Fern, Peanut, and I traveled by moonlight through the dark forest, pushing to put as much distance between us and Zelheim before the morning sun exposed us to the world. Fern never slowed his pace until I couldn't keep up.

  With each step I took, the dull throbbing seemed to grow, punching harder and harder into the sides of my skull. Pushing my palms into my eyes did nothing for the aches and pains.

  “Boy, there's a small brook under that bush.” I heard a dull plop in front of me. “Hurry up and make some tea. A turtle could catch us at this pace.”

  I quickly swooped up the bag and made a cold-brew tea to sip along the way. The throbbing gradually ceased.

  “Shhhh,” Fern scolded softly. “Quiet, boy.”

  “Sorry, Fern.” I couldn’t help laughing. The headache from my vision was long gone, only to be quickly replaced with a headache from exhaustion. Tonight was not ideal for a sleepy head like me. Every bush I kicked with my shin felt like a good spot to rest, but I pushed on.

  At the edge of the forest, we left the path and cut through the farm fields east of the dark village. The fields lay fallow without the crops from the autumn harvest. A few footprints in the dry dirt would soon be blown away by the autumn breeze, erasing any evidence that we had walked through.

  Fern suddenly scurried ahead with Peanut leaving me to fall further behind. As I hurried to catch up, the soft dirt under my feet transformed into the uneven, rocky ground of what we call the capital road. If you can even call it a road.

  I stopped briefly to get a last look at the dark buildings of the village I called home. The moon bathed the thatched roofs in its pale, white light. I doubt Fern thought twice about the village when he scurried across. But for me, Zelheim is all I've ever known.

  “Take your time, lad.” Fern rested his large hand gently on my shoulder. I didn't realize hd came back for me.

  “The saints, Fern!” I cursed, flinching under his hand. “Don’t do that to me.” My heart raced in my chest. I turned back to look at the quiet village. Smoke began to rise from the dark bakery, barely noticeable against the moon.

  “I never did apologize to Hera.” Fern rubbed my shoulder.

  “You'll get your chance, lad.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “I've seen how you two look at each other.”

  “No, Fern,” I said, turning away to continue the trek south. “You're going to hide me on some island somewhere. I'll never see her again.”

  We walked in silence until we stopped for the night. Fern laid out a blanket, but I just dropped into the cold, damp dirt beside him. He didn't question it.

  ──── ? ────

  Black silks. A flash of a sword. A burning pain.

  Fern shook me awake, his hand roughly covered my mouth, muffling my screams. I sat up, drenched in a cold sweat, shaking from the chilly air. How long has it been since I've had a nightmare like that one? Weeks, a month at least. Not since I learned how to suppress my magic.

  “Lad, are you alright?” Fern wiped the dirt and sweat off my face with a damp cloth.

  “No, Fern. I'm not okay.” I jumped to my feet and walked over to a small brook bubbling its way through the small grove. I splashed my face with the icy water, but it didn't help to calm my nerves.

  “Do you want to talk about it, lad?” I heard Fern tightening the straps on Peanut’s back. Anger washed over me. Where was he yesterday? That was when I needed someone to talk to.

  Ouch. Big master. Ouch.

  “Fern, knock it off. You're hurting her. And no, I don’t want to talk about it.” I held my hand in the water, feeling the cold water rush through my fingers. My fingertips slowly went numb. There was too much for me to think about. My mother knows what's going to happen to her but she stayed anyway. Hera’s gone and the nightmares came back. How do you put a life falling apart before your eyes into words?

  “Lad, how do you know I'm hurting her?” Fern stood behind me. I glared up at him.

  I bit my lip and slowly stood up. I shoved my cold hands under my shirt and laid them on my warm stomach. “I didn't get the chance to tell you yesterday, but I can understand Peanut’s thoughts.” I walked toward her and loosened the straps.

  That good. Thanks, little master.

  I patted Peanut’s shoulder as I grabbed our water flasks and thrust one into Fern's hands. I bent down by the brook, struggling with the cap.

  “Lad, if you need to talk, I'm here for you,” he said, bending down beside me. We filled the flasks in silence.

  “Well, time to get going.” Fern grabbed Peanut’s reins. I trudged behind them.

  Thanks to the autumn weather, much of the plant life had already died. Fern kept off the trails, claiming it was safer for us to navigate through the dead underbrush. In the denser sections, he skillfully found game paths to follow. I suppose many animals also made the trek south to avoid the harsh northern winters.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “How much longer?” I asked, kicking a stone toward a tree. It bounced off the trunk with a light thunk.

  “A while. We won't reach Umbtelo till tomorrow. I want to walk till at least dusk.” Fern turned over his shoulder. “Are you planning on dragging your feet the whole way, or are you going to walk with me?”

  I huffed, picking up the pace to walk beside him. The sun hung high in the sky. It'll be a while before we stop.

  “What does a horse talk about all day?” Fern smiled.

  I half smiled at him. “Nothing much, she likes to talk about itching her back, and the tastiest weeds. Milkweed is a good one, she says.”

  Fern's hearty laughter filled the quiet forest. “You never cease to amaze me, lad.” He pulled me closer to him as we kept walking. I appreciated his warm touch. “We'll figure out this magic thing, son. And I'm not eating milkweed. I don’t care how much she enjoys it.” Peanut turned her head and glared at Fern.

  Big master dumb.

  “Thank you, Peanut.”

  “What did she say?” Fern grabbed my shoulder.

  “Nothing,” I laughed, picking at my dirty hair. My night in the dirt turned it a dusty brown color. Mother’s attitude toward cleanliness must have started to grow on me. I was bothered by it more than I thought I'd be.

  “Hey, Fern. Do we have a moment to wash up?” I didn't look up from my feet as we walked.

  “No lad. I want to put more distance between us and Zelheim before we can allow time for such luxuries.”

  “When?” I asked. “My hair is filthy.”

  Fern laughed under his breath and rubbed my head with his large hand. “Closer to Umbtelo. And next time, don't sleep in the dirt.”

  I smacked his shoulder with a smile.

  ──── ? ────

  We walked for the rest of the day, stopping only to fill our water flasks and to pull out the dried bread we packed in the saddlebags. We ate while walking and Peanut sneaked in a snack when we passed by a tasty morsel. The three of us talked about the plants and birds of the forest we traveled through. I translated Peanut’s thoughts for Fern.

  Just before dusk, we walked silently through the forest. Fern suddenly stopped and turned to face me. He slowly put his finger up to his lip.

  Little master, what that mean?

  “It means don't make a sound,” I whispered to the mare.

  She planted her hooves and didn’t move a muscle. Fern removed one of the bows and the quiver of arrows from Peanut’s back, careful not to make a sound.

  “Don’t move,” Fern softly commanded before he knocked an arrow and stealthily walked deeper into the forest.

  My heart pounded in my chest. I tried my best to breathe quietly, but suppressing my short, sharp breaths soon suffocated me.

  Little master. It be okay.

  My entire body screamed otherwise. I scanned the dead underbrush for anything. What did Fern see? I couldn’t see anything besides bushes and pine trees.

  In the distance, I heard the sound of hoof beats galloping through the underbrush. The rustling of the leaves sent a shiver down my spine.

  What do I do if Fern doesn’t come back? Why couldn’t he tell me more? My body screamed for me to run and hide. The royals had found us. I was almost certain. Fern should've been back by now. Peanut shifted her weight to lean against me.

  Little master, so tense. It be okay.

  No Peanut, it won't be. I'm terrified and alone. But I stayed put like Fern told me to. My body wouldn’t move even if I wanted it to.

  Minutes ticked by. My heart pounded in my ears, but I still heard the snap of sticks cracking under heavy footsteps.

  They'll kill him. My mother's voice wailed in my head. This is it. I'll have to make my last stand here.

  I reached for the second bow hanging off Peanut’s saddlebags. My arms trembled and I struggled to untie it from the mass of our things.

  It was then that Fern appeared from around the back of a large bush. A dead doe draped over his broad shoulders.

  “Fern!” I cried out, dropping the bow and ran up to him. I gripped him so hard that it knocked the breath out of him. The doe's body hit the ground with a hard thud.

  “Lad, your heart is racing.” He hugged me tightly. “What were you planning on doing with that bow? I had all the arrows.”

  “Nothing, I guess,” I replied. “I don’t know how to use it anyway.” Fern let me go and I gently tied the bow back onto the saddlebag where I pulled it from.

  “Lad, help me out.” Fern loosened the first of many straps on Peanut’s back. “I wanted to tell you why I left so quickyl, but I was worried that the doe would escape.” Another buckle clicked open. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now, Fern.” I rubbed Peanut’s nose while he worked. “But please don't leave me like that again.”

  “Oh, lad.” Fern patted my shoulder. “Help me set up camp and render this doe.”

  Peanut no like dead animal.

  I threw myself into the hard work, even though the dead doe also made me feel uncomfortable

  ──── ? ────

  I had never tasted meat so delicious in my life even though the venison steaks weren’t anything special without the spices and herbs my mother somehow always had on hand. Fern slowly roasted the slabs of meat on a spit he carved with a small knife. I brought kindling and logs to keep the fire going.

  Fern and I sat together around the small fire. Peanut was content scrounging around for grasses and other plants to eat. The sun had long set behind the tree trunks and the cold of the night began to nip at us.

  “Lad, I was thinking.” Fern poked at the fire. With a crackle, it shot tiny embers into the air. “What scared you so bad earlier?”

  I sat in my usual position with my knees pulled up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them. I looked away from Fern toward the dark edges of the small clearing.

  “I thought the royals had found us.” Without thinking, I scratched my jaw and cheek on the rough fabric of my pant leg. When the itch refused to go away, I resorted to scratching with my nails.

  “Son, knock that off. You’ll tear up your face doing that,” Fern scolded me.

  “But Fern, it’s so itchy. It’s driving me crazy.” I whined and buried my face between my knees to prevent myself from scratching anymore.

  “You’ll get used to it. That’s part of growing up. It drove me nuts too when I was your age. Tomorrow evening we should reach Umbtelo and then we both can have a good wash and a shave,” he said with a smile. That didn’t stop me from glaring at him from behind my knees.

  Fern laughed and slowly rose to his feet. “Are you sure you’re sixteen lad? Right now I can’t help thinking I’m traveling with a ten-year-old.” I looked up to him as he loomed over me. I wasn't prepared for what came next.

  “Fern!” I managed to cry out before he lifted me to my feet. My head was caught in the crook of his elbow as he gripped me close to his hip. No amount of pushing on his back could free me from his iron grasp.

  Peanut stopped eating long enough to watch us wrestle with each other next to the fire.

  Even Peanut know. Boys be boys. If she could, she probably would have rolled her eyes.

  Fern let me go and we sat down again next to each other by the fire, both of us completely out of breath. Fern wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

  “I want to be in Umbtelo tomorrow, but I don’t think we need to rush it,” he said once he caught his breath. “It might not be a bad idea to teach you some self-defense. Then you can protect yourself if the need arises.”

  “I’d like that, Fern. I’d really like that.”