A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 12: My resolution to act. (Part 2)

Ardent rubbed his chin in thought, "I really can't say. You're a special case but with current theory you might age quicker than the average man."

"Great...."

Taylor purposefully rubbed against my side, "Don't worry Rain I'll still be with you anytime."

"Would it startle you if I said that didn't help?" I eyed her as she laughed and moved away.

We spent the next few hours looking around the vicinity of the Shaded Forest slowly working our way deeper into the confines. Taylor and I had experience tracking while Ardent scanned the area with his own magic. It was slow progress as we couldn't search large chunks of the area at a time, focusing on places that I knew could be used as hideaways. As the sun began to reach midday we found nothing.

I sighed and brushed off the sweat lining my brow, "Ardent do you see anything?"

"Unfortunately not," he shook his head. "If we were dealing with common bandits I could search most the forest in a single hour however if our enemy is as skilled as I suspect I must be more meticulous."

"Taylor?"

"Nothing here either," she poked her head from behind the trees. "Maybe they're hiding in the border forest."

"Maybe...." It was then that I saw it or more appropriately the lack of it. I walked over slowly and inspected the ground. Along with Morgan I had been through this area many times and there should have been a game trail here. Instead where the earth should have beaten and the grass pushed aside, it was like it had been regrown. "Ardent can you check this area."

He came over curiously, "Allow me." His eyes glazed over and flashed blue. "Interesting... someone has cast magic here to cover a trail. It's professionally done, even I would have missed it normally."

I frowned, "Can you tell where it leads?"

"Follow me," he gestured.

Like a hound on the trail Ardent followed a winding path through the trees until we reached a small area where the forest had opened to allow more space. It wasn't somewhere I had been before and looked entirely normal to me. Ardent however was nodding constantly and mumbling to himself.

"What is it?" I asked.

Taylor touched the ground, "Someone has been here... and recently. Call it intuition from having to hide myself a lot of the time."

Ardent poked the trees around him, "Taylor is correct. The area here has been masked by a very subtle magic."

"Can you tell when it was cast?" I needed to know where they could be. If it was in the matter of hours, Axel may be in danger already.

"Hold one moment," Ardent shuffled through his bag and took out what looked like a small pipe. He pinched a small bit of earth and put it in, lighting it with fire and with a puff smoked it. The smoke began to shift and change colour. "The spell was cast approximately 24 hours ago."

"That's when we arrived in Axel," Taylor commented.

I frowned, "Could it be possible they fled when they saw us arrive?"

"Likely," Ardent agreed. "If your vision was true having an unknown factor may be enough to retreat. More so if they knew who I was."

"What do you mean?"

"If the enemy is who I believe then at the sight of me, a Master wizard, it would be too risky to proceed. However I cannot say for certain if it is them or not."

"I see... can you trace where they went?" As long as they were alive somewhere in the world, Axel was still in danger.

"The trail leads this way," Ardent pointed west. Together we walked the forest in almost a straight line till we reached the end and it opened up into the plains. After a few more minutes it was clear that it was heading for the border forest.

"Does this mean it was the demons?" I mumbled more than asked.

"Possibly, however again we cannot be cer- Rain move!" Ardent suddenly yelled as we stood in the middle of the plains. The grass was up to our shins and I couldn't see anything dangerous. Still I did as told and jumped back as the ground beneath me rose in a bloom of earthen spikes. One caught my leg grazing the side of my thigh deeply. The earth began to rumble dangerously but at the same time Ardent clapped his hand and a burst of force blew away the dirt and grass.

He coughed as the dust settled, "Damn buggers laid a trap."

I managed to stand up, scanning the area for trouble "Taylor where are you?"

"I'm here," she appeared from the settling dust. "Surprised me but I've been through worse. You should see some of the traps the palace had in its treasury." Aside from a bit of dirt on her clothes she was perfect.