“Do you have any meat?” he asked, his expression hopeful.
“I think I do,” I replied, before passing him a piece of cooked and lightly-spiced roast lamb. It was around the size of my palm and he took it from me, wolfing it down in the manner of a hungry human.
I had more, and I knew we should eat it because meat didn’t keep for all that long. I shared it with him, then I cut off a slice of bread and balanced a piece of cheese atop it, before taking a bite.
I didn’t realise how hungry I was until I’d started eating, and Karulo and I enjoyed a meal by lantern light, which he finished with another of his apples. My tiredness hit me even more after I’d eaten. Karulo went to rest and I didn’t want to disturb him so I tried to keep my eyes open as I gazed up at the stars.
My father had taught me some of the constellations—like Alzeron, the Archer, who shot arrows of shooting stars across the sky to catch the romantic interest of the goddess, Illyria. The Alchemist painted the secrets of the cosmos across the sky so he wouldn’t forget them, but no one understood them with full clarity except for him—and he was the wise, silent type who didn’t like to talk, apparently.
I lifted the front of my coat to examine my pin in the lantern light. I was tempted to take it off to look at it more closely, but I was afraid of losing it in the dark. I wondered why Araena had chosen a hawk for my pin. Could she have one like it too? Was it symbolic? I smiled as a vision flickered into my mind of Araena when she was young, though I was younger still.
“Dummy! Don’t you get it? You see things that others don’t, just as a hawk has excellent vision. You’re the hawk, Astera, only you see with your mind.”
The flash was gone as quickly as it had arrived, and I didn’t think it was a true vision, because it didn’t show the past, nor the future. I decided I must have started to fall asleep and I’d begun to dream. The Araena in my dream was right though—that had to be what it meant.
I decided to get up and walk around, before tiredness could win out. I followed the edge of the small clearing, realising so much lay in the woods beyond our ring of light, and I didn’t know what was out there or if anyone was watching. We’d only passed a couple of people on the road, so it was likely we were alone, but the fenced off property across the road meant the land nearby belonged to someone.
My thoughts returned to my dream, if it was one, and I tried to reach out to Araena.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?” I asked her in my mind, but I didn’t receive an answer. A stronger wave of tiredness hit me.
Karulo drew in a quick breath as he jumped awake. I thought I must’ve stepped on a twig or made too much noise walking, but he seemed on edge as he studied the darkness.
“It’s alright,” I said. “That was me.”
His head turned almost imperceptibly as he replied. “No, it wasn’t. Someone’s out there.”
I silenced my breathing, not speaking a word more as I listened for sounds of movement. It seemed to me that there weren’t any, and then Karulo whispered to me.
“Go and hide.”
He shifted back into his gryphon shape and the lantern blinked out into darkness. The woods were suddenly impenetrable to my eyesight, but I knew that might change when my eyes adjusted. Hopefully that meant whoever else was out in the woods at this hour couldn’t see us either.
“Karulo?” I whispered, but he was gone.
I stayed quiet, listening for any sound. I thought I heard the crunch of footsteps, but couldn’t tell who they belonged to. They might’ve been Karulo’s, but I didn’t know, and my vision failed me because it was just so dark, the moon obscured by heavy clouds.
I was growing worried now, so I followed his advice and looked for somewhere to hide. I moved cautiously through the woods and ducked down beside a large rock. I didn’t have a weapon with me, except perhaps Karulo. I thought I heard a low growl in the distance, and a scuffle as two beings fought. There was a thud, as though one had been driven to the ground or hit a large object, but I couldn’t tell which one. I tried to make out details as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, but I couldn’t see much, and I was reluctant to get any closer.
I tried to extend out my psychic senses, but they didn’t tell me anything more. How was I supposed to help others if I couldn’t help myself? My muscles ached as they tensed and I felt useless. I wanted to protect Karulo, just as he protected me. I know that wasn’t how it was supposed to work, but loyalty went both ways.
I climbed to my feet, hunching down as I moved through the woods as quietly as possible. This was probably a bad idea, but I didn’t like leaving Karulo alone to deal with the threat—especially as I’d suggested we travel.
A light flared to life in the distance. It wasn’t much, but I knew there was a presence there as shadows moved among the trees. As I crept closer, I listened out for any sound of friend or foe, and my eyes searched the forest for signs of anyone. Someone was out there, and as I reached the source of the light, I found Karulo on the ground in his human form. He wasn’t moving, but his lantern burned beside him.
It wouldn’t be burning if he was dead, would it? I knelt beside him to check on him, and relief washed over me when I realised
