Heart Over Sword
Chapter 206: Laughing Cats (1)

Chapter 206: Laughing Cats (1)

Evanna didn’t mention every aspect of what had happened to her, especially moments between her and Arawn, which was private though she did explain how he helped her with the elven gifts. Her story took them well into the night, and near the end, she was yawning, her head falling to the side of Ger’s shoulder, whispering the last words. Ronan passed out once she’d escaped the palace and ran into Conrad, but Axel remained awake with them, being the closest.

The icy elven prince had continued facing the other way though Evanna suspected he’d fallen asleep as Garrett returned and switched places with him. She awoke in the early hours of the morning, before first light, when Ger was rocked away to take a shift. With the group expanded in size, minus the night fae, they could all get more sleep than previously.

By the time Evanna woke up, the last remnants of the fire were left in tendrils of smoke, the blue flames now extinguished. The chill made her clutch the cloak around her tighter while blinking away the sleep from her eyes. Arawn was awake, already talking in hushed whispers with Garrett away from the camp. Ger was returning from his shift while Ronan and Axel continued to sleep; Fiza, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

Evanna stood, a frown forming between her perfectly shaped brows.

"Where is Fiza?" She asked nobody in particular.

Ger scowled in the direction where the night fae had been sleeping; his hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword. "Scouting ahead," Garrett replied, amusement dripping in his voice as he watched Ger.

Not liking the way he watched Ger mockingly, Evanna snapped, "I am surprised you trust her enough to leave the camp, scout and report back."

"Good morning to you too, princess. Was your rough night sleeping against a rock, not to your liking?" Garrett smirked, enjoying the irritation flaring in her eyes. But one fist bump to his chest from Arawn quietened his teasing.

"Fiza may not return. She might die or leave intentionally. That is up to her," Arawn spoke, holding her gaze, then added. "We are not responsible for the woman."

He strolled towards her, his brows furrowing as she started to stand and once he was before her, his hand cupped her cheek. "I do not want to see any guilt in your eyes, Evanna," he whispered. The iciness she felt from him the night before had vanished, making her believe she may have imagined it because right now, all she could feel was the warmth of his hand and see the softened expression behind those pale blue eyes.

Axel loudly coughed from behind Evanna, making her jump, and Arawn smirked in his direction while his hand fell to the side. "We should go." The giant placed a hand on her shoulder, and she tilted her head up, looking behind her to see Axel watching Arawn through a narrowed gaze.

"That we should," Evanna replied gently, turning away from them both to grab her swords.

The group continued on their journey without eating, but their plans were to hunt further along the plains where there was a lake. The downside was the land was dangerous, with more monsters lurking about. But their group was strong, and Evanna remained confident with them, though she didn’t let it blind her. She remained just as vigilant as the others.

Two hours later, Fiza silently appeared behind the group. At first, nobody noticed until she walked up to Evanna’s side. The princess blinked profusely, surprised by her sudden appearance. "I thought you left?" She asked though she was doubtful from the beginning considering Fiza was journeying to Lyvaria as well.

Fiza shrugged. "Scouted ahead. There is a nasty clan of laughing cats we need to avoid."

At her comment, the men stopped and stared at her. "How many?" Arawn asked, followed quickly by, "Where did you see them?"

"Are they hunting? Or terrorising for fun?" Ger asked next, making Evanna frown. She had not heard of these laughing cats before, but she felt like the name made them seem less threatening. Though looking upon everyone’s faces, she knew that was not true.

"A small clan of seven, but they wore armour, ready to battle, it seemed. I do not have information on their lands, but they do not need their armour to hunt. I do not know the location, but they looked like they were going towards the northeastern border."

"The border?" Arawn and Garrett shared a glance. "To terrorise then. But why.."

"And in such a small group. Seven?" Ronan muttered, and the men nodded, murmuring in agreement, each lost in their thoughts. "They don’t need many, though.."

Evanna looked between them all, feeling somewhat lost, but she decided to be even more vigilant now. "Raven, stay in the middle." Axel grabbed Evanna’s arms, lifted her like she weighed nothing more than a feather, and moved her from outside the group to the inside.

She narrowed her eyes at him and then the other men and glared at Fiza, who snickered. "I am perfectly capable of defending myself. Now stop treating me like a porcelain doll." To make her point, she grabbed Axel’s wrists and flipped up and back, brushing her boot lightly against his chin but enough for the giant to fall to the ground.

Evanna landed gracefully and walked between Garrett and Arawn, ignoring everyone’s looks before they all burst into hearty laughter. Her lips tugged up into a small smile, and her cheeks warmed, feeling better for knocking her friend to the ground. But Axel was the one who laughed the most.

"And what a fine fighter you are," Arawn purred. Evanna’s head whipped to the side, almost stumbling over her feet at how Arawn snuck up to her so closely. So much for her sixth sense. But her shock soon dissolved into butterflies in her stomach at his close proximity. Arawn smiled charmingly at her making her breath hitch and her gaze lowering to his lips.

They had already kissed, and in moments like this, she craved to be kissed again. "Steady now." Arawn caught her arm after a pebble; that’s right, a small stone caused her to stumble. "We can’t be distracted on such grounds now." His smile dropped as he looked over his shoulder.

"Garrett, upfront. Keep her company. Maybe you can resolve your differences as well?" He looked at the elf meaningfully before he released Evanna, being careful she had her footing before stepping away.

Garrett stepped up and glanced at Evanna from the corner of his eyes. He made an incohesive comment, but she was certain it was nothing friendly. She began to part her lips, but he looked away. With a sigh, she looked away. It was better they didn’t have a conversation that would most likely get heated, especially with Garrett’s sharp tongue.

With an awkward silence between them that they both purposely ignored, they continued to scan the area. The tall blades of grass slowly started to filter and become scarce, growing shorter until they were in an ordinary plain, one that was open without anything to keep them hidden.

"Remain vigilant," Arawn spoke from behind them. "This is where most beasts hunt."

"You’d think the prey would move locations," Ronan grumbled.

"The lake is nearby. Where else would they go? Besides, isn’t it easier to be prey than a predator?" Ger replied quietly, but Evanna could hear them from up front. Nobody responded as the wind picked up and the sky gradually darkened.

It had grown incredibly quiet as they’d stepped onto the open field. Evanna didn’t like it; her body was tense, eyes ever watchful, but with the daylight only moments away from extinguishing their sight altogether, she unsheathed her swords quietly. Behind her, the princess could hear the others draw their swords, and the flickering of a tiny bluish flame glowed behind her.

Fiza cupped the flame, it provided some light, but Evanna knew that wasn’t the only reason it was alight. Fiza could see in the dark; her eyes seemed to grow brighter as the sun went down. "How much farther until the lake? Is it safe to camp there?" Evanna whispered, not daring to speak any louder.

"The lake is safer than these plains. We will leave at first light," Arawn replied just as quietly. "Fiza, extinguish that light. It draws too much attention to us."

"Do you not wish to see?" The fae taunted with a slight bite to her tone as though being nice was hard for her. Maybe it was?

"It is imperative we do not draw attention to ourselves first. There is a great deal out there that can kill us, if not by pure strength or speed, then by luck because our senses are not as sharp as theirs," Arawn snapped, but his voice was still low. The blue light extinguished, and the last of the sunlight flared a bright orange across the ground before everything darkened.

"I agree with-"

"Stop speaking," Evanna warned the group as a sharp, icy tingle vibrated through her, awakening her senses more. "We are not alone."

At her statement, high-pitched giggling sounds echoed around them as though whatever they were taunted and laughed at them.