-HER-

"You didn't tell me what are you doing here," I reminded him, "Are you following me?" I couldn't help but ask. I've crossed paths with him an unhealthy amount of time to consider this some sick trick of fates.

My question instantly injected the air around us with thick tension. Something flashed in his eyes.

It's part of common sense that I should be cautious of him, but deep down, it sparked my curiosity for him instead. A thousand million questions ran through my head about him.

"Following you?" He smiled. His smile wasn't fake, but it wasn't entirely genuine either. It sounded as if he was amused at something about me or maybe the situation. He further closed the distance between us and plucked the bag of stones out of my hand, gently brushing his fingertips against my skin.

Instantly, those strange sensations sprouted on my skin from his touch. I was still confused about what they were but every time I felt them, it clouded my mind for a few seconds with dark cravings.

"I wonder what gave you the idea?" He pressed, eliminating all the distance between us. My heart throbbed in my chest for having him up this close and with the residue of his mystical touch still dancing on my skin.

"I have a lot of reasons to think that," I muttered, fighting hard to think straight at that moment.

"Then you must possess something I've been looking for," He responded darkly. A shiver ran down my spine. I didn't know what he was talking about, and I was sure that I didn't have anything he could possibly want but still... the way he said that, it felt like I owed him something.

"In that case, what are you looking for?" I had to ask.

What could he want from me?

"Where are you headed to?" He changed the question suddenly. The horse neighed behind him, snapping me out of the trance. I had forgotten that we were blocking the caravan's way. The caravan master, mounted on his horse, looked impatient, but why didn't he say anything to Nico?

After all, Nico was a traveller bound to follow the caravan's rules. The caravan master was to decide everything but judging by the small exchange he had with the caravan master a few moments ago, it felt like the latter was obeying him.

"To the town," I blurted out.

"Great, we're headed the same way. You can come with us," He offered, reaching for my hand.

"You didn't—" I tried to protest, but he held my hand and led me off the caravan's way.

"We can talk on the way," He promised before leading me towards his horse. The caravan had started to proceed by then. He helped me onto his horse, but he didn't get up. "I will walk," He answered my unasked question.

"Where's my bag of stones?" I asked after checking if I had everything with me.

"I'm going to keep it with me for a while," He answered darkly.

"You wouldn't steal them, would you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. The man riding behind us chuckled and responded. "I wouldn't trust him with those if I were you,"

"Give them back to me!" I demanded.

"You'll have them soon," He promised, throwing a look at the man behind him. For some reason, he looked a bit familiar to me. I was sure I had seen him somewhere but couldn't put a finger on it.

"What are you going to do with them," I asked. "Are you keeping them with you to ensure I don't run away again?" I tested.

"Maybe," He answered, looking ahead. We were closer to the town, and even though I had no intention of going there, for the moment, I decided to stick with him for a while.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked him next. "Are you here for the festival?"

"You can say that for now," He answered before we entered the town. The Caravan members dispersed, leaving me with Nico and the other man, who seemed to be Nico's friend. He gave me a strange knowing look before parting his way as well but not before promising Nico to meet him soon after the festival.

"So, where do you want to go from here?" Nico asked when only the two of us were left. I shrugged and responded, "I thought you wanted to see the festival,"

He gave me a long hard look before he said, "If you say so,"

After depositing the horse in a stable, we set out in the town towards where the festival was taking place. This time, Nico made sure to lace our fingers together and keep me close. I tried hard to fight those strange sensations running over my arm while he led me through the massive crowd.

"I think the shrine is that way," I suggested, pointing in another direction. He raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "You know this place?"

"Sort of,"

"Do you live here?" He asked, sounding interested.

"No. I just know this place," I clarified before the two of us headed towards the shrine where the main festival was taking place. Meanwhile, a colourful carnival had been arranged in the town's square for the celebration.

"So, what brought you to this town?" He asked me.

"Nothing... and everything," I answered as we headed towards the shrine located on a small mountain. The ancient stone monument was visible from the town, peaking from the tall trees.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"I don't know,"

"So you don't know why you are here?" He asked, but he didn't sound surprised. I chose not to respond to the question. By now, we were already near the shrine steps.

"Do you want to go up?" I asked, eyeing the stairs that disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

"What's in the shrine?" He asked me.

"It usually has some ancient artefacts, but most importantly, it used to be the home of Valdeme—"

"—THERE SHE IS!" Suddenly, someone yelled. I looked around for the voice until my eyes landed on the woman from the town's guild whom I was trying to scam earlier. This time, she had a dozen troops with her.

"GET HER!"

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