Now, with only a sliver of moonlight to assist them, only his nose and ears remained to guide them through the dark. Thickets of trees, clusters of bushes, and endless barrages of branches persistently tangled their clothes, forcing them to eventually stop moving. As they untangled themselves from the thorns, Sigerson heard a faint trickling noise from somewhere not too far from them. Using the dim moonlight, he could just see the reflection off a body of water. A river?
"Wait— Evie, stop moving for a while."
He froze in place, straining his ears to listen.
"The sound of water is coming from there," he said, tugging Evelyn's sleeve in the direction. "If I remember correctly, Huntersberg produces the most fish in Ecclesia, don't they?"
"Yes, I think so. They're also the biggest producers of freshwater crabs in the country."
"Precisely. Since freshwater crabs can only be found in lakes and rivers, such as the one in front of us, there's a high possibility that we'll be able to reach Huntersberg by following the river."
The clouds hiding the moon were starting to part; soon, the shining bright orb was fully revealed, spreading its pale light across the entire forest. This, however, sent a strong draught of cool air, prompting the two fugitives to keep moving on.
"There's an overhang on that cliff over there," said Sigerson, pointing at a rocky roof covering a bed of moss and lichen in the distance. We'll be staying there for the night."
As they hiked towards the cliff at a painfully sluggish speed, another distinct train whistle could be heard, not too far from where they had escaped from.
"Must be the Enforcers," he muttered, giving Evelyn a reassuring tap on the back, because she turned back in alarm at the sound.
"Do you still have those matches?" she asked, flicking a crooked tree branch out of her way.
"I've got a few more in my pocket and another unused box in the trunk," replied Sigerson in a cheerful tone, trying to lift their spirits. "The only thing we're missing now is food."
"Oh, I packed some bread rolls earlier on the train, but I doubt it'll last us for more than a day."
"A day is enough. We'll sleep for the rest of the night and find the town tomorrow."
They had arrived at their destination at last. Although it looked quite tight and tiny from a distance, the space available was actually roomier and more comfortable than they had initially expected. The rocky roof was able to partially shield them from the bitter wind, which was now roaring mercilessly, as well as block the view of the Enforcers if they decided to enter the forest from the train tracks. Sigerson dug out a small pit in the damp soil, dumped dry vegetation into it, and lit it on fire.
Warmth and light instantly shot out to every corner of their hideout, while the little smoke that was produced got trapped from rising above the cliff. The two of them sat on the ground next to each other around the fire, warming themselves until they were as snug as they could be in the present weather. Evelyn was the first to fall asleep, falling sideways and resting her head on Sigerson's shoulder.
He tenderly swiped a strand of red hair from his face and, making sure he didn't disturb Evelyn, reached for a twig to stoke the fire. Its flames were dancing around happily like a boisterous dog, leaping at its master joyfully. The cloudless sky, filled with twinkling jewel-like stars, combined with the intermittent chirps coming from the bushes to create a soothing atmosphere, perfect for inducing drowsiness. Staring into the flaming pit and deciding to put it out, the detective gradually gave in to the inevitable tempter, sleep. The flames flickered, then rose no more.
—
The moon sank down, only to be replaced by the rising sun, while the crisp morning air hit Sigerson like a wave of icy water. He woke, shivered, and covered himself with his coat, which he had briefly taken off when they still had the fire. Beside him was empty space. There were no footprints leading in or out of the opening; the rocks made it impossible to leave traces on, for many other creatures also shared the forest with them, crawling and slithering all over the place. Sigerson climbed to the top of the cliff and looked out into the vast wilderness, scanning the dense vegetation for his missing companion.
"She couldn't have gotten far," he thought reasonably, "The ground she was sleeping on was still slightly warm."
Great towering pine trees stood proudly, swaying lightly in the wind; the serpentine river curved and looped its way around the forest, its aquamarine body connected to a distant lake. As he squinted to see better, Sigerson finally spotted Evelyn, her rosy red head blending in with the vividly coloured flowers.
Now that he knew where she was, Sigerson leaped back down, checked that nothing was left behind, and hurried to meet up with her. The pungent scents oozed out of the exotic flowers and leaked into Sigerson's nose as he ran through the trees, hoping dearly that Evelyn hadn't moved from the spot. When he pushed past a bush of fiery red flowers, a quiet rustling noise made Evelyn spin around, face-to-face with her concerned cousin.
"Why," panted Sigerson, "did you leave by yourself?"
"I was prepared to return when you suddenly showed up."
Sigerson sighed and sat down, resting from his sprint.
"I know which direction we need to travel in."
She pointed at the sun, barely above the horizon.
"The river flows in that direction and the source of the river—" A finger pointed at the lake to the right. "—is there, so we'll—"
"Since the fishermen of Huntersberg use fish traps that utilise the river currents, we'll need to travel in the direction left of the lake," finished Sigerson, peering thoughtfully at the fast flowing river shrouded behind a cluster of flower bushes. Evelyn, looking mildly chagrined, sniffed and said, "Let's get moving; the Enforcers should be aware of our absence by now."
They marched on, over hills, under shady oak trees, and across streams on slippery stepping stones. Sunlight flooded into the forest now, and judging from the sun's position in the sky, Sigerson knew it was roughly about noon. By resting and eating small portions of the bread rolls periodically, both of them were able to keep a good amount of energy to carry on hiking endlessly. A welcoming sight came into view after hours of tiring walking. Many tree stumps stuck into the ground; a clear sign of human activity in the forest.
"These trees have been cut for some time now," remarked Sigerson quietly, eyeing a stump with some interest.
"Have a look at this, Will."
Evelyn called him to another stump, which she was staring at. He hastily shuffled over and joined her. When he was close enough to view the entire stump clearly, he gave a sharp exclamation and bent down to see every detail the odd piece of wood presented.
"This was cut quite recently; I'd wager about a day or two ago," he stated, running his fingers across the rough woody surface, free from mould and lichen.
"We should be close to Huntersberg."
On they went, and within the hour, saw their first house on their journey. Consisting mainly of stone cottages fitted with wooden roofs, the small village had the appearance of a fairy tale setting. Like Eden, it was located near a body of water and had a hospitable atmosphere to it, but that was all they had in common. Huntersberg, the quieter and calmer of the two towns, was surrounded by scenic mountains and lush green forests. Columns of smoke rose out from the many chimneys, hardly seen in the bright afternoon sun.
The townsfolk, all dressed plainly, wandered around the village, each to their own tasks, whether it was hauling buckets of fish onto an ox-driven cart, or delivering cardboard boxes filled with eggs to their customers. It seemed that everyone in the village had a purpose in their activities. Unsure of what to do, Sigerson said to Evelyn, who was watching a group of chickens running around wildly with a grin on her face, "We should probably find somewhere to stay before sunset, but not at the local inn, or we'll risk being trapped by the Enforcers. It has to be somewhere private, where the Enforcers would never keep their attention on."
"If the worst comes, leave it to me. I'll find a place for us to stay easily," sighed Evelyn, throwing seeds to the chickens, which were instantly devoured by them.