“Uhmm ..uh..I…” Anna tried to answer but the fear she felt was impairing her ability to think.
[WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ANNA?]
[You have a reputation to uphold Anna.]
[What if dad hears of this…] The mere thought sent shivers running down her spine.
While Anna was in the midst of her panic, the old man was still holding her shoulder and looking down at the girl crouched in front of him.
She had a small stature, noticeable even as she crouched, with light brown hair and caramel eyes, her young face reminding him of a man he had met some years ago.
“What’s your name kid?”
“Anna.”
“And your last name?”
The girl seemed to struggle with that question, something which made the old man even more suspicious of her.
“Is your last name Cade?”
A chill spread through Anna’s spine and her eyes almost popped out of her head with shock.
[Shit, it’s really that bastards’ spawn…is he spying on me? That makes no sense.]
Removing his hand from the girl’s shoulder and putting it behind his back, he asked with some doubt in his own words.
“Did your old man send you here?”
“No.” The response was instant, making the old man even more distrustful.
Yet the girl’s face had turned solemn and serious, a far cry from her previous scared self.
Taking a step back, the old man simply stood in place looking down at the still crouching girl.
The silence was suffocating to Anna but she stood back up reinvigorated, intent on defending her father.
But as soon as she got up shadows moved behind the old man and 8 figures cloaked in black stood in a semi-circle around the wagon’s door in a flash.
“And why should I believe you?”
Without waiting for an answer he continued. “You have to admit this is suspicious, here I am taking some cargo to your father’s… let’s say, rival, and I find you snooping around. Wouldn't you be suspicious in my shoes?”
Anna’s mind raced as she tried to formulate an answer, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she had to tread carefully, one wrong word and she could be in a lot of trouble. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she met the old man’s gaze with determination.
“I understand why you're suspicious, senior, but please believe me when I say I’m not here to spy. I was just curious.” Anna began, her voice wavering slightly as her fleeting determination gave way under the pressure.
The tension in the air was palpable as the presence of the cloaked figures weighted more and more on her.
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“I didn't see anything, just some red boxes, not much else, you can look through the hole too, you can’t see much of anything.”
The old man regarded her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before finally nodding slowly. ”Alright. I’ll take you at your word as a sign of respect for that old man.” he said in his terrifyingly even tone. “But remember if I catch you snooping around here again, I won't be so compassionate.”
Relief flooded through Anna as she nodded fervently, grateful for the chance to escape unscathed. Without another word, she turned and hurried away from the wagon, the weight of the encounter still heavy on her mind.
As she closed in on the still oblivious youths lazing around the fire the old man turned towards the cloaked figures behind him, his expression thoughtful. “Keep an eye on her.”
…
Aegon heard some rustling from behind him and with half closed eyes looked towards the wagon from where a running Anna approached.
She dashed past him without a word and layed down in an instant, basically throwing herself to the floor and laying perfectly still, almost like she didn't just run past him and had been laying there all along.
“What happened Anna?”
Without turning to look at him she answered in a slightly shaken voice which came through as scared even as she did her best to suppress it. “Nothing, I'm tired, let's just speak tomorrow.”
Aegon furrowed his brows.
Turning to look back at the wagon where Anna had run from he vaguely saw 9 figures standing around its door, 8 of which he couldn’t recognize, but one…
[The old man?]
Turning to look at Anna’s back he added. “You really fucked up, uh?”
He didn't receive an answer.
…
The next morning Aegon rose from the ground as well rested as a night sleeping on the ground could be and as such he was in a pretty decent mood, but as he looked to where Anna had laid during the night he remembered the weird things that happened.
Turning Roy, who was still laying down, and giving him a good shake with his foot he asked. “Do you know where Anna is?”
Opening one of his eyes with some irritation, the young man simply shook his head as a response before closing his eyes once again.
Without any further leads and with his interest not being that high to begin with, Aegon simply plopped down close to the fire as he waited for his breakfast.
When the wagons finally started moving Aegon spotted Anna, she was walking back from further up the caravan with an unreadable expression.
He called out to her. “Hey Anna, where have you been?”
Hearing him she snapped out of her thoughts but looked somewhat lost.
“Yeah, good morning to you too.”
[Good morning? I didn't wish her good morning, is she ignoring me?]
He looked at her again, seeing her once again with that pensive expression. [Nah, she really is completely off.]
Before he could speak further, a loud shout sounded from further ahead in the caravan.
“BANDITS.”
The lethargic environment of the early morning instantly turned into a flurry of movement and sound as the group turned towards the woods flanking the road with wariness.
Aegon’s heart skipped a beat at the sudden cry, his senses snapped to attention as adrenaline surged through his veins. His hands instantly retrieved his swords from their scabbard and his eyes darted through the woods looking for any sign of danger.
Soon, distant sounds of shouting and clashing drew louder, metal hitting metal resounded through the forest all the way to Aegon’s position, yet the woods nearby were still eerily silent.
Everyone in his group was similarly on edge, even Anna who had been completely distracted moments prior was now fully alert with her dagger firmly held in her hand.
This strange state of being on edge yet nothing happening lingered for a few seconds but it seemed like hours to the inexperienced youths.
Drowned by the stress of the situation and on edge due the sounds of battle that weren't stopping or subsiding, Peter, the young man who had picked on Percy, was the first to crack, saying out loud with a frustrated tone.
“There’s nothing here, let’s go help the others.”
“No.” Travis answered immediately with absolute authority in his voice. “We can't leave our posts, we have to protect this wagon, they will protect theirs.”
The Sword Island disciples were surprised by Travis’s commanding tone and were ready to retort but as they looked at the steadfast expressions of the other Sacred Bond disciples, they chose to stay silent instead.