The sun was burning the edges of the horizon, illuminating the silhouette of a large town, or small city, in the distance—Calsveil, undoubtedly.
“That’s where we’re going, right?” Yonlin asked. He had one of the best senses of direction among them, save for Alyss. The two had been navigating in tandem all afternoon.
“Let’s hope so, otherwise we’ve gone wildly off course,” Eira said.
“Into the city tonight?” Alyss suggested.
Eira had been debating it ever since she saw the first trail of smoke winding into the sky from the town.
“No.” She pointed toward a barn in a field, unattached to the farmhouse that it no doubt belonged to. “Let’s make our way there tonight. We’ll plan our approach to the city for the morning.”
Two days, Lavette had warned her. It had taken the better part of a day just to get this far. That meant, tomorrow, they had to find Allun, free her, and get out all in the span of one day. They’d have to be strategic and well-rested.
Navigating the fields under the haze of sunset proved relatively simple. The family who was in the farmhouse had already tucked in for the night, oblivious to and undisturbed by their unexpected guests. Still, they made it a point to progress with deliberate and measured steps, keeping low to the ground. This time, Alyss covered their tracks, ensuring there was no trace of their passage in the soft earth and every blade of crop was mended.
By the time they reached the weathered barn, it was nothing more than a shadow against a plum sky. It wore its years with dignity, its front facade thick with patina and the doors heavy with smudges and streaks of regular use. The main doors were still open, the temperate night not necessitating a need to block out the elements from the animals within. The scent of the beasts permeated the air, hide and hay mingling with earthiness and life.
“Up to the loft,” Eira suggested, climbing a rickety ladder to the hay loft that creaked threateningly under their weight, but held. Most of the space was claimed by an expansive amount of hay, already in preparation for the winter ahead.
It took little time and effort to settle into their temporary sanctuary. Not much more to do other than drop their packs. The hay made for suitable bedding and the roof must be well-kept because it only had the faintest trace of dampness brought on by the cooling night, rather than any previous rainstorm. The warmth of the day still clung to the rafters, mingling with the heat that rose from the menagerie below. As each of them sagged into the hay, glances were exchanged. Expectant gazes turned in Eira’s direction.
“To start, there’s something I should tell you all.” Eira took a breath. “We only have one day to get in, get Allun, get out, and start our return.”
“One day?” Alyss blinked.
“But I thought the council gave us three days?” Cullen said. “That means we should still have two.”
“That’s what they said. But before we left, Lavette told me that there was already a push to shorten it to two days. That she’d stall as best she could but?—”
“There’s little faith we’d actually do it.” Olivin situated his pack by his feet, rummaging through it to distribute some rations to everyone. “To think, after all we’ve proved ourselves, they still doubt us.”
Eira shrugged. “It’ll make proving them wrong that much sweeter.”
“What’s the plan, then?” Alyss asked. “If we only have a day, we need to be strategic.”
“We’ll go before dawn,” Eira said. “While it’s still dark and our features will be harder to see clearly. That way we’llhopefully have more freedom to maneuver among the masses throughout the day.”
“The streets will be emptier, though,” Yonlin pointed out. “We’ll stand out more.”
Eira had already considered the prospect. “That’s why we won’t be moving as a group.”
“You want us to split up?” A frown tugged on Cullen’s lips.
“We’ll cover more ground that way and it’ll look less suspicious than six of us walking in at once,” Eira explained her reasoning.
“Split up…” Ducot huffed in disbelief, the sound devolving into a dark chuckle. “Yes, we know how wellthatworked last time.”
The words were a blow to her chest, an impact strong enough to nearly carve out the spaces between her ribs. Eira stared at him, searching for a response. But there was none to find. He was right.
A long stretch of silence dragged on where no one seemed to want to be the first to speak.
Finally, Eira broke the silence. “We’ll talk more about the roles in the morning. For now, let’s get rest while we can. But we should have someone keep watch in case the family comes out to check something in the night.” Eira stood. The squeaking boards of the loft suddenly sounded like screaming. “I’ll take first.”
No one stopped her as she descended the ladder. Eira heard them settling. She thought she heard Alyss murmuring something to Ducot. But Eira intentionally didn’t listen to the words. She didn’t want to hear Alyss’s defense, or agreement.
If she could, she would descend into the shadows of the barn and never emerge again.
But the ladder was only so long. And there was still a job to be done. Eira perched herself on the inside of the open barn doors, looking out toward the farmhouse and trying to allow her mindto go blank. The effort only lasted so long when a shifting in the air alerted her to the presence of another.
