Queen's Shadow || Kingdom at the End of the World - Book II

[5] Lily

Valeri Beaufort was not fond of travel. He had preferred the comfort of home and the ease of familiar surroundings even in his wild, mortal years, and grew only more reclusive once his ties to human society and its norms were severed. Once Valeri grew accustomed to a place, he would not leave readily. He was willing to support the MacLean family store in Elsendorf single-handedly precisely because its existence alleviated any need of travel to more distant cities.

Then Beaufort Manor burned to the ground, and Valeri found himself on the road more often than under a roof. Ira drove them with the single-minded focus of a military man. In a short month, Valeri had been in the saddle longer than the last fifty years of his life combined.

Zenith snorted, as if in response to his master's thoughts. Valeri patted the horse's neck in consolation. Zenith was a sturdy beast, but this was their third day in this forsaken forest. They were all due for a proper rest.

"How much further?" he asked.

"About a mile still," Ira responded. She walked beside Zenith; the horse's great size meant that her shoulders barely reached Valeri's knees. Valeri thought about offering to switch places again, but in the end he forbore. Ira had refused twice already and seemed to have some purpose in walking rather than riding with him that she was not willing to share.

Ira's steps slowed. Zenith came to a stop without prompting, and Valeri turned his attention to their surroundings in alert.

"What is it?" he asked. There was nothing to see, and the wind carried neither the scent of blood nor any suspicious sounds.

The night was dark and starless. Tree branches twined overhead, the trees growing so close that little else had soil enough to sprout. It was a wonder that Zenith could find space to pass. In fact, looking back on the path they had taken, Valeri was not certain how the large horse had made it this far into the forest, and with a rider on its back and Ira at its side at that.

The road they followed initially was long left behind. There were few human settlements this far north, the land jagged and coarse but for sprawls of dark forests. Hunters and woodsmen would often meet misfortunes if they dared stray too far from their homes. Talk of strange beasts living deep in the woods was rife, and while most dismissed such stories as superstitions and fairy tales, few braved the forest, especially at night. Of those who did, even fewer returned in one piece.

"Stay here," Ira said.

The woman darted between the trees before Valeri could demand she wait. Valeri watched her until even his sharp sight could no longer pick her out among the shadows, mouth pursed in displeasure.

"Technically, she is still under my employ," he said.

Zenith flickered an ear in dismissal.

Valeri's frown grew more pronounced. "Traitor," he muttered.

Ira returned about quarter of an hour later. She looked grim, and studied Valeri for some time before speaking.

"We may need to return to Sar'fan and seek another way north."

Valeri frowned. Sar'fan was the town they visited before entering the forest. "That's a night worth of travel," Valeri said. It was already close to dawn; even if they turned back, they would not reach Sar'fan in time. Valeri would need to dig into the ground and hide from the sun within the earth, slowing them down further. "I thought there was a village ahead?"

"There is," Ira said, "I found us lodging, in fact."

Valeri frowned. "Then what is the matter?"

Ira shook her head. "Perhaps it is better if you see for yourself," she said at last.