The Unseen Road

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Days passed; and yet, despite the tensions mending on the surface, the scar from Charles Drake's revelation remained. In fact, it seemed as if only Mina bothered attempting to restore mutual trust. Even his own Clan seemed to exclude him from important matters, especially at first; although Charles was still allowed to run with them by day, scouting ahead, and to take camp with the Agrelindian army when they settled for the night every two days, the rift between him and the others was still palpable.

In this manner, their twentieth day of journeying swiftly came to an end. What followed was a night even colder than the one that had followed the first snowstorm, even without several added feet of snow; as the sunlight faded they were exposed to the first signs of its bare, impervious intensity. The conditions of the North had certainly taken some adjustment; however, because Alysia was a relatively small country, they shouldn't have been so radically different from those of Agrelind. Rather, it was the deepening of winter at fault.

A chill passed over the plains, permeating the army that had already been slowing, and at last nearing Solaire. As relieved as most of the company, shapeshifters included, was to be bringing their seemingly ceaseless riding to an end, however, the nearer they approached, the heavier the accompanying burden grew.

Some were able to carry it better than others, so supple on their shoulders that it almost appeared to energize them. Others, on the other hand, were less able to carry the burden, the anxiety weighing them downwards as they desperately fought against it.

As the last light faded below the horizon, giving way to cool stillness, Celeste Jacobs, clearly an example of the former, stretched her arms over her head and tilted her face towards the stars, which had only begun to wake from their slumber, blooming into a galaxy of brilliant white pinholes across the impenetrable curtain of night.

She took in a lofty inhale, then exhaled, her breath billowing towards the darkening violet sky. "Tomorrow marks three weeks exactly, doesn't it?" she said, her voice marked with relief.

Prince Nicolas, riding beside Kylie in front of the army, nodded. "We are finally nearing Solaire."

Kylie started. "We are?" She pursed her lips and lifted herself from her mare's saddle, trying to peer over the horizon; but it was blocked by a large, shadowed mass of trees that seemed to extend beyond the eye could see.  "... All I see is a giant forest."

"That is the White Forest," Nicolas replied. "It is the buffer that protects Solaire from the Abaddonic forces in the West. Its counterpart, the Black Mountains, serve the West as a buffer against foreigners from other lands."

"Oh. I understand."

The Prince drew his arm outwards, pointing forward. "There," he said, "Do you see where the forest seems to thin, all the way to the East?"

Kylie narrowed her eyes; Celeste and Mina did the same. "... Yes," she said at last.

"Look in between the trees."

"You're really pushing my eyesight here," Celeste grumbled, leaning forward and squinting. "I'm only human."

Kylie, however, didn't have a problem adjusting her vision to the darkness in between the distant trees; she continued to peer through them until, at last, a faint light seemed to flicker in the distance; then another blinked on, and another.

"Oh!" The lights, rivaling that of the stars themselves, were revealed to Kylie as her eyes adjusted, just visible beyond the thinnest part of the forest. On what started as a dark, silhouette of the city, hundreds, if not thousands of them twinkled collectively, cool and bright as they illuminated the kingdom's majestic shape- Alysia's own wintery haven. It was a kingdom much larger than Agrelind, and breathtakingly magnificent even when viewed from a distance. Surrounding the city's walls was a moat, the water within glistening with the dimming light. And, in the very back, a tall structure stood above the rest upon a soft, iridescent glow.