The Unseen Road

Chapter Seventeen

The dawn in Agrelind was quiet; sunbeams radiated warmly upon the gray rooftops of the city, filtering gently through the hazy alleyways as the newly risen sun phased through the clouds over the horizon, chasing away the shadow of night. Morning dew hung heavy in the air, shimmering atop the stone pavement with every beam of tender sunlight.

The birds began to chirp, nestled in the dark spaces between wedged behind the gutters where they had taken shelter for the night. All else was silent; for even the first of the people of Agrelind to wake up were now just getting out of their beds, save for perhaps the ambitious and hardworking who had gotten up even before the sun.

It certainly wasn't Kylie's favorite hour to be awake; still, to her today the daybreak in Agrelind was especially beautiful. There was something about seeing the streets empty and serene that made her ready for a new start.

She felt more than ready to shake off the previous day's work, eager to find succor in her bedsheets as she made her way back to the Training Base dormitories. Yawning, she closed her eyes and walked along an alley, hands clasped behind her back.

"Never camp too close to a forest," she was mumbling to herself, reviewing the information that she had learned over the past day and night. "But close enough to have resources and cover."

She turned a corner, almost swaying on her feet. "Do not make a fire at night."

She pressed a palm to the wall to lean against it. "Maybe I should take the rest of the day off," she mused to herself; after all, she had spent all day and all night on a field outing learning the basics of establishing shelter during an offensive maneuver. Ever since word had gotten out to those at the Training Base of the impending escalation of the war, classes were instructed to focus on the technicalities of offensive and defensive battle strategies, in addition to the routine weapons training— making life as a trainee very busy.

Celeste, of course, still insisted on attending the day's optional classes; and as for the Prince, Nicolas was also very busy, leaving little to no time for their usual training- so Kylie was on her own for the day. "I wonder if I can spend the rest of the day with Mina," she proceeded, pushing herself away from the wall. "That would make her happy."

Realizing that she was talking to herself, she shook her head and smiled. The Training Base finally came into sight, so she convinced herself to wake up enough to make the last stretch.

Pushing the large wooden door open, she crossed into the main field. It was completely empty, just as tranquil as the rest of the city; droplets of morning dew still clung to the grass as well as the leaves of the center oak. The warmth of the sun was only beginning to gather the moisture from the field. The morning, indeed, was as beautiful as it was quiet.

Only in the distance could she hear the clang of swords sparring from one of the back fields; that was where Celeste and the rest of the Beginners' class, at least those who weren't taking off, were practicing. Kylie walked past the sound and to her dorm.

She pulled out her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. It gave way with a soft, somnolent creak.

"Hey Mina, I'm back early," she greeted as she closed the door behind her, "Do you wanna go—"

Her words trailed off, for the room was completely empty. Only sunlight filtered in through the window on the far side, spilling warmly on the carpet.

"Mina...?" She drew her brows together and approached the younger girl's bed. It perfectly made, and there wasn't even an indentation in the sheets to indicate that she was there earlier.

"That's odd..." she murmured, looking around the still room, even going so far as to crawl down on her knees to check under the bed.

But there was still nothing. Standing upright again, she dusted off her pants, sending dust particles dancing in the air in front of her. Wouldn't she have left a note...?