Hello all! Look, I'm updating in a timely manner! Aren't you proud? I'm trying to catch you guys up a bit, like I've said before, I actually have a few more chapters written than are published and the summer is winding down a bit, AND I have been lucky enough to have had a streak of inspiration, so I'm staying on top of this story. I'm hoping to get as close to finishing as I can before the summer ends. Anyway! I hope y'all like this chapter! Feel free to express your thoughts and opinions in a review!
Enjoy!
Chapter 19: Followers
Time was of the essence, and in the mind of the queen there was no time for rest. Though, as they approached the fourteenth hour of flight she was beginning to see the fatigue of the men, and especially of the horses. She had been so preoccupied thinking about Sofia that she hardly even noticed her own exhaustion. Miranda glanced around to the troops one last time before she raised her right hand in the symbol for decent, and the group landed on a rocky, snow-spotted beach by a lake in the forest beneath them.
When they all had landed, she turned to the man who had flown in front of the Section most of the trip. "Lieutenant, we will rest here, but we must set out soon. How long do your troops need?"
"An hour should do fine for now. The more ground we cover while the sun is out, the better. However, we will need to rest the horses for the night later." The tall man dismounted his horse and then cupped his hands around his mouth. "Take a knee, men. Tend to your horses. We take off at fourteen hundred."
Miranda dismounted her horse just as Rowland came behind her. "Here, Miranda. You should eat." He said, gently laying a hand on her shoulder and holding up a granola bar in front of her.
She took the bar from her husband and uttered a meager thanks.
Rowland gripped her shoulder tighter. Part of him wanted to offer some encouraging words, but none that he could think of seemed appropriate. 'Sofia will be fine,' they couldn't know that for sure, they couldn't know anything for sure. 'Don't worry, we'll find her,' telling any parent not to worry, especially Miranda at this point was almost like a death wish. Roland held his hand on her shoulder and looked at her with concern. Without looking back at him, she touched his hand and then walked away from him in the direction of the Lieutenant. The other man pulled out a map from the knapsack on his horse as they conversed briefly before he put the map away and nodded to the queen. It was odd for Roland, taking the back seat. He was in such utter shock when Sofia was taken that he froze and couldn't even force himself to move. He had watched Miranda's fury and panic erupt and could do nothing to help. When she began rallying the search parties, Roland followed her, but his legs were completely numb and he wasn't quite sure how he was moving. Before he knew it, she had gathered five sections of men and was sending them off in the direction that the giant bird flew off. Even now, the numbness in his legs and arms hadn't completely worn off. Feelings of uselessness and inadequacy came back to greet him like old friends that were with him after his first wife had passed away, and before he married Miranda. They had come back to visit a few times in the recent past, but it was never long before someone, namely Miranda or one of his children, pulled him back into the light.
Roland continued to wallow in his thoughts as he tended to his horse. He normally wouldn't have had to do the job himself, but he considered himself one of the soldiers at this point, and did not think he was above the expected duties. He fumbled with the straps of the knapsack full of oats and nearly dropped it as the horse began to eat. Eventually, he looked around at all the other men, and noticed they had strapped the bags of oats to the horses' heads while they ate and inspected their weapons. As his horse was still munching away at the oats, Roland took a look at the straps of the bag for a moment before figuring out how exactly they were secured. His horse made fastening the bag much more difficult, as every time he moved the bag, the horse would forcefully move with it. It took him a couple minutes to get everything secured, but he eventually got it. He wiped his brow and glanced around again at the group, Miranda was currently involved in a conversation with the wizard that had been put in charge of the magical inventory. Roland sighed and sat on a boulder that was protruding from the rocky ground as he let himself get lost in his thoughts again. Before long, he stopped noticing the cold rock beneath him, and the forest scene before him vanished as he let his mind lose focus. It was as if he had fallen asleep with his eyes open, he still saw and heard everything that was going on, but he was so lost in his own world that his brain stopped recording it. Before long, it was time to pack up and leave again on the long trip. The Lieutenant gave a shout and all the rest of the troops mounted their horses as Roland struggled to shake himself out of his daydream. Just as the king was about to jump up onto his horse, he saw something move amongst the tree line. He squinted his eyes, and thought it looked very much like a small human form hiding somewhere in the bushes. He walked around his horse and took a few cautious steps nearer to the tree line.
"Rollie! Come on, we're leaving!" he heard Miranda shout from the air.
He shook his head quickly dismissing the figure. Whatever it was didn't matter, as it was unlikely for it to follow them into the sky. He mounted his horse quickly and took off after the rest of the group.
—
James let out an exasperated sigh as he sat with his back pressed against a large tree. "Amber! Why'd you run over here? I told you to stay still!" he whispered harshly as his sister pressed herself against the tree beside him.
"Well I'm sorry! It's not my fault a big, gross bug decided to crawl up on me!" she screamed in a whisper, motioning to her yellow riding pants.
"Whatever! Just stay still and be quiet! I think Dad saw you!" he said peeking around the tree. They were a considerable distance away, just out of earshot of a normal conversation, but James didn't want to take any chances. He watched his father take a few steps toward them and James ducked his head back behind the tree.
"What's he doing?" Amber whispered.
James held a finger to his lips and looked at her sternly. Amber shut her mouth and peeked one eye out from behind her side of the tree when her mother yelled to her father. Both twins watched as their father mounted his horse and promptly took off with the rest of the troop. When the men were high enough in the sky but still visible, they came out of their hiding spot.
"Come on. Fog is rolling in, and we don't want to lose them." Said James.
Amber nodded and began walking back into the forest. They had left Saffron and Echo near a pond that ran off from the lake and was surrounded by thick foliage. The two horses were grazing on the mossy grasses peeking through muddy patches of snow. The twins silently untied their horses and readied for another long leg of the trip. They walked out into the lake clearing where the troop of men had been and quickly mounted their horses. They could no longer see the group, as they had disappeared behind the trees, but they wouldn't be too far ahead yet. Amber caressed Saffron's neck and whispered to her dear horse, "Don't worry, after we save Sofia, I'll give you a whole basket of apple slices."
Saffron whinnied and nodded her head excitedly in response.
Amber chuckled. "Alright. You ready? It's going to be a long trip."
The horse snorted and hoofed the ground in anticipation of takeoff.
"Ready, Amber?" asked James from atop Echo.
"Let's go." She nodded.
The twins flicked the reigns of their horses and took off as fast as their wings would carry them. They stayed low, well out of sight of the group ahead of them and kept their eyes on the skies, searching for them. After a while, they saw fourteen figures in the sky flying in a V formation. They ascended slightly but made sure to keep just enough distance between them and the group so they wouldn't be spotted through the thick fog. After a few hours of flying, the fog began to clear and the twins dropped behind the group some more, descending so they wouldn't be spotted in the brightness of the sun. Though the air was still chilly, the rays dried their damp coats and warmed their faces.
There were many times James struggled to keep his eyes open in the warmth of the late afternoon sun. There were a few times he accidently tugged the reins to one side, but Echo knew not to stray off course, neighing and bucking to jostle his rider awake. It would only work in increments of a few minutes though, as James's eyelids would soon grow heavy again. It was a good thing Amber had no trouble staying awake; she never quite got over the exhilaration that came with flying high in the sky, so she was also able to call out to her brother when she saw him dozing off.
They flew until the sun had turned into a massive blood-orange sphere, dipping behind the horizon. As evening came upon them, the group ahead descended while James and Amber followed them. The group set up camp by a slow moving river, and the twins pitched their tents amongst the trees, far enough away so they wouldn't be seen, but close enough that they could hear the muted conversations and other ambient sounds of the larger campsite. The sun had nearly set when they finished setting up and relieving their horses of their burdens.
"James, I'm going to wash up a bit in the river. You should stay and watch the camp." Said Amber, grabbing a washcloth from her knapsack.
"Come on, Amber. Stay here, we don't want to risk being seen." Said James, slightly annoyed.
"Relax James. I'm not going to be gone for long. Besides, I'll go upstream by the rapids, they won't have any reason to go up there."
"The rapids? Are you crazy? You'll get swept away!" James exclaimed.
Amber rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get in the water James, I'm just going to wash my face, hands, and feet. Don't worry, I'll be careful and quick." She said, starting to walk away.
"Are you sure you'll be ok, going alone?" James asked with concern in his voice.
"I'll be fine. Like I said, I won't be gone for long. Once I get back, then maybe you can go wash up as well. I'll also bring back some water for the four of us." She said, turning back to her brother.
James furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her apprehensively before speaking again. "Fine. I'll keep watch here. But you better not take forever."
Amber clenched her teeth and let out an undignified grunt. "You act like I don't know how serious the situation is! Just because I want to be somewhat clean doesn't make me stupid. For your information, I have become quite adept at handling the wilderness, thanks to being a Buttercup and our last family vacation, so you can just stop criticizing me." She turned on her heel and strode away, leaving her brother alone and disgruntled.
James let out an irritated growl and kicked a large tree stump that was next to him. "I've become quite adept at handling the wilderness neh neh neh…" James squeaked, mocking his sister. He rolled his eyes and picked up a small stick, idly breaking off the tiny twigs hanging from it. When the stick was bare, he began swinging it around as he would a sword. After a few swings and muffled grunts of indignation, he calmed himself and plopped down on the tree stump. Then, laying his chin on his hands, he drew thoughtless doodles in the coarse dirt. A squiggle there, a circle here, maybe a straight line in there somewhere, it helped James to calm down and think about what Amber had said.
After a few moments of silence, he let out a heavy sigh and tossed the stick to the ground. "Maybe I have been criticizing Amber too much. She's been able to keep up flying this whole time. She pitched her own tent by herself, and has been helping me stay awake the entire time. Heck, she even brought just one bag!" James got up and walked over to Amber's tent. It was a normal buttercup tent, although Amber had replaced the cream colored flap with a vibrant green, satin fabric. James couldn't help but smirk. Amber had definitely changed, but she always managed to fit in her opulent flare somewhere. He decided then that he would apologize to her when she got back. He went over to his horse, and stroked his snout gently. Echo responded by pressing his head against the boy's chest. "Thanks for all your hard work, boy. I know I wouldn't have been able to make it without you taking care of me. Keep an eye out for Amber, ok? She should be back soon, and let me know if anything comes around."
Echo whinnied softly and nodded his head in response.
James smiled and patted his horse's head one last time before lighting a small lantern and disappearing into his tent. He pulled out a small book, full of biographies of the most famous knights and all their accomplishments. Sir Finnegan had mentioned it in passing once, and it sounded brilliant, so James took it upon himself to read it. He started only a few days ago and was nearly halfway through it. He hung the lantern from the main support rod in his tent and lay down on his bed mat to read.
It was not long, maybe less than a half-hour, before the sun disappeared behind the horizon and the waning moon came out to light the night sky. James was beginning to worry because of Amber's absence, so he went out of the tent with his lantern in hand. He peeked inside her tent, only to find the pink tasseled sleeping bag unfurled in the center, and her knapsack slouched against a wall. James's brow furrowed in concern as he came out of her tent into the dark night. He could hear the flow of the rapids in the distance where Amber said she would be going. He held up the lantern and gazed off in the direction of where she walked away. "Amber?" he whispered.
At first, he didn't hear anything, only the hushed rapids and chirps of crickets. He took a few steps forward and suddenly heard a loud snap of a twig. He jumped, nearly losing his breath. He then scoffed quietly at himself, realizing that it was his own foot that caused the twig to snap. He stepped up onto the tree stump he had kicked earlier to decrease his risk of making any more noise and held up his lantern again. After a few moments, he saw movement among the trees nearby in the direction where Amber had gone. After the initial panic of an unknown figure coming near to him, he noticed that the form was feminine. Neither of the horses seemed disturbed, so James figured it would be Amber. He hopped off the stump and approached the figure. "Amber, I'm glad you're back. I was beginning to wo—"
How he hadn't noticed that the form was considerably taller than his sister, he wasn't sure, but when he held his lantern up, he was met with the stern, irritated gaze of his mother.
