Chapter 20
An Ally on Our Side
Taher followed their tracks it lead him to the bridge into Aion. He hated the place fiercely but knew that there would be no other way to get to his quarry. So following the Path before him he walked over, knowing that he had protection by a higher one than any who dwelled in Aion.
They walked through the tree covered terrain, Amori walking along side Leora while Morgan and Cody walked behind them, Ryan went ahead of the group scouting out the area up high.
“Can I ask you something?”
Leora looked at Amori a smile gracing her face, “Of course.”
“When we were at the fire a few nights ago I had asked you a question, about why Morgan treats you differently than he does Ryan.” Leora was silent for a moment, her mind worked to figure out the best way to answer Amori’s question, while at the same time not saying too much seeing as Morgan was walking right behind them. And she knew that he would be listening in to her reply.
“Well, we are promised to one another.”
“So you’re what his fiancé?”
“Forgive me but I have no idea what a fiancé is.” Amori smiled her understanding.
“A fiancé is someone that your, uh, I guess as you said it’s someone that your promised to. Rather someone that you’re going to marry.”
“Then yes I am Morgan’s fiancé, though we call it our chosen.”
“So did you choose him or did he choose you, or did you both choose each other?” Amori asked, wanting to know. This was the closest she had come in days to a normal conversation, with another female. It somewhat reminded her of what she and her best friends Anise and Alexis would have talked about back home.
“He chose me.” She said truthfully.
“Oh, wow, so do you have feelings for him?”
Leora blinked multiple times not knowing how to answer Amori’s rather blunt question. The answer rolled around in her head that had definitely not been something that she had thought of directly before.
Shooting a glance Amori’s way she asked her a question. “Why do you ask that?”
“Well I mean you must have at least the tiniest feelings for him to accept a marriage proposal from Morgan. No offense,” she said. “But he isn’t exactly the nicest guy to be around. He’s at best of times overly serious and at other moments a bit weird.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, before facing forward, “Still I have to admit he is definitely not hard on the eyes, if he smiled every now and then, he might even be considered irresistibly handsome.”
Leora held back a laugh at Amori’s bold honesty.
Morgan’s step near faltered at the last part of what Amori had said. He noted as well the half-elf’s ears going red from shock and embarrassment. Morgan had known that mortals from Loam were blunt, but sheesh, how outspoken could they get. Though at the same time he had to admit to himself that he desired to know the answer to Amori’s question as well, but he knew that Leora most likely would not answer it with him standing so close in hearing distance.
An untamed breeze blew overhead, making the trees about them sway. In a way that one might believe to be an abnormal dance. Their branches stretched out over the new comers, swaying to and fro, the russet colored leaves caught the light as they swayed making them glint like fire. Then once again all became still, only the slight ruffling of leaves breaking into the momentary silence.
Amori let the quiet linger as long as she could before bringing the topic back up again. “So do you have feelings for him?”
Not wanting to say anything out loud she touched Amori’s arm, the two looked at each other for a moment, Leora giving the other female her answer without uttering a word.
“Oh, I understand.”
Morgan’s gaze shifted between the two ladies, he had no idea what had just passed between them, but he knew that Leora had somehow given Amori the answer to her question without having to say a word.
They walked on in silence no one speaking, all on the alert. It was almost midafternoon when they came to a break line in the trees, the opening leading to a beaten path that crisscrossed and passed through a gorge near the bottom. A narrow river ran beside the path making the scene one of the most beautiful things that Amori had ever seen. Taking out her phone Amori turned it on, wanting to take a quick picture of what it was that she was seeing. Once her phone had completely loaded she heard multiple dings from missed calls and text. She stared at her phone in shock for a moment, ‘I have cell reception here?’ The question bounced around in her head for a moment, before a happy sound escaped her mouth, forgetting about the picture she pulled up her contacts and called her mother.
After two rings her mother answered. “Amori where are you honey, we’ve been looking all over and have not been able to find you. Spencer is not happy that he had to stop with the search because he was called back early to the base-”
“-I’m sorry mom but-”
“-and Pierce is worried that we won’t be able to find you before he has to head back. Where are you, you had left that message for us so we were worried that you didn’t call…” Removing the phone from her ear Amori looked to see that she was now at five percent.
“Mom, my batteries almost dead, I can’t talk for much longer.”
“Oh, Amori hold on Pierce just walked in he’ll want to speak with you.” Amori waited as hearing muffled sounds, guising that her mom was telling Pierce that she was on the other line.
Amori turned hearing someone clearing their throat. She looked to Morgan as he began to speak, “Night is when the inhabitants of Aiken awake, when that happens we need to be in the…”
“Amori.” Amori turned away from the group at the sound of Pierce’s stress and worry laced voice.
“Pierce yeah I’m here, you can tell everyone that I’m more than alright.” She said. Morgan glared at her; she put up a hand she couldn’t just hang up on Pierce.
“Amori where are you?”
“Amori you need to get off the phone.” Moving the phone from her ear, she shot a glare Morgan’s way, “I can’t hang up on Pierce he’ll freak out even more.” She put the phone back to her ear.
“Amori, who was that that you were just talking with?” Amori noted a difference in Pierce’s voice that she had never heard before. “Amori I know you were just talking to some guy who is he?”
Pulling the phone from her ear she looked checked how much battery she had she was down to three percent.
“It’s not what you’re thinking…” She started to say, but he cut her off.
“You don’t know what it is that I’m thinking. I simply want to know who it is that you were just talking to.”
She locked gazes with Morgan; the look he gave her was enough to scare even the strongest person. “Uh, Pierce I’m at three percent I have to go.”
“Amori do not hang up on…” The line went dead as she hung up the phone; she was going to pay for that when she got back home. Shutting off her phone she focused her attention on a peeved Morgan.
“Do not ever do what you just did again.” A nod was the only thing that she could force her body to do, as she stared into Morgan’s stone set gray eyes. Hmm, she needed to remember that he was dangerous.
Turning his attention back to the other he continued on with what he was saying, but Amori blocked him out, her mind too consumed with thoughts of what her family might be thinking about her. She knew that Pierce was going to tell them about him hearing Morgan’s voice over the phone. She wanted to groan. Now when she got back she was going to have to explain more than she would have originally.
Amori reentered the conversation just as Morgan was finishing with what he was saying.
“…Dryan will be taking Amori, Cody, and Leora on his back.” Leora and Cody nodded their agreement. Deciding not to clue anyone in on the fact that she had not been listening Amori followed along as they continued walking, with Morgan now taking the lead. She slowed so that she was walking side-by-side with Cody.
“Who’d you call?”
“My mom, their all worried. I think though that I might have made things worse by calling them.”
“How could calling them have made things worse?” He asked.
“Uh, well, Pierce overheard Morgan talking, and I think that he thinks that I might have you know.” Cody went quiet.
Amori looked up at him, “What’s going through that head of yours?”
Rubbing the back of his neck he let out a puff of air. “When we get back their going to think that it was me who you went off with.”
“That doesn’t make sense. We’ve all known each other for too long for them to even consider such a thing.”
“Amori we are not going to be able to tell them about Morgan, or Ryan, or Leora. The only other person that leaves is me.”
“Or no one, I can tell them what happened without giving you away.”
“Not when everyone is going to know that I’ve been missing as well. If no one else does at least Anise and Alexis will connect the dots. The day you went missing they knew that the two of us were going to be hanging out together.” She allowed the truth of what he was saying sink in. She had not even contemplated or entertained the thought of what Anise and Alexis might be thinking, when it concerned her disappearance.
“I don’t think that they would say it to anyone though.”
He looked down at her, “We both know that Pierce isn’t going to stop digging until he finds out everything that has been going on. The only thing I don’t think that they’ll allow him to know is that we broke into Ryan’s house.”
“What about your mom, do you think that she has the same thoughts about this?”
Cody shook his head no. “I know that she’s worried, but she might think that I went to Eldon in search of my dad, or something, I don’t know. Still I think that because of our differing circumstances she’ll be more understanding with the reason why I was gone for so long.”
He followed the Path; his tracking skills helping him make it through the shifting centuries of Aion. Making it to the crossover into Aiken, Taher gazed at the burn marks that marred the twin black cedars. Not touching either he passed through the bridge and into Aiken.
Night fell quickly over Aiken, the quiet that had pretty much rained during the daylight hours now gone. Replaced with the sound of continual rustling leaves, moving tree limbs, and wildlife, Amori looked down from where she sat atop Ryan’s back. Though it was dark she could see the frequently moving tree tops. Munching on the fruit that had been handed to her Amori fought to stay awake, the pull becoming so strong till she drifted into its waiting arms.
Cody felt it when Amori slumped against him. He placed a protective arm around her middle, so that she wouldn’t fall off of Ryan’s back, making sure that she was steady. Leora looked over her shoulder at them. “She must be worn out; I am surprised that she was able to stay with us for this long. Her body certainly sore from all the walking that we have done and maybe just a bit overwhelmed.” Cody though he didn’t state it he agreed with her. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed as well. It had been years since he had gone to Eldon, and now in who knew how many days now he had experienced more than he had when he was a child. He glanced at Leora ready to ask her a question but decided against it when he noticed that she was fast asleep. Her legs dangled somewhat over the sides of Ryan’s neck, her head resting against the top of Ryan’s.
Cody smiled; Amori wasn’t the only one who was worn out by all that had happened.
Morgan moved silently through the shadows, not wanting to draw any attention to his presence. As he made his way on, he could feel the weight of the item that hung about his neck. His skin burned from where it made contact with his flesh. Lifting his hand he grabbed hold of it through the fabric of his shirt. With his heart beating hard against his ribcage, he sucked in a deep breath as he tried to steady his heart rate. Continuing on he fought through the scorching that was starting to spread through his entire body. His eyes turned luminous as the very blood in his veins began to burn. Falling to his knees Morgan held himself back from the sounds of pain that wanted to rip forth from his throat. Lifting his hand through it all, he reached into his shirt taking hold of the thing that was causing this with a firm grip he pulled. A shattering sound came as he broke the seal that held the thing about his neck. Immediately the pain subsided, making his way back to his feet, Morgan shoved the item into his pocket. Shaking off the feeling he moved on, a grimace marring his face.
Taher followed Morgan’s trail, though he had no desire to walk the shadows as the young prince did he knew that it was important that he caught up with the group as soon as possible. He knew that they had no clue about the danger that was dogging their every step. Taher paused as he caught sight of another that walked within the shadows as well. He knew that he was not seen for the Path that he followed was always safe. The thing moved with a quiet stealth that spoke of its experience in the art of pursuit. Drawing his sword Taher readied himself for the battle that he knew he would soon to fight. With a shake of his head he briefly thought, ‘This is why I never walk in the shadows, you never know what else it is hiding.’ With silent steps he began hunting the hunter.