"There was nothing," his voice shaky, "Just forest spread out. It doesn't end. No border. No clearing. Just trees, all around." Tris told them.
The words hit harder than any blow.
It was a big set back for them. They were trapped and became prey to both Okrum and this forest. If they couldn't even see the edge of this supposedly small forest, how will they escape it.
This forest connected Zorvath and Fyrndral. Towards the north, there was a barrier at the borders of both empires. They had been moving south to find the end of Sanlow
But now even it felt out of reach.
"What if forest swallowed Kurtos tribe too?" Valarie asked quietly.
"Its possible as they had just few houses, scattered across a wide area and they lived near the entrance of Sanlow. " Louis muttered.
The Kurtos tribe was once citizens of Zorvath. But years ago they fled and took shelter here. They were used as sacrifices in rituals,until ancestors of Draconis gave them permission to settle down in his dukedom.
"Every night forest takes more and more ground." William said, unease creeping in his voice. "If this keep going....how are we supposed to get out?"
No one answered. Because no one sighed.
" We can't stay at one place. Okrum is still inside this forest and we barely survived last time."
He was right. Okrum knew they were here and staying still at one place would put them in more danger.
They walked for hours, stopping only briefly to eat and rest. Tiredness was evident on their faces, but stopping for long wasn't an option. Exhaustion was getting heavy on them.
They had to cover as much ground as possible before the forest increased its area further.
On the other side,
The Duke left the fortress with few knights—knights of high order who had fought in wars before.
Caspian rode at the front on his war horse, pushing it hard, determined to cover the distance as quickly as possible.
Before leaving, he instructed Erwin to take charge of the fortress and handle other matters. He trusted Erwin with everything.
…
Night fell once more, Kai stopped near a tall and thick tree. Its massive trunk wide enough to conceal all of them. But there was no opening.
They ate as much as they could and hid beneath the enormous roots of the tree that rose above the ground.
It was cramped and uncomfortable, but they managed.
Tris and William wanted to cover more ground even during the night, but the others were too tired and couldn't keep up. Kai noticed the huffing of Remus and denied their suggestion.
Except Henry, everyone had fallen in deep sleep, exhaustion finally taking over. He chose to stay awake for first watch.
There was nothing but darkness. His eyes playing tricks on him, shaping figures in dark. His ears stayed alert, catching every little sounds, at one point, he could have sworn he heard someone weeping.
Then he heard it. Whispers. A lot of them.
He sat up instantly, listening more carefully. It wasn't hallucination but real. He shook Kai awake and picked up his sword, standing up.
Kai heard it too and was fully awake now, his hand reaching for his sword. One by one they all woke up and moved into formation.
They heard the snow crunch few feet away, like someone was walking on it. The whispers grew louder and closer. Whoever they were, they were now near.
Then someone emerged from behind the tree. Kai and the knights jaw dropped at the sight of the person standing before them.
"Oh. My. God" Will said staring at the person.
Then Jerry cried out and ran forward, throwing himself into the person's arms.
"Sir Gallantheart?" Kai spoke, slowly lowering his sword.
Alistair was tired and wounded but still carried Jerry warmly, patting his back. Jerry was crying as he held onto him.
"It's good to see you again, Alistair," Louis spoke, relief flashing across his face.
"You look old, Louis—and weren't you retired, Remus?" Alistair smiled.
"Duty calls, Alistair. A knight never retires."
....
Jerry gave Alistair a few fruits as he looked on the verge of collapsing. They sat together, Jerry's eyes red from crying.
Alistair was Jerry's uncle—and his only family alive. No one had told Jerry that his uncle had also disappeared with the villagers.
"So—what happened?" Kai asked.
"I…I don't remember. We heard the howl and were ready to fight the… Okrum. Then something happened. I was surrounded by the forest and all alone."
Alistair's voice shook. "Everyone disappeared."
They all saw a strong, fearless knight shaking and stumbling over his words. He looked the same as in their memories, but the forest had carved something into him.
They all needed rest for tomorrow. Many questions were still unanswered, but there wasn't enough energy left to ask—or explain.
Jerry curled up against Alistair as they both slept together. This time, Remus chose to stay on watch, unable to sleep.
Caspian stopped for only a few minutes to eat and rest before continuing. His worry grew with every passing moment. The knights were worried too, watching him push himself too hard.
"Your Grace, the horses can't run like this. They need rest," one knight said—but Caspian ignored him. He only wanted to see his son safe and without a scratch.
He noticed the horses slowing down, but instead of stopping, he took a horse from a traveler and gave him a pouch of gold coins. He continued his journey, leaving the knights behind.
He covered a distance of two days in one and a half. By then, the forest had crept closer, swallowing more land. Two more villages were gone after the Kurtos tribe.
He stood at the entrance of the forest, staring at it for some time. Then he walked forward and stepped in without hesitation and was thrown back by something.
It felt like a powerful wind had hurled him away.
He tried again. And again.
The result was the same every time.