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Ernest nodded and closed his eyes. I watched as he attempted several times. The smell of food wafted into the field with us.
My gaze searched the tree line, wondering if it came from the portal or this realm.
It smelled so familiar. It plucked at the back of my mind. Maybe I was just hungry for something other than stale bread.
Ernest chuckled and clapped his hands as the portal closed. The silence that followed settled through me like a warm blanket.
“You did it,” I said.
Ernest smiled. “I did, thanks to you. Let’s get out of the open. I don’t like not having any cover.”
We walked toward the forest, which was connected to the dark one. Ernest slowed once we made it to the trees.
“Do you smell that?” I asked after several minutes.
Ernest took a deep whiff. “Pine?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s food….”
The shadows of the trees masked Ernest’s face, but I could see his frown. “Maybe you’re in need of something better than bread?”
“I’ve gone without for much longer than this.”
Ernest fell into step with me. “Do you enjoy your work as a bounty hunter?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I don’t like traveling from realm to realm. Earth has been my home for so long that I enjoy the calmness of it. I live in solitude in the woods. It’s better than being thrust into different realms, chasing people that don’t want to be caught. But it keeps me busy, and that's what I've needed to keep myself together."
“Josephine wanted to be caught. You truly are her hero. You see that, don’t you? How you’re the man in the book.”
I gave him a long side-eye. “I don’t believe in fairy tales, Ernest. They are made up from some author's imagination because they need a break from reality."
He stopped me. “I don’t know how you don’t believe because you’re living in one.”
“Fairy tales aren’t real.”
“So, you don’t think you’ll save Josephine, then? You’re just humoring her family?”
“I’m finished talking about fairy tales. This is real life. It’s not a fairy tale. We have a long walk. Let’s get to it.”
I began to stalk between the trees, walking toward what felt like my death. Ernest kept up most of the way until night began to fall, and he suggested we make camp.
He started a fire with magic, not that I was complaining. I was too tired to try it myself.
The Dark Woods were still miles away. It would take most of the next day to get there. Knowing at least a giant wolf waited for me didn’t sit right with me.
What else did Deidamia have up her sleeve?
Ernest brought out another loaf of bread and handed half to me. I nearly inhaled it. I stretched my legs outward. Resting my head against the trunk of the tree, I fell asleep immediately.
“Kellan.”
My eyes fluttered awake. Sunlight pierced my eyesight, and I rubbed the sleep away with the heels of my palms.
“It’s time to move,” Ernest said calmly.
He held a cup of water out in front of my face, and I almost swallowed it whole. “Thank you,” I groaned, using the tree trunk to stand up.
Ernest yawned and stretched his arms above his head. “We have a full day’s worth of walking,” he said. “Perhaps around lunch we can try to catch a fish. I’ve noticed several ponds around. I think you really need some protein.”
