Lianne was sitting on the ground, leaning against a pine tree. She stared at Faolin, who was standing between the trees, his posture straight. He had an arrow and a bow in his hand. Lianne's eyes traveled from his back to his legs, her eyes squinted. She felt a small pinching sensation in the pit of her stomach as she observed what he was doing.

Faolin focused on the distance. He kept a tight hold of the bow with his left hand and slipped the tips of his right-hand fingers around the string. He inhaled and then held his breath, to not disturb his aim.

He lifted the bow and drew the string, anchoring his hand on top of his cheekbone, and then immediately let go. The arrow swooshed across the trees and plunged into the side of a hare.

Faolin lowered his bow and breathed again. The hare let out a squealing sound and twitched a couple of times before falling to the ground. The arrow was stuck on the side of the hare, blood trickling down from the wound.

"You're precise," Lianne said to Faolin, looking at him in awe.

Faolin smiled at Lianne and walked among the trees, to fetch his kill.

Lianne got up from the ground and dusted the back of her trousers. She walked to Amra, who was sitting next to the fire, preparing everything for dinner.

Lianne involuntarily let out a sigh as she sat down, and Amra immediately picked up on it. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

Lianne lifted her head, not even realizing that she had sighed. "Oh, nothing," she said, averting her gaze.

"Come on, I know you," Amra laughed, looking at Lianne as if she was a fool to think that she could lie to her.

"No, it's nothing," Lianne insisted while crossing her legs and stretching her arms.

"Is it about him?" Amra asked while nodding toward Faolin, who was walking back with the hare. Lianne glared at Amra as if she was crazy to even suggest something like that.

Amra smiled when Faolin came to them with the hare in his hand, dangling it from the ears. Faolin was careful not to let any blood get on him as he pulled the arrow off the hare and tossed it next to Amra.

"Good size. Thanks, Faolin," Amra said while taking out her knife and starting to skin the hare.

"I enjoy hunting," Faolin replied and took a large leaf from the ground. He wiped the blood off the arrow with the leaf before putting it back to his quiver and throwing the leaf under a tree.

Faolin sat down and put his quiver and bow to the ground. "I hope you can make something of it."

"I definitely can," Amra said as she tore the skin off the hare with one slick movement.

"I hope we'll get to the inn soon so I can get something else to eat," Lianne said while frowning at what Amra was doing. The tearing sound sent shivers down her back. "I don't especially like hare."

"Are you grumpy today, Lianne?" Amra asked as she threw the skin on the ground with a hollow thud.

Lianne glared at Amra but didn't answer her.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Amra still asked while chopping the head of the hare and throwing it further into the woods.

Lianne shrugged. In fact, she hadn't slept well last night, but it wasn't the reason she felt irritated. The journey to the roadside inn felt too long, even if it only had been over a day. A nervous tingling in the pit of her stomach made her feel uneasy, and all of Amra's insinuations just frustrated her more. Her muscles felt tense even if she tried to stretch them.

Lianne straightened out her back and breathed in. She held out her palm and started gathering energy. She needed to focus on anything other than her thoughts, otherwise she couldn't relax.

At first, a small trace of energy gathered inside Lianne's palm, the air on top of it getting warmer. Both Amra and Faolin turned to look at what she was doing but didn't try to stop her.

Lianne focused on the energy as small sparks started popping on top of her palm. She felt her muscles tightening and the flow of energy in her veins getting stronger. Her skin prickled and her palm grew hot as the sparks changed to an electric current.

Lianne breathed and the electricity strengthened, raising the ends of her hair up. The leaves on the ground lightly lift up as the growing electricity charged the air around her. The current transformed into a ball and the sparks crackled with every movement Lianne's fingers made.

Then Lianne suffocated the energy, closing her palm. The electricity discharged and burst like a bubble, a loud crackle echoing in the air. A small pressure wave erupted, ruffling the leaves and lightly billowing their clothes and hair.

Lianne glanced at Faolin, wanting to see how he was reacting to her magic. He looked at Lianne, his eyes half-lidded, focusing on her every move. The fleeting breeze swayed his dark hair and Lianne couldn't look away from him.

The pressure wave spread further before it died out, the leaves falling on the ground and the air around Lianne turning back to normal.

Amra frowned. "Lianne, come on, you're going to put the fire out with that," she said irritated. She stacked the sticks back that had been thrown off the campfire by the sudden wave.

Lianne glared at Amra, tearing her eyes away from Faolin. "You're no fun."

Amra glared back at her. "I'm not trying to be fun, I'm trying to make dinner."

"You are fascinating," Faolin said in awe and Lianne immediately stopped bickering with Amra. She averted her gaze, feeling her heart thumping louder. Even Amra's wide grin didn't sullen her mood anymore.

It was midday when Lianne, Amra, and Faolin were traveling towards the roadside inn. The sun was shining from up high and the wind rustled the leaves of the trees that bordered the road. Squirrels climbed in the trees and birds flew on the branches, singing chirpy little tunes. Spring was starting to turn to summer.

They had been riding for a while, wanting to make way as much as possible. After meeting the scavengers, they had traveled a day and a half. Lianne and Amra had been on the road for months, but the last half-day felt longer than any distance before.

As they galloped over a small brook, Faolin suddenly pulled on the reins, slowing his horse down to a trot. He froze for a moment, his whole body tense. His eyes scanned the surroundings closely before his brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Lianne asked while pulling on the reins, making Luna slow down. Amra followed Lianne immediately, changing her pace.

Faolin walked his horse around before stopping. "A horse," he said, his eyes squinted, scouting the horizon behind them.

Lianne stopped Luna and looked behind. She gazed closely at the distance. "I don't see anything," she frowned.

"Listen," Faolin whispered.

Lianne listened attentively. She tried blocking the sounds of their horses, birds, wind, and ruffling leaves. Slowly she started hearing faint galloping from the distance.

A sole horse appeared on the horizon. It galloped fast toward them, but it didn't have a rider.

"A wild horse? Here?" Lianne asked baffled.

"I guess so," Amra shrugged.

The horse soon caught up to them. It veered to the side and kept on going ahead, its brown mane flowing in the wind as it galloped past them. The horse had a saddle on its back, but no rider.

"A runaway," Amra frowned.

"I'll get it," Lianne said while spurring her horse to move. Lianne leaned forward and snapped the reins as Luna speeded up to a full gallop, to catch up with the runaway horse.

As soon as Luna was next to the horse, Lianne stretched out her hand and took a tight grip of its reins. Lianne pulled on them, taking control of the horse. It whinnied but didn't resist.

"Whoa!" Lianne commanded the horses while pulling on the reins. Luna and the runaway horse both slowed down and eventually stopped.

"There, there," Lianne said, carefully patting the horse's mane. Its dark eyes inspected Lianne for a moment before it quietened and calmed down.

Lianne pulled on the reins again, turning her horse and pulling the other along. She walked back to Amra and Faolin, the horse following her and Luna obediently.

"What do we do with it?" Amra asked when Lianne got back to them.

"Should we take it with us to the inn?" Lianne asked, looking at the dark brown horse. "No use leaving it here."

"The horse is tame. Its owner must be dead, or it would not run alone," Faolin said.

"We could get some coin from it," Amra said as she hopped off Sol. She closed in on the runaway horse carefully, in case it would get anxious.

The horse let Amra get closer. She first patted the horse's side and then moved to inspect what it was carrying. Tied to the saddle was a couple of sacks that contained food supplies, a saddlebag, a bedroll, a shovel, and a pickaxe. Amra immediately started rummaging through the saddlebag.

"Oh, look," Amra said while pulling a small pouch from the saddlebag. She opened it and turned it upside down, a couple of small rings falling on her hand. Both of the rings had small stones embedded in them. The other one was white and the other one red. "Might be worth something."

That's when another sound echoed from the distance. Everyone's attention turned away from the horse and back from where it had come from.

A person was running in the distance, waving a hand in a wide arc, trying to get their attention. The person was yelling something that didn't carry to their ears yet.

When the person got closer, he was revealed to be a young-looking man in his 20s. He had wrapped fabric around his head to shelter himself from the sun. He wore light clothes and knee-high leather boots.

"Hey!" the man yelled from afar while waving his hand and running fast toward them. His speed didn't slow down, even if he already had run quite a distance. His face was dripping with sweat and his clothes were soaked.

When the man caught up to them, he stopped. He tried saying something, but couldn't get any words out of his mouth. He raised his hand, signaling them to wait while taking in deep breaths, his chest heaving heavily.

"...wait..." the man was able to say before he leaned his hands against his legs, trying to even his breathing.

Lianne, Amra, and Faolin glanced at each other questioningly. "Take your time," Amra said, looking at the man curiously.

It took several minutes before the man lifted his head again. His face was sweaty and his cheeks red, even if his skin was otherwise pale. His strikingly blue eyes seemed clouded but he immediately revealed a cheeky smile. Strands of blond hair appeared behind the turban he had tied on his head.

"Hey...so...nice to meet you..." the man spoke, still panting hard. He wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve, soaking it through.

"I'm guessing this horse is yours?" Lianne asked, raising her other eyebrow.

"Yes...he got away..." the man said as he straightened out his back. He took one deep inhale, to finally even out his breathing. Then he walked to his horse, took a flask, and emptied it in one long gulp.

The man let out a deep and satisfied sigh after he had drunk all the water. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and put the flask back.

"Alright, I'll start with introductions. I'm Kendel Jassin," the man said while smiling at them. "I'm glad you caught my horse."

"I am Faolin. These are Lianne and Amra," Faolin introduced them all. Lianne and Amra nodded at Kendel, who put his hand on his heart and bowed low.

"Great to meet you all."

"What happened to you?" Faolin asked.

"Well," Kendel started before he smiled embarrassed and rubbed his forehead. "My horse got spooked by something and threw me off a while back. I would have been in real trouble if it weren't for you. Who knows how far he would've gotten."

"Well, happy to help," Amra smiled.

Kendel took another deep breath. Then he glanced through Lianne, Amra, and Faolin with a curious gaze. "So, where are you all heading?"

"To the roadside inn that's supposed to be close by," Amra pointed at the direction they were going.

"Oh? Well, that's where I'm heading too. What a small universe," Kendel said and grinned widely. Then he seemed to remember something. "Oh, yeah, take this," he said while digging a silver coin from his pocket and handing it out to them. "Here, for your trouble."

Lianne immediately lifted her hand, to stop Kendel. "No need. Happy to help."

Kendel looked at Lianne, his expression faltering for a little before it returned back to his normal smile. "Well, I guess I'm the luckiest person alive to meet such wonderful people," he said and bowed in a dramatic manner.

"It is our pleasure," Faolin said with a small nod.

Kendel glanced at Faolin, his brows furrowed and expression troubled. "Right," he said before looking back to where he had come from. He cleared his throat. "I guess I'll be taking my leave," he said and took the reins from Lianne. "Thanks, my lady."

The horse started to whinny and swish its tail from side to side as Kendel tried to get up on the saddle. "Oh, come on El, you're being so stubborn," Kendel said while frowning. "I'm getting up anyway," he added while placing his foot on the stirrup, swinging his other leg over the horse, and sitting on the saddle.

The horse paced few steps in place. "El, why do you hate me so?" Kendel asked with a theatrical voice while patting the mane of the horse.

"Something wrong?" Amra asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

Kendel turned to look at Amra. He smiled widely again as if nothing was wrong. "No, nothing at all. Well, thanks again. If luck is on my side, we'll meet at the inn," he said and clicked his tongue twice, urging the horse to move.

The horse whinnied and swished its tail a couple of times but didn't move at all. Kendel's expression faltered as he slouched his shoulders disappointed.

Lianne felt like laughing but was barely able to suppress it. She quickly glanced at Amra, whose pursed lips showed that she was trying to do the same.

Kendel glanced at everyone mortified before he leaned closer to the horse's ear. "El, you're embarrassing me in front of these kind people. Please, El," Kendel whispered to the horse, which neighed loudly in response.

Kendel lifted his head and grinned at everyone. "Well, take care," he said and clicked his tongue twice again. This time the horse whinnied but started to trot on ahead. Kendel waved his hand as the horse speeded up to a gallop, heading toward the direction of the roadside inn.

"What a pleasant man," Faolin commented with a straight face.

Lianne glanced at Faolin. He was being genuine, but that made her smile more. She couldn't keep her laughter in anymore. "Certainly," she giggled.

Faolin turned to look at Lianne as if he was surprised by the sound she just made. He smiled puzzled, his eyebrows raised curiously.

"At least we know that the inn is that way," Amra grinned.

"Yeah..." Lianne said, her smile faltering and her heart beating faster. She averted her gaze from Faolin, feeling too self-conscious.

When Kendel disappeared in the distance, Amra turned to the other two. "Should we head out?"

Faolin cleared his throat as if he woke up from his thoughts. "We should let the horses eat before we move on," He said and nimbly hopped off his horse, starting to pull Myrin closer to the trees on the side of the road.

"Sure," Lianne said and jumped off her horse too, pulling Luna to eat some of the grass around the trees.

The horses settled comfortably around the trees and started chewing. Lianne took in a deep breath to calm her heart. She stretched her legs and arms before taking a sip of water from her flask. The wind had mostly stopped, and only a small breeze swayed her hair. The sun was starting to set from the highest point in the sky.

"I will visit the trees," Faolin said as he stepped onto the grass and walked further between the trees.

Lianne nodded while putting the flask back into her backpack. As soon as Faolin was gone, Amra took the small pouch behind her back. She still had the rings she had taken from Kendel's saddlebag.

"Amra, did you steal that?" Lianne asked, her eyes wide.

Amra looked at the pouch in her hand. Then she smiled widely as if it had been an accident. "Oops," Amra shrugged.

Lianne frowned. "I always knew you were a thieving magpie, but to steal from a poor man who got thrown off a horse," she said with a scolding tone. "Shame on you," she added with a huff, putting her hands on her hips.

Amra shrugged again. "I forgot I had it."

Lianne looked at Amra with a deep frown on her forehead just as Faolin came back.

"Shall we move on?" Amra quickly asked, to get away from Lianne's piercing glare.

"We will. I hope we get to the inn before dark," Faolin answered while starting to pull Myrin out of the grass. The horse resisted at first, but as Faolin pulled on the reins again, Myrin yielded and followed him.

Before Faolin got back on the road, he suddenly lifted his head and turned in the direction where Kendel had come from. He observed the distance carefully as if he could see something. He took in a deep breath, to smell the air and sense the surroundings.

Faolin's eyes widened as he whipped around fast. "Move! Behind the trees!" he said sharply and started pulling Myrin behind the trees. Lianne and Amra exchanged looks and instantly started pulling their horses after him. Lianne had already learned to trust Faolin, so she didn't hesitate when he told her to move.

"What is it?" Lianne whispered to Faolin as soon as they were behind the trees and out of sight.

"Something is coming. We should stay hidden," Faolin replied.

"Something dangerous?" Lianne asked while leaning closer to a tree. She craned her head out of hiding, to be able to see to the road. Sol whinnied but Amra quickly hushed it.

"That is the feeling I got," Faolin replied, his voice tense.

Lianne started hearing the clopping of several hooves coming from the distance. The sound of the hooves got closer and Lianne realized that she was almost holding her breath. An empty feeling started to form in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea what was happening, but Faolin seemed so tense that it started to rub on her too.

Soon horses appeared from the distance. Two horses with riders were galloping in front. Behind them was a carriage wagon pulled by two horses and a driver.

Luna, Sol, and Myrin all started to nervously pace, their hooves stomping the grass. The trees around them started feeling cold and the air stagnant. Lianne smelled something familiar lingering in the breeze that slightly ruffled her hair. As the riders got closer, the strange feeling in the pit of Lianne's stomach grew stronger.

From that distance, all the men looked well over middle-aged. The stubble on their chins and overgrown dark hair made them look rugged. Their backs were straight, and their gazes set firmly forward. Their expressions were stoic as if they were statues. The wagon was ornamental. It had one window, a bronze roof that shimmered in the sun, and dark wood walls decorated with brass patterns.

Lianne scrunched up her nose as the stuffy scent of something familiar seemed to fill the air. She felt a tightening sensation in her throat as if she had a hard time breathing.

The sound of the hooves thrummed on the ground. The horses' nostrils flared in the rhythm of the galloping. One of the horses neighed, the sound screeching loudly in Lianne's ears. She winced and leaned closer to the tree.

As the men rode past the trees, Lianne saw their faces properly. Their eyes were wide, staring straight ahead. Deep lines on their foreheads and dark circles under their eyes accentuated their shallow expressions.

Lianne glanced at the wagon that was going past them. Someone was sitting inside. When their eyes met, Lianne felt as time seemed to slow down. The person was staring straight at her. A fleeting shiver went through Lianne's body as if something was running a sharp claw across her back. Her eyes went wide as she trembled, letting out a strange sound from her mouth. A word she didn't know of.

Then the men and the wagon had already gone past them. They were riding on ahead, the same direction that Kendel had gone to.

"Didn't look like a fun bunch," Amra said while looking after them.

"Did you sense it too?" Faolin asked as he watched closely at their receding backs.

Lianne nodded, still feeling a slight shiver running through her. "Who was that?"

Amra turned to look at Lianne, her eyebrows raised. "Who do you mean?"

"The person in the wagon," Lianne said, her eyes still wide.

"I didn't see anyone," Amra shrugged. "Must have been someone rich," she added and stepped out of the trees as the wagon disappeared in the distance. "We're clear."

Lianne shook her head as if to get back to her senses. She disregarded the shivers and followed Amra.

As Lianne stepped back on the road, she noticed deep wheel tracks on the ground. They seemed much deeper than a normal wagon would leave, even if the ground underneath was soft.

"Let's head out then," Amra said while getting on her horse and taking the reins, ready to leave.

Lianne tore her eyes away from the tracks and nodded, trying to focus on ahead despite the empty feeling still in her stomach. She got on her horse and urged Luna to move forward, again traveling toward the roadside inn.