Page 14 of In Darkness Forged
Marinda jerked her chin towards the sky, and Aislin looked up just in time to see a large, feathered shadow swoop down to perch on the peak of the stable’s roof.
“He’ll warn you of any danger along your way,” Marinda promised. “Crested hawks have sharp eyes, and he’ll spot any wyverns or other predators long before human senses become aware of them.”
Aislin reached out and pulled the older woman into an impulsive hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”
“You know I’d go with you if I could,” Marinda murmured.
Aislin did know. And was grateful she need not bear the burden of dragging anyone with her on this fool’s errand she’d earned for herself.
“I’ll be fine,” she promised with a bright smile. “As Brannic said, the night elves are not monsters. I believe most of the stories are exaggerations. And even if not”—she somehow held back the tremor of tears in her voice—“what do I have to lose?”
And then it seemed there was nothing more to say. Brannic’s groom emerged from the stable, leading a gentle bay mare who stood steady as a rock while Aislin struggled into the saddle. When her feet were set in the stirrups, she waved one last time to Brannic and Marinda, then tapped the mare’s sides with her heels, refusing to look back as her mount stepped away from the inn and made her slow, steady way down the street.
They passed Marinda’s shop, the blacksmith, the tanner, and a handful of stone cottages, and then the village was at an end. But the road kept on, and as Aislin passed that final house, she felt a strange shiver that had nothing to do with her underlying worries.
She was leaving. Not simply wandering into the forest in search of herbs, but leaving her village behind for the first time.
She’d pictured this moment so many times—longed for it even—and now it felt as if her dreams had been stolen from her by the weight of Lord Dreichel’s demands. By the fear of what she would find. This was not at all the sort of adventure she’d planned for herself, but then… was adventure ever as glorious as it seemed when you were safe behind the walls of home?
Aislin urged her mare forward, following the steep, rocky track that led away from the village. They traveled up the side of the valley to where the road crossed the ridge to the east, and as they crested that ridge, Aislin suddenly pulled her mount to a stop, staring out at a world she’d only imagined before today.
The sun had not yet broken over the horizon, but its approach tinted the landscape with the slightest hint of pink. Trees lay in an uneven blanket before her, punctuated by cliffs, ridges, and peaks, some draped in a shroud of ghostly mist. And somewhere hidden in the midst of all that wild, unclaimed land…
The Dredwall River.
The eastern border of Farhall was rough and mountainous, which should have kept invaders at bay. But just past that border lay a hidden world of mystery and danger—the dark, unexplored kingdom of the night elves. Those lands were separated from Farhall only by the churning depths of the Dredwall, a wild torrent that cut its way down a steep, rocky canyon and could not be crossed this far north without a bridge.
There were not many bridges over the river. Farhall maintained and guarded a few, but only because some of the shapeshifting night elves could fly, and they did not want to be without a way to answer should the enemy invade.
The bridge nearest to Brightvale was narrow and crumbling and too far north to be much of a threat, so it had never been guarded. Or so Brannic had told her. It was true that their village had never been raided, despite the troubles occurring along other stretches of the border, so perhaps he was correct.
It could not be far to the crossing, she told herself. If she followed this road to the east and took the northern way where the road divided, she should reach it in a single day’s ride.
But gazing out across that untamed landscape in the brightening light of dawn, Aislin could only shiver at the prospect.
Even if her only task had been to find a human mage, she would have been utterly unprepared for what she now faced. She’d never even left the valley. She had no idea what was out there, or what dangers awaited her along the way.
The moment she crossed over the ridge, she entered an unknown world that might simply swallow her whole.
But this was the easy part, she reminded herself before panic could take hold in her chest. There was no reason for bandits to lurk on such a rarely used road, and few predators would care to tackle a traveler on horseback.
With those comforting thoughts, Aislin urged her mare forward into a teeth-rattling trot, hoping to put as many miles as possible between herself and the village before she lost her nerve.
CHAPTER4
The mare was not fast, so it was worryingly near dark when the sound of wildly rushing water finally became a roar in Aislin’s ears.
The moment she’d been dreading had arrived, and there was no turning back.
What had Brannic told her in those last few moments before she left?
Wyverns haunt the river on occasion, and there are storm cats in the forest. Be cautious, and keep to the road if you can. You’ll be found by scouts soon enough, so your best chance lies in the appearance of innocence. Hide nothing.
Aislin clenched her jaw and dismounted, reluctant to lose her sole companion, but anxious to be moving on. After all, Lord Dreichel’s patience would only last until the end of the season.
When her feet hit the ground, she winced as every muscle in her body informed her in chorus that she was unused to riding. Thankfully the mare remained sedate as ever as Aislin clung to her for a moment while her knees steadied. Once she’d untied her pack and secured her meager belongings, she removed the mare’s bridle, stowed it in an empty saddlebag, and turned her mount loose.
“Go,” she urged, waving her arms in the general direction of home. “Go home. Back to your warm stable, where you’ll be safe. You really don’t want to come with me.”