Chapter 27: Do You Want to Live Forever?
A soft wind set the trees to swaying, their branches rubbing against each other with a soft rustle. The long shadows they cast melded into one singular mass as twilight's last glow began to fade.
Sharath remained motionless, hiding behind a thick tree trunk and peeking around its side as she waited. Despite the onset of night, the forest remained eerily quiet. Aside from the wind, the only other sounds that reached her were those of insects and a few nocturnal birds that warbled and hooted softly above her—which ones, she wasn't sure. Merethe would probably know.
Her eyes briefly flicked toward the dark pool where her sister hid. Despite being unable to see the [Ranger], Sharath knew she was there.
She willed herself to stillness, focusing on the task at hand. She didn't have to wait long. The birds fell silent as a distant sound of clanking reached her ears, followed by footsteps. A group of eight men stepped into the clearing before her, the light of their torches glinting off of their breastplates and carving out a small island of visibility among the darkness.
With a final nod to the shadows, she stumbled into the clearing. Her mussed up hair hung about her shoulders, bits of leaves, twigs, and even a bit of dirt stuck within. One of the ragged old cloaks that her sister hoarded compulsively hung about her figure in similar disarray. A look of frightened panic completed the picture of a harried woman fleeing from danger.
Sharath emerged on the opposite side of the clearing from the patrol, just as they'd planned. Before she could even make a sound, however, one of the patrol members spotted her. At a word, the entire eight-man team snapped to attention.
"Who goes there?"
Torches were held aloft as the men peered forward, beginning to make out her form in the dimness. Sharath turned toward them, her eyes wide. "Oh, thank the gods! Help me, please!"
The patrol exchanged glances. But rather than approach, they began to bunch together and close their ranks, quickly retrieving tall red and gold shields from their backs. One of them, probably the leader, called out in a clipped voice. "State your name and intentions."