Years prior Caed had seen Ashvale and its neighboring cities in their early days. Back then he still had his name, well before his master supplanted Istvar into his life. Everything out this way was a little rough and tumble. Now they were bustling. Each town dotted spots he might refer to as nodes on the leylines, something he figured Cromwell had done intentionally.
The area between Ashvale and Mt. Yelugh was a map of resources. Spiritcaller grew in abundance. While being with Veleria ensured that he was not reliant on its effects, Caed still gathered some during their downtime.
Veleria rarely required rest; however, Caed’s ass killed him on the daily. His build made riding horses a hellish experience. They took multiple breaks but didn’t use any pit stops for long, for despite Wren repeatedly trying to push coins into Veleria’s hands she had only agreed to a small sum. Most of it was used to feed him and keep him warm whenever he was apart from her.
Cromwell had instructed Wren to draw up a rather specific route for them. It was fairly straightforward, and a small intricate seal that the shopkeeper also gave her made checkpoints simple and easy. They just waltzed on through most of the time.
This was great up until they neared the base of the mountain. Out at Mt. Yelugh there was nowhere to stow their horses. As such, they were forced to give them up before leaving Tsuyulah. It was the only town close to Mt. Yelugh and it was a small affair. They slept at an inn for this last time, as they would be on foot from then on and Caed was dreading it. A two day walk through thick snow awaited them.
“I still haven’t seen the Dark Stranger anywhere.” Veleria said, the mask held in her hands while she looked at Caed from her bed.
“Well, don’t ya go invoking the bastard. Not much to manipulate you into doing out here in the cold.” He shrugged, then patted his side. “Don’t wanna come here?”
“I thought I was too hot…”
“You are heating up, that’s for sure. But I’d like a little snuggle before we say good night.” Caed grinned. On her side, Veleria packed the mask again before making her way over to him.
She eventually woke in the middle of the night to her own heavy breathing. With one hand covering the left side of her face, she thought of Caellach while the cadence of her breath slowed. He had been here before. Not here here, but nearby, in the skies above Tsuyulah.
She was afraid. Not her, but Caellach. Veleria touched the burning scar on her chest. She had been getting hotter. That was no lie, but now she realized that it was Caellach involuntarily reacting.
“Caellach?” She whispered, not wishing to wake Caed. “Please talk to me.”
Only silence responded in kind.