Part 2: Chapter 16: A New Destination

As the horses and elven soldiers ahead of me kept a steady pace behind the commander, I turned around to wave goodbye to the major one last time. He waved back, a large grin on his face. Turning back around, I took turns studying each of the men ahead of me. It seemed as though all of them were either from a poor background or were off the streets. None were as cleaned up as I was and it made me feel out of place. I was startled out of my inner thoughts by the commander calling my name. Nudging Moonshine on, I came to ride at the commander's side. He glanced at me briefly and return his gaze to the path ahead before speaking.

"Where are you from?"

His voice was gruff and quick, but with an underlying hint of curiosity. Seeing as he clearly wanted an immediate answer, I cleared my throat and spoke.

"I am from the town of Adasqueil Sir."

He kept his eyes trained in front of us and continued questioning me.

"What made you decide to join the military then? You don't seem like you have a taste for blood."

I merely shook my head.

"I have nothing left there sir. Both of my parents are gone. Dark elves took them both from me. They had wished that I would join the military because of my skill in battle. Figured the least I could do was go through with our plans."

He looked at me quietly before leaving me to my thoughts for a while. After a short time, I dropped back to my spot at the back of the pack, thinking quietly to myself.

After what only seemed like a small amount of time, I looked around at my surroundings to see the sun setting behind the far off mountains. But as I returned to looking at the individuals in front of me, I felt a chill run down spine. I couldn't say for sure, but all I knew is that we weren't alone. Acting nonchalant, I rode forward to keep pace with the commander and cleared my throat to get his attention. I kept a poker face on to symbolize something wasn't right. With a quick glance at my face, his entire demeanor changed. Looking ahead still, he ordered me to speak.

" Sir, forgive me for bothering you but, I believe we are being followed. I have always had a sharp sense to tell if I have been or was followed and I am getting the distinct feeling that we aren't alone just now. It may be a false alarm, but I wanted to warn you."

The commander glanced at me and laughed aloud. He kept casting glances at me, as what I could only guess was his attempt to reassure me that he had heard what I had said.

"Alright soldier. That was definitely worth my time. You've got a sense of humor in you. That will be useful in the future. Anyway, return to the rear where you were. We'll be making camp soon."

As I began to hang back, the commander caught my eye and winked. I sighed and laughed quietly at the commander's peculiar act. He definitely the best actor I've seen in my life, but his quick thinking worked well enough. But as we continued to ride down the path, I couldn't shake the feeling of someone's eyes staring daggers in my back.

Not long after the commander said we would be stopping, his order rang out to the group to stop and make camp for the night. The soldiers separated neat and orderly, tying horses and staking tents. In under 20 minutes, a makeshift camp had been built. The commander flagged me down with a wave of his hand, urging me to follow him to his "tent". He ducked under the flap and told me to follow him in. Once we both stood in the tent, he gestured to a makeshift seat next to his pop up table and took a seat next to it. I took a seat on the ground and looked to the commander. He began speaking immediately, with a hushed whisper.

"Do you still sense someone soldier? Did they follow us here?"

I nodded my head.

"It's not as apparent as when we were on horseback, but I can still feel their presence nearby."

He just nodded his head and began to speak again.

"Alright. Time for you to prove your worth soldier. Go find our tail and bring them back. I don't give a damn who it is. Bring them to me. Do that and you will have a place among the men."

With that, he waved me away and I stood to go find who it was I sensed. As I stepped out of the tent, I felt the eyes begin piercing me again and acting clueless, I walked to my tent that someone had so generously staked up for me and gathered my things. With a quick glance at the soldier taking care of the horses, I yelled aloud.

"I'll be back. I have to take a leak."

With that, I headed into the forest to find whoever was staring me down from the shadows. Within seconds, the feeling of unease was amplified. Whatever or whoever had been watching me was closer than it had been the whole time. As I trudged through the trees and underbrush, I heard critters scurrying around me. My every step set another vole, cottontail rabbit and white tailed deer into flight. But my attention wasnt on those creatures of wilderness. My every step brought me closer to my stalker. I turned around only to realize that I was far enough into the trees that I could no longer see the camp in the distance. But as it was still daylight, I turned and kept moving towards the area where I sensed the gaze. As I stepped around the tree next to me, I heard a large commotion behind me. A loud rustle of leaves and the creaking of multiple tree branches warned me that something of significant size was in the trees above and behind me.

With a quick flick of my hand, I had both my Archaneos in hand and ready to fight. But as I waited for my attacker to try to strike, I caught a glimpse of them and eased off the adrenaline a little bit. There was no need to worry after all.