A Whisper of Night

22.3 || ASTNORDEN ????

Laegis was empty; had it not been for her maps, Astna would've rode past it without even seeing it.

"There's nobody in here," Lady West announced, riding back towards her. "They evacuated - perhaps to Paezdek."

Astna nodded. Or perhaps they're hiding somewhere, waiting for me to approach.... Still, what could she do? She'd half-expected to take the city right before Paezdek as well, to have yet another battle in the middle of the night. Perhaps it was better that there was nobody in Laegis, considering her troops were already exhausted.

"We continue riding," she said. "I want to make it to Paezdek while the night is still strong." They only had a few hours until sunrise.

Her troops turned away from the empty city. Astna shivered slightly - despite Norrayn's proximity to Scorvald, its air was still bitingly cold. The previously-clear skies now looked ominously clouded. Heavens forbid it rains....

She glanced over her shoulder as they approached Kulna's River, the river barring Paezdek from the rest of the province. Priest Fyron was nowhere to be seen - neither had she seen him during the battle at the Pass. For a moment, she wondered if he'd perished...although the thought didn't bring her the vicious satisfaction she thought it would.

They reached the banks of Kulna. Thankfully, the river was not swollen, noticeably shallower and slower than the North Grim River.

"Slowly, now," she heard Lady West say, as the troops headed into the waters. "Be careful...."

Astna held back until the first of Lady West's troops crossed the river. She herself followed with her guards - a process which only took a few minutes - before the rest of her army finished crossing.

"That was too easy," Lady West murmured by her side. "If I were Lady Aeslyn, I would've attacked us right then and there...we need to be cautious, my Queen."

"I have sent scouts ahead," she said. "Numerous ones...they report nothing back." But your scouts reported nothing for the Mountains, either. And they were wrong.... "We need to trust them. Let us go."

Her army stirred. They turned as one, heading Northwest. It would only be a few more minutes before they reached Paezdek.

The last city of my conquest, Astna thought, her heart pounding. If I take Paezdek, I take the entirety of Old Skeynheld...the entirety of my parents' kingdom.

Slowly, the ground began to steepen - Paezdek was situated at the top of a small hill. Astna supposed that the city would be immensely difficult to take when it rained - the rivers would be too dangerous to cross, the hill too slick to climb. And it would be dismally cold.

"Paezdek ahead!" called Lord Steridge in the vanguard. Astna wondered if Verradaen would ever come to ride at her side - probably not. Perhaps it was better that way.

I have too many of his men, she thought. She'd been repressing the thought for too long...now it leapt to the forefront of her mind. And if he decides to turn against me...not even Lorelei can hold them back, given her current state.

The thought filled her with dread.

No, she told herself firmly. Take Paezdek first. Take Old Skeynvald. Find your mother's crown. Settle the chaos back home - if you can. Then deal with Verradaen. He's still bound by honor...although honor is a fickle being.

Astna stopped. "Surround the hill," she commanded.

Her men moved. Lord Steridge and Ellac disappeared behind the hill, leaving her with Lady West and Lady Ostrey.