The Tellanon

9. Horses and Shadows

Emyra just looked at Serin at first. When the words finally came through, she looked into the stables, as if she expected to see Alea there anyway. She was not. Alea was gone. Somewhere in some forest, someone was leading her, guarding her, ready to sell her. Emyra looked at the empty stables in dismay, a tight feeling in her gut.  She blinked, and looked around wildly.

“She isn’t here. I’m quite sure I checked.” Serin said dryly. Emyra looked at her and smiled apologetically. She watched Serin saddle her horse in silence, thinking of Alea. She had a really good bond with that horse. She wanted her back. Emyra hadn’t known horse thieves were so active around here, but if she had, she would never have left Alea alone. The horse felt like her only friend, even now that she had Serin.

When Serin mounted, she looked at Emyra, pondering. Then, she dismounted and forced Emyra to climb up her horse. Emyra shrugged and did so. It was dark, she was tired and she didn’t want to walk. Serin walked out of the tiny village, bent over the ground.

“What are you looking for?” Emyra asked. Serin didn’t answer. Emyra shrugged, and looked about herself. There wasn’t much to see, as it was now full dark, but close-by her, the wolf-dog bounded along. She asked Serin about him. Serin didn’t answer that question either. Emyra shrugged, and yawned.

Suddenly, Serin yelled out in apparent delight, reminding Emyra of a three year old.

“What?” Emyra asked excitedly.

“Tracks. Your horse is clever. It left tracks for us to find. Unecian horse?” Was Serin’s answer. She answered in questions a lot, Emyra noted. Emyra nodded in response to Serin’s question, then watched her turn back to the tracks. They were quite visible in the light of all three moons, deep and obvious. Alea was really clever, and Emyra felt proud of her. She believed she could teach Alea a lot, and decided she would once she got her back. It would be a boring road anyway.

Serin stooped over the ground again, and they followed the tracks in silence. Emyra could see a bit, as all three moons were in the night sky together, but didn’t find it interesting. Just a normal field, like any other. She thought. Emyra had never seen a field. Merrón was printed into her memory, but she didn’t know the rest of the world. The field wasn’t very interesting though. The forest that marked its edge was. It was old and thick and it was nearly impossible to follow the tracks. The foliage above blocked the light, the shrubbery below blocked the tracks. Emyra dismounted, and led Serin’s horse through carefully, muttering under her breath. She cursed when a thorn cut her leg.

“Weakling.” Serin said. Emyra looked at her, hurt.

"I never got hurt in Merrón. I did fall once, when I was climbing, but not from so high. You’ve probably got hundreds of scars. It’s no big deal then. It is for me” Emyra said, trying to keep hurt from her tone.

“You must have fallen from your mother’s breast.” Serin said. Emyra glared at her, rubbed her leg where the thorn had cut it and stood up.

“I’m sorry.” Emyra found herself saying. What was she sorry for? What? There was no need to be sorry for anything; Serin had said it.

“Why aren’t you at home?” Serin asked, sighing. She continued looking for tracks, and ignored Emyra’s stuttering ‘What?’ and leaped away. Emyra followed, hoping it would get better. She didn’t like Serin much, she realised, but needed her. Without help, she’d get lost and die. She shuddered, and ran after the girl.

After another hour or so, they came on a stream. The light of the moons came lit the prints again, and they could see. The prints ran past the stream for a while, and Emyra splashed water in her face several times. In two days, she had had maybe four hours of sleep, and was ready to collapse. Serin didn’t seem tired at all, and Emyra found herself envying the girl. She pushed the thought away. Serin was a Wanderer, a different race. Serin was someone who could survive. Emyra was someone who could make friends with anyone, given they didn’t hate her for her looks.