Uras headed to the stables to find horses. He was following him in Elendiz. There were no other living things in the barn except for a few horses. He headed for a white mare at the end of the barn. The mare looked at him with sleepy surprise as he placed a saddle on the back of the bareback horse, which he had just taken from his side. The mare shook her mane as Uras made soothing noises as she tightened the girth strap.Uras took Elendiz's bundle from him and tied it to the back of the saddle. "Still, I don't think you should come," he said. "But I promise to take care of you.""Maybe I'll take care of you," he replied lightly. She smiled at his weary look and bent over to straighten her hair. Uras climbed the other horse in the stable with no difficulty. Uras shook his head and staggered sideways as he put his foot in the stirrup and sheathed his legs. The horse's dance increased as Uras settled into the saddle, as if he was dying to run. Uras gripped the reins tightly and tried to
Uras involuntarily pulled the reins. It might have been a night owl, but everyone in the group knew it wasn't a bird. The wings carrying this creature could have had the same shape as a bird. It moved with the slow and powerful motion of a hunting bird, swung back and forth in long arcs. But the creature's size was questionable. Across the moon, his body was larger than a human. It crossed the face of the moon again, turning downward, disappearing into the darkness.He didn't realize Uras was coming towards him until Ewin grabbed his arm. "What are you sitting here looking at, boy? We have to move on." Others were waiting behind Uras.David seemed to be struggling not to let his fear of ñarq take over his feelings. Elendiz hoped he would dismiss it as a bat or a trick of his eyes. Uras grunted a word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Snager" Elendiz and the others looked up nervously at the sky from all directions, but Ewin groaned softly.“Yes,” he said. "It would be foolish t
Uras came down the stairs and told them to lead the horses through the fog. The fog swirled around Tumaris's knees, hiding her feet. The fog was not as thick as outside the town, but she could barely make out her friends. The town had fallen silent. A few more windows were burning than before, however, but the thick fog turned most of them into dim spots. The only thing visible in the misty glow was Uras' white horse. The houses in the town were as if floating in a sea of clouds.Yelis shifted rigidly from the pain of the long journey. Walking was no better than horseback riding right now. Abigial came up to him. His long coat was soaking wet. Abigial grumpily held the now-soaked coat close to the others and took it from his shoulders. Elendiz grunted to himself and muttered in a low voice. Finally, Yelis grumbled as well, words like "Hot food" or "fire" had reached Elendiz. Elendiz approached Yelis with the joy of finding a supporter. “Hello, I am Elendiz,” he said, extending his h
Ewin in a flat voice. "Looks like you won't be able to work for a while, that's bad for you." The woman took one of the bottles from her cloak and handed it to the man. The boatman stared for a moment at the bottle in the Woman's hand by the light of the lantern, then his shoulders hunched and his eyes fell on the others he crossed. A cry was heard, meanwhile. As the boatman grabbed the bottle from the woman, he turned and ran into the mist. The men beside him were following him only half a step behind the river. they disappeared below.Ewin looked after them for a moment, then said, "We can't stay here any longer, we must hurry," his voice sounding as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Ewin began to walk toward the shore at the head of his black mare. Everyone in the group followed him. Ewin and the Woman stood beside their horses at the border, when the fog had passed, and began to discuss how to continue their way from now on. The others stood somewhat apart from the
Even the horses froze. The scream was heard again. The voices seemed to pierce Yelis like a needle, and they blocked his ears at an angle. Then the screams faded and disappeared. Clueless, Mextumsila dismounted and scanned the sky. “Lucky, he's looking for the river to find us,” he said, suddenly taking a realistic tone. “Let's go inside, get some rest and have a warm bite to eat and drink.” As everyone looked around in the open area, she pointed to the clearing between the trees. The opening was so narrow that they crawled on their hands and knees and crawled down a short tunnel. They finally stopped, there was an irregularly shaped area just ahead. "Let's make a fire, we'll be safe here," said Ewin. Uras quickly prepared a bed of river stones for fire. The wet wood caught fire easily when Mextumsila poured a bottle she had pulled out of her cloak into the woods. Everyone in the group gathered around the fire to warm up as the smoke drifted upward. Mextumsila and Ewin threw their clo
When the sun rose above the horizon, Ewin had already awakened all but the Woman. After a while, they cleared all evidence of their stay there and set off east for Pasina. Even though the shadows under Mextumsila's eyes were evident, she sat upright and steady in her saddle.The fog still hung thickly over the river behind them. Uras watched over his shoulder as he rode, hoping to see one last glimpse of the red river and beyond until the mist had disappeared."I never thought I'd be this far from home," Yelis said when the trees finally obscured both the mist and the river. “It's so sad that we'll never be able to see our little farm home again,” said David nervously. "Even the black rider can't chase us forever, can he?" said Yelis, imploring a plea.Tumaris steered his horse's head towards Uras' horse. “And you, Uras, do you want to go home?” Uras was silent for a while, and they continued to ride together at last, “Do you think there is any place left to turn?” Said. Tumaris's face
Pasina Two nights later, as the fire was burning, Elendiz licked the last bits of cheese off his fingers and said, "You know, I think we lost them for good." Uras took one last look around, She was half asleep by her pipe. Yeliz, who poked the embers idly with a stick, answered. "If we've lost them, why does Uras keep exploring?" Yelis had now learned the names of everyone in the group, and the stories of the Ice people. David was almost asleep, rolled over with his back to the fire.“We lost them in the Red river,” Tumaris said, her fingers clasped behind her head, leaning back looking at the moon-filled sky.Abigial said, “Stop worrying about the black cavalry and the like.” Tumaris continued speaking as though he hadn't spoken, “We're going where the stories come from. How do you think Kars is, The haunted forest and the mountain beyond it?” Tumaris said, looking sleepy. The city and Guva have always been hospitable. I went there once a long time ago, but the Uncanny forest is sai
"And you, Yelis?" said Mextumsila. "What do you think of Pasina?" “I think it's a long way from home,” said Yelis, a sharp laugh rising from Elendiz. It was Ewin, David, and Abigial glances. Fate had already made its choice for her. Mextumsila continued. “I don't want you to think we're out of danger, danger starts again here. Be careful what you say inside the city walls. First of all, you mustn't mention the Black cavalry. This has never been a side-taking city, since the fall all members of the Ice people have agreed. It is said that the Ice people settled here before Ergekon. Here, Tonka's followers are little liked. You must not forget that,” he said. Elendiz gasped and Uras muttered in a low voice. Tumaris turned pale, but Mextumsila calmly continued. "We should get as little attention as possible." "We're not going to use our own names here," he continued. “I am known here as “Ayda” and you will have to come up with new names for yourself,” he said. “We must enter the city befo