Sequel: Conquer Me. ›
Underestimate Me
This Heat Is Insufferable.
Underneath the dome of leaves it was almost night. Twilight was winning ground and fighting hard for its presence. From the few little gashes in the ceiling of greenery, a red dying sun shone its rays down. It casted an unearthly glow on their faces, dipping them in red as if blood was spilled. Josselyn glanced back following a few rays that had penetrated the woods. They fell on Rowen’s forehead, making his damp brow glimmer with golden drops. The red haloes encircling his eyes where drenched out by the redness of the suns shine. The feverish ovals were not visible, but the grey in his complexion was unmistakable. The dying sun was holding on to the earth with its last beams, grasping before the soil would once again devour the great flare. The day was ending and they would soon need to find shelter to pass the night.
Even with the shadows and their coverage from the sun, the heat had not left them. The heat was a sixth traveler, walking beside them and spoiling their already unwanted journey. It was tugging at her and she cleared her own forehead from sweat with the back of her hand.
“This heat is insufferable” Josselyn spoke to her second in command. Meredith was in front of her, wading through the thick bushes and dredging a path through the forest. She knew where to go and Josselyn had asked her to lead them. Josselyn had asked her what she could not ask her. She had requested her to be the driving force of a quest she had rejected from the start. Nevertheless Meredith had granted her request. Meredith had put her pride aside and did what was good for her sisters. She was saving Rowen too, even though her harsh handling of him made it seem otherwise.
“You are still wearing autumn gear,” Meredith replied. “No wonder to your boiling in that confinement of boiled leather.” Her sister looked back at her and smiled a little devilish smile before adding another sentence. “I can rid you of those easily, if you’d like.” The words were spoken softly, only meant for Josselyn's ears. She could not help it; her already flushed face became even more colored.
“Better watch the road, Sister Meredith; I wouldn’t want you to get lost.” Josselyn said at a normal volume again. They had asked Emma and Evelyn to travel behind them, leaving a little distance. Josselyn had refused to travel with those piercing eyes on her back. His agonizing glare felt like a dagger between her shoulder blades. His presence felt like stabbings and she did not want to lose focus. However, watching him now, his eyes were glazed over. His look was empty and the fire in him was slowly burning up, incinerating him from the inside out. He was boiling and they needed to find Gregory soon. She needed to find him before he would enter the feverish dreams.
Ghosts were grabbing her. She tried fighting them but her punches just went through their bodies of smoke. She was naked; she was as bare as she had been on her name day. Covering herself with her arms, the ghosts poked at her, floating around her. Faster, faster. Their faces blurred before they became a hurricane. Raging around her, the wind picking up her hair, pulling it straight in the air, whirling it around. She clutched her bare body. Covering her nipples with one arm and hiding her maidenhood with her other hand. She had been screaming; she felt her jaws clenching. Though it was silent in the eye of the hurricane. No way out, no way out.
The feverish dreams that she had endured in Gregory’s cabin were still etched on her retina. Along with all the other horrors she could not rid herself from. Detecting that her gaze was still upon Rowen, she averted her line of sight to the front again. Watching Meredith before her, wading through the sea of leaves. Her body moved gracefully, avoiding damage of leaves, although the donkey wouldn’t do as much. Their travel was dangerous. They were easily traceable. Moving an ass through deep woods was not something that would leave no marks. His hooves left imprints and he broke or ate several branches along the way.
Meredith halted, bringing the whole group to a stop.
“Next part is an open pasture. Some scouting will be needed to secure safety as well as solitude.” her words were strategic and her posture careful. Josselyn took in her surroundings. It was getting more dark and the woods were filling with night creatures. They were woken by the twilight as their daylight counterparts found shelters and returned to their homes to find their rest. A big oak tree was at the edge of the pasture. It was still a bit covered, not at the very edge of the deep forest, but close enough for a great scouting place.
Without words Josselyn approached the oak with the speed of a spooked deer as her strong legs carried her towards the old tree. Just before the trunk her legs pushed off the ground and she soared into the air. One foot found the bark and pushed off against it for another thrust upward. Her arms stretched and with force found a weight bearing branch to latch onto. She hung from it for a few seconds, feeling the eyes of her companions upon her. Her biceps tensed and slowly she hoisted herself to the sky, climbing onto the branch. Swinging her leg across the tree’s limb, she sat down on it. Her feet were dangling down before she raised them and elevated herself to a standing position upon the strong wood.
“I guess I will scout,” Josselyn said. Sweat was dripping in small drops down the side of her face and she brushed some hairs from her sight as they clung to the wetness. A smile seized her face as she looked down and found pride in Meredith’s expression. Emma and Evelyn were bending their necks to keep their eyes fixated on their leader, and from above she could see Rowen’s head bobbing to do the same. His neck was not strong enough though, to keep his face from waggle out of focus a bit.
A few branches took towards the purple sky and she left the sight of her sisters. Climbing higher and higher made her feel as free as the eight-year-old she once had been. Reaching the top her arm hooked around the now thin trunk and she felt a little breeze drying the sweat between her hair. She had a wide view of the pasture. She needed only to pull away a few leaves that covered herself from discovery. The view she had from atop the tree was breathtaking and for a moment she just enjoyed her surroundings. After her little moment of happiness, she did what she climbed up to do. The red sun was blasting on her face, already halfway down the soil. Its crimson rays looked like streams of blood as it was dying to be revived again the morn after. Josselyn checked the empty pasture and found it deserted. No signs of travel were apparent. It seemed like no soul had traveled the grass for decades, as if this piece of nature had been saved from human interference. It had been spared from cultivation. Spared from the destroying hands of humankind.
It did not take long to get down to the original branch that had given her access to the tree.
“The pasture is deserted,” she stated. Just as she crouched down and put her hands on the branch to give herself a controlled flight down the tree, something moved. Something in the corner of her eyes moved. Her eyes shot towards the leaves. She wondered if the forest was getting to her. She wondered if the movement had just been a blot in her sight from staring into the bright light of the sun. Her complete body tensed.
“What is it?” Meredith asked. Immediately Josselyn moved her finger to her lips. Urging her sister to be silent. Her eyes turned to small slits, peering at the supposed movement. She almost let herself breath again, almost relieved that the movement had been imaginary. Almost, before she saw something glimmer through the leaves.
“Meredith!” She cried out. The movement within the leaves had not been her paranoia. It had not been her mind playing tricks on her. As before she had watched motionless leaves taunting her with their inexistent movement, but now she could truly see it. The tip of a sword, piercing just through the dense greenery.
Her sister swung around and unsheathed her blade, Evelyn drew her bow before she could blink and Emma took ahold of the manacle around Rowen’s neck.
A roar left her throat after that. Maa had grabbed her violently and she had not noticed drawing her own sword, though its familiar weight was in her hand. Her fingers tensed around the hilt and without moving she felt the branch disappearing beneath her feet, falling from the leaves as she had when they surprised Rowen and his men. She felt herself flying down the tree, gravity pulling her towards the earth, her hair swirling around her face as dark flames.
Her legs felt the impact of her landing as they moaned and bounced into a half crouch. She had landed just before Meredith and Rowen. Just in time to see the soldiers emerging with their own war cries. They cut through the leaves and if Maa had not possessed her; her heart would have dropped as she saw their number.
Before she swung her sword to the first soldier that neared her, a shout filled her ears.
“ROWEN!”
Even with the shadows and their coverage from the sun, the heat had not left them. The heat was a sixth traveler, walking beside them and spoiling their already unwanted journey. It was tugging at her and she cleared her own forehead from sweat with the back of her hand.
“This heat is insufferable” Josselyn spoke to her second in command. Meredith was in front of her, wading through the thick bushes and dredging a path through the forest. She knew where to go and Josselyn had asked her to lead them. Josselyn had asked her what she could not ask her. She had requested her to be the driving force of a quest she had rejected from the start. Nevertheless Meredith had granted her request. Meredith had put her pride aside and did what was good for her sisters. She was saving Rowen too, even though her harsh handling of him made it seem otherwise.
“You are still wearing autumn gear,” Meredith replied. “No wonder to your boiling in that confinement of boiled leather.” Her sister looked back at her and smiled a little devilish smile before adding another sentence. “I can rid you of those easily, if you’d like.” The words were spoken softly, only meant for Josselyn's ears. She could not help it; her already flushed face became even more colored.
“Better watch the road, Sister Meredith; I wouldn’t want you to get lost.” Josselyn said at a normal volume again. They had asked Emma and Evelyn to travel behind them, leaving a little distance. Josselyn had refused to travel with those piercing eyes on her back. His agonizing glare felt like a dagger between her shoulder blades. His presence felt like stabbings and she did not want to lose focus. However, watching him now, his eyes were glazed over. His look was empty and the fire in him was slowly burning up, incinerating him from the inside out. He was boiling and they needed to find Gregory soon. She needed to find him before he would enter the feverish dreams.
Ghosts were grabbing her. She tried fighting them but her punches just went through their bodies of smoke. She was naked; she was as bare as she had been on her name day. Covering herself with her arms, the ghosts poked at her, floating around her. Faster, faster. Their faces blurred before they became a hurricane. Raging around her, the wind picking up her hair, pulling it straight in the air, whirling it around. She clutched her bare body. Covering her nipples with one arm and hiding her maidenhood with her other hand. She had been screaming; she felt her jaws clenching. Though it was silent in the eye of the hurricane. No way out, no way out.
The feverish dreams that she had endured in Gregory’s cabin were still etched on her retina. Along with all the other horrors she could not rid herself from. Detecting that her gaze was still upon Rowen, she averted her line of sight to the front again. Watching Meredith before her, wading through the sea of leaves. Her body moved gracefully, avoiding damage of leaves, although the donkey wouldn’t do as much. Their travel was dangerous. They were easily traceable. Moving an ass through deep woods was not something that would leave no marks. His hooves left imprints and he broke or ate several branches along the way.
Meredith halted, bringing the whole group to a stop.
“Next part is an open pasture. Some scouting will be needed to secure safety as well as solitude.” her words were strategic and her posture careful. Josselyn took in her surroundings. It was getting more dark and the woods were filling with night creatures. They were woken by the twilight as their daylight counterparts found shelters and returned to their homes to find their rest. A big oak tree was at the edge of the pasture. It was still a bit covered, not at the very edge of the deep forest, but close enough for a great scouting place.
Without words Josselyn approached the oak with the speed of a spooked deer as her strong legs carried her towards the old tree. Just before the trunk her legs pushed off the ground and she soared into the air. One foot found the bark and pushed off against it for another thrust upward. Her arms stretched and with force found a weight bearing branch to latch onto. She hung from it for a few seconds, feeling the eyes of her companions upon her. Her biceps tensed and slowly she hoisted herself to the sky, climbing onto the branch. Swinging her leg across the tree’s limb, she sat down on it. Her feet were dangling down before she raised them and elevated herself to a standing position upon the strong wood.
“I guess I will scout,” Josselyn said. Sweat was dripping in small drops down the side of her face and she brushed some hairs from her sight as they clung to the wetness. A smile seized her face as she looked down and found pride in Meredith’s expression. Emma and Evelyn were bending their necks to keep their eyes fixated on their leader, and from above she could see Rowen’s head bobbing to do the same. His neck was not strong enough though, to keep his face from waggle out of focus a bit.
A few branches took towards the purple sky and she left the sight of her sisters. Climbing higher and higher made her feel as free as the eight-year-old she once had been. Reaching the top her arm hooked around the now thin trunk and she felt a little breeze drying the sweat between her hair. She had a wide view of the pasture. She needed only to pull away a few leaves that covered herself from discovery. The view she had from atop the tree was breathtaking and for a moment she just enjoyed her surroundings. After her little moment of happiness, she did what she climbed up to do. The red sun was blasting on her face, already halfway down the soil. Its crimson rays looked like streams of blood as it was dying to be revived again the morn after. Josselyn checked the empty pasture and found it deserted. No signs of travel were apparent. It seemed like no soul had traveled the grass for decades, as if this piece of nature had been saved from human interference. It had been spared from cultivation. Spared from the destroying hands of humankind.
It did not take long to get down to the original branch that had given her access to the tree.
“The pasture is deserted,” she stated. Just as she crouched down and put her hands on the branch to give herself a controlled flight down the tree, something moved. Something in the corner of her eyes moved. Her eyes shot towards the leaves. She wondered if the forest was getting to her. She wondered if the movement had just been a blot in her sight from staring into the bright light of the sun. Her complete body tensed.
“What is it?” Meredith asked. Immediately Josselyn moved her finger to her lips. Urging her sister to be silent. Her eyes turned to small slits, peering at the supposed movement. She almost let herself breath again, almost relieved that the movement had been imaginary. Almost, before she saw something glimmer through the leaves.
“Meredith!” She cried out. The movement within the leaves had not been her paranoia. It had not been her mind playing tricks on her. As before she had watched motionless leaves taunting her with their inexistent movement, but now she could truly see it. The tip of a sword, piercing just through the dense greenery.
Her sister swung around and unsheathed her blade, Evelyn drew her bow before she could blink and Emma took ahold of the manacle around Rowen’s neck.
A roar left her throat after that. Maa had grabbed her violently and she had not noticed drawing her own sword, though its familiar weight was in her hand. Her fingers tensed around the hilt and without moving she felt the branch disappearing beneath her feet, falling from the leaves as she had when they surprised Rowen and his men. She felt herself flying down the tree, gravity pulling her towards the earth, her hair swirling around her face as dark flames.
Her legs felt the impact of her landing as they moaned and bounced into a half crouch. She had landed just before Meredith and Rowen. Just in time to see the soldiers emerging with their own war cries. They cut through the leaves and if Maa had not possessed her; her heart would have dropped as she saw their number.
Before she swung her sword to the first soldier that neared her, a shout filled her ears.
“ROWEN!”
