The Eden Series: The Complete Collection (30 page)

“I’m sorry if I’ve intruded,” she said nervously.

“Not at all. I just hadn’t expected to see you here.” He quickly recovered. “Alistair didn’t mention that you’d be joining us.”

“Is Alistair here?” she asked, looking around as if he were hiding him under the bed.

“No, he is keeping control of things back at home.”

“I see. To be honest, I didn’t know I’d be coming either, but I had a feeling that I should. There are many dangers surrounding these lands, and I wanted to be close by should anything befall Aiden,” she explained.

“Aiden? I thought he was safe here?” Turk interjected.

“He is, but I still wanted to be close. Like I said, I had a feeling, and I’ve always been taught not to ignore those feelings when they come.”

Jameson nodded his head slowly. “Well, you are certainly welcome to stay. We will have a tent set up for you. That being said, you won’t be coming to the battlefield when the armies meet.”

“Why not?” she asked defensively.

“It is too dangerous,” he argued. “We don’t need you getting injured, and there is nothing you can do for us there. It would be better if you stayed somewhere else until it is over.”

Her mouth tightened like it always did when she was angry, he noticed. Every movement and expression she did was familiar to him. He looked away, finding it too difficult to analyze her.

“Fine,” she agreed. He could hear how hard it was for her to say so. “I won’t be far, though, just so you’re aware.”

He shrugged his shoulders indifferently, trying to appear as if he didn’t care either way. Keeping his face turned away from her, he dismissed her as casually as she had done to him once before. “I will see you tomorrow morning then. Goodnight, Diana.”

She stood still momentarily—he could see her figure out of the corner of his eye. Without speaking, she raised the hood above her head and turned to leave. When she was gone, he looked back up to meet Turk’s gaze.

“Are you all right?” his friend asked, well aware of how hard that encounter must have been for him. He nodded his head, too afraid to speak and betray his real thoughts. Turk bid him goodnight, leaving him to his privacy.

Staring back down at his map, Jameson forced his mind to focus on the task at hand, trying desperately to ignore her sweet scent that still lingered in the air.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

They travelled for two more days before they finally came to the river that ran beside the field. The land they had travelled through had been flat and green. The large mountains rose in the distance in front of them, the only indicator that they were going the right way. To the west were the expansive forests that separated the Riders’ land from central Eden. To the east were the large hills, something about Giants Aiden vaguely remembered, bordering the desserts where the Sand People lived. They had climbed a smaller hill, the only change in terrain since they had left, to come up on the other side of the rushing river. Aiden could see the emerald field beyond it. In the light of the day he could see it more clearly, realizing how large the space was. The forest on the other side was dense, with a mountain behind it, much smaller than the ones way off in the distance. Besides that, most of the area was clear of any obstacles. Everyone stood quietly looking at it, every man probably picturing what was to come in only a short amount of time.

“It’s quiet here,” Logan whispered, his horse standing close to Aiden’s. “It’s as if the trees and animals know what is to come.”

Aiden looked over at his friend, surprised. That was the most insightful thing he had ever heard him say. Logan grinned when he caught Aiden’s look.

“I heard the witch say that,” he said, snickering. Aiden couldn’t help but laugh.

Diana had arrived two days ago, quite unexpectedly. She came to find him right away, just to let him know she was there. She wasn’t with them now, though, as the King had ordered her to stay farther away. Aiden had been one of the men ordered to help set a tent up for her in a protective area. They made sure to leave her some food and water before they left.

“Aiden,” she called out as he mounted Ty. He looked down at her as she stood beside the horse. “Please be careful.”

Aiden smiled. “Do you doubt my skills, Diana?” She smiled and shook her head.

“Of course not, but I also don’t doubt Aziz’s skills, so I want you to be on guard the whole time.”

“He won’t even be there,” Aiden said. “There’s nothing to worry about.” That was a lie. There was plenty to worry about; he had been worrying since the moment they left. The look on her face was so concerned, however, that he didn’t want to make it any worse. It had been she who had brought him here, and he knew if anything should happen she would feel greatly responsible for it. That was the last thing he wanted. She stretched up and kissed him gently on the cheek.

“Good luck.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Thanks.” He smiled back, kicking Ty forward to re-join the troops.

Now they stood looking at what would be their inevitable destinies. Many of the people who stood there wouldn’t leave, and that weighed heavily on everyone’s mind. The King motioned them forward, leading them through the water to come up on the other side.

“We will set up camp now,” he announced in his loud, deep voice. Aiden was thankful for the rest—his whole body had never ached so badly in his life.

The King rode up to where Aiden sat with Wolf, Logan, and Felix. They were eating bread and dried meat, the only things they had left to eat. It wasn’t the best tasting, but all four of them were so hungry, they barely even spoke to one another as they wolfed it down.

Aiden had met with the King and Captain Turk a couple of nights ago, the three of them sitting in the King’s own tent. A plan of action was decided upon, which consisted of Aiden trying to lead the beasts into the middle of the field by using his group as bait. There they would be the right distance for their archers to hit. Any of the ones they couldn’t get would be the front line’s responsibility. Each man—there would be a hundred of them to begin—would be given a small flask of blood. Their original idea of using live bait had been abandoned. The Captain explained that the transportation of the animals would have been too complicated when they were already moving so many men. Aiden would instruct his men to spill the contents of their flasks on the grass around them, making the beasts’ instincts kick in and confusing them momentarily. That would open them up for an easier kill. It sounded like it could work, but what did Aiden really know? He simply agreed with whatever they told him and prayed that they would be successful. Once the majority of the beasts were out of the way, the rest of the men would move forward, challenging the men in the northern army. At that point it would be anyone’s guess.

“Wolf, Logan,” the King called out, motioning for each of them to stand.

“My lord,” Wolf greeted him, bowing his head. Logan followed suit.

“We want you two to scout ahead. See if you can spot the northern army approaching, and let us know their distance from the forest. Make sure you’re not seen,” he warned.

“Of course, your majesty.” Wolf nodded. He turned and rode off again toward the Captain.

“Can we finish eating first?” Logan asked sadly.

“I don’t think so.” They both gathered their things, taking off on foot toward the other side of the field. Aiden and Felix looked at each other, and then looked at their food. Laughing, they grabbed the leftovers and swallowed them down.

“This sucks,” Logan complained, dragging his feet behind him.

Wolf ignored him, focusing on the task at hand. As they entered the forest, he looked back at Logan, putting his finger to his lips. They needed to stay quiet, so he could listen for any animals. It would make sense if Brutus the Red had sent out some of their creatures ahead of them. Walking quietly amongst the fallen leaves on the ground from seasons before, he looked around for a spot where they’d be able to see farther. The forest wasn’t as thick as he had thought. He could already see the light on the other side. Heading toward it, they came out into another opening on the far side of the forest. There was a large wall of rocks on one side, making the spot well covered. They looked knowingly at each other—this would be where the other army would camp.

Pointing toward the rocks, Wolf headed over to them, with Logan following close behind. Logan walked backward, keeping his back to him, searching the surrounding trees for anything that would attack them. The rocks didn’t offer many handholds or footholds. Struggling, they both eventually managed to pull themselves onto a small ledge at the top of the rocks. They kept low, remaining on their stomachs. Crawling slowly to the edge, they peered off into the distance for any sign of the other army. The land on the other side of the small mountainside they lay on was nothing like the landscape behind them. Central Eden was notoriously flat, as was Wolf’s homeland, so he was used to it. The northern side was not flat at all. They could see the three large mountains where Brutus the Red kept his infamous mountain castle. The land before it was a scatter of smaller hills and mountains, land that rose and fell like waves in the ocean. They could see small farms wedged between the hills, where there was a limited amount of flat land.

There was no sign of the army. The land obstructed their view, so they were unable to see clearly.

“What do we do now?” Logan whispered.

“Wait, I guess,” he answered. Wolf lowered his chin on his arm, keeping his eyes scanning the horizon. “What’s with Aiden these days?” Wolf asked, finding something to fill the silence.

“What do you mean?” Logan asked.

“Doesn’t it seem like he’s been a little distant?”

“Maybe he’s just worried about the battle?”

Wolf looked over and gave him a look. Clearly, he was playing dumb, and Wolf could see right through him. Logan tried to avoid his stare, but eventually he looked back.

“I told him you were betrothed to Elisa,” he said finally. “I think he is a little upset, since he seems to have grown affectionate toward her.”

Nodding slowly, it became clearer to Wolf now. “Him and everyone else,” he snorted.

“Not you.”

Wolf tensed. “Do you not see how she thinks of me? How can I love someone who so obviously despises me?” Their fight had finally brought to the surface all of her true feelings. Now he knew exactly what she felt for him, which was nothing but contempt. It had angered him more than he liked to admit, but he was over it. Wolf could have just about any woman he wanted. What did he care if one of them thought little of him?

“Maybe, and this is just a thought …” Logan said lightly, turning to look off in the distance. “Maybe you should show her what a good guy you really are, and she wouldn’t think so badly about you.”

“Why should I bother? I don’t care what she thinks,” he replied, spitting on the ground beside him. Elisa. She had been like a constant thorn in his side since the day they came to see his father in their lands. Even then, at a young age, she visibly showed disdain for him. He remembered asking his father after they left, why he would promise him to someone as miserable as that little girl. His father had just laughed, saying anything worth something in this world, must be worth fighting for. That included women, he said, patting his son affectionately on the head. Well, it was a fight, and Wolf was sick of trying to prove himself to her. He had been courteous and polite when he first arrived in the Capital, but even then she didn’t want anything to do with him, so he decided to quit trying and enjoy himself. That was exactly what he was doing, enjoying himself, and he’d do it despite her.

The two of them lay still, dropping the sensitive subject. It wasn’t long before they saw the first signs of movement. The army was coming over one of the hills in the distance. From their speed, they guessed they’d reach the very spot Wolf and Logan lay at, by the time the sun sank. Their forces were massive, bodies as far as they could see. Wolf started to sweat, realizing how real everything was becoming. The massive beasts that walked around the men frightened him, though he would never admit it out loud. It wasn’t just the ones that walked on all fours like those they were used to seeing, but larger ones that walked like a man would. Their heads were shaped like bulls’, but twice the size. Huge horns rose out of their heads, offering a gruesome death to anyone who went near them. Their bodies were like a man’s, reaching almost seven feet tall. They wore armour like the men, and carried weapons. Even the men in their own army seemed to stand away from them, as if they were nervous too.

Logan gave Wolf a fearful look, which he guessed probably mirrored his own. Wolf jerked his head backward. They crawled back toward the edge they had climbed up, and lowered themselves carefully to the ground. Neither spoke until they reached the field again, putting as much distance between them and the other army as possible.

“Did you see those things?” Logan hissed. “We have to go against them first!”

The thought had dawned on Wolf too during their walk back. “I know, but we knew that for a while now, so we can’t back out. We’re better than those things; we’re faster and more skilled.”

“How do you know? We’ve never seen them fight—maybe they’re better than us!” Wolf could see that he was panicking. Slowing down his pace, he turned toward his friend, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Look, if we stick together, and watch our backs, we can defeat anything. You know that,” he urged. “Don’t get scared now, and whatever you do, do not tell Aiden! The last thing we need is for him to run away during the night.”

They walked a little farther before Logan spoke again. “What is it about Aiden?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone seems to revere him for some reason. Even the witch, Diana, went to him as soon as she arrived. Now he’s leading our group? What is it that makes him special?”

“No one said he was special; they’re just relying on his knowledge from already defeating one of those beasts,” Wolf explained, although he had a hard time believing it was just that too. Some things, he had found out long ago, were best left a mystery.