiver and Naomi found little solace in her actions, contrary to the reassurance she'd assumed she'd receive. Unease, unlike anything she'd ever felt before, tauntingly fingered the nape of her neck when the familiar faint whisper of her name invaded her ears once more.
That was the last straw. She'd had it with Judah's time-wasting. "Prince Judah!" she called out with a hint of desperation, much to her shame. "What's taking so long? Where's the fire?"
"I'm working on it," she heard his voice utter in agitation, as if she were the sole reason for his lack of performance. Which didn't make any sense!
That sole notion along with the hesitant ring to his words had doubt slithering into the young Shade's mind. Like a persistent clanking of warning bells, it gradually became clear what was happening.
Judah was procrastinating, it was plainly obvious. But why? How much time was needed to conjure a simple fire? It couldn't be that difficult and time-consuming. He couldn't be struggling to perform that meagre feat.
Right?
"Your Highness?" Naomi gingerly raised her voice above a whisper, uncertainty causing her to forgo her initial concerns about who or what might hear them. "Can you or can you not create a fire?"
"I said just give me a moment," he gritted out from somewhere in front of her before an inaudible chant followed. It sounded as though he was repeating a certain word over and over. Bune? Ban? Born? Frankly, she could care less, just as long as it yielded results.
However, when she thought she could bear it no longer, a bright light sparked from her left and Naomi jumped when a single ember almost touched her sleeve.
"Yes!" Judah exclaimed and quickly placed the logs on the ground when they started to catch fire.
Finally!
Blowing out a huge sigh of relief, Naomi loosened her hold on her skirts—positive the sides were severely wrinkled—and huddled impatiently towards the immature light source, watching as Judah piled one firewood on top of the other to support its growth.
Her relief blossomed impeccably at the sight. "You know, for a moment I almost believed that you were incapable of conjuring something as basic as a fire." She chuckled. "I thought you were a fraud. What an absurd thought, wouldn't you agree?"
There was a pause in Judah's movements, but he only hummed in response and continued his work.
Momentary seconds of silence passed between them before, "I had a feeling you were not going to offer your help with this either," he grunted after he'd positioned the last log, lowering himself to the ground. "Good thing I didn't ask."
Naomi followed his lead and sat beside him, grateful for the steadily growing fire and heat. "You're a quick learner, Your Highness." She grinned at him and rubbed her palms together, feeling elated at their turn of luck.
Judah only shook his head at her remark, but she caught the relief in his features as well, a look that well mirrored her own. Finally, they had a sort of protection against the darkness.
However, Naomi felt her grin dissipate as she looked around them.
It was strange, for it appeared as though the light emanating from the flames had been moulded into a dome-shaped shield, ending its protection just above their heads. The stark darkness seemed to engulf the rest of the forest, hissing here and there, adamant on not being ignored. But Naomi found immense comfort in the cocooned brightness emitting from the crackling fire that she dutifully paid no heed to the quiet whispers, the soft neighing of the horses a short distance away, and the eerie blowing breeze.
She had more important matters to attend to.
"Alright," she began, no longer bothering to speak softly, "let's find out where we are."
Drawing the envelope out of her pocket, she felt for the map's rough surface before pulling it out. Eager to discover their location, she let the envelope fall to her lap and quickly unfolded the parchment, roaming her eyes over its detailed yet ancient-looking drawings. In addition to those, someone had scribbled on top of the sketches, probably to pinpoint the treasure's precise dwelling place.
Naomi overlooked the scribbles however, and paused with a forefinger stationed over a small area littered with a cluster of trees surrounding Oroden.
"Aha! Here we are." She squinted and tilted the map towards the fire, reading aloud when the name of the region became clear, "It says..." she frowned, "eewoo's nest?"
Judah stopped idly playing with a burning log to lock gazes with her. He appeared as confused as she was.
"Don't look at me like that. That's what it says." She read it aloud again, "Eewoo's Nest. That's where we are."
He cast another dubious look her way, a clear indication that he did not believe she was pronouncing it properly. After only a moment of contemplation, he extended his right hand and beckoned with a single motion of his fingers. "Let me have a look at it."
Naomi hesitated and narrowed her eyes, but handed it over when he persisted.
She huffed. "I doubt you'll be any better."
Judah only rolled his eyes before studying the map. "Ah, here we are. And as I suspected, it's pronounced aiwoo, Naomi. Iwur's Nest."
Naomi tried the word on her tongue and wrinkled her nose. "Eewoo sounded better," she muttered and reached out to snatch the map from his hands, but was deterred when Judah's right hand suddenly caught her wrist, stilling its motion.
Eyes stilled affixed on the parchment, she noted his frown in the flickering firelight. "We'll have to cross Drakon's Desert?"
"Can you not read?" Naomi tried in vain to pry her wrist from his strong, warm grasp. "That's what it says, doesn't it?" She tugged again. "Do you need me to spell it out for you, Your Highness?"
Judah was clearly not in the mood to respond, for he only tightened his grip and flicked the sheet with his free hand. He stared at it in silence for a moment before his jaw dropped in disbelief, apparently finding it hard to believe what he was seeing.
"What the... That's where the treasure is? You can't be serious!" He made eye contact with her then, his gaze exposing the incredulity she could tell bubbled beneath. They were so focused that it made her feel uncomfortable, prompting a surge of heat to rise to her cheeks.
Why's he looking at me like I just called him "Father"?
She cleared her throat and tugged at her wrists again. "You should know that I have no clue what you're—"
"Naomi," he cut her off, "it says here that the treasure is at Shadowclaw Island? You knew this?"
Shadowclaw Island. Naomi immediately ceased her struggles and blinked up at Judah. "What?" she offered weakly.
Getting frustrated with her ignorance, Judah held up the map and thrust it close enough to collide with her nose. Naturally, Naomi jerked backwards before it could hit her face, but the half-Shade was relentless.
"Did you even read the map?"
She had, hadn't she? "Uh, I believe I vaguely studied it," she said, her mind flying back to the times she'd attempted to read it in detail, only to end up distracted by visions of herself sashaying in expensive silk gowns.
Naomi cleared her throat again, her full focus centred on the left end of the parchment where the dim sight of the miniature island taunted her, "does that count?"
Judah swore and let go of her hand, shoving the map into her lap. She noticed him rubbing his face and muttering a few more curse words from the corner of her eye, but her concentration was still captured by that tiny sketch. She just couldn't look away.
Shadowclaw Island.
"Of all the stupid things I've done in my life," Judah groaned beside her, "agreeing to follow you on this doomed treasure hunt surpasses all. I just can't believe how utterly senseless this..."
He continued to complain, but damn it if Naomi was listening anymore. She still couldn't take her eyes off the island. It simply stood there; mocking her, silently calling her out for her careless stupidity.
Shadowclaw Island...
Naomi felt the blood drain from her face when realisation finally struck home. Maybe, she hadn't thought it all through as she'd led herself to believe.
Maybe, just maybe, Judah was right. She had doomed them before the adventure even had the chance to begin.
Oh, the Supreme help her, she was a fool indeed.
*~~~*
VERY CONCISE A/N:
Will be uploading a map real soon. Don't worry. A good visual of the land you'll have. Patience😌
Thanks for reading!❤