It has been a week since they had left Liontari. It was generally agreed that there will be no farewells this time, as was Celia's wish. This wish was not without a little debate, mostly from Lyse than from Edlund or the others. This came to a surprise to a few, especially Celia. Then again, much of the first night had been arguments of Lyse not wishing for her to come along, and continue her recovery. Edlund noticed him trying to take all the responsibility, as usual. He likes to take all the responsibility, but none of the credit. The two didn't talk much on the second day, more stand-offish and considering, as if anticipating what the other would say next to refute their argument, which never happened. They managed to make a lot of ground, but the only talking was among Elena, Gray, and Edlund. Lyse headed out for navigation, and Celia covered their rear and looked for anyone potentially following them. Two positions that stayed far from one another. It seemed that they will stay in this for the rest of the ride, but eventually, Lyse caved on their third night in, pulling his horse to the rear to join her in a discussion. A discussion, not an argument, which was a nice change of pace from the past few days. He seemed more agreeable after that, and he eventually pulled his horseback up to speak to all of them

The area's around the village had always been scarce after the harvest, but Lyse knew that they will truly be within the plains, and feel the full force the night brings with its creatures. They would see Nemean lions spotted here or there, the shiny beige fur reflecting the sun's rays. They made sure to make large arcs over those prides they found, and keep an eye out for any day hunters. The lions seemed more interested in the golden stags that would graze in groups than four horses and people with careful movements. Lyse saw the campsite that his father used in his last travels, and decided to stop here for a mid-day break off horseback.

"We can rest here for a few moments," he dismounted. As he remembered, the hill was a bit taller than most, looking out in all directions with one tall tree and brush to mark anything from the browning plains.

"I'll head out to see if anything more is blocking our way," Celia told him. She was the only one who didn't have a horse, the one that was meant to use instead of serving as a packhorse. Lyse had heard of the incredible stamina of Thirians, but she was able to keep up all this time without breath. He gave her a thoughtful look, one she returned, before running off over the hill to the west.

Elena sighed, tying the reins of her horse to the tree limbs. "I really didn't expect you to be so argumentative with your mother. Especially a mother who is also Thirian."

Lyse's eyes furrowed a bit, still looking off in the direction his mother had gone. "She shouldn't be out here. She still hasn't recovered from that night."

Edlund scoffed. "Yeah, if I had a bad leg I'm sure I could run fifty miles at the speed of a damned horse. I know you worry about her, Lyse, but she carries herself better than us honestly."

"You're right," he sighed, turning to go through the packs with Gray. The supply that Gray had brought was near overbearing, seemingly every pack used for something. But it was easy to find what was needed. "I can be worried, can't I. Be she my mother or my sister, I don't want her risking her life for something I can do."

"Well, it's clear she's been doing this a lot longer," Gray told him, taking out rations of pork, crackers, and water. "Remember, we are still just knights fresh off the spit. Having her actually makes me think we'll get out of this alive."

That was the thing. A part of him was really glad to have her here. He can not lie to himself and say the contrary out loud. He wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving her into the village, which has proven not to be safe. If they are after him, then they are most certainly still after her if they know she is still alive. There is nowhere for her to hide, and no matter how powerful she is, a troop of fifty Talin warriors will surely be her undoing. It has already and left his father dead, and her within an inch of her life. His worst fear, having her along on this journey, this quest, is that she will die before him, him helpless to do anything but watch. Or perhaps worst. Maybe they capture her as well. What if Massua dies in this, and he has to watch her suffer even more than they already have. In all of these scenarios, which has been running in his mind for the past couple of days, he wouldn't know how to live with himself, if he did. They have been lucky so far if one would call these events lucky. How long will that last?

His mother came back within the hour, still not breaking a sweat and not out of breath. He wondered if she was just defiantly trying to look more unfazed than she really was. She shifted her grey cloak across her shoulder, pointing off towards the north. Over the hills, another pride of Nemean lions roamed between two hills, perhaps a mile and a half off from them at the moment. The shadows were lengthening among some thickets here and there, but otherwise, the plains were barren at the moment. The path they had taken looked undisturbed since they traveled so far.

"I will catch a scent a mile away of anything similar to the Talin assassins that attacked me," she told them. She sat down between Edlund and Lyse, taking three of the dried pork to shove into her mouth hungrily. "I'm not a good tracker like those of Lykos, but I can manage well enough. Can you sense the dens of monsters nearby?"

Lyse froze putting his pouch of water to his lips, and his eyes lit up in realization and frustration momentarily. "No, I never thought of doing that mother."

She simply nodded. He would prefer she chastised him or anything else so he had the right to be upset. "You are still relatively new knights. I don't doubt your abilities, but sensing the location of potential enemies is key to making out of these plains alive. A murder of crows, or even one, will be a bad sign as well."

"Haven't spotted one since we got here," Edlund sighed. "Strange, since we're in Kotaki territory by now. One would assume that crows would be everywhere, whether they be Thirian or not."

Celia scowled, looking to the horizons as if expecting a sudden mod of crows to be summoned upon them. It was still mid-day, so crows should be as active as they ever are. The only exception is what they call mob crows, nocturnal birds with metal beaks and claws sharp enough to pierce metal plates. Maybe that is what they worry about. They usually only hide in thickets till the night come. Then, their dark feathers would be nearly impossible to differentiate from the night sky. He tried extending his senses out for other living entities. Like a void forming in his sight, nothing, not the ground, nor the color of the sky penetrated. All things were in this void that he wished to focus on. He blocked out the thought of color, depth, and of sound. He felt the aura of all those who were around him, like white flames at the bottom of a dark lake. Their auras were controlled, rolling off their form like a wispy smoke rising from incense burners. All looked relatively the same, till he looked to his mother at least. Almost immediately, the dark bottom of the lake was encompassed by something that could only be compared to a moon's light cascading upon him. It immediately overshadowed all the others, a white roaring flame that bathed them all, and they didn't even know it. He could have felt her kilometers away without looking out for her.

Lyse's frown deepened in concentration as he noticed something spilling off of this flame, a thin green line that splits off from the rest of this aura, and instead clung towards him. He looked down at the pendant he had underneath his shirt. It was like a star against his chest, not too bright, not even comparable to the horses. But it pulsed with that same energy, like a heartbeat.

He shook his head, looking back out and extending this lake out as far as he could. Everything seemed to glow with some form of aura. Everything living or had live. The grass itself emitted a soft glow as they swayed, the trees even brighter. He was even aware of the ants that stood twenty paces away downhill, scurrying around a carcass of a dead horse. This lake extended down into the earth. The ants from before carrying away small pieces of the aura within the carcass to their young. He felt a powerful aura then, eighty paces east and ten meters down, the very edge of the lake. It was a den of Aternea, saw-toothed creatures with crescent horns and bulky bodies. Usually, they would travel in herds on the plains. Any further out than that, things began to become fuzzy and dull. He couldn't discern distinct shapes or separate one creature from another. But that was all that he needed. There were no monsters nearby and active, as far as he could tell. No murder of crows and no one near enough to them to be a major issue.

"I might have to ride around for a more complete look," he told Celia, rubbing his eyes as the sunlight broke the lake, and returned everything to their true colors. "But I see nothing that round mean us harm."

Celia nodded approvingly. "Now that we can rest, it's about time we thoroughly plan out our coming actions."

"Yes, this was a concern of mine," Gray sat under the tree. His furrowed brows show how much worry he had on this subject probably since they left Silondras. Lyse wondered why he never voiced it. True, he had been avoiding it. It was hard to come to a convincing lie to not have to explain what gods are, as far as he knew, and what his mission truly was despite what he told them. He thanks them for staying near him till now.

"We are looking for my daughter," Lyse heard her voice waver a bit under the stoicism, but he did not dare harbor it against her. "Her name is Massua Opal of BrokenArrow. She was kidnapped by Talin, and the fact that she is alive implies that they need her for something, and she is more than likely alive."

"If she doesn't do anything brash or cocksure," Lyse muttered, and his mother nodded.

"Tell me what you planned on doing," she asked him, and for once Lyse was somewhat surprised. He had thought she would take full reigns of this party. The fact that she gave him control, even a little, made his heart sank a little. Now he also has the responsibility that comes with that. His decisions will now be the map for these four individuals. It made his stomach twirl thinking about it, so he began talking as soon as possible to distract from that.

"Y-Yes, I did," Lyse said. "Makyra may know something about this group, including where they will be taking her, and how to track them properly. She has been following them for quite some time before they attacked us, and they seemed fearful of her when she saved my life. King James told me that she will be headed to Torlak, to meet with some officials in the name of her king. If we get to her, we may have a chance of finding where she is."

"Torlak," Elena whispered absently. It wasn't a word spoken all too fondly within the clans. True, the land of mages and magic is the closest ally that the clans have besides the Umnai tribes and Hath overseas. But the relationship these past two generations have been tenuous at best. Torlak has recalled all mages trained by their methods, including those who came from the clans, to register for citizenship in Torlak and be regulated by their government. That means that no mage can leave the nation unless the official authorities of Torlak allow it. It was true that many other nations did misuse magic and it's properties, and the seven kings of the clans all agreed, but having select citizens pulled away like this may have put bad tastes in everyone's mouths that can not be scrubbed away by time alone.

"Meeting with officials," Gray repeated. "Did the king give any reason for this visit?"

"James most likely did not know," Celia said. "If he did, he still probably wouldn't tell anyone else. He loved to keep secrets. But why him . . ."

Lyse silently cursed himself for not having the intuition to question the king more on why she went. Knowing that could potentially give them an edge down the line in trying to find her. He wondered how much Celia knew compared to him. It seems apparent that she knew the king far better and may have better insights into why Torlak was so special, and why the guise of diplomacy had to be in place.

"In any case, we shall reach Port Dul in Tigri in the next week if we keep at this pace," Celia went on, pulling out a map of the clans and gesturing to their estimated position. The piece of land that separated Liontari and Tigri from one another. The only obstacle was one of the major cities of Koraki, Pumavut, and the giant river that leads all the way to the port. "Hopefully we can restock supplies if needed in Pumavut, maybe ask around if Makyra passed by any of the inns or if she was alone."

"If we can catch a ferry down the Endla River to make it to the port," Lyse trailed his finger down the snaking black line on the paper, leading to the edge of the continent. "It will be even harder to track us on the water if we are being followed."

"No doubt that we are," Edlund sighed. "Seeing how persistent they were in capturing us, I'm surprised they haven't jumped from the trees again to slit our throats as soon as we left Silondras."

Celia nodded. "A ferry is an excellent idea. Makyra may not risk doing so alone. We will surely catch up to her by the time we reach Port Dul."

Celia rolled the map back up and staring off into the north, back the way they came. It was a brief pause when Lyse caught it as if she was regretting her decision of coming along with them, whether or not she should just turn back now. Like a wolf who is forced out of her territory, knowing that nothing is worth it going back. That is what Lyse had got for that brief moment before stoicism overtook her as usual, and she would stretch her legs to signify the end of their momentary break. There were little complaints. It seemed every time they stopped, they were reminded of the stakes, and no one would want to verbalize their grievances before her. There was the offhand comment of a sore back, usually from Gray or Edlund. But a heated and impatient look from Celia as she strode past their horses made jaws snap shut.

Lyse began talking more to Elena and Gray about what they learned in Silondras about other lands they had visited or met other people from.

"I'm somewhat familiar with Koraki of course," he explained. "But anything beyond the one town I've visited, I might as well be from the outlands."

"No need to be afraid to ask," Elena told him. "The region of Koraki you knew shares more similarities with the rest of Liontari than it does with the rest of Koraki. I have cousins in other houses from eastern Koraki. Personally, I can't stand them. They like to talk and talk about everything a mind can hold it seemed. For one they talked a full meal over the type of chairs they had made in Aetos. Chairs."

Lyses chuckled at her levity. It was good they could keep spirits so high, they will surely need it.

"I heard that there are plenty of beautiful women in Aetos," Edlund said in a rye grin. "I would be lying if I said I'm not of the curious sort. Also, I heard that people in Nychterida are the exact opposite of Koraki. It takes several beers to make them open their mouths about the weather."

"That's at least true," Gray said. "Have a distant cousin. Always awkward when he comes to the city. Says he is a little nervous in large groups. But also doesn't like being alone. They have a problem with hags and witches, no wonder."

"If you are all done with the cultural lessons, may I direct your attention to our rear now," Celia was suddenly next to Lyse, walking backward to keep her keen eyes behind them. They all immediately stopped their horses on her words, Edlund even drawing his sword before fully turning his horse around. Lyse and the others had their hands on their hilts as they peered through the hills. Not too far behind, a wagon and two horses were riding along the same trail they were. The setting was a little too unorthodox to be Talin, but Lyse does not dare trust his judgment. They decided to wait until this wagon caught up, which did not take long. They were at a steady trot, and only stopped when they saw five people obscuring their path. The coach, a young boy wearing a wrinkled one shirt and jacket, looked annoyed but did not speak. The two men riding horses that were tailing them instead pulled next to either side of the wagon horses. From their demeanor, Lyse thought they were knights on an escort mission. But then he caught a glint off of the wrist of the fellow on the left. He wore a green cloak, the hilt of a sword over his left shoulder, and sharp blacks eyes that locked onto him immediately. The one on the right, with shoulder-length blond hair and curious glance, patted his horse affectionately before turning to them. They both had a silver band over their wrists. They were registered for a private guild.

"State your purpose of this obstruction," the blond-haired guildsman told them in a rapid cadence. "You stand in the path of Lady Mirthia and her daughter lady Dania of house Girdred. I am Liam, and this is my associate Windel."

"They are nobles from northern Liontari," Elena whispered to Lyse.

He nodded. It took a few moments before he realized they were all waiting for him to respond. He turned an eye to his mother, who was watching the wagon with slight distaste, but not looking for conversation at the moment. He tried to glance at one of the others to take the lead, but their look away signified that the responsibility was strictly on him this time. He felt a little unfit to be in a representative position, but he spoke as confidently as he could.

"I am Colt Mire," he spoke. "I am also a guildsman, of southern Liontari. I travel with Lady Elena Rosenwald, daughter of Atticus Rosenwald."

There seems to be a falter on both sides on the three sentences that Lyse had spoken aloud. True, he surprised himself at how quickly that lie came to him, but he was considering on fake names since they got on the road, and intended on everyone to have one. Calling Elena by her true name was a slip, but was the only noble name that came to his mind. Edlund and Gray kept their mouths shut, and their expressions blank. Try to be as unremarkable as any bodyguard could be. If they achieve that, then perhaps they can keep their sense of invisibility on the road.

"Rosenwald eh?" The guildsmen gave a half nod to Windel, who turned his horse around and stopped next to the coach's window, putting a few words beneath his breath and even covering it with his hand. "Forgive the suspicious nature of my companions. Monsters have put us on edge recently. Once more my name is Liam Silmon. I'm from over east, near the Gontim bridge at the border. Since you're taking this trail, I guess you are also headed towards Pumavut as well then?"

"Perhaps," Lyse said in careful tones. "We would like to feel as safe as possible, and we did not expect to meet many on this road."

Silmon gave a half-smile. "Damning choice. This road doesn't have much between Silondras and the next city over. You must also be quite skilled if she brought only four."