Page 24 of Arrows and Gems
“Take care, Marielle.” Leaves crunched, and Helena heard the soft rustle of fabric. “We’ll come back when we can.”
“Be careful. Jean, you keep a close eye on his back, all right?”
“You can be sure I will,” the deep voice answered warmly. “If not for Amitié, then for you.”
Footsteps finally moved deeper into the woods, but Helena didn’t hear any going the other way. She waited a minute before cautiously poking her head out.
Marielle stood alone, gazing after the men. Wiping her eyes, she slowly turned and trudged back toward the manor.
After forcing herself to wait another minute, Helena abandoned her shelter and hurried after Le Capuchon and his friend. Her father’s strictures had kept her from learning to track in her youth, but she had joined several hunts since her curse broke. She wasn’t a skilled tracker, but she had some basic knowledge.
Unfortunately, the men she was pursuing knew how to move in the woods. She soon had to admit that if she couldn’t see them, she was going to lose them.
The trick would be keeping them in sight while staying hidden herself.
Once she caught up to them, it became clear that they weren’t watching for tails. Given Le Capuchon’s earlier vigilance and their illegal habits, this surprised her. But she wasn’t about to complain.
When the sun dipped below the mountains, the men pulled off their packs and started setting up a tent. The light diminished swiftly, dying away to nothing before they tied the final support strings.
A cold breeze fluttered the hood of Helena’s cloak. She wrapped it more tightly around herself and crouched down, pressing her back against the solid trunk behind her. It blocked the breeze, but it couldn’t block the chill that seeped through her cloak now that she wasn’t moving.
Helena pulled her blanket and extra dress out of her satchel, moving slowly so as not to draw attention. Then she pulled out some dried fruit to nibble on for supper.
A shiver wracked her body, but she took a deep breath and released it slowly, letting it settle in the muscles of her back.They relaxed, taking the urge to shiver with them, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. This forested mountainside was much cooler than she was used to, and the sun had only just gone down.
Why did they have to be so far from a hay-filled barn like the ones she’d used during her flight from home?
She stretched out on the ground and huddled under her dress and blanket. The nearby tent mocked her with its lure of shelter, but she knew she couldn’t partake. Requesting help from two strange men would be folly in any circumstance, except perhaps a literal choice between life and death.
When the two men were outlaws who had captured her before, even freezing to death might be preferable.
~
Helena’s first thought upon waking from her fitful rest was that her back hurt. The rocky ground was far from comfortable, and she was exhausted, cold, and hungry.
Her second was that the forest was far too quiet.
Jolting upright, she frantically searched her surroundings. She could barely see her hand in front of her face; surely they hadn’t already left?
No – she could just see a lone figure standing near where their camouflaged tent should be. His light skin stood out in the dim forest.
The sudden realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. He was tall, and she had spotted him by his exposed skin.
Le Capuchon wasn’t wearing his hood.
The urge to see his face overwhelmed her, but she fought to hold the impulse in place. He would hear her as soon as she moved. Learning the contours of his face would do her no good if he captured her again.
Instead of maintaining a watchful post like the day before,the outlaw stood with his chin lifted, peering into the treetops. His arms were folded at his waist, making him look normal and relaxed.
Perhaps she was imagining it – the lightwasstill very dim – but something about his stance called to her.
It whispered,I am alone. Unwanted. Abandoned.
She shook her head to clear it. Projecting her feelings onto her enemy wasn’t going to help her bring him to justice.
The rustle of the canvas tent was loud in the still morning. Helena could just make out a shorter figure joining Le Capuchon.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” a deep voice admonished. “We’re lucky the storm has held off this long. If you were up, we should have been moving.”
