Chapter 85
Betrayed by Blood
The forest felt like it was closing in around him. Xander wiped the sweat from his brow, his sharp eyes darting between the trees. He could hear the faint rustling of leaves, but whether it was the wind or someone following him, he didn’t know. Paranoia had become his closest companion.
His stomach growled, and his legs felt like lead. He hadn’t stopped moving since dawn, and the town ahead promised some semblance of rest. Or danger. Probably both.
He was exhausted. After his fist to Lydia, who he was now certain couldn’t help him, he had been on the run. Stopping for minutes to rest his muscles. He hadn’t had a good sleep in a week and he was only running on the thoughts of finding the bastard who sells the poison. There he could trace it back to the day of the blood hunt and figure out who bought the poison.
As he approached the edge of the forest, he heard loud voices in the air and halted in his steps, his eyebrows furrowing. It had been days since he heard anything like a voice. His only company had been the animals that resided in the woods.
He stopped, crouching low, his eyes sharp and assessing, he watched as three men walked along the trail toward the town. They were laughing, their voices loud enough to carry but not loud enough to sound careless.
Xander debated. Walking with them might draw less attention than sneaking around. Then again, if one of them recognized him... He clenched his jaw, adjusting the hood of his cloak. No choice.
He stepped onto the trail, falling into step behind them.
One of the men glanced back. "Hey, stranger! Are you heading to town too for the upcoming moonlight festival?"
Xander almost stopped in his tracks. The moonlight festival was already around the corner, and his life was still in shambles?
"Hey! You there?" The man called out again, jolting him from his thoughts.