Mystic

Chapter 20

"Is that everything?" Andre asked the next morning.

"I think so," Taryn said, glancing around the canyon.

"How are you feeling today?"

She sighed. "If I'm being honest, I kind of feel like a mess."

"What happened?"

She put her foot in the saddle before climbing onto her horse. "Let's just say, the queen and I had a bit of a talk last night."

Andre climbed on his own horse. "That can't be good."

"It never is." Taryn gripped tighter to the reins, her knuckles turning white before she flicked the reins, starting down the canyon.

"Did she say anything about Neve?" Zeph chimed in.

"That's why we were talking."

"What'd she say?" Andre asked.

"Neve's at the castle. She's in really bad shape."

"You saw her?"

"Something like that," Taryn said, she still felt a little nauseous from last night's events. "How much farther until the next town?"

"We should arrive there by this evening. We're almost to the end of the pass, after that it's a few hours of traveling through the woods and then we'll arrive."

Taryn rode closer to Andre. "Are you sure about this? About coming back to the south with me?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure, but I'm afraid if I leave you alone for two seconds you're going to get yourself stabbed."

Taryn let out a slight laugh. "Thanks for sticking with me."

"Well, you didn't exactly give me a choice..."

"Thanks for staying anyway," She clarified.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

They exited the pass a couple hours later. Taryn stared at the forest ahead of them, the blue leaves and dark trunks like those they had seen up at the orchard in the north. It felt weird to be back. The South no longer felt like home. The moment they stepped through the threshold of the passage Taryn felt the world weighing down around her. The dark, looming forest felt more like a prison than anything else.

She fought back the feeling and flicked the reins again, heading through the trees as Andre and Zeph followed closely behind.

Twilight was well underway when they arrived near the town. It was decently sized, housing many shops and market stalls. Houses lined the outer parts of the city, a large guard tower sticking out from the middle of it all.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Andre asked. "Maybe we should camp in the woods, just for tonight."

"The Southern towns aren't quite as heavily patrolled as in the North. Besides, if any of those guards tried to jump us, we could take them. The stronger soldiers are out conquering the North. Those that are... less capable, tend to stay in the cities." She turned her head to face Andre. "We'll be fine," She clarified.

"If you say so."

They rode into town. Taryn kept her head down, trying not to draw attention to herself, though this wasn't a big town. Someone new here was bound to draw attention, especially considering the closest pass to them was the Runan pass. Taryn held tightly to her reins, hoping they could pass as any other Southern Traveler.

Despite the stares, no one seemed to mind their presence.

Taryn almost took a sigh of relief when a guard held up his hand, forcing them to come to a stop. "State your name and business."