Chapter 124 I’m Here Now

Chapter 124 I’m Here Now
When I turned to look at Sigrid, she was already bolting straight into the dense forest. Shit! I hadn't tied her up properly!

I snatched up my bag immediately and sprinted after her. I had never been taught how to navigate through tree branches, but I managed to do it anyway! It must have been the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Sigrid!" I screamed her name as if she would actually listen to me. "Whoa! Whoa! Stop! Whoa!" She was slipping further and further away!

I screamed as my foot slipped off the branch I was stepping on. I crashed down through lower branches before slamming hard onto the ground. I scrambled back up immediately and kept chasing after Sigrid.

"Fuck!" I cussed out of sheer frustration.

I couldn't lose her. Azi would be furious. I knew just how much she meant to him.

Panting heavily, I finally skidded to a halt when Sigrid vanished completely from my sight. I scanned the surroundings frantically, searching for any trace of where she had run off to, but found nothing.

"Shit! Shit!" Panic took over again. "I need to find her. I need to find her."

I had no idea which direction Sigrid had taken. I just kept running forward blindly. I climbed back up into the branches, going even higher this time, hoping I might catch a glimpse of her from above.

A glimmer of hope returned when I successfully spotted her in the distance. She was still running. Even though I couldn't match her speed, I made sure not to let her out of my sight.

She'll stop once she gets tired. I just need to keep my eyes on her.

I looked up as a drop of water hit my face... before a heavy downpour suddenly broke out. Stepping on the tree branches became infinitely harder because of how slick and slippery they were.

This is bad.

I need to outrun her, or I'll lose her completely. Fog is starting to roll in.

My hair was completely drenched, and my clothes clung tightly to me, soaked through from the heavy rain. Using every bit of speed I had left, I tried with everything in me to catch up to her, but I still failed.

"Ah!" I screamed as I slipped off a branch again. I tumbled through the mud, and my elbow slammed painfully into a rock. I winced hard at the impact.

I dragged myself up onto my hands and knees, only to realize... I had lost her completely.

I bit my bottom lip hard. I felt a warm streak slide down my cheek. Oh, God. I lost Sigrid. Azi stayed behind to fight off the attacker, and the one job I had was to stay safe, yet I failed completely.

"What a disappointment," I mumbled to myself.

I looked down at the mud covering my body. Even my bag was thoroughly soaked by the rain. I was a filthy mess. It wouldn't feel this heavy on my chest if I hadn't gone and lost Sigrid.

I collapsed into the mud, completely exhausted.

I shivered violently as a cold gust of wind blew past. The rain continued to pour heavily, accompanied by roaring thunder and flashes of lightning. The fog was growing thicker by the second. It was going to be even harder to find Sigrid now.

I felt so sorry for Azi. I lost his horse.

But... my heart ached for Sigrid, too. What if she slipped and broke a leg? What if a pack of wolves attacked her? Or what if she fell over a cliff?

I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

I'm losing hope.

No. I still have to find her.

I forced myself to stand up and keep walking. Maybe she had stopped running by now.

"Sigrid!" I called out her name, but my voice was instantly drowned out by the rain and wind. "Shit! You don't listen to me, and now you're leaving me behind, too?! You stupid animal!" My lips trembled. Fuck. Am I going crazy?

I only managed to take a few steps before my knees buckled again. Still, I dragged myself back up. As I walked slowly forward, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"S-Sigrid?" Hope flared inside me. Those were definitely horse hooves!

I froze in place as Sigrid came into view, trotting toward me, with Azi mounted on her back. Fresh tears streamed down my face, but this time out of pure relief.

"Shekina!" Azi brought Sigrid to a halt, leapt off, and rushed over to me. "Let me take you. You're completely soaked."

Azi reached out to grab my arm, but I pushed his hand away.

I walked past him and went straight to Sigrid. I threw my arms around her neck and burst into full-blown tears.

"I thought I lost you..." I whispered between sobs. "I-I'm sorry, Sigrid."

"Hey. She's fine," Azi said softly.

I squeezed Sigrid even tighter. Tears flowed endlessly from my eyes. I was still shaking uncontrollably, but now it was purely from the freezing cold.

"I told you she's fine. Come on."

I felt Azi lift me up and place me onto Sigrid’s back. Then he mounted the horse right behind me. He pulled me back so I was resting against his chest before taking hold of the reins.

"I-is she really okay?" I asked softly.

"Yeah. How about you?"

Azi urged Sigrid into a ride. I shivered even harder as the wind picked up.

"Are you okay?" Azi asked again.

I sniffed. "I'm just cold."

"Yeah. I can feel it."

I started crying all over again.

"Hush. I'm here now..." he whispered softly.