Page 58 of Demure
“It’s good to see you again, Sierra.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
As the shadow spoke, three things happened in Sierra’s mind simultaneously. First and foremost, her feet began to prepare to run for her life. She also began to wonder if she shouldn’t have trusted Aislan so easily, and perhaps this was a betrayal. But at the glint of vibrant red as it caught in the moonlight, Sierra’s heart both leaped for joy and calmed in recognition.
In front of Sierra stood Braan and Kaye, both dressed differently than when she had last seen them in the human world, now wearing long pants and what looked to be an old-fashioned long-sleeve dress coat, similar to what Aislan was wearing.
Before she could remember that she was indeed currently attached to Aislan, Sierra ran toward Kaye to give her a hug. Luckily, Aislan seemed to anticipate what she would do at the sight of her friend and stepped forward a few steps so the line between them wouldn’t pull taut.
As Sierra folded her arms around Kaye, she felt some of the tension leave her muscles for the first time since the night she had been kidnapped the week before. “I am so glad to see you,” she whispered into Kaye’s hair.
“I’m glad to see you as well. We were so worried.”
Sierra pulled back, looking at Braan over Kaye’s shoulder but not wanting to let go of her friend.
“I see you two got my message.” Aislan’s voice came from behind Sierra.
“I just can’t believe Conlan would do something like this,” Braan chimed in, stepping forward to place a hand on Sierra’s shoulder. “We are glad we were able to find you two.”
Kaye looked around them. “Aodhan?”
Aislan shook his head. “No, that’s where we were going next. I’m not 100% sure where they are keeping him, but we will try the general prison first.”
“We will come with you,” Braan said, as Aislan stepped past Sierra to take the lead.
“We will have to catch up later,” Kaye explained to Sierra as they once again prepared to enter the forest. “It’s better that we are quiet.”
Sierra nodded in understanding, and the four began to make their way through the forest, pausing for a moment for Braan and Kaye to tie their arms together so Kaye could be guided by Braan. What little Sierra had been able to see in the meadow was once again obscured by the inky black of the forest.
As the air around her grew heavy, Sierra remembered what Aislan had said about the forest being enchanted, and she now knew what he meant. The air surrounding them was warm and moist, and she could sense the life around them as they passed through the forest— not just the trees and plants, but almost as if the forest itself was breathing.
Although their group now had twice the number of people, Sierra noticed with a grimace that the sound of them moving through the forest hadn’t changed, meaning she was likely solely responsible for the noise she did hear, despite her best efforts to be quiet.
With four of them, their pace was slowed slightly because even though Braan could see in the forest without issue, Kaye was inmuch the same predicament as Sierra, though her better shoes kept her from tripping quite as frequently as Sierra tended to.
The forest grew more dense the further they went on, and soon Sierra could feel the branches slicing into her arms as they passed. While the first few didn’t bother her, soon, the branches began catching on to the already existing scratches, causing her to wince in pain and slow her pace.
After one such nasty cut, Sierra came to a stop, her right hand automatically coming to cover the slice on her left arm, her teeth gritting in pain.
Aislan came to a stop as well, but it was too dark for Sierra to judge whether he could see the problem.
“My arms,” Sierra whispered, hoping the scent of blood wouldn’t attract anything that was lurking in the underbrush.
Aislan didn’t answer, but Sierra heard shuffling before he thrust something made of cloth at her. “Stay still. I’m going to untie the band so you can put this on.”
She felt his fingers brush lightly over her wrist, tapping it when he was done so she knew she was free. Holding the garment he had handed her, Sierra began to explore the garment with her fingertips, trying to figure out how best to put it on. It wasn’t something she had worn before, and Aislan must’ve grown impatient because, within a few seconds, he was directing her arms into different armholes and buttoning up the front for her.
As soon as the front was secure, Aislan was tying the cloth around her wrist again, and they continued to make their way through the forest. Since Aislan had said he didn’t have any other clothes, Sierra could only assume that she was wearing one of his garments now, and she hoped that he was faring better with the sharp branches than she was.
They traveled through the trees for what Sierra was sure was hours. In fact, at one point, she began to wonder if the sun had indeed already risen, but the forest overhang was just too dense for them to notice. Just as she was about to ask for a break, convinced her legs would give out at any moment, they came to astop at the base of a large tree. Or at least what Sierra assumed was a tree.
“You two go first,” Aislan hissed at Braan, and Sierra heard a frantic rustling in the darkness.
As soon as the rustling stopped, Aislan turned to her. “Climb on my back.”
Sierra knew Aislan was taller than her, but he hadn’t looked near as built as Aodhan, making her a bit self-conscious as to whether he could carry her weight or not.
“Are you sure?”
