Eden-South (32 page)

“Wolf, Logan,” the King called out,
motioning for each of them to stand.

“My lord,” Wolf greeted him, bowing his
head. Logan followed suit.

“We want you two to scout ahead. See if you
can spot the northern army approaching, and let us know their
distance from the forest. Make sure you’re not seen,” he
warned.

“Of course, your majesty.” Wolf nodded. He
turned and rode off again toward the Captain.

“Can we finish eating first?” Logan asked
sadly.

“I don’t think so.” They both gathered their
things, taking off on foot toward the other side of the field.
Aiden and Felix looked at each other, and then looked at their
food. Laughing, they grabbed the leftovers and swallowed them
down.

“This sucks,” Logan complained, dragging his
feet behind him.

Wolf ignored him, focusing on the task at
hand. As they entered the forest, he looked back at Logan, putting
his finger to his lips. They needed to stay quiet, so he could
listen for any animals. It would make sense if Brutus the Red had
sent out some of their creatures ahead of them. Walking quietly
amongst the fallen leaves on the ground from seasons before, he
looked around for a spot where they’d be able to see farther. The
forest wasn’t as thick as he had thought. He could already see the
light on the other side. Heading toward it, they came out into
another opening on the far side of the forest. There was a large
wall of rocks on one side, making the spot well covered. They
looked knowingly at each other—this would be where the other army
would camp.

Pointing toward the rocks, Wolf headed over
to them, with Logan following close behind. Logan walked backward,
keeping his back to him, searching the surrounding trees for
anything that would attack them. The rocks didn’t offer many
handholds or footholds. Struggling, they both eventually managed to
pull themselves onto a small ledge at the top of the rocks. They
kept low, remaining on their stomachs. Crawling slowly to the edge,
they peered off into the distance for any sign of the other army.
The land on the other side of the small mountainside they lay on
was nothing like the landscape behind them. Central Eden was
notoriously flat, as was Wolf’s homeland, so he was used to it. The
northern side was not flat at all. They could see the three large
mountains where Brutus the Red kept his infamous mountain castle.
The land before it was a scatter of smaller hills and mountains,
land that rose and fell like waves in the ocean. They could see
small farms wedged between the hills, where there was a limited
amount of flat land.

There was no sign of the army. The land
obstructed their view, so they were unable to see clearly.

“What do we do now?” Logan whispered.

“Wait, I guess,” he answered. Wolf lowered
his chin on his arm, keeping his eyes scanning the horizon. “What’s
with Aiden these days?” Wolf asked, finding something to fill the
silence.

“What do you mean?” Logan asked.

“Doesn’t it seem like he’s been a little
distant?”

“Maybe he’s just worried about the
battle?”

Wolf looked over and gave him a look.
Clearly, he was playing dumb, and Wolf could see right through him.
Logan tried to avoid his stare, but eventually he looked back.

“I told him you were betrothed to Elisa,” he
said finally. “I think he is a little upset, since he seems to have
grown affectionate toward her.”

Nodding slowly, it became clearer to Wolf
now. “Him and everyone else,” he snorted.

“Not you.”

Wolf tensed. “Do you not see how she thinks
of me? How can I love someone who so obviously despises me?” Their
fight had finally brought to the surface all of her true feelings.
Now he knew exactly what she felt for him, which was nothing but
contempt. It had angered him more than he liked to admit, but he
was over it. Wolf could have just about any woman he wanted. What
did he care if one of them thought little of him?

“Maybe, and this is just a thought …” Logan
said lightly, turning to look off in the distance. “Maybe you
should show her what a good guy you really are, and she wouldn’t
think so badly about you.”

“Why should I bother? I don’t care what she
thinks,” he replied, spitting on the ground beside him. Elisa. She
had been like a constant thorn in his side since the day they came
to see his father in their lands. Even then, at a young age, she
visibly showed disdain for him. He remembered asking his father
after they left, why he would promise him to someone as miserable
as that little girl. His father had just laughed, saying anything
worth something in this world, must be worth fighting for. That
included women, he said, patting his son affectionately on the
head. Well, it was a fight, and Wolf was sick of trying to prove
himself to her. He had been courteous and polite when he first
arrived in the Capital, but even then she didn’t want anything to
do with him, so he decided to quit trying and enjoy himself. That
was exactly what he was doing, enjoying himself, and he’d do it
despite her.

The two of them lay still, dropping the
sensitive subject. It wasn’t long before they saw the first signs
of movement. The army was coming over one of the hills in the
distance. From their speed, they guessed they’d reach the very spot
Wolf and Logan lay at, by the time the sun sank. Their forces were
massive, bodies as far as they could see. Wolf started to sweat,
realizing how real everything was becoming. The massive beasts that
walked around the men frightened him, though he would never admit
it out loud. It wasn’t just the ones that walked on all fours like
those they were used to seeing, but larger ones that walked like a
man would. Their heads were shaped like bulls’, but twice the size.
Huge horns rose out of their heads, offering a gruesome death to
anyone who went near them. Their bodies were like a man’s, reaching
almost seven feet tall. They wore armour like the men, and carried
weapons. Even the men in their own army seemed to stand away from
them, as if they were nervous too.

Logan gave Wolf a fearful look, which he
guessed probably mirrored his own. Wolf jerked his head backward.
They crawled back toward the edge they had climbed up, and lowered
themselves carefully to the ground. Neither spoke until they
reached the field again, putting as much distance between them and
the other army as possible.

“Did you see those things?” Logan hissed.
“We have to go against them first!”

The thought had dawned on Wolf too during
their walk back. “I know, but we knew that for a while now, so we
can’t back out. We’re better than those things; we’re faster and
more skilled.”

“How do you know? We’ve never seen them
fight—maybe they’re better than us!” Wolf could see that he was
panicking. Slowing down his pace, he turned toward his friend,
placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Look, if we stick together, and watch our
backs, we can defeat anything. You know that,” he urged. “Don’t get
scared now, and whatever you do, do not tell Aiden! The last thing
we need is for him to run away during the night.”

They walked a little farther before Logan
spoke again. “What is it about Aiden?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone seems to revere him for some
reason. Even the witch, Diana, went to him as soon as she arrived.
Now he’s leading our group? What is it that makes him special?”

“No one said he was special; they’re just
relying on his knowledge from already defeating one of those
beasts,” Wolf explained, although he had a hard time believing it
was just that too. Some things, he had found out long ago, were
best left a mystery.

When they returned to the camp, they
immediately informed the King of the northern army’s progress. The
High King made sure to place men around the field, in case the army
planned to attack in the night. He doubted it, assuming they would
be tired from their journey, but you could never be certain.

The two of them walked over to Aiden and
Felix. The sun was already low in the sky, and the two had a fire
started. Elisa was there as well, hidden behind Aiden’s figure.
They greeted them when they approached, but Wolf purposely didn’t
look at her. The two of them hadn’t spoken to each other since the
fight, and he wasn’t about to start now. She just looked at the
fire, ignoring his presence altogether.

“Did you see them? How close are they?”
Felix asked, a hint of excitement in his voice. Aiden looked over
at him like he was crazy. This wasn’t something to be viewed as
fun. He almost wished they hadn’t seen them, and maybe they decided
not to attack after all.
Wouldn’t that have been perfect?
he
thought wistfully.

“They’re not far.” Logan was the one to
answer. “They should be on the other side of those trees shortly.”
The word “shortly” made Aiden sit up straighter, looking over his
shoulders at the dark shadows where all the trees stood. He could
almost imagine their eyes looking at him from over there.

“How many, do you think?” Aiden asked,
keeping his focus in the other direction.

“A lot.” Logan sighed. “More than I would
have wanted to see.”

“I’d say their men are equal to ours, but
their creatures make up a clear advantage,” Wolf explained

“They outnumber us then?” asked Felix. He
sounded panicked.

“Definitely,” Logan answered.

“Numbers don’t always matter, Felix,” Elisa
added. “If our skills exceed theirs, we can still win.”

The five of them sat in silence around the
fire.

“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m
not about to sit around here on what could quite possibly be my
last day alive, sulking about what is to come. I say we have
ourselves a drink!” Wolf exclaimed, lifting up a bottle. Logan
smiled, nodding his head in agreement. Aiden couldn’t help but
moan.

“I don’t think I can do it,” he
confessed.

“No, he’s right, Aiden.” Felix smiled,
giving him a friendly slap on the back. “If we’re going out, let’s
go out right! Just a little drink won’t hurt—it’s better than just
sitting here and being miserable. Plus, you’re our fearless leader
tomorrow. You have to join in.”

The three boys sat smiling at him, making it
impossible for him to refuse. Aiden gave in, and they all cheered,
Logan running to grab cups.

“I think that is my cue to leave,” Elisa
said, standing up. “Since I probably won’t see any of you tomorrow,
I wish you all the best of luck.”

Aiden looked sadly up at her, trying not to
imagine never seeing her again. He didn’t know how he would live
with himself should something happen to her—to any of them, really.
Trying his best to smile, he wished her luck too, and told her to
be safe. Logan and Felix did the same, but Wolf just sat quietly.
It didn’t seem to bother her: she bid them goodnight and left
without as much as glancing in his direction.

“Bottles up, boys!” Logan cheered. They all
raised their glasses, throwing the liquid down their throats. It
was just as horrible as he remembered. It took a lot of effort for
him not to throw it back up.

They all sat around the fire until late in
the evening. No one heard or saw anything of the northern army, but
they knew they’d be there by now. It was eerie sitting there,
knowing that their enemy was so close. Logan tried his best to
lighten the mood by telling stories of him and Wolf in one tavern
inside the city walls, when Wolf got caught kissing another man’s
wife. It was full of verbal assaults, and a full-on chase through
the streets. He kept them laughing, although Wolf himself seemed
distracted. At one point he said he needed to go do something, and
left quickly. He came back a short time later, seemingly in a
better mood than before.

“Should we go to bed?” Felix finally asked,
just as Aiden yawned. They weren’t drunk, not yet, but if they kept
up their current pace they would be shortly enough.

“If I can even sleep,” Aiden said honestly.
The four of them got up and separated into their tents. Aiden
crawled into his bag, thankful to be resting finally. Tomorrow was
a big day, but he didn’t want to think too much about it, or he’d
never be able to settle his mind.

“Sometimes I wonder if my family is looking
down on me,” Felix said quietly. Aiden looked sympathetically over
at him. “My sister was only a year older than me, and my best
friend. I don’t know what I’m going to do now without her.”

“Don’t worry, Felix,” Aiden said. “You have
us.” Although that was kind of a lie, Aiden thought suddenly. He
didn’t have
him
. Aiden didn’t actually belong to this world.
It finally occurred to him that when this fight was over, he’d have
to go back home again. There would be no need for him anymore, and
he wasn’t actually of this world. The truth was, no matter what he
did tomorrow, he’d be losing his friends either way. Hopefully, not
by death, but at some point he’d have to say goodbye.

Wolf had sat by the fire, something gnawing
at the back of his mind. He didn’t know what was bothering him. He
knew it wasn’t that he felt afraid for tomorrow. Logan was telling
one of their stories, the others laughing, when it occurred to him
what was the matter. Sighing inwardly in defeat, he got up and told
the others he’d be back.

As he was walking through the camp, many of
the men there cried out in greeting, inviting him to sit around
their fire. Everyone liked him in the army, admiring him for his
skills at such a young age. He politely said no, keeping his mind
focused on what needed to be done. He found her, sitting by herself
at the edge of the camp. Normally, no one would have been able to
see her there, but he figured she’d be alone like this. Elisa
always had been the reclusive type. She looked up when she heard
his feet approaching. Even in the dark, he could see her posture
change to a defensive stance.