The Beauty in Pain | Book One of In Pain Trilogy *EDITING*

17. Posa Town

They left out as soon as dawn came. With a few complaints from Madeline and a couple of threats from Mynera to bring the bats down if she complained again, they finally managed to make it out of the cave and continue on their way. A day went by, they rested. Then another and another, while their food and water ran as thin as their tenacity. Before long, they fell into a banal rhythm of riding all day, eating at night--sometimes without a fire--and then setting out the next day. Even Hale grew quiet after a while, and as the days stretched into weeks, they only traveled in silence. 

Saenar didn't speak at all. Mynera thought back to how he had looked when he thought they were all sleeping, the way he stared into the fire looking lost and sad. Each night they rested, she noticed he wouldn't. She wondered how many hours of sleep he got each night, but she didn't ask. She didn't want to bring up the fact that she knew his thoughts bore down on him once they'd all retired to sleep. That vulnerability was his own.

What could she say? That it was going to be alright? She had no way of knowing that. The screaming was finally over. The usurper, Lord Gavin, should be on the throne lording over the remains of Cyrello citizens. And here they were, on the run, donned in covering cloaks trying to find their way to a safe haven. Right now, things were not looking good.

Not for a single day did Mynera let her guard down, making sure that they were not being followed nor were they near those patrolling guards. She thought that when they finally exited the forest, she would have no reason to look out for red enemies. But when they'd come out unto a large plain, her uneasy feeling grew.

They'd lingered around the fringes of the forest, wondering what to do next. Hale had suggested that they make a mad dash across so that they would be out of plain sight as quickly as possible. But, Madeline, believe it or not, had said that they should just cross normally, for if they did make race to the other side, they would only be bringing more attention to themselves. Attention they didn't need.

In the end, they'd decided to do what Madeline suggested. They'd started across the plain normally, taking rest when they had to, and then beginning again when Saenar told them to. Luckily, they were able to make it to a stream just as night came down, for their water had finally run out. After riding for nearly four weeks, the past few days had been the hardest and now the horses were in dire need of water and rest. So were they, in fact. Mynera dismounted her steed leading him over to the stream.

"We should be able to rest right here," Saenar broke his silence, leading his horse to the stream. He patted its rump as it began to drink.

"What about food?" Mynera asked, stretching her sore limbs. Riding since the crack of dawn was taking its toll on her. She didn't even have the energy to muster up surprise that he was speaking to them.

Saenar shook his head. Dusk swept across the plains, bringing with it a gentle breeze. Mynera felt a bit uncomfortable being out in the open like this, but she told herself that, at the very least, she would be able to see if anyone was coming. 

"The only form of food we may be able to catch out here is if a deer happens to wander by," Saenar was saying, "or if we fish from the stream. We have no weapons so we won't be able to take the deer down, neither do we have the tools for fishing."

"Are you suggesting that we starve the entire night?" Madeline demanded. She crossed her arms and glared at Saenar like he was madman. The weeks had taken its toll on her as well, but she was still the golden-haired beauty. The queen ran her fingers through her rapidly knotting hair. 

Saenar answered calmly, not bothered by the glare coming his way. "We have water, which is all we need right now. We should be reaching Manor Ingstad by noon tomorrow. I'm sure we can hold out by then."