We stopped to have a meal slightly after noon when we came across a nook along the path that offered some protection from the elements in general and the wind especially. It was hard to tell for sure but it certainly felt like it had picked up in strength. The meal we had wasn't much to talk about either. Since starting a fire was out of the question under these conditions we were limited to trail rations. Kaele and I had some bread. My sister's mount got a few handful of feed and some salt and munched on some grass and herbs growing along the path afterwards. Curiously enough Kaele's familiar chewed on some of that grass as well before curling up in my sister's lap for a quick nap. The ride had probably been too bumpy to get any serious napping done.

Kaele leaned against my shoulder as we sat there, sheltering from the worst of the storm. I couldn't help but notice how she shifted her weight from one side to the other every once in a while. She wasn't used to long rides at a faster pace and it showed. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze to cheer her up. “By my reckoning we should reach Caer'zha some time tomorrow or at worst the day after tomorrow, well ahead of Zul'gar and the caravan.” I paused briefly. “We have some money to spare as well. Might as well spend it. We could spend some time in the hot springs, eat real food, drink good wine and sleep in a proper bed.” I initially brought up that topic to cheer up my sister but as I kept going it started to sound pretty good in my own ears as well.

She nodded. The cat in her lap started purring. Did master and familiar share an emotional bond like that? Or was the little creature emphatic by nature? Kaele poked me in the side with an elbow. “Are you sure we won't run in any trouble here in the hills?” She paused briefly to look up at the roiling, lightning lit clouds above us. The sound of thunder ominous in the background. “Any more trouble anyway. I mean, there has to be a reason that not more travelers are taking this shortcut. The hills aren't that steep and the path isn't that bad after all.”

I could understand her worries. I took a deep breath and attempted to collect my thoughts. I tried to recall my lessons on geography and local politics as well. These lessons had never been my favorite but now, in hindsight, I could appreciate them anyway. “Well, these hills are the home of some tribes of harpies. They should be peaceful enough. They accept the king as their rightful ruler same as everyone else after all.” I frowned as a particular lesson about economy came to my mind. “Except if their population grew too much in the past years. In that case some of them might turn to banditry. That happens every once in a while. Even those harpy bandits are more of a nuisance than a real threat though.”

As Kaele looked at me with big eyes, probably imagining being waylaid by a band of harpies, I went on, pointing at the ground around us. “These hills get a lot more ashfall then we do back home.” It was true. So far that hadn't been a bad thing either. The trees didn't grow as dense around the path due to the ash and the ground was softer as well which made for good running so far. But there was a downside to it. “Once we reach the far side of the hills it will become even more pronounced. If the wind keeps up like this we might get into a dust storm over there. If it starts to rain we might have to worry about mudslides. Merchants with big caravans keep to the king's roads for those reasons. Less risk. And of course there are no inns along this path.” That last point was of greater concern to me and my sister. We probably would have to spend a night out in the open. That wasn't something I was looking forward to.

My sister seemed to share my sentiment, as she grimaced. Then she nodded with fresh resolve. “We definitely will spend some time in the baths once we reach Caer'zha!” She woke her familiar, prompting it to jump from her lap and got to her feet. With a smile on her face she pulled me to my feet as well. “Come on, we better make some more distance while we still have daylight. With this storm it is bound to get dark early and I don't want to spend two nights out here in the hills if I can avoid it.” She headed to her mount and climbed back into the saddle, wincing as she sat down. Yep, she really wasn't used to this mode of travel.

I took the chance to gather up the rest of our belongings. We hadn't unpacked a lot but we had unburdened the ibex so it would be able to recover its strength. I fastened the bags back to the creature's saddle and shouldered my own pack as well, only to stop as the cat jumped onto my back as well only to worm its way into my backpack. “Oh, you wanna ride with me for a change, huh?” I didn't receive an answer but I gave the little creature enough time to find a position it deemed comfortable before setting off along the path again. Weapon in hand I resumed my leisure run. By now I could tell which speed I would be able to maintain until nightfall. Even the added weight of my little passenger wouldn't make much of a difference in that regard.

I only looked back over my shoulder once to make sure that the ibex Kaele was riding was following me. Satisfied that it did I looked ahead again, focusing on the path, barely more than a game trail, and my breathing instead. We traveled like that in silence for quite a while until the sky started to darken for real. By the time the sun had set for good and only the lightning still arcing in between clouds far above us was providing any light worth mentioning we stopped again in a spot where a slightly denser copse of trees and bushes provided some shelter. It wasn't much but still better than nothing. With the wind still tugging at us in great gusts I didn't dare put up a tent. It probably would have gone flying before I was halfway done setting it up. Instead we just wrapped ourselves in blankets and huddled together.

I was still busy nibbling on one piece of bread while feeding crumbs of another to the ibex, who greatly enjoyed this treat, when a noise startled me. Kaele hadn't noticed it but she certainly noticed me dropping my blanket and jumping to my feet, glaive in hand. I whirled around to face the direction the sound had come from. As the next cascade of lightning danced in the clouds I could see the sound's source. A harpy, almost invisible in the night with her brown and gray feathers had apparently stepped on a dry branch with her clawed feet quite deliberately. As thunder rolled and more lightning flashed I could make out three more of the bird women behind her. All of them wore metal claws that would make the devastating kicks their kind could deliver with their powerful legs even more deadly. None of them seemed worried although I had a weapon pointed at them. The one in the front finally addressed me. “You shouldn't spend the night here. It isn't safe.”