Descendants of the Kings (Book 2)

Ch 29.2: Come nightfall

Warnings for death, violence, animal injuries (not described) and graphic scenes.
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The dying sun just barely crested the choppy ridge of low mountains when they arrived at the lake. The sky was mottled blue and pink, lightly dusting the snowy mountain tops in a hint of pink and gold, signalling the daylight would soon be gone.

The lake was the spine of the swamps, feeding water into all the streams and rivers. Miles of glistening water, frozen solid. Even in her exhaustion, Ella couldn't help but appreciate the breathtaking beauty of it.

It was a staggering scene. Through the layer of white powder, the frozen water could be seen. Dark blue and full of frozen bubbles; white clouds of gas caught beneath the chill. It made her feel as if she were drifting through the sky, hopping on puffy white clouds. The visual effect was surreal.

"We should get to the other side and stop for the day," Aedion said, tipping his chin at the low range of mountains on the other side.

Ella hummed in agreement as she gulped water from her canteen, her stomach protesting, unsatisfied. They hadn't stopped for lunch today, not after their run-in with the Kelpies. Unspoken, they'd both agreed to hurry their pace, eager to get out of the swamps.

"How long is the way across?" She eyed the expanse of water, waging the distance.

Once they crossed the lake, they would only need to trek up the low mountain range, and then, they had a day or two of travel before reaching Codshire. A safer area, given its proximity to human terrain.

"An hour, if we're quick. We can make it up to the mountain range and set camp on high ground." Away from whatever the hell was lurking nearby. Aedion's mouth twisted wryly, as he took in the woods surrounding the lake.

For the past couple of hours, as the day wore on, the tense aura of the forest had only festered and grown.

Even in winter, the forest was always alive with sounds. Animals hunting, foraging. Existing. But not this time.

As the hours ticked by, fewer animals could be seen. An eerie lack of noise encompassed the forest as if all living creatures had decided to turn tail and flee the woods.

It didn't help much that an unsettling chill had begun to fall, much earlier than expected. A low curtain of fog could be seen over the powdery slopes and the furthermost part of the lake.

Wordlessly, Ella eased Fiend into an easy canter. As much as they would have liked to have the horses gallop across the ice, it simply wasn't feasible. The ice seemed solid beneath their weight, but it wouldn't do to apply unnecessary pressure or have the horses slipping and sustaining an injury.

No, the best they could do was keep a firm pace as they ambled across the ice, too tense to even speak.

A little before they reached the heart of the lake, a bustling wind began to pick up, carrying leaves and flurries of snow.

It got so difficult to see, that Ella had to pull her hood up, head bent down low to prevent the powder from entering her eyes. Fiend bent his head to his chest, protected by his thick headgear, and ploughed on. Aedion, she knew, was in a similar position, his voice barely audible through the gale, telling her to keep low until they passed.

It was perhaps because of their distraction that they didn't notice the elk barreling their way.

Claret stood on two hind legs, Aedion hissing and clinging on to her, as she skidded to the side, barely missing the giant animal skittering past them blindingly. It was as if it didn't even see them in its effort to run.