CHAPTER 12: DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD FIND US?
V walked out of the cave sleekly, her movement was quick and smooth. If one had blinked at the exact moment she walked out, it would have looked as though she had appeared in front of the tree by magic.
She stood for a couple of seconds, looking left and right while listening for any odd sound. Satisfied, she walked on. She would have to walk a couple of miles before she reached her destination. It didn't matter how long she had to walk, this was important.
Her walk turned to brisk walking and soon enough, a full-out run. She was quick and stealthy, the dried leaves on the ground barely scrunched as she stepped on them. She didn't make a sound, only a slight swish in the air, slight enough to go unnoticed.
She got to the edge and stopped running. Water was splashing over the rocks. She looked around, there was not anybody in sight but there wasn't much coverage, a guard could easily spot her.
She was away from the trees and the shade of their branches and leaves. She was worried though, it would be a quick dip. She needed to wash the grime and blood from her body.
Satisfied that nobody was nearby, she took off her boots, the knife fell out. She frowned, she could not remember returning it to her boots. She placed it on top of the boots and proceeded to take off the rest of her clothes.
With the flick of her fingers, her bra top untied, freeing its prisoners. They pushed forward like a clown popping out of the box. She rubbed the tips briefly, they felt a little sore.
The bra fell to her feet and she immediately took off the last piece of clothing on her. A pair of shorts slid down easily. Stark naked she crossed the rocks and stepped into the water and bent until just the top of her bosom her neck and head were out of the water.
It stung as the saltwater got into her cuts and bruises. She could have healed them but they weren't an inconvenience and she could barely feel the pain. Besides, she was used to a lot worse, and even with healing magic, those cuts took longer to heal.
She rubbed fast, her face would be the first to be seen and she knew it was a mess, she rubbed her arms and washed the blood off her fingers and the rest of her body before stepping out of the water.
She got dressed quickly and returned the way she came. She stopped in front of the cave with her full hands filled with fruits. She walked in and poured them on the ground.
"You are back! With more food. I told you, you did not have to."
"Yes," she said coldly, ignoring the rest of his sentence.
His gaze on her was intense and it made her a little anxious. He looked brighter, he was still malnourished, a bag of bones but she could leave him alone. He was going to be fine.
"Did you…" A slight pause and she turned to look at him. "Did you take a shower?"
She didn't respond at first but bent down to pick up her sword holder. She wrapped it around her waist before she softly said, "yes."
"Why do I get the feeling you're going out again?"
"Yes, I am."
"Want to say where and how long it would take you to come back?"
"I don't know but I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"My comrade, the one who would help us off this island. I don't know how long it would take but I should be back before dark."
"Don't you think you should wait until dark? You're not exactly hard to spot." He said as his eyes trailed from her feet to her head, his gaze hovered slightly in her chest area before going up to her face. It was a mere second but long enough for V to notice.
"True but the faster we can leave the island, the less restrictive our movements would be."
She didn't wait for a response before strutting out of the cave. She got in front of the tree and paused. Not a lot of light could pass through but it was still bright enough to see. Nothing was amiss but her ears could pick something.
Footsteps.
Feet hitting the ground in a rhythmical pattern and a few that were haphazardly walking through the forest. The search for them had begun. She bit into her cheek, if this was a known spot they were screwed.
She had found the cave by chance, she was backed against the wall by the creatures of the night, lesser demons who take on the form of animals to attack. She would have fought them off but she was already exhausted from the climb down. Luckily, she had slipped and fallen into the cave, for some reason something was keeping them from it. She could sense a spell.
She sighed, as quickly as she wanted to leave this island; she could not be rash and irrational. She spun and returned to the cave. Though going out in the dark was not advisable, she was certain she could outrun a bunch of lesser demons.
"That was fast," the demon boy said as she walked in.
She opened her mouth to explain but decided against it. She removed her sword harness and lay on the ground with her back to the ground. She placed her hands underneath her head and closed her eyes.
"Did something happen?" He asks after a while.
"Guards," she said with a slight shrug.
"Do you think they would find us?" He panicked.
"We will see." Things were not going as smoothly as she thought they would and it was beginning to get on her nerves. Nothing worked the way she thought it would.
It didn't help that because of her nonchalance she almost lost the demon boy. If a guard had found him before she did, there would have been hell to pay.
V's eyes suddenly flew open. She had fallen asleep. She frowned and sat upright, she needed the rest but she could tell she had slept more than she actually needed to. She had a lot to do and the faster she could get them done, the better for her and everybody else.
She turned her head sideways and the demon boy was fast asleep. She also noticed that he had eaten all the fruits and drank the water even though he had insisted he was fine. He needed proper food, the fruits weren't giving him enough calories and the faster he could eat proper meals, the faster they would be able to embark on the long journey.
There were animals to hunt in the forest, she had seen a couple of birds and other small animals. Catching them would have been as easy as plucking a flower. However, she knew better than to light a fire in the forest and the cave was too small to light a fire in it unless they did not mind the heat, she didn't but she could not say the same about her roommate.
He looked a step away from death's door. It was pretty obvious that the only reason he was still alive was because of the Demon King's blessing. He was pale, malnourished, and small. She could see everybody in his body through his skin. That was how bad the state of his health was.
She stood up without much noise and walked to the entrance, she looked up at the sky. It was dark but by the amount of light the space in the leaves allowed her to see, it looked like it would be a full hour before the sun would completely set and another hour before it would be dark enough for her to step out.
"Are you leaving already?" She heard his voice.
"Not yet," she replied and returned to the spot she had been lying down. She sat down and leaned her back on the wall.
He was lying down looking hard at the ceiling. She looked up and there was nothing there but he was still staring at it like he could see something she could not.
"Your comrade," he suddenly said. "Do you know where to find him?"
"Her, Deedee. Yes, I do. I was given directions a month back. I should be able to find where she is easy if the town has not changed much."
"Where are you taking me to?" He asked softly.
"My village, you should be safe there."
"How long would it take us to get there?"
"I don't know."
"'What do you mean?"
"I used a portal, I do not know the actual distance but Deedee would. She had to travel here."
"I see that is why she is so important."
"Yeah, she would have all the information we would need."
They fell silent and time passed. After about an hour, V jumped to her feet. "I have to go. Don't leave the cave, no matter what." She glared at him as she spoke.
"Jeez, I won't. I don't even think I have the energy to leave."
"Okay," just one word and she was gone.