Chapter 18
The heavy carriage groaned softly as it rolled onwards, the large wooden wheels crunching over the uneven dirt road. The reins in Tobias's hands pulled taut, guiding the four powerful black beasts that pulled the massive vehicle through the fading daylight. Inside, the scent of leather, herbs, and faint woodsmoke mingled with the chill that crept in through the cracks in the carriage's walls.
Sophia sat beside Tobias on the worn bench, the thick fabric of her cloak still wrapped tightly around her. The satchel with the provisions sat at her feet, untouched, though her fingers often glanced toward it as if it held answers she couldn't yet reach.
She looked sideways at Tobias, who seemed oddly comfortable and relaxed, a stark contrast to the weight pressing on her chest. His dark eyes held a constant sparkle, and there was nearly always a half-smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, like he knew a secret joke no one else did.
"So," Sophia finally said, breaking the silence. "I gotta say, you seem pretty easy-going for a guy tasked with dragging along unwanted refugees."
Tobias chuckled low, "Unwanted refugees? I don't seem to be dragging any along with me." He told her.
"Hello? The show fits me." Sophia said, pointing at herself which made Tobias laugh again.
"I like your humour," He said to her. "It is sharp and a little wild. It's refreshing." He glanced at her with genuine warmth. "It's not often I meet someone with humour like yours."
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Well, don't get used to it. Not everyone appreciates my brand of humor." Her eyes darkened with bitter amusement. "Especially not one particular brick wall who just sent me packing."
Tobias's smile softened. "I imagine not. I can only guess that Alpha Orion has his reasons, good or bad. Whether you like it or not." He shrugged in a way that suggested acceptance of complex truths.
Sophia sighed, leaning her head back against the carriage wall, eyes catching the darkening sky beyond the small window slats. "You're probably right. But it's hard not to feel like shit about it, you know? Getting told to leave like you're some rotting piece of meat." She kicked the seat lightly. "I'm not exactly a princess, but shouldn't someone around here try to help me figure this shit out instead of just shoving me out the door?"
Tobias gave a small, thoughtful nod. "It's complicated. I won't pretend to understand all of it. But you'll find that pack life isn't always about kindness. Sometimes it's about survival and tough choices. And like I said, I'm sure Alpha Orion has his reasons."
Sophia blew out a breath, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "I'm getting the impression you're the practical type. Do you always see the world through cold pragmatism?"
Tobias shrugged, eyes gleaming. "Maybe. Or maybe I just know when a fight's been lost before you even draw your sword."
A silence fell between them, weighted but not uncomfortable.
After several miles, Sophia's curiosity finally got the better of her again.
"So... what's with all the stuff in this huge carriage?" she asked, nodding toward the crates and boxes stacked behind them. "Weapons? Books? Jewelry? Are you running a traveling market or something?"
Tobias grinned, eyes twinkling with mystery. "Now that's a secret I'm not ready to share."
"Even if I offer you money?" She asked him.
"You don't have any money to give me though." Tobias pointed out.
"How are you so sure that I don't?"
"That's because I know you don't. Orion do you?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, no."
"There you have it. My secret remains untold."
Sophia huffed a scoff, crossing her arms. "You make it seem like you are carrying around the world's best-kept secret like a walking vault."
Tobias smiled at her, "Maybe, but you'll never know though."
The road stretched on, the sun dipping lower and painting the sky in shades of orange and bruised purple. Outside, the landscape rolled in muted tones of brown and gray, fields giving way to tangled woods as the cold deepened.
Hours slipped by in steady motion, the rhythmic clatter of wheels and growls from the beasts the only consistent sounds.
At last, Tobias slowed the carriage until it came to a halt at a fork in the road. He gestured expansively.
"This is where I leave you," he said, voice quiet but firm. "See there? That's the main road south." He pointed left, a broad dirt track running toward shadowed hills. "West runs through those woods over there. East cuts around the mountains. Any of those will take you somewhere."
Sophia leaned forward, peering at the landscape. But her eyes narrowed in confusion, despite the explanations, the paths blurred altogether, twisting away into jagged triangles of unknowns. She had no idea how Tobias was even able to tell which was which. Everything looked the same to her.
"Which way are you going?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "I don't know which way to go. Don't even know where I should go."
Tobias shrugged, leaning a little closer, lowering his voice. "Tell me where you want to be, and I'll help you figure it out."
Sophia bit her lip, hesitating. She should really have an idea on where to go but no one called to her. Instead she felt a dread curl up her stomach just looking at the vast expanse Tobias had pointed out. She didn't feel this dread when she had been in Orion's pack.
"I can't," she finally said, voice cracking slightly. "I don't know where I'm from, or anything. I've got no idea where that road should lead."
Tobias's grin wavered fractionally but his voice was steady. "Well," he said, "we'll just have to figure that out, won't we?"
Her eyes darted to him, "what do you mean?"
"I can help you, just until you get to a safe place." He told her.
She rejoiced at his words but then remembered when he had told her he only had a few hours to get to where he was headed.
"But you have somewhere to be and you can't be late." She pointed out.
Tobias sighed. "Yes, but you seem like you don't know what you are meant to be doing around here so…"
She resigned with a shake of her head. "No worries. I'll figure this out myself. Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone who recognizes me." She told him.
He sighed, folding his hands in his lap. Then, from a small pocket inside his jacket, he pulled out a delicate silver necklace. Hanging from the chain was a tiny whistle, finely crafted, shining faintly even in the dusk.
"This is for you," Tobias said, holding it out. "Blow it if you get into trouble. It's enchanted to send a message straight to the pack leader. They'll come for you, no questions asked."
Sophia stared at it, her initial instinct to return the gesture overwhelming.
He shook his head firmly. "Keep it. I'm only going to be gone for three days. When I get back, I'll look for you. I want to know if you're okay."
She hesitated, then slipped the chain around her neck, the cold metal a strange comfort against her skin.
"Thanks," she murmured.
"I'm going now," he said, glancing at the horizon. "Take care of yourself, Sophia. I really hope I get to see you again."
She nodded, giving him a smile which he returned.
As he melded into the gathering dusk, Sophia felt the silent pulse of uncertainty growing.
The fork in the road loomed before her, a yawning choice with no map, no signpost to guide.
She looked down each path, south, west, east,all seemed equally strange and distant.
Then, almost without thinking, she chose none.
Instead, she followed the faint tracks Tobias had made, disappearing in a direction opposite from those he'd pointed out.
Hours passed as she trudged through the biting cold, her steps echoing in the barren stillness.
The snow began to fall, a gentle dusting at first, then steady and thick, blanketing the earth in soft white.
Her breath came in clouds, mixing with the sharp scent of pine and frost. She thought briefly of Tobias's homeland, with its damp, cold forests and harsh winters. The snow felt familiar somehow, almost as intense as theirs.
"I'll make sure to find you when I'm done you bastard brick headed individual. Sending me a way just because you can't stand me. It's not like I even did anything wrong to you." She muttered as she walked, cursing Orion with every word she could think of.
She kept walking, the stubbornness that had always defined her resisting the pull to retreat.
As darkness folded around the trees and the moon cast its pale glow, Sophia's footsteps slowed.
She turned abruptly, recognizing a massive rock she had passed earlier, its carved symbols stark in the silver light.
A wave of cold dread settled in her gut. She had passed here before.
"Am I lost?" She asked herself like someone would answer her.