Music is Oakvale, composed by Russell Shaw. Play it! (No, please do.)
******
When I finally manage to crawl into bed, I almost immediately fall asleep. I only realise when I wake up that I'm not exhausted physically, but emotionally. Something that I haven't felt in a long time.
But at least I don't feel as weary as I'd been the night before. I breathe in the fresh morning air, cool and crisp and clear. An unusual chill seeps into my bones. The horses' whickers fill the atmosphere. The idle chatter of the men and the villagers give me an illusion of safety.
"We thank you for your hospitality," says Sir Kendrick, addressing the crowd gathered at the mouth of the road, "but it's time for us to part ways. We are sorry for your losses, and rest assured, it will not go unnoticed."
He takes a moment to pause and rest his eyes on Elentria. She holds her head up proudly, the tip of her nose slightly tinged with pink. Her son clings tightly onto her skirt, his face bewildered. Their eyes are not on the Bane, but on a cage placed inside a large wagon. A dark-eyed man sits within the cage, grinning devilishly, all signs of him being a human gone.
On that same wagon, there is a huge lump covered by a white cloth. Vanryse's corpse. It won't be in a pretty state when it reaches the capital, but at least he'll get the burial he deserves.
As for the other corpses...Well, it's for the villagers to decide how they want to lay their dead to rest.
"So once again, I apologise for everything that you have suffered. I promise, upon my word and upon the name of His Benevolent Majesty King Terrell, that this will never happen again," resumes Sir Kendrick. "May Pst. Manofrey guide you all."
"May Pst. Manofrey watch over you," the villagers chime in unison, returning the blessing they've received.
We take it as our cue to mount the horses. Only five of us will head towards the east now: Sir Kendrick, Gilbert, Sir Isaac, Everest and me. The rest will head back to Cordair, along with the wagon that contains the...experiments. We'd initially been worried that by unevenly splitting our strength—both Gilbert and I together—some of the possessed might be drawn to the travelling party led by Beorn. But Sir Kendrick had theorised that the capital city was only a two day journey away from here; the men should arrive there in no time. I'd frowned at his confidence, the way he was so assured that they wouldn't be attacked, but I'd given in.
"Farewell, all!" cries Sir Kendrick, his last words for the villagers.
We beat fists over our hearts; I catch the eyes of Elentria, nodding at her.
Then we wheel our horses around, and our paths diverge.
We'd already said whatever we wanted to say to each other before leaving, so we continue silently down the beaten road. The party with the wagon automatically take a right turn, back towards Cordair. We take the route leading towards Battein.
We don't cast a single look over our shoulders, a silent indicator that we trust everyone to walk out of any situation alive.
******
The journey itself shouldn't have taken very long, but the weather had decided to take a turn for the worse, showering us with mountains of snow and blasts of frosty wind. It was all we could do to hold out for two days before we finally reach the next village. Thank Pst. Kamira too. Our supplies were alarmingly low.
We'd loved to stay at the quaint place forever, safely huddled under a roof and in front of a roaring hearth, but we had no time to lose. Less than a day later, after replenishing our stocks, we moved on again.
YOU ARE READING
Legacy (Daughter of War #2)
Fantasy**ON HOLD INDEFINITELY** It's been two years since the great battle in the shrine. However, as Perinus strives to recover from its losses, shadows continue to grow throughout the land... A dangerous sickness is spreading throughout the country--one...
