Chapter 13

He started looking around, as if trying to assess the area. I opened my mouth in protest but in a swift movement he covered my mouth with his hand and pushed me against a tree. He gestured me to keep quite by putting a finger on his lips. That's when I heard footsteps approaching. They were a group of 7 people, mostly men. I looked back at Lycargos who was looking in the direction from where the voices came. He looked tense, ready for a fight, and all I did was admire. He was close, very close. So close that I could smell the wine that he must have had earlier. I know I should have probably pushed him for coming this close. But I couldn't. I didn't want to.

The voices were coming closer and closer. He nudged me to move and I did. The group came so close, as if they stood on the other side of the tree. Lycargos reached for his sword with one hand while covering my mouth with the other. The group started to turn around and walk away. We waited patiently till we were certain that they were gone. With a sigh Lycargos moved his hand.

"May I ask who were they?"I asked.

"You may but I might chose not to answer you." He replied with a smirk. "But then again I just might answer, if you just say please."

I smiled and said" No."

"Well if you must know, it wasn't entirely my fault, and its a long story. I helped a woman escape her abusive husband and now they think it's my fault."

To this I raised an eyebrow.

"What? You don't believe me?" he asked.

"Oh of course I do. You're a saint afterall, aren't you? Helping women in need. You are a Hero Lycargos!" I said sarcastically.

"Well believe it or not but I did do it out of the goodness of my heart."

I raised an eyebrow and seeing the look on his face I laughed.

"No really, I genuinely wanted to help her. Do you find that so hard to believe?"

"Yes. Everything has a price. For you to do that just to help someone sounds a bit odd."

He laughed "Odd? Why? I have all the money I need. She was clearly too devastated herself to do me any favors. So why would I?"

"Fine St. Lycargos I believe you. But then why were these men after you?"

"Her husband convinced people that I was involved and catching me and his sister in a compromising situation didn't help either."

"What?" I felt slight tinge of something in my chest that made me literally shout at his statement. I don't know what this feeling was but I certainly didn't like it.

Lycargos looked at me, surprised by my tone. I tried to handle the situation "I mean, you helped his wife escape and now his sister? Really?"

"Well to be honest she was the one who started it, and I liked it."

Liked it? Really? I didn't know why I felt pangs of jealousy. I had no right to be. I didn't even know him and we kissed just once and that too not out of affection or love. Was he like this with all the girls? Not that I felt special or anything after that kiss but I just thought he could have been a little appreciative. That was my first kiss. And now it just felt wasted.

"So why are you here?" He asked breaking the awkward silence.

"I was running away from something." And there it was again. The thought of my father with another woman came back.

"From what?"

"Family, duty, I don't really know. All I know is that I ended up here before I realized it. And now I'm lost."

"So let's find a way out of here together." He said with a smile. I smiled back and then I realized, what was I doing?

"No. Thank you so much for your concern but I can find a way out myself." I turned and started to walk. I had just walked a few steps till I heard a loud roar and stopped.

"Are you sure that you can handle it on your own?" he said in his annoying, coy voice.

"Fine. Let's get out of here."

I had no choice. There was a much better chance of survival with him than without him. Even if a wild animal did attack I just had to run faster than him anyway. Right?

"Do you have a plan?" I asked.

"No honestly, but I think we should try and walk in the direction of the union road."

"Fine." I said.

"But we have to be extremely careful. It's not just the animals that we need to look out for. It's also the people and the tribes. I've heard they are savages and barbaric."

"And you, an Astmathian is saying that?"

"I take serious offence to that. Besides, have you ever even been to Astmath?"

"I don't even-" and that is when something pierced me in the neck. In a matter of seconds the world started to blur and I fell. All I could see was Lycargos trying to hold me from falling down. He looked concerned.

"Raven" is all I heard before everything around me went completely black. All I could hear was him standing up and drawing his sword.

And then the world went blank.