Chapter Nineteen

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Theodas

This is a nightmare. It's chaos and mayhem. All of it.

I knew helping the others would cause an issue. I can't blame Tabitha for wanting to save them, but I knew it was a bad idea. She should have listened to me. Though, I understand the irony in that considering I am supposed to listen to her, but it is my duty to protect her. Therefore, she should listen to me sometimes, right? She has to trust me to make decisions for all of us. To keep us safe. If she doesn't, she puts everyone in danger. Which is exactly what just happened.

Now everyone is running amok, trying to escape this ogre that came through the portal. One who probably won't be around long, because I'm pretty sure we're back in Belva and they don't take kindly to ogres. Still, he can wreak a lot of havoc in the short time he is here. He will cause damage to anything in his path and kill any creature he comes across.

Ahead, I keep an eye on Kozzanth. He's the largest person around so he's easy to spot. He took Tabitha and ran to keep her safe. I tried keeping up, but others got in the way. Still, I watch where he is so we don't get separated. Raisi is just behind me, and I trust he is watching too.

Kozzanth runs into the trees along with the other people who disperse. I duck into the trees a short distance from Kozzanth and run straight. It's what he will do as well. Running as far and deep into the trees as he can since the ogre cannot make his way inside. He is strong enough to tear some trees from the ground, but he will not barrel through hundreds of them. He will run out of energy, therefore, anyone who makes it deep enough will be safe.

The further I go, the quieter the roaring gets until it stops completely. A look around tells me I'm alone. I stop for a moment to listen and hear crunching leaves and snapping branches. People are still running. I carefully make my way in the direction of where Kozzanth should be. I've no idea how deep he ran into the woods, but I should be able to make out the path in which he took by recalling how far away from me he was when we ducked inside. The trees are not so thick that I can't see around me, so that is helpful.

"Help me! Please!"

The voice is feminine. Weak. Glancing around, I look for where it has come from. After taking a few steps, I find the young woman who is wearing Tabitha's shirt. She is leaning against a tree, panting and pleading at me with frightened eyes.

My gut tells me to leave her. My loyalty is to my queen, not to this girl.

But Tabitha would want me to help her.

So even though I do not want to help her, I do.

"Are you hurt?" I ask the girl quietly.

She shakes her head. "Just dizzy. Tired."

I nod. "Keep your voice down. We are not safe here."

Her eyes fall closed and she winces, her legs shaking. They're hardly holding her up.

"I will carry you," I say.

"You don't h—"

I don't listen to what she is about to say, and instead hoist her up. She yelps and I grit my teeth.

"Quiet," I snap.

"Sorry," she mutters.

We walk for a while as I carefully and slowly try to navigate where I am to find either Raisi or Kozzanth and Tabitha. It has been quiet for some time, and I can assume the ogre has been dealt with. Either by returning to where he came from or by the protectors finding him and handling him.

How odd that the ogres have a portal that lets loose right in the middle of the woods and not near a protector's station. I don't know if this was done on purpose or if that portal, like the one we were sucked into, is not legal. Perhaps that is why it was hidden in the hut? Fortunately, it no longer matters to me. We are done with the Oedaeth Realm, and I never plan to return.

I stop and take a look around, wondering which way I should go. Knowing things have been quiet, I figure making a little noise couldn't do too much harm. I risk it, and call out Kozzanth's name, loudly and quickly.

I wait a beat. Then another. A voice returns, coming from the east. That is the way I go.

"Call out!" I shout when I am worried that I'll be lost again.

Kozzanth returns my call again, this time quicker. He is much closer. I move in his direction and breathe a sigh of relief when I see him standing beside both Tabitha and Raisi.

"Thank the gods," I say when I reach them, putting the girl down.

"Oh, my—Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Tabitha runs to the young woman's side, checking her over.

"I am okay. Just weak." She runs a hand through her knotted hair.

Tabitha looks at me. "You saved her?"

"I helped her," I clarify. She didn't need saving. She only needed assistance.

She smiles, and it knocks the breath out of me. "Thank you, Theodas."

"You're welcome," I return, pride swelling in my chest.

Though I didn't want to help this girl, I love the praise I get from my queen.

"Where are we?" Raisi asks.

"I'm pretty sure we are back in Belva. The Northern Woods, if I had to guess," I answer.

"Meaning?" Raisi adds.

"Meaning we have a long walk until we make it somewhere that is truly safe," I say with a sigh. It has been a long day. Or days, I suppose, as I'm not sure how long we've been gone.

"Should we return to my home?" Tabitha asks.

I nod once. "It would be wise to return there, take a rest, then try again. Half our job is done already. Lying low for a few days won't be a terrible idea. The time that's passed since handling those three would have caused alarm by now. Your father—" I pause and look at the girl, then back at Tabitha, raising a brow. She gives me an understanding look.

We will talk about this later.

She puts her arm around the girl and walks her a short distance away, where she gets her comfortable by helping her sit down by a tree.

"How far are we?" Kozzanth asks.

"It is hard to tell. The portal took us to a vacant spot. I won't know for sure until I see a landmark, but either way, our travels will take a few days. The Northern Woods are on the opposite side of the realm from Tabitha's cottage."

"If we can find a bakery, I can get us across the realm quickly," Tabitha says without looking at me. She is combing her fingers through the woman's hair, which is hardly doing a thing.

I nod, remembering the baker, Tohr, who handles portals. Not many people have licenses to do such things, and I cannot tell what kind of man Tohr is to know if his are legal. I care not to ask. As long as Tabitha trusts him, then I do too. Now, if only I could get the same from her.

"We can figure that out once we are out of these woods," I say.

"So, the plan is…" Raisi begins, running a hand through his hair.

I glance to Tabitha, who is still fussing around this woman. This woman who has suddenly become part of our party and will now be our responsibility too.

"Find food. Eat. Sleep. Rest a little before we start our travels. If we are where I believe us to be, we should be safe."

"I can stay here," Raisi offers.

"Probably best. Come on, Kozzanth."

He follows me without a word, and we make our way through the trees. Once we are far enough that we cannot hear the others, we slow down and move quietly. There are plenty of rabbits out here. Birds too. Maybe something bigger that we can dine on. Though, I am unsure how well our magic will capture something bigger. We've lost our packs, so we have nothing to help us other than our magic and our brains.

I hold my arm out when I hear footsteps. We both come to a stop. I gesture toward the left and Koz nods. We turn our attention that way. After a few seconds, a large rabbit hops out, stopping to chomp on some grass growing at the roots of a tree. Carefully, I bring my hand in front of me, palm out, and release magic. It shoots from my hand in the form of an arrow made of green smoke. It pierces right through the rabbit, causing it to fall limp. I go to it, lift it by its ears and hold it up.

"This will do for one of us," I say, annoyed.

"We will need a hundred to satisfy us," Kozzanth says, and I realize he is sort of making a joke. I nod in agreement though, because he isn't wrong.

"Good thing we don't actually need to eat anything."

We hunt for a while longer, until we have seven rabbits, which is plenty for all of us. Eating isn't necessary, but with the long journey ahead, it is wise to do so while we can.

"Are you well?" Kozzanth asks on our way back.

"I am slightly distressed, I suppose."

"Because of everything that's happened?"

I shake my head. "We trained for all of this. The fighting. The battling. The getting out of traps. I think it's worry for Tabitha. And how she likes to argue with everything I say."

"She doesn't argue, Theodas, she just wants more."

"More that puts her in danger. It's likely we'd have escaped without that ogre had she left the others. We could possibly be in town by now."

"That is true, but it's also possible we'd be right here anyway."

"I suppose that's correct."

"Tabitha has a kind heart and will always want us to do the right thing for everyone, not just her. Perhaps take that into consideration moving forward, instead of only planning for her. Maybe you won't be so bothered if you don't have to change your plan."

I frown at him, but he smirks.

"I know you well, Theodas. You don't like change. That is okay. But we must adapt."

"I can adapt," I argue, not missing the defensiveness that comes along with my words.

"Yes, you can. Which is precisely my point."

We spend the rest of the walk in silence, and when we reach the others, we find them in the same spots we left them. There is, however, a pile of sticks ready for a fire. Raisi knew we would return with something to eat and prepared for it. We drop the rabbits by the sticks.

"Who is ready to feast?" Kozzanth asks, and Tabitha smiles up at him proudly. I love that look. So when she turns it on me, her eyes shining with pride, my chest warms and I can't help but smile back.

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