Chapter 20: Wolbane
"Humans are kind of heavy," Kaedros muttered as he held her limp form in his arms. Her spear slipped from her hand and landed with a dull clunk.
He glanced at her face, peaceful, eyes shut, breath steady. For once, her expression was calm. No tension. No flicking gaze scanning for threats. No nervous twitch in her jaw.
"Must be the life she lived before," he murmured. "Like a rat."
He knelt and laid her down, pressing two fingers to her neck, listening for the rhythm of her pulse, then to her chest, smooth, even breaths. She was fine.
Kaedros stood over her, quiet for a moment.
"...Time to hunt," Kaedros said under his breath. If he was going to stay ahead, he couldn’t afford to remain the weak.
He needed more mana to advance himself. And knocking Taria out had been the ideal way to do with distractions.
He sniffed the air. Scents flooded in, wild moss, dry earth...then something sharp and burnt, like scorched leaves soaked in acid.
Perfect.
Kaedros took off at a sprint, moving like shadow through the wilderness. Branches swayed above, roots twisted below, but he avoided them all with the grace of a predator born to run.
He reached it in minutes.
An ancient tree towered before him, its bark wrinkled with age, the roots thick as his torso. At its base gaped a wide hollow, black as night and smooth with centuries.