Mist on the Moon

"Oh, my God!"

Justin led them on through the darkness to the place where he had left the horses, confident that they would still be there. There, he found them in the meadow where he had left them. Some were standing, sleeping until they came near, and two were lying on the ground. They all rose at their appearance. "We're going to have to rest here, to try to get some sleep, Justin announced.

"What? We're not going back immediately?" said Cara, surprised.

"No, we need light. Otherwise we could lose the trail and get lost in the forest."

"You mean we're going to stay here, only a short distance from the Magyars?" asked Gina, incredulous.

"We have no choice. No one rides in the dark through the forest unless it is their own estate. Not even the Magyars."

They continued moving away from the fortress, but now they were in the forest and needed to slow down. Cara and Gina followed Justin, glad that he seemed to know where he was going in the darkness. Then they stopped and Justin whistled. He did it a second time. Cara was about to say something to him, when she heard movement ahead of them and then the low whinny of a horse.

"Ah, they have stayed here," said Justin.

Now Cara knew what he was doing. Reuniting them with their horses. Out of the darkness they came, and as they stopped she got down to pet her favorite when she came close. Looking toward Justin, not easily seen in the darkness, she said, "Justin, we should take the saddles off these horses and put them on our own animals."

"Yes, at first light of morning, when we are ready to go."

Cara could barely see Justin in the darkness of the forest. She still found it hard to believe that they would stay close to the Magyar. "Really?" she exclaimed. "Can't we go further away from them, Justin?" She sensed Justin coming close.

In a gentle voice he said to her, "We stay here tonight with the horses, Cara."

Now, he stood immediately before her, She could feel his breath even though she could hardly see him. "But Justin, we can't let them catch us."

He put a hand on her shoulder before answering. "Cara, it's not likely they will know before tomorrow that you and Gina are gone. And even if they did, they couldn't track anyone down in the dark."

Cara put her hand on his arm that still rested on her shoulder. "I'm just so afraid, Justin. I don't want them to catch us again."

"I know, Cara. We will leave here at the crack of dawn, long before they can come after us."

* * *

It was late and Cara should have been tired, but how could she sleep? Especially in the excitement of their escape. Besides, they had no bed, no tent, nothing but the grass on the ground. Cara knew that two of her horses sometimes would lie down to rest. She decided to sleep near Firefly who was the most apt to rest lying on the ground. Both she and Gina removed their Magyar clothing, and putting it on the ground, it at least gave them something more than grass to lie on. They would sleep next to each other.

Cara heard Justin still moving about. She didn't know where he was going to sleep. "Justin," she said in a soft voice.

"Yes?"

"You can sleep next to me. There's some of the Magyar clothing left underneath by me you could sleep on."

"Are you sure?"