Evergreen [Book 1 of the Hierarchy Series]-Revising

Chapter 2

 Cassia grumbled, exhausted. The sun peeked between the trees, too early for anyone else to be awake. Tralis and Radu prepared for their trip to the city. Instead of taking one of her usual stallions, she regarded one of the geldings only errand servants used. The one she chose was a blood bay, with dark black fur over his face and legs. Even the hair of his mane and tail darkened his features.

She wore dull brown clothes and a green cloak, the uniform of their hunting party. She tied her long locks back with a band, binding a cloth around her head and tucked the braid of hair into the hood of her cloak. Buttoning the thick fabric where the hood met her shoulders, she tucked her necklace beneath her clothes and threw on gloves and boots woven with black, brown and green. Tucked into her shoes and attached to her belt hid weapons: a sword and knives for defense.

When she stepped out to greet Tralis, he wore the same colors, even a hoodless cloak. Radu dressed the same, his hood thrown over his shoulders. A tattoo curled across the crook in his neck, just visible with the low collar.

"Are you ready," Tralis' eyes wandered over her, soft but anxious. She nodded. Tralis kicked his horse forward, the three of them cantering down the back road and disappearing in the north country, veering into the woods. The shifted onto a secluded path, riding south through the deep woods and towards the city's Northwestern gate. No one would suspect a princess through a traveler's path. The queen's path was bright and open on the other side of the mountain.

The thick woods welcomed her with dense must and pine, trees whispering in the wind as they ran by. She inhaled every scent, from the rose bushes along the edge of the sunlight to the raspberries. She listened to her horse's hooves thumping against the ground, enjoying her first moments of freedom from the castle grounds in years. She loved spending time in the forest, it brought back memories that reached for remembrance and tapered off before she could recollect them, but the feeling filled her heart with hope and joy.

As they met the road, Tralis sped their horses beyond manageable speeds, trying to cut time and curiousness of any travelers. Cassia followed behind both of them, her horse smoothly feeling the road and running after its companion, huffing out breaths of excitement. The brisk wind on her cheeks kept her mind sharp as they swerved every curve in the street until they reached the gates of the city, slowing to a trot at the last corner before the gates appeared. High towers stood at either side of the gate, fixing them to the walls surrounding all but one corner of the city. Guards stood at the edge of the bridge, and upon observation, there were two more in each tower and one on either side walking the paths atop the walls.

"If you don't look at the ones above you won't seem suspicious," Tralis warned before they approached, a small caravan stopped by the closed gate. Three guards searched every crevice of it. "Don't resist either. Once beyond the gates don't look at any guardsmen, knights or anyone wearing your colors."

She nodded to him, gazing ahead. They waited, Tralis shoving a hand in his jacket and pulling out a few parchments in the pocket. As they accepted the caravan through the gates, Tralis delivered the papers to the guard. He thoroughly read the top one, then skimmed the other three forms, returning them.

"Open the gate," he waved a strange gesture. The gate reopened barely a moment later, a few faces wrinkling in confusion. They drove their horses slowly through the gate, sure of their steps as they entered quietly.

"Will someone recognize you," Cassia asked, surprised neither of them even tried to hide. The only odd occurrence was Radu's remarkably unkept facial hair and the slight droop of his gaze.

"It's highly improbable," Radu stated. "When we come to the city, we dress like well-off travelers. No one is looking for us in hunting attire, and no one has seen us otherwise."