Free Web NovelChapter 28: The Problem With Running Into Things
Nobody moved.
The forest was still making that awful sound.
Branches snapping.
Trees shaking.
Something large forcing its way through without caring what stood in the way.
But for the first time since it started, Seraphina wasn’t focused on the forest.
She was looking at Lyra.
Lyra looked annoyed.
Actually annoyed.
Not smiling.
Not amused.
Just annoyed.
That was somehow the most concerning expression she’d made all night.
Seraphina pointed immediately.
"See?"
Kael didn’t take his eyes off the forest.
"See what?"
"She’s making a normal face."
"That is your concern right now?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it’s the first honest thing she’s done."
Lyra stared at her.
"That doesn’t even make sense."
"Neither do you."
Another crack echoed through the trees.
Closer.
Much closer.
The figure near the entrance remained still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then, unexpectedly, it turned away from them completely.
Toward the forest.
Toward whatever was approaching.
Seraphina frowned.
"That’s rude."
Kael looked at her.
"What is?"
"We’re being ignored."
"I don’t think that’s the problem."
"It is a little bit."
A few seconds passed.
Then something burst from the tree line.
Not a monster.
Not a giant beast.
Not a nightmare creature.
A horse.
A completely normal horse.
The horse sprinted straight out of the forest.
Panicked.
Foam around its mouth.
Eyes wide.
It crossed the clearing so fast nobody had time to react.
Then another horse appeared.
Then another.
Then five more.
A stampede.
The animals thundered across the clearing.
Past the building.
Past the trees.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence returned.
Seraphina blinked.
"That was anticlimactic."
Kael frowned.
"No."
"No?"
"Something scared them."
The realization settled immediately.
"Oh."
"Yes."
"I preferred being wrong."
The ground shook slightly.
Not from footsteps.
From impact.
A heavy thud somewhere deep in the forest.
Then another.
Far apart.
Slow.
Whatever was moving wasn’t rushing.
It didn’t need to.
Lyra finally spoke.
"That’s strange."
Seraphina looked at her.
"You keep saying that and every time my life gets worse."
"Fair."
"Stop agreeing." freёwebnovel.com
The figure near the entrance suddenly moved.
Not toward them.
Not toward the forest.
Toward a wall.
It reached out and placed a hand against the stone.
The entire structure hummed.
A faint blue light spread through old carvings hidden beneath dust.
Lines appeared across the floor.
Ancient symbols.
The hall brightened slightly.
Seraphina immediately stepped backward.
"No."
Kael glanced down.
"What?"
"Ancient glowing symbols."
"And?"
"Nothing good ever follows ancient glowing symbols."
Lyra looked genuinely curious.
"How many ancient glowing symbols have you encountered?"
"Too many."
"You are twenty."
"Too many."
The light continued spreading.
Not aggressively.
Just steadily.
The figure stepped away.
Its job apparently finished.
The strange thing was...
The pressure in the air disappeared.
The uncomfortable feeling vanished.
The building felt safer.
Not dangerous.
Safe.
Kael noticed too.
"It’s protecting the structure."
Lyra nodded slowly.
"Looks like it."
Seraphina stared.
"You brought us here without knowing that?"
Lyra coughed lightly.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Maybe."
"You are unbelievable."
"I hear that a lot."
A sudden yawn escaped Seraphina.
Everyone looked at her.
She looked offended.
"Don’t."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"You yawned."
"That was a tactical yawn."
"There is no such thing."
"There is now."
The fact that she was tired only made her grumpier.
Which was saying something.
The last few days had been ridiculous.
Running.
Escaping.
Ancient facilities.
Political nonsense.
Bounties.
Mysterious women.
Whatever Lyra was.
Her bed at home suddenly seemed wonderful.
She hated that realization.
The distant impacts continued.
Slower now.
Farther away.
Whatever had frightened the horses wasn’t coming here.
At least not tonight.
Kael finally relaxed slightly.
Only slightly.
Seraphina noticed immediately.
"You’re doing the thing."
"What thing?"
"The thing where you pretend to relax."
"I am relaxed."
"That’s a lie."
"Probably."
Lyra walked toward a broken section of wall and sat down.
Like she planned to stay.
Seraphina pointed.
"Why are you still here?"
"It’s night."
"Yes."
"People sleep at night."
"That sounds fake."
Lyra laughed.
There was the smile again.
Unfortunately.
Kael sat near one of the pillars.
Not because he trusted anyone.
Because standing forever wasn’t practical.
Seraphina remained standing.
A matter of principle.
Three minutes later her legs hurt.
A matter of consequences.
She sat down too.
Nobody commented.
Thankfully.
Silence settled over the hall.
A surprisingly comfortable silence.
Not awkward.
Just tired.
The kind shared by people who had survived too many strange situations recently.
For a while nobody spoke.
Then Lyra looked toward Seraphina.
"Can I ask something?"
Seraphina immediately looked suspicious.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether I like the question."
"You haven’t heard it yet."
"Exactly."
Lyra shook her head.
"Where are you actually going?"
The question lingered.
Kael looked up slightly.
Not because he didn’t know.
Because he wanted to hear the answer too.
Seraphina opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Then frowned.
Then stopped again.
Lyra noticed.
Kael noticed.
Unfortunately.
"You don’t know."
"I know."
"Where?"
"Away."
Kael sighed.
Lyra laughed.
Seraphina pointed at both of them.
"Away is a direction."
"No it isn’t."
"It absolutely is."
The annoying part was...
She didn’t really know.
The plan had been escape.
Then survive.
Then keep moving.
Everything after that was unclear.
For the first time in a while, that bothered her.
Only a little.
But enough to notice.
Kael seemed to understand.
Because he didn’t push.
Just looked away and changed the subject.
"We’ll figure it out."
Simple.
Casual.
Matter-of-fact.
Like it wasn’t a problem.
Strangely enough...
That helped.
Seraphina looked away before either of them noticed.
"Obviously."
Outside, the wind moved through the trees.
Inside, the ancient lights continued glowing softly.
The strange figure remained near the entrance.
Silent.
Watching.
But no longer threatening.
For the first time since leaving the town...
Nobody was chasing them.
Nobody was trying to arrest them.
Nobody wanted information.
Nobody wanted favors.
Nobody wanted marriage.
Just one quiet night.
A ruined building.
And an uncertain road waiting tomorrow. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Honestly?
That sounded pretty good.
Even if Lyra was still here.
Which remained unfortunate.
