69: A sequel of firsts

A sequel of firsts

Dressed in his thick maroon cloak that was pulled over his head, Egon stood tall in the middle of the sunflower meadow with a quiver of arrows securely fastened on his back.  0

Adela's footsteps crunching over the snowy terrain would have escaped the notice of any ordinary observer given the considerable distance between them, but not the beast that she cared about against her common sense. Egon did not immediately turn around but his back stiffened, silently acknowledging her presence.

She halted her steps a few paces from him.

Slowly, he turned his gaze towards her, his face partially obscured by the shadowy depths of his cloak, Neither one of them felt the need to say anything for a moment while they stared into each other's eyes. 

Her heart skipped a beat when he lifted his hand and pulled her cloak over her head, an enigmatic smile graced his well-defined lips in response.

"That's better," he murmured.

Embarrassed, she averted her gaze to the pointy arrows over his shoulder then shuddered as she recalled the men who had tried to attack her. She now knew him well enough to realize that Egon's most powerful weapon was himself.

"Are the arrows also part of your camouflage?" She asked.

"I don't need them, but they sometimes come in handy," he replied. His eyes trailed down to the dagger fixed to her belt. "Somebody your size should refrain from confrontations that require very close proximity," he scolded.

She knew that, and she was much better with a sword than a dagger. But her sword would be too inconvenient to travel with.

"My size is perfectly fine... it is you who happens to be above average," she protested in a mumble. "I will leave the long-distance confrontations to you."

His lips parted, giving the impression that he was about to speak, but then he seemed to reconsider at the last moment.

Adela's eyes drifted to the coal-colored mana stones on the ground, marveling at their perfect symmetry in the arrangement. Instantly, she recognized them, having witnessed the King employing similar ones before.

The realization struck her: she was truly going with Egon to Kolhis!

"Did you speak to Andreas?" she asked, knowing he was her only link to her sister now.

"He's not here," he replied, his expression revealing nothing.

Adela couldn't shake the feeling that Andreas had followed Larissa, almost certain he was there at the Baron's fief right now.

"Bastian knows that I'm leaving," he added with a tentative smile, as if trying to compensate for the limited information he shared about his cousin's location.

Adela's thoughts drifted to Egon's brother and uncle, now alone in the adjacent estate.

"Your uncle must be quite upset about your departure..."

Egon's lips — slightly above her line of vision — tightened into a thin line. But Adela did not regret her remark. There was no harm in acknowledging the truth. Any misfortune befalling House de Lanark would be welcomed by Leopold von Conradie.

A sigh escaped Egon's lips, his warm breath forming a mist in the chilly air.

"Uncle is preoccupied with a personal matter at the moment; he probably won't even notice that I am gone," he explained, nodding towards the inactive portal nearby. "Have you ever traveled through one of those before?"

Adela nervously bit her lip. "...I have never been away from the archduchy before... Could you please explain exactly where we will be arriving?"

Egon reached into the inner pocket of his coat, on the right side of his chest, and retrieved a red mana stone that appeared to be split into two halves.

"This will serve as a compass to guide our transportation to its other half. It is located in my house in Kolhis. For you and me, the time we spend traveling will feel like a prolonged moment, but in reality, we won't arrive in the empire until after sunset,"

"And how will we reach the Healer?" Adela inquired with a small voice.

"Someone I know will accompany us to meet him tomorrow morning," he assured her.

Anxious as she was, she kept her concerns to herself believing she had no right to complain. But her face betrayed her inner turmoil, her thoughts consumed by the strain on her father's failing heart.

Egon's voice was gentle when he spoke next, "Don't worry. If everything goes according to plan, you will be in Destan by tomorrow evening."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, her mind whispering the unspoken fear. What if Father doesn't make it until then?

"Traveling with your knight would have eased your mind, but for now, your only choice is to trust me,"

Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by the bitter farewell words of Arkin and the assumptions he made about Egon's expectations from Adela in return for his assistance. It was the last thing she wanted to dwell on, but it lingered in her mind.

Summoning her resolve, she locked eyes with Egon, "Why are you helping me?"

He appeared uneasy, his eyes shifting around as if seeking an answer themselves before returning to meet hers.

"You provided me with an infirmary without getting anything in return. This is my way of balancing the scales," he said with a straight face.

Apparently, no walls were required for her to be cornered by Egon this time. He extended his hand in a gesture she felt compelled to accept.

"Take it," he urged when she hesitated.

As soon as their hands connected, he entwined their fingers together, and Adela silently thanked the gloves they both wore. Egon guided her to the center line between the stones.

"Don't let go of my hand... If it becomes uncomfortable in there, just close your eyes," he instructed; the intensity in his eyes dimmed when she nodded. His other hand briefly touched his mouth as he bit the edge of the glove and then slowly withdrew it. Adela's eyes that traveled down his big yet elegant hand widened when they reached his wrist, peculiar crescent-shaped marks were a shade darker over it.

"What are these?" She asked, suppressing the urge to reach out and trace the marks with her fingers. She wondered if they were the reason why Egon always wore gloves.

"More scars,"

Egon closed his ungloved hand around the red mana stone and concentrated on their destination, leaving no room for more questions he wished to avoid for as long as possible.

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