41 Caroline

Caroline had finally gotten used to waking up at Castle Mont, so when the dawn broke through the small window in her room at the Silver Shell, it took several moments of blinking away the sleep before Caroline knew where she was.

"Come on, sleepyhead, the boys already have the horses waiting, and Silas is probably already drunk. Time to move." Aniyoh said, shaking her awake.

"Five more minutes, Nim," Caroline said, groggily pushing the witch away and crawling under her pillow.

"I may be old, but I'm not grandmother old, now get up!" Aniyoh pulled the blankets off of Caroline, exposing her to the chilly spring morning. The weather had been favorable but still brisk before the sun had fully risen, especially so close to the sea.

"Sorry, Ani, I'm coming. Just don't throw water on me please," Caroline said, dragging her feet out of the small but comfortable bed.

"You know, I wasn't going to, but now that you have mentioned it, I might save that idea for the future," the witch said brightly.

Caroline nodded and waved the woman away while slowly getting up to rifle through her bag for something to wear. After splashing some cold water on her face and haphazardly weaving her long hair into a messy braid, Caroline was ready to leave the tiny inn.

Caroline had never had a problem waking up back home in Ovandale. Still, ever since she had been ravaging her body daily using magic, not mention the amount of emotional stress, the young witch noticed it had become increasingly more difficult to regain her strength fully.

The two women made their way to the waiting group outside the inn. Caroline had no idea how Aniyoh managed to look so put-together. The witch's dark curls gleamed in the early morning sun, and her golden skin looked bright and dewy. Caroline felt a pang of envy at how the woman filled out her dark green dress, smooth curves ending in long legs.

The younger witch attempted to smooth out the wrinkles on the front of her light pink dress, as well as the stray pieces of blonde hair tugging loose from the braid on her shoulder. Why were they all so tall? She thought to herself as she self-consciously approached the group. Even Silas appeared to be in better shape than she, and he was the last to leave the common room last night.

"You look like hell, Caroline. Too much ale last night?" Lucian said. She was sure his dark red eyes focused on the dark circles that must be forming underneath her eyes.

Aniyoh landed a solid smack to the vampire's midsection that he barely registered until Caroline saw the witch give him a sharp sidelong glance.

"You look beautiful, brundah," Ender said, coming up from behind carrying several saddlebags. He began to fasten them to Murf but turned to give Caroline a playful smile, "Pink is very becoming on you. You should wear it more often."

Caroline could feel her cheeks once again begin to turn the very color of the dress she was wearing. She loathed her body's inability to mask even the slightest embarrassment.

"I can't believe I have to endure riding on top of a horse and listening to the two of you for the next two weeks," Lucian said as he pulled himself into the saddle of his jet black horse.

"Is someone a tab bit jealous?" Aniyoh said while climbing atop her mount and staring daggers at the older vampire. "Don't mind, Lucian, he's just hungry. Men are always cranky when they're belly is empty," she said in an exaggerated whisper to Caroline.

Caroline patted Whisper's nose and prepared to join the others as they set out in the early morning light. She could not deny being stung by Lucian's words, but after practicing with Aniyoh last night, Caroline knew that the vampire was hungry, as well as a bit jealous.

For the life of her, she couldn't imagine why. Lucian had been kind to her some, but mostly sarcastic and critical. It had been challenging to get the older vampire to back away from his colorful facade and speak with her candidly. The witch could sense the brother's bond was complicated, but it was challenging to believe Lucian could be envious of his younger brother with the air of confidence he always exuded.

Ender must have seen her lost in her musings because she felt his sizeable cold hand envelop hers, giving it a tight squeeze. Without a word, he helped hoist her into her saddle and mounted Murf to bring up the rear of the group.

The morning passed in mostly silence as the five of them trotted down the worn dirt road that snaked along the ocean. Leaving behind the small town of Skars, the landscape began to fade from sparse thickets of trees to more dense forest surroundings. Leaves were starting to stretch after a long winter hibernation fully, and the sounds of animal life chattered away slowly, replacing the sound of ocean waves. Caroline thought it strange that no other travelers had crossed their paths in the last day and a half.

The route began to wind away from the water after a time, and soon they were surrounded on both sides by towers trunks with branches that nearly blotted out the sound. Ender and Silas began to trade places, each moving from the front or back of the party and conferring with one another in short whispers often. Caroline wasn't sure, but it seemed the two were more nervous than usual. Maybe nervous isn't the right word, she thought. The two were vigilant of their surroundings but also appeared ready. For what though, Caroline hoped she didn't find out.

The land here was so vastly different than home. It was impossible to see more than a few hundred meters ahead with how hilly the forest ways. The area was not quite mountainous, but rolling along enough to make the horizon seem like it might as well be a thousand miles away. To Caroline, the feeling was disconcerting.

Silas riding at the front now, brought the group to a halt as their horses ambled in between two rock formations. Judging by the sun's position, Caroline knew it was past lunchtime and had been wondering when they would eventually stop for a sparse meal of dried meat, and cheese Mara had packed them. Even though the trees provided substantial shade, the air was humid here and warm. A fragrant forest breeze whispered between the two large stones, topped with bristly spruce trees, and Caroline welcomed a rest in the serene space.

"We were wondering when you lot would finally show up." a smooth voice drawled from directly above Caroline's head, "Don't even think of running, we have archers targeting both of the witches and the human. They'll be dead before either one can even think of casting a spell."

Caroline felt like a weight had been dropped into the pit of her stomach as cold fear gripped her. The witch could feel her hands begin to shake, gripping Whisper's reins tighter than she meant to, startling the horse slightly. She could hear Ender shift in his saddle behind her, feeling waves of anger radiating from his body.

She tilted her head just enough to see the greasy hair and malicious smile of Grier standing above her on the rocks with Basla not far behind. His red eyes were piercing and full of hunger.