Chapter 52: Chapter 52
Instead of taking the normal way out of the tent, Saulus waited for Venna’s signal of readiness before approaching the back of the living compartment. There, with just a gentle move of his hand, a small knife appeared in his palm, cutting the cloth of the tent open.
“Sir, Madam, this way please.”
Before the two of them moved out to the open area, the quiet voice of Vesser reached their ears. Given how it was the leader of Saulus’ personal guard that was responsible for preparing their little escape, this was one of the rare moments where he would listen to his subordinate. In this instance, both the chief general of the household and its crowned head, the queen herself, obediently followed the directions of the veteran.
“Firstborns gracious, this is so exciting…”
Whispering directly into Saulus’ ear, Venna could only blame the peculiar situation for not being able to notice his reaction. And it was quite picturesque, as Saulus never expected Venna to suddenly close in on his side before uttering those words in her gentle voice, directly into his eardrums.
“We are just sneaking out, what’s… ah, nevermind. I already managed to forget how much you hate to be stuck in one place. Well then, let’s just get away from the camp so you can finally have some fun.”
Changing his tone as soon as he took notice of that one particular point, Saulus moved his hand on top of his chest. If someone were to look at his face right now, they could see how it was slightly twisted with a look of intense, emotional pain.
Not like hunting is any fun, to begin with. Come on, isn’t it just a type of work like any other? As long as she gets to enjoy herself for at least a little while…Looking at the queen crawling right beside him, Saulus lips suddenly curved up in a gentle smile. The look of exhilaration, the sense of freedom that was oozing from her was enough to relieve the exhaustion that he was coping with at the current moment.
Lacking sleep wasn’t anything new for Saulus. From guarding duties in his early military days, through sleepless nights when the terrors of the past visited him in his nightmares… For Saulus, exhaustion was no longer just a minor annoyance to deal with, but a relentless part of his daily life. And as much as Venna’s aura was helping him relax, whenever he felt his focus waver a bit, Saulus would tightly press his fingernails against the inner palm of his hand so that the pain would wake him up.
In the end, the forest is not a natural habitat for humans. This place, as calm and eerie as it seemed to be, was a place where humans were no longer the top predators. Even though the entire outing was aimed at helping the queen let off some steam and relax, it didn’t mean Saulus or his men could relax as well.
“Sir, we are out of everyone’s view now. As long as we are moving quietly, we should be able to get off of the ground.”
Somewhere in the near distance, Vesser propped his upper body on his arms, scanning the area before reporting back to his superiors. Even though they were following his directions so far, it didn’t mean authority suddenly changed hands.
“Good. Is everything else ready?”
Finally allowed to stand up straight as a human should, Saulus didn’t wait to put his idea in motion. As soon as his back was straight once again, the young man stretched his hand to Venna, who was still gathering herself from the ground, and helped her get up properly.
“Now we walk just for a little bit more.”
Pointing his hand towards the deeper parts of the forest, Vesser didn’t bother to wait or even to check whether the two of them were ready to continue moving forward. He simply started walking towards the direction he pointed his hand at, assuming that neither of them would dare to miss the opportunity.
But it wasn’t an act of arrogance or his attempts to make the most of the moment when he seemed to have the authority. It wasn’t like Vesser wouldn’t dare to do so. His exploits on the campaigns with Saulus proved that he had the guts to do even more audacious things. Right now, the only reason why Vesser was acting the way he did, was to not attract the attention of anyone who could potentially see them.
And turning around to control someone’s movements was the greatest giveaway of such a person’s potential importance.
“For Firstrborns’ sake, I can’t wait!”
Allowing herself to get excited a bit, Venna gave away her mood with her words. Taking a look to the side, Saulus could tell from how her hands were trembling in anticipation that the small vacation he had prepared for her was exactly what she needed.
For such a free-spirit like her, as the saying went, being confined in the most luxurious of cages was still nothing but confinement. Even if she forced herself to cope with it just like Saulus did with his exhaustion, some breathing room was still necessary to keep going.
“Don’t worry. We are in the right place.”
After just a short walk through the woods, the small group finally entered a small clearing in the forest. Initially aimed to be a storage area for all the foodstuffs necessary to keep the hunting going, it was ultimately abandoned. Due to the delays, the workers had more than enough time to prepare simple shacks where the wares could be held, leaving this spot completely free.
There were several wooden poles stuck to the ground, with a small herd of horses bound to said poles. Two crates full of hunting equipment laying by the side only reinforced the image of this place turning into a proper headquarters of a hunter’s group.
“I hope you do remember how to shoot from a bow.”
Finally capable of speaking openly, Saulus turned his head to Venna beside him, only to see her already running towards the horses. Shaking his head, Saulus followed after her, before grabbing her arm and forcing her around. Only when her surprised eyes looked deeply into Saulus’ did he speak.
“Whatever happens during the hunt, do not leave my side. Even though we are going to hunt game, it’s still risky. We don’t know what might attack us during the hunt. So, can you promise me with all your soul that you won’t stray further than three steps away from me?”