The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (22 page)

They heard a cry, and turned to see Felix lying on the ground beside his horse. Aiden jumped off Ty to run over and see if he was okay.

“What happened?” Wolf asked as the two of them approached. Aiden hadn’t realized he was right beside him until then.

“He just slipped off the saddle,” Logan said calmly. “He leaned out too far to get me, and lost his balance.”

“Are you okay?” Aiden asked, crouching beside him.

“Yeah,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head. “Just a bump, I think.”

“Back to work, boys,” Wolf said. They walked back over to where Ty grazed on the grass.

“I’m finding it difficult to find an opportunity to attack,” Aiden confided.

“It will take some time. You’re preoccupied with yours and Ty’s safety, because that was the last thing I told you. Now, you just have to convert that to being second nature for you, and focus on attacking at the same time. Soon, it will all just come to you, I promise.”

They practiced until late in the evening. Wolf insisted that they needed to learn how to fight in the dark, so they continued way past sunset. By the time he called them to a halt, Aiden’s arms and thighs were aching. Wolf had been right: Aiden eventually got the hang of attacking as well as defending. He was still slower than when he was on foot, but he had vastly improved since just that morning.

“It amazes me how quickly you pick these things up,” Logan commented as they headed back to the city. It was a little unsettling for Aiden himself. He had never even been that good at sports, taking soccer for five years and still being mediocre at it. For some reason, he just understood the basics of fighting and absorbed the instructions they gave him. He still doubted he’d be good enough against the army from the north, which scared him more than he could admit, but all he could do was pray that he’d last through most of it. Hopefully, Diana was right, and he’d be unable to actually die while he was in Eden. That thought brought images of his family to his mind again, and he began to miss them dearly.

“What is the matter?” Felix asked, nudging Aiden.

“I’m just thinking about my family,” he admitted. “I miss them.”

“Me too,” Felix replied, looking up at the sky. “I always wonder what they’re doing right now.”

“Do you have siblings?” Wolf asked.

“I have a sister,” Aiden said, thinking about her tiny face.

“Really? Is she pretty?” Wolf smiled.

“She is a baby,” Aiden said defensively, looking at him in disgust.

“Damn,” he said, chuckling. Logan laughed too.

“I have a sister as well,” Felix said. “She is a year older than me, and more beautiful than any other girl in our village.”

“Now that is some good news!” Wolf laughed. “I can’t wait to meet her!”

Felix looked at Aiden, rolling his eyes. All four guys started to laugh, and kept it up until they reached the gates. When they got there, Elisa stood waiting for them. Her face looked grave, and she wore no smile.

“What’s wrong?” Wolf asked, instantly sobering up.

“We’ve had news from the north,” she said, looking over at Felix. Everyone waited for her to continue, confused by the pause. Aiden turned his head to look at Felix too, her eyes never left his. Felix’s face turned white as he understood.

“My village?” he asked, tears already building in his eyes. She looked at him, slowly nodding her head. “Nothing?”

“It looks like they destroyed it all,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry, Felix.”

He dropped to the ground, burying his face in his hands. They all stood silently as he wept openly for his family. Aiden crouched down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The loss seemed to hit them all, awakening a desire for revenge in them, not only for their friend, but for all the people who were gone now.

“Don’t worry, Felix,” Logan said passionately. “We’ll avenge them—we’ll destroy them all.”

Elisa and Aiden looked at each other in sadness. No one wanted to move until Felix could regain his composure. It took him a while, but eventually he stood up again, wiping the last of his tears from his face.

“I need to be alone,” he said in a hoarse voice. They all nodded, letting him walk ahead of them.

“Who else?” Wolf asked, turning toward Elisa.

“It looks like two more villages were also destroyed.” She sighed. “I recognized the name of his, so I thought I should be the one to tell him. We didn’t think they’d destroy the villages, opting out in order to make up more time, but they’re setting fire to everything. No one has been left behind; they’re all destroyed.” Aiden could see tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke. He stepped forward, bravely putting his arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” he offered reassuringly. “We’ll stop them before they can do any more harm.” She looked up at him uncertainly. He smiled back, hoping he could at least fake confidence for her sake.

“Are there any more villages leading toward emerald fields?” Wolf asked.

She nodded her head. “One more,” she answered hesitantly, looking at Logan. Aiden turned to see his face fall.

“My parents,” he uttered. He started forward, but Wolf stopped him in his path.

“Logan, look at me,” he said, grabbing his shoulders. “There is nothing we can do now. They are too far away—we’ll never reach them in time.”

“So we’re just going to let them all be destroyed?” he spat out bitterly. He shoved Wolf back. “This is my family, Wolf. I can’t just stand by and let them all be killed.”

“What can we do, Logan? They are probably only a day’s ride away. It would take us at least five to get there if we rode all night—it’s impossible,” Elisa said in a soothing voice. She reached out to touch him, but he jerked away, turning to look at the field behind them. He screamed at the top of his lungs in anger, kicking the ground hard. The three of them stood quietly as he let out his frustration. Then he stood with his back to them in silence for what seemed like forever. Finally, he turned to look at them again, and his face had his usual calm look. Aiden let out a sigh of relief.

“I need a drink,” he said. Wolf smiled, walking over to throw his arm around his shoulders. Aiden couldn’t help but smile too.

“That’s my boy! Drinks on me then. Come on, Aiden,” he said, leading the way.

“Are you going to come?” Aiden asked, looking down at Elisa. She smiled and shook her head.

“You guys go ahead. I have some things I need to do,” she answered. Aiden wished her a good night and hurried along to catch up with the other two. Something else seemed to be bothering her; Aiden could sense it. He figured it was the stress of the war, and left her to deal with it privately.

Elisa watched as the three boys strode off toward the tavern they frequented. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from sympathy and despair. So many people had died already, and so many were still at risk. Even as she watched the boys’ figures disappear into the darkness, she realized that one of them could just as easily not be there in a short time. Everything was so uncertain, teetering on an unknown future for each of them. She had been spending most of her evenings in the sanctuary, praying for whatever favour the God and Goddess would bestow upon them.

That evening she would have to miss her prayers and head out of the city. Her father had given her a special task, which would require her to be out for the whole night. The emerald fields were a good five days’ ride away, if one took a horse. In Elisa’s case, she’d be taking a much faster means of travel, which would bring her there by midnight. Her father had called her into his chambers earlier that evening.

“Sit down, my child,” he said, motioning toward the sofa. She obediently sat down, waiting for him to speak. He looked concerned, overwhelmed by something. Elisa assumed it was the upcoming war that troubled him. “I have a task for you,” he said.

“Of course, Father. What is it?”

“The King’s plans to use the emerald fields is a good one. However, the northern army will have the advantage of the trees, whereas we will be out in the open. I’m sure you can appreciate the difference.”

“Indeed, they will have more cover, and their archers will have higher points to shoot from,” she said, thinking about the trees that lined one side of the field. She had been there only once in her life, a long time ago when her father had taken her to see the Riders in the west. He rode through that way, and they had stopped to eat. She remembered climbing one of those trees, finding the large, low branches ideal. It was on that trip that her father had introduced her to the Chief’s son. She hadn’t known then what was planned for the two of them.

Bringing herself back to the present, she focused on her father’s words.

“I need you to go see Diana tonight, and ask her to send you to the fields. She has a way of sending people through magic in only a matter of minutes. She doesn’t do it often, but I think she’ll agree that now is the time to use her skills to our advantage.”

“What would you like me to do there?” she asked, nervous at the thought of travelling by way of magic. She didn’t understand the witch and her abilities, and was a little frightened of putting her faith in her.

“I need you to find a spot where you can station yourself during the battle. You are our best archer, which means the higher we can get you, the more of the battle you will be able to see, and then you can pick their men off one by one. We also need to make sure your whereabouts won’t be discovered by their men.” He walked over and knelt beside her. “I don’t think I need to express in words for you, how scared I am to even have you near that field.”

She smiled softly at him, placing her hand on his cheek. “You don’t need to worry, Father. I have been trained by the best.”

“War is a lot different from training, my dear. There will be hundreds of men there, and things you can only dream of. There will be so much death and destruction right before your eyes, and you have to make yourself numb to all of it. This is not an easy thing to do. Even at my old age, I find it hard to keep focused with that much chaos going on around me.”

“I understand, Father. I will stay focused as best I can, and stomach what I see below me.”

“Even if it is your friends down there dying?” he asked. Her heart dropped. She turned toward the fire. “No matter what happens, Elisa, you cannot come down from where you sit. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Father.”

Now she was on her way to the witch. He had continued on to tell her about the villages, which led to her finding Logan and Felix before she left. He also made sure to explain the type of spot she needed to find, which sounded like it was going to be harder than she had first thought.

The spot had to be high enough so that she could have a clear view of the whole field, but not so high that her arrows wouldn’t fly straight in the wind. It had to be a spot that was well covered, so that the northern army wouldn’t be able to see her, or make out her location. Her arrows would have to appear to come from thin air. It couldn’t be too covered, though, at the risk of her arrows being slowed down by the brush. The tree itself had to be easy enough for her to climb quickly, as she’d have to get up there as soon as they arrived, and without anyone seeing her, but not so easy that foot soldiers would be able to climb up after her if she did happen to be discovered.

Elisa wasn’t sure exactly how she was supposed to find a place like that, but if she remembered the field correctly, there would be plenty of trees to choose from. Her father also stressed that the tree not be too close to where the northern army would enter. It had to be in the trees, but still close to their side of the battle. That would limit her options significantly, but judging from the map he had showed her, she still had plenty to choose from.

Thankfully, her father had notified the guards that she would be leaving the city after dark, so she didn’t have to sneak across the field like she had the other night she had visited the cabin. She knew they’d be up there watching her progress carefully, ready to protect her should the situation call for it. As she neared the edge of the forest, she heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see something she hadn’t expected.

As they walked toward the tavern, Aiden couldn’t help but feel bad about leaving Elisa alone again. She always seemed to be absent during the evenings. No one really knew what she did with herself exactly. Logan seemed to be regaining his spirits slowly, trying his best to put on a brave face. Aiden could only imagine the conflict rising inside him at that moment. It was unimaginable to think that your family was in immediate danger, and there was nothing you could do about it. Wolf tried to keep the mood light, joking around with them about the women they’d each take home that night. Aiden had yet to sleep with a girl, finding himself painfully awkward around them when put in those situations. He hadn’t told the others that, knowing they’d never leave him alone if he did.

“How about one with a big butt, eh, Logan? You always like the curvy girls,” Wolf said playfully.

Aiden laughed, trying to keep his mood as positive as he could for Logan’s sake. His thoughts were focused on all the other people that had already died, and about poor Felix, who sat alone in his room, certainly crying for his loved ones. They had been talking about them only moments before he found out that they were now all gone.

The tavern was just around the corner. As they turned, the three of them came to a sudden halt in front of Captain Turk.

“Good evening,” he said in his deep voice. The three of them greeted him together. “Off to get a drink, were you?”

“Yes, sir,” Wolf answered. “Logan here needs a good drink, after hearing the news about his village.”

The Captain slowly nodded his head. “I see my daughter has already come to talk to you. Did she not tell you the other news?”

They all looked confusedly at one another, and Logan shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t think so?” Wolf answered.

The Captain sighed. “Figures,” he muttered. “That girl is one of the most stubborn creatures I’ve ever met,” he said, almost to himself. Aiden saw Wolf nod in agreement beside him. He tried to hold back his smile. “I’ve sent her to see the witch, and ask Diana to send her to the emerald fields this evening.”