A World Apart

10. Coralis

Three more long days they slogged along the road until the mud gradually hardened and then on the third day gave way to another road -- this one much more worn.

Elena and the girls had suffered through one more full day of treacherous terrain in the carriage until, emboldened by their green faces when the procession finally stopped to camp for the night, Elena suggested over the evening campfire that all three of them might ride a horse the next day instead.

Ector sniggered at the suggestion and Sedric narrowed his eyes at her. The king, still even less trusting of her than he had before the incident with the bear, scoffed at the idea.

"Do you even know how to ride?" he asked, wrinkled eyes glittering in the firelight as he took another healthy swig of mead from the bottle being passed around.

"Enough that I'm willing to take my chances on horseback rather than riding in a jolty carriage," she replied with all the sweetness she could muster into her voice.

The king eyed her suspiciously but said nothing further. She thought the argument lost until the next morning when Sedric led the largest horse she had ever seen over to her and the girls just as they were about to climb back into the carriage.

"He's no stallion but he's a good mount and should carry the three of you," he told Elena as she reached up a hand to stroke the horse's head. His coat was pure mahogany all over except for a white patch on his forehead. He whickered at her touch and all four were taken aback when he abruptly nudged his head against Elena's face, pressing his forehead to hers.

Sedric looked the most surprised of all but said nothing, catching the eye of another stableboy and beckoning him over to help all three of them on. When the boy produced a step stool and Elena proceeded to mount first she could barely reach the horse's back until she felt two large hands on her waist helping to lift her higher.

Her cheeks blushed in spite of herself. Once seated, she looked down to see Sedric doing the same for Bree and Sarai. Each of the girls looked terrified to ride this colossal beast and Elena wondered if she had spoken out of turn by assuming they also would rather ride horseback than suffer the carriage one more day.

The three of them rode along in the middle of the procession, trailing behind the cart full of barrels of mead. It was still a jolty ride but none of them complained. When their whole party stopped for lunch and an impudent Ector asked Sarai and Bree how they liked the ride in front of everyone the red-faced girls stammered that it was much more comfortable thank you and nothing more was said on the matter.

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The morning of their arrival dawned clear. The chill in the air that had followed them south was less severe but when Elena woke in her bedroll snug between Bree and Sarai she could still see her breath come out in faint clouds.

Outside the tent she crept on all fours, tugging her shoes and shawl silently from the corner of the tent and trying to avoid waking the girls before they would have to resume their duties. The night before Sarai had snuck out for a while and then crawled back in late, trying her best to be quiet. Elena was a light sleeper though. She'd cracked one eye open to see Sarai's giddy smile illuminated by the moonlight that peeked through the tent flap just before Sarai fastened it shut and crawled into her bedroll beside Elena, her face turned away.

Now Elena was the one sneaking out and she saw Sarai's peacefully sleeping face just barely from beneath the heap of blankets. Quietly, she closed the flap behind her, pulling on her shoes and wrapping the shawl around her shoulders.

The camp was still, no one else was about yet and the fires of last night lay covered in sand, the dark gray ashes peeking out. It was still early and the shades of sunrise illuminated the sky with a brilliant hue of orange tinged with pink. The evening before they had made camp at last on the edge of the forest they spent the last several days traversing, and to the left of their encampment was a wide valley she hadn't been able to see in the late hours when the king finally ordered them to stop and rest for the night.