XXXIX

                                    

                                          



Isla shuffled off the beaten path. Both arms were being forcefully gripped by middle-aged bandits who had stealthily kidnapped her when her companions were distracted. She knew she should have kept her hood up. 
"Who woulda thought we'd find a Fae so far from home?" One man cackled. His hair was a grayish brown cut short. It almost complimented his sun-kissed skin. 
"Seems almost like a waste to sell her. I knew the Fae were stunning, but her?" His companion let out a low whistle. His hair was grayer but ran past his shoulders. 
"You'd think, huh? Shame they're awful in bed." 
Isla winced at that last statement. Part of her was glad the Fae had such a bad reputation when it came to being intimate. They also didn't seem to catch on to the fact that she was only half Fae. Perhaps that was for the best. 
A large branch stuck up close to where they were walking. She knew she had no chance of breaking free of the two men who were clearly stronger than her, but perhaps she could try something else instead... 
Positioning herself closer to the branch, the side of her skirt caught onto it just as she intended. Since her captors hadn't caught notice, they continued to drag her ahead, her skirt tearing in the process. She was grateful when she looked back to see only a small piece had torn. She had no intention of stripping for these men. 
They had mentioned selling her, hadn't they? She had wondered if a certain someone had tasked these men to find her, but considering they hadn't realized the fact she was a half-Fae, it was safe to assume their buyer was someone else. 
Though... Why hadn't they thought to kill her? Surely, magic was far more valuable than any amount of gold? Or perhaps they simply didn't know. They didn't seem particularly smart when it came to the Fae anyhow. 
She shook her head, shaking the thought away with it. Wherever she was going, her companions would save her before that, right? 
--- 
"Why are you following the path?" Thea's voice could be heard from the sword. 
"It's the quickest way to wherever they were going, right?" Elric asked. 
"Quickest, yes. Tell me, if you had something of value that you stole, would you take the most obvious path?" 
"With that logic, they could be anywhere." Elric sighed. "Besides, they likely wouldn't have strayed too far from the path to begin with." 
"Look over here!" Gwyneth called out to the others as she ran deeper into the forest. Hanging off a branch was a strand of pale purple fabric. The same color that Isla was wearing. 
"Let's keep going!" Cetri beckoned as she sprinted through the trees, dodging stray sticks and rocks as necessary. 
They walked for several hours, but there was still no sign of Isla. They were certain they were on the right track as they came across footprints and drag marks, even a shoe at one point. At least for the first hour. After that, it was as if Isla had completely vanished. Did their means of transportation change? Was someone waiting for them further out to escort Isla? 
The sun had long since set, and the group begrudgingly took the time to rest and rethink their strategy. 
"The tracks ended," Gwyneth recounted. "They must have used a horse or wagon past that point. If we could just pinpoint where they're taking her, maybe we can still catch up." 
"Catch up to an animal? Yeah right." Aston clenched his fists. "We're wasting time by sleeping! Isla could be in danger. We should keep going!" 
"We're all worried about Isla," Elric tried to remain calm but his voice betrayed his anger. "If we keep going without a plan, we'll only be wasting more time. There's a sketchy tavern in Aeceria that seems unusually interested in Fae. Could they be taking her there?" 
"Cool. We've pinpointed the location. Let's go." Aston stood up from where he had been sitting by the campfire only to be dragged back down by Gwyneth. 
"We've established one place of interest. There could be more." She sighed, losing her patience. She tried not to be too harsh on him. After all, he was only worried. 
Aston laid his back against the ground, sighing as he listened to the others debate different possibilities. It annoyed him to no end that even once they reached a decision, they wouldn't immediately set off. They would sleep. A big waste of time. 
No, if he kept thinking about this, he would only get more frustrated. Time to think about something else. Like... Ares. How long would it be before Ares took control? And did the others really trust him? He didn't trust that sword. What was her name? Theo? Thea? 
Gwyneth noticed him tossing and turning and sat up from where she was sleeping. She sighed softly ensuring those around her wouldn't hear. Inching her way closer to Aston, she began. "I know you're worried about Isla but—" 
"Do you trust me?" Aston asked, catching the princess off guard. 
"What? Of course I trust you!" 
"Are you going to try to kill me again?" 
"...No." 
"What about Ares? Surely, you'll kill him." 
"Only if absolutely necessary." Gwyneth clenched her fists frowning at the ground. In truth, she didn't want to kill Ares. Not if it meant killing Aston. Was there no way she could reason with the other soul? Thea seemed to think not. "I don't want to kill you or Ares," she said truthfully. 
"That's nice of you..." Aston frowned. "I... I don't want to die. But I don't want you or the others to die either. If it's between me and them..." He stopped himself before the tears he was holding back began to fall. 
He had never been the selfless type — being selfless didn't come easily. Even though he wanted to be the selfless hero, he couldn't bring himself to make a noble sacrifice. Saying he was okay with dying for his friends would be a lie. He wanted Gwyneth to pursue other options even if it did put the world in danger. 
"I know." Gwyneth smiled sadly, misinterpreting his mixed feelings. "My kingdom comes first. I... I wish I had gotten to know you better." 
"I wish I hadn't been such an ass to you." That part was truthful. In hindsight, he wished he had put others before himself. Maybe then it wouldn't have been so hard to be selfless now. 
It wasn't long before Gwyneth drifted back to sleep and Aston found himself alone with his thoughts. 
Or so he thought. 
"Aston, correct?" The sword asked softly not to wake the others. 
"Yeah?" Aston whispered, raising an eyebrow. 
"Come closer." A pause. "I promise I won't try to kill you this time. It's about your magic." 
Aston pushed himself off the ground and made his way over to the sword — still keeping a meter away. He didn't trust that sword one bit. 
"Ares may have prevented you from using most of his magic, but you two are inextricably linked. There is one ability that you should still be able to access — teleportation," Thea explained. 
This only made Aston frown further. "I never mastered long distance teleportation." 
"Maybe because you didn't know how. It's quite different from short distance teleportation. Ares once explained it to me. First, you either picture the place or the person you want to go to." 
"Person?" Aston raised an eyebrow. He had always chosen a place when he had teleported before, never knowing there was another way. 
"Yes, it can be either. Next, you need to picture yourself deconstructing piece by piece, and reconstructing at the destination. If done right, you should arrive at the desired location unharmed. Be very careful when reconstructing yourself." 
"Why are you telling me this? Aren't I your enemy?" Aston asked. 
The sword sighed, something Aston wasn't aware she could do. "The sooner we find your little friend the sooner we can return to destroying you." 
Aston didn't like that one bit but nodded in acknowledgement. 
Hold on Isla, it won't be long now.