I have no excuses, so I won't give one. Please enjoy so we can complete this journey together.

Linny

Two Worlds

Chapter Thirty One

He crouched low in the brush of trees beside the now vine and weed-covered trail. When the manor had been a thriving hub, the ground had been just as well-ridden as the route to the Southern Village. Now, it left him a great deal of cover and a great vantage point. He could come as close as possible and still not be seen by the group that was traveling through.

The caravan of seven was making their way through at an agonizingly slow pace, but it would have been impossible to ride straight though, especially on horseback.

He'd discarded his horse long ago and had followed along on foot only to become ahead of them more than once. Still, despite the anger threatening to bubble forth, patience would be a virtue. They would not only lead him to Hudson Manor, but to the treasure hidden in the catacombs of the old ruins. His eyes already sparkled as if he'd looked up the cache of gold and jewels already and he would be sure to rejoice once they were in his grasp.

A chuckle echoed from deep within his chest, his giddiness getting the better of him. Controlling himself, he sunk lower into the acreage of trees and remained still as the horses slowly walked by.

The tall, obnoxious one with the strange accent let the way, using a sword to cut away the growth that blocked their path, the petite blonde woman close behind as they conversed with Leland's guard. Her dark eyes swiveled in his direction as if she could hear his anxious breathing and he wouldn't be surprised if the dark witch could in fact sense his presence. He sneered at her behind his cover as her attention was directed back to their conversation. "I just don't understand what you see in him is all," the accented man said and was only answered by a pair of shaking heads and a combined girlish giggle.

Leland passed by him next, the haughty Lord grumbling something as he passed by. "How did I get coerced into this? What should I care if he's the last heir to anything?" His questions stopped when an icy glare was turned his way from the black skinned beauty. He was apparently coming along as a favor to her and he needed to keep his mutterings to himself or else a punishment even the son of Phillip Leland would not be able to escape would come his way.

Trailing behind him was the Lady Sue and the gold mine of a Hudson heir with her guard watching protectively over them both. "We were afraid something terrible had happened to you. Why did you flee?"

A pink dusting covered the Lady's cheeks as she lowered her head. Her answer was quiet, but he could see it sent a dagger through Hudson's heart. "My heart was broken."

The heir reached out to her, his fingers lightly dancing upon the care skin of her arm as he gained her attention. "I never meant to hurt you."

She tapped her temple with the tips of her fingers. "I know that now." Her smile was bright and her eyes were laced with a film of tears as she turned back to Dimitrius. "I left Father a note." She knew the instant she spoke, he had no idea what she was talking about.

"The only thing we found in your bedroom was torn-up pieces of parchment."

She closed her eyes in frustration, yet wouldn't hold back the groan that rumbled to the surface. "Levi." She said the dog's name as if it were a curse. She smiled and chuckled as her eyes rolled up to the sky. "He's had the habit of doing that lately. It never occurred to me that he would tear that letter up... Daddy must be worried sick." Regret instantly struck her as an image of her grief-stricken father slouched in his chair as he stared at the cold and empty hearth of his fireplace.

"I sent a message ahead. He knows you're safe now."

A tear trickled down her cheeks as she stared into the caring eyes of her second father. "Thank you," she signed because she couldn't speak the words.

He paid little attention to the unusual little action as an evil grin curled at his lips. Even if Hudson would be reluctant, he'd now discovered a bit of leverage he wouldn't have had before. His heart belonged to the Lady and if he wanted her to be with him by the end of the day, he would comply.

The growth of vegetation was thicker than Bobby remembered as he felt the sweat pool at his lower back and trickle in a quiet streak from his hairline and down his temple. He wiped the tickling beads of moisture from his forehead with his sleeve and accepted the water pouch Tara held out to him with a smile and a wink. "This is taking longer than I thought," he grumbled to himself after he drank deeply of the cool, refreshing liquid.

"Myles could help you," Lucy spoke up as she climbed from her steed when she and the others realized they could go no farther on horseback. The growth was just too thick and too much effort was put into making the road clear enough for a horse. It would be better to just create a walking path because at this rate it would take days for them to break through to the other side.

"I could?" Myles asked, surprised.

"He could?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, he could," she stated firmly, her hands rising to her hips where they rested in an authoritative stance.

"You know, Jack would be just as good. We don't want the Lord to get dirt under his fingernails, would we?" Bobby couldn't hide the sneer that crossed his face.

Myles reared on him, the Aussie's words sounding like a challenge to him. "I'll have you know, I was expertly trained in the lay of the land, Manning. A little dirt under my fingernails would show you how to do this properly without it making you look like you live in a pig sty." He pulled off his vest and slung it over his horse's back as he worked on the buttons of his cuffs.

"Oh, really? Well, why don't you put your blade where your mouth is?" Retrieving a second long bladed knife, Bobby handed it over as the Lord rolled up his sleeves.

"All right, I will!" And with the expertise he'd gained from his tutors, Myles attacked the thick foliage on one side of the path while Bobby worked on the other.

Chuckling, Tara was impressed with Lucy's tactic. "You know, that was pretty good. I wish I would have thought of that."

"Anything to get Myles to stop his griping. It was beginning to drive me crazy." She smirked as she watched the two men, their focuses solely on the greenery that had become their enemy. "At least they've stopped arguing."

"Yes, but they're also carrying very sharp knives. I think I might reconsider how good of a plan this was." She could just imagine one of those two losing a limb because of their silly competitiveness and knowing her luck, it would probably be Bobby.

"Don't worry. Once Myles believes he has something to prove, he dives in head first until he's victorious. The only problem is that his ego skyrockets to even greater heights when he wins. I'm not really looking forward to that." Her eyes glanced toward the surrounding trees. She could have swoon she'd just seen a shadow moving around in the bushes and it had been too large to be an animal.

"Luce, are you okay?" Tara asked when she noticed how distracted the other woman had become.

"Have you ever felt like you were being watched?" Tara could joke about how terrible Bobby's protective streak could be, but the chill of worry struck her heart when she realized this was no joking matter. Lucy didn't wait for a response as she scanned the perimeter again. Her instincts were telling her that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite figure out why. Something inside of her told her that there was a trap up ahead and this was far from the usual feeling of paranoia. "I feel like we've been followed, but I can't imagine why."

"Maybe Dimitrius should take a look around?"

Lucy nodded in agreement, but before she could ask, Bobby's whoop of success rand through the air. They'd broken through.

Jack pushed by with Sue and D at his heels. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he hurried down the path, almost tripping over his own two feet but able to right himself before entering the clearing. His eyes were wide as he looked up at the structure before them. A smile curled at his lips and a tear fell down his cheek. They'd arrived.