Chapter 125: Chapter 1
“W-Where... are the others?”
“I told them to go ahead.”
Maxi’s face fell. “D-Did you have to separate... because of me?”
Riftan turned to her as he pulled Talon out from behind a tree. His expression was so flat that it was hard to imagine it had been so full of emotion just moments before.
“I am sure Hebaron is capable of leading them. I told them I would follow as soon as I found you.”
“B-But... how did you find me?”
“I followed your trail,” he replied tersely, looking down at her feet.
Puzzled, Maxi followed his gaze and saw her footprints in the dirt. They were barely visible in the rough terrain twisted with roots.
It was astonishing that he had been able to find her using such a trail. Seeing Maxi’s surprise, Riftan pointed to the horseshoe marks next to her prints and to the branches Rem had trampled along the way.
“Truth is, it was your mare that was the biggest help.”
“D-Did it not occur to you... that they might be monster tracks?”
“I know a monster track when I see one,” he said dryly. “Thank God I found you before it rained. I wouldn’t have been able to so fast if your tracks had been washed away.”
Maxi shuddered. If Riftan had been delayed, she would be food for the worms by now. Still, she wondered how he had found her so quickly with the path blocked. Had he really climbed over the huge boulder?
She was giving him a dubious look when he leaped onto a wide rock and offered her his hand. “Hurry. We have to find shelter before the rain gets heavier.”
Maxi began to climb the mountain path in silence. Riftan made his way up the rugged incline as nimbly as a mountain goat despite having to lead two horses with one hand, Maxi’s in the other. It was hard to believe that he could move so quietly in such heavy armor.
Shaking away the rain seeping into her eyes, Maxi vacantly watched the drizzle soak Riftan’s black hair and wide neck. Raindrops splattered onto his broad shoulders, creating a halo of white fog, and his wet armor glistened a darker shade of gray. His ever-alert face was slick with rainwater.
He did not display even a hint of exhaustion. His long, sturdy legs marched tirelessly through the muddy path with ease, and the arm that steadied Maxi whenever she staggered was as sturdy as an anchor.
Maxi was in awe of him. Not only did he have more stamina, but it was as if they were a completely different species.
“Let’s rest over there for a while,” said Riftan when he noticed her sagging shoulders.
He led her to a towering tree. Maxi trudged behind him, her shoes squelching with each step. He tied the reins under a leafy branch before swooping her up with one arm.
Maxi was so exhausted that she did not have the energy to ask him to let her down. He strode over to the base of a tree where there was a hollow, cave-like space. Its trunk was so thick that six men could not have encircled it. Riftan placed Maxi inside the hollow and crawled in beside her.
Maxi slumped over like a wilted cabbage leaf, her head tipping to one side. Her body kept alternating between sweating and shivering as if it did not know whether to feel hot or cold.
After slipping off his breastplate and propping it up to one side, Riftan pulled her against his chest. The warmth that seeped through their wet clothes made Maxi’s remaining tension and fear melt away.
Despite the fact that they were crouched inside a tree trunk like forest creatures seeking shelter from the rain, Maxi felt as safe as if she were in a fortress. She shuffled as close as possible to Riftan and lay her head on his muscled shoulder.
After placing his gauntlet and vambrace on the ground, Riftan ran his warm hand all over her shoulders and back.
“We’ll have to start out again as soon as the rain stops, so try to get some sleep.”
“D-Do you think the others are all right? W-What if the goblins attacked them-”
“Goblins hate water, so the others should be fine while it rains. They should be making their way down the mountain by now.”
Riftan slid his hand inside her tunic and caressed her cold skin.
“Stop the needless worry and go to sleep.”
Cocooned within Riftan’s embrace, Maxi let out a drowsy sigh as a feverish warmth seeped into her skin. Riftan stared silently into the trees.
Maxi looked up at him through drooping eyelids and watched the water drip down from his hair until fatigue washed over her. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind blowing through the leaves.
Riftan hoisted Maxi onto his lap, and she leaned her head against his chest. In an effort to help her feel as comfortable as possible, he pulled off her soaked shoes and socks and massaged her swollen feet with wet hands. Drowsy exhaustion now overtook Maxi, and she drifted off to sleep.
The rain had grown lighter when she finally awoke. She watched the drizzle with bleary eyes before turning her gaze up at Riftan.
His eyes were closed, and he lay against the tree as still as stone. Maxi’s heart sank. She placed a hand beneath his nose. It was faint, but she could feel gentle breaths.
Sighing in relief, Maxi gingerly brushed away the hair drooping into his eyes. Had he been tired after all? They had been on a brutal march for days, and he had not been able to get proper rest. His exhaustion was understandable.
Feeling sorry for him, Maxi gingerly brushed his cheek.
Riftan opened his eyes. Startled by the lucidity in his gaze, Maxi drew her hand back. He regarded her with black eyes, which were so dark that she could not distinguish the pupils, and lowered his head to kiss her.
Maxi pulled back, and his coarse tongue gently flicked over her lips as if to reassure her. His warm fingers clamped around her neck. It felt as though a hound that had been lounging at her feet had lunged at her throat without warning.
Maxi moaned and gripped his arm. He responded with a sigh and cupped her breast, and she gazed into his dark eyes before his tongue pushed deeper. He caressed her palate and tongue, then hungrily sucked at the saliva in her mouth. The shortness of breath she felt was similar to the feeling of drowning.
Riftan’s breath came ragged as well, despite having traversed a steep mountain in heavy armor without breaking a sweat.
He pulled away and stared into the forest. “The rain has stopped.”
The abrupt interruption left Maxi dazed and unable to register his words immediately. Riftan appeared torn, but he let out a sigh after a long moment and lowered her from his lap.
“We should go. It will be dark soon if we don’t hurry.”
He crawled out from the tree and picked up his discarded armor. Finally, Maxi managed to snap out of her daze. This was not the time to be getting comfortable. They were, after all, alone in a mountain overrun with monsters.
The enveloping warmth had evaporated, and Maxi hastened to collect her damp shoes. She forced her feet into them and came outside to find a fully armored Riftan leading the horses over.
“Do you think you can walk?”
He sounded so calm that it was difficult to imagine that this was the man who had been trying to devour her just moments before. She gazed up at him with a sour look before slowly nodding her head.
“I-I have had enough rest.”
“Keep close. We just have to climb a little more and it will be downhill from there. It will be much easier.”
Riftan turned and began walking along the muddy path without making a sound. Maxi trailed him while trying not to slip. The heat had thankfully abated in the rain, but it was difficult to appreciate the cool breeze when she was soaking wet. Maxi wrapped her arms around herself, prompting Riftan to survey their surroundings and offer reassurance.
“I’ll find a place for us to camp soon, so try to get through it until then.”
Maxi glanced around the darkening mountain with a worried look. “Y-You intend for us... to spend the night here?”
...
“We will have to since it will be dark soon.”
“Th-That’s true... but would it not be better for us to hurry do-”
His face grew grave. “Climbing down a mountain in the dark is extremely dangerous. It would be better for us to find a safe place to rest until daybreak.”
Maxi nodded stiffly. Though she was slightly worried about spending the night in the mountains by themselves, she had no choice but to follow his decision.
She hung her head sullenly. Had he been alone, Riftan would have cleared this mountain and reached the village by now. The thought that she had slowed down the knights made her heart sink like a rock.
“W-Was I... g-going the wrong way?”
Riftan, who had been weaving through the trees, paused and turned to look at her.
“You were planning on getting out of the mountains by yourself?”
“I-I was told that there was a village... at the bottom of this mountain, so...” Maxi trailed off, afraid that he would get angry at her recklessness.
Riftan narrowed his eyes. Instead of yelling at her, he stared down the dark forest path and said flatly, “You were going the right way. This path leads to the village.”
Her heart felt a little lighter at his words. They made their way through the shadowy forest in silence.
...
Riftan found a small cave before complete darkness descended. After checking every nook and cranny to check for bugs, bats, or snakes lurking in the shadows, he beckoned for her to enter. Maxi eyed the cave warily before crawling inside on her hands and knees.
“I will unsaddle the horses. Wait here, it won’t take long.”
Hugging her knees, Maxi nodded. Riftan crawled out to tie the horses within view, then returned with a saddlebag.
He took out a blanket and handed it to her. “It might be a little damp, but it’s not wet. Take off your clothes and wrap yourself in this.”
Maxi’s eyes grew round. “H-Here?”
“The air grows cold at night. You will get a chill if you sleep in those wet clothes.”
He shoved the blanket in her hands and turned away, evidently his way of prompting her to do as instructed. She did not move at first and instead stared at the dark ceiling, then into the forest now bathed in the blue of twilight. Finally, unable to withstand the dropping temperature any longer, Maxi undressed.
She felt considerably more comfortable after peeling off her wet clothes and wrapping herself in the blanket. She took off her boots as well and tugged the blanket down to her ankles.
“I-I am done.”
Riftan looked over his shoulder to check, then pulled out more items from the bag. Maxi quietly crouched down next to him. Tearing off the sleeve of his tunic, Riftan crumpled it into a ball and struck a flint over it.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶