Chapter 11: When It Rains, It Pours
Two hours later, the skies opened up. Rain poured outside as I lay warm and dry in my bed made of flowers. I can hear curses and the men struggling to build tents as I drift off to a peaceful sleep.
When morning arrives, I wake up and stretch as my makeshift home slowly pulls away and goes back to normal. I brush off my dress before walking back to the campsite with the others. I try to keep the smile off my face but the one in my eyes was harder to hide.
They all looked like drowned rats. I come to a stop, dry and looking well rested. The men all look at me with mixed looks of confusion, envy, and annoyance. I ignore them all as Li Jie says "Let's get a move on. The next town is a half days ride. Once we get there we can rest up and dry off."
The men grumble but they don't say anything else as they all gear up to ride once again. Li Jie's eyes land on me with surprise. Guilt flickers across his face before he clears his throat and makes his way over.
When he comes to a stop in front of me, he awkwardly clears his throat and says "You were right... sorry. But I told you to keep the horse tied up. He's gone so now I have to let you ride with me which will slow us down."
As he says this, the horse walks up behind me and nudges my shoulder while chewing on something he found. Li Jie looks at the horse with a blank look before looking back at me. He opens his mouth to say something but instead, he snaps it shut. He turns around and walks away with red ears.
I smirk and lift my hand up to pet the horse before saying "Good boy" Once everyone was ready, we were back to riding. Just like the day before, I use my magic to keep myself comfortable as the others suffer from chafing the whole way.
As we come closer to the city, Li Jie lifts his hand, signaling everyone to come to a stop. He makes a hand motion causing several men to jump down from their horses. They pull weapons from their bodies as they all become alert.
Li Jie makes a point to look at me and mouth "Stay" I give him the "okay" hand single which causes him to frown. I wave him off with a huff and stay seated on the horse. He slides off his horse and pulls out a sword of his own as they move forward.
I look up at the bright sun peeking through the tall trees above me before taking a deep breath. When I smell blood, I slowly look back in the direction they all disappeared in. I have a conflicted look on my face as I think about why I'm here.
Li Mei asked me to keep her brother safe... I can't do that if I'm back here sitting on a horse while taking in the flowers. I sigh before sliding off the horse and silently making my way toward them. I immediately regret getting off the horse.
I really don't get along with leaves on the ground and now that it has rained, it was even more slippery! I do my best to keep walking as I make my way over but when I come to the ledge, my foot slips and I tumble down the small hill.
All the men at the bottom stop with swords drawn. They all turn to watch me slide down using my face as a buffer. Thankfully it was short-lived. I lay there, unmoving as embarrassment washes through me. Should I just act dead? Should I make the ground eat me and spit me out back by the horses?
Before I fell, I saw that we were outnumbered by several men with weapons so no matter how much I want to disappear, I force myself to stay. My embarrassment bleeds into anger as I use my magic to lift myself straight up.
Little did I know that but doing so, I would freak everyone out. Even our men! They all jerk back, stiffening in fear and surprise.
My hair was now in my face, covered in dirt and leaves and my white dress hung from me in torn places. The big scary men look at me in silence as their hands holding their swords begin to shake.
Screw walking on this shit! I use my magic to hover as I begin to float toward Li Jie. The men scream and all stumble away as many of them yell out "GHOST!!" "RUUUN!!" I pause, lifting a hand to pull my hair away as the big scary men run away without looking back. I blink several times but then shrug. I guess this works too.
Our men stay standing but look spooked. I guess they knew it was me but I'm guessing it was still a sight to see. I blow a few strands of my hair out of my face as I say, "I smelt blood and was worried." Li Jie looks relieved but also disturbed as he mumbles something under his breath.
I awkwardly clear my voice as I say, "How much further until the next town?" He looks as if he wants to ask or say a million things but all he can say is "It's not even a ten-minute ride." I nod and float back in silence.
The men quickly move out of my way with fear in their eyes but don't say a word. For that, I'm grateful. I hate the woods... When I reach my horse, I climb on and mumble "I'm not getting back down until we're on solid ground..."
The horse makes a noise in agreement as I try to act as if I don't look like the walking dead. When we finally make it to the next town, I make it my life's purpose to find the nearest Inn. I ignore the looks as I make my way to the Inn and into my room.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone