The angry mob never found what they were looking for; by the time they tracked Aela’s flight to the ledge where she had encountered Ivak, the young woman was long gone. Rather than dishearten the vengeful Inartans, however, this only made them more determined.
Aela managed to stay one step ahead of her pursuers all the way into The Unforgiving. Night had long since fallen by the time the tree branches canopied above her, cutting her off from even Leth’s pale light. To top it all off, in her mad dash to escape, Aela hadn’t brought anything with her other than the few small necessities in her pack. Tent-less, bedroll-less and food-less, at least she had her flint and tinder and a few Pinions. Fire should keep away the things that crept in the night, even if the money would do no good.
It would be a long night for the young woman if she was unaccustomed to sleeping outside, alone, in The Unforgiving. Such a thing was normally downright stupid, a dare traded between young Inartans that no one ever was ever really expected to follow through on. But the danger that gathered back within the city would kill her more surely than anything that might be lurking nearby.
When dawn’s fingers stretched and chased the night from the sky, Aela would be awakened from whatever shelter she had managed to make not by the light, but by the sound of voices. Very close voices, coming from the tree line. A quick inspection would reveal an old man and his horse, making his way towards the road that lead up into Wind Reach. His back was bent with age, a knobbly stick in his hand clearly helping support his weight as he hobbled along, the white whisps of hair atop his head blowing in the cool morning breeze. The old man walked with purpose, as if he had been here before. And in fact he had, a traveling trader that stopped by the mountain city when he found himself in the vicinity. The Yasi loved the arrival of the old man, for his appearance meant that they could try and beg some sweets out of him. Aela would surely remember him from her childhood, Old Man Grale.
His horse was heavily laden with goods, and Aela would be able to spot a little of everything she would need to survive in the wilderness, for a short time at least. But was it worth the man possibly carrying the news back to Hof and his fellow Endal that a young woman had been spotted in the trees? Perhaps she could obtain the items she wanted without being spotted… but the pinions also clacked around in the bottom of her bag. Choices, like before… except this time, they were her own.
Aela managed to stay one step ahead of her pursuers all the way into The Unforgiving. Night had long since fallen by the time the tree branches canopied above her, cutting her off from even Leth’s pale light. To top it all off, in her mad dash to escape, Aela hadn’t brought anything with her other than the few small necessities in her pack. Tent-less, bedroll-less and food-less, at least she had her flint and tinder and a few Pinions. Fire should keep away the things that crept in the night, even if the money would do no good.
It would be a long night for the young woman if she was unaccustomed to sleeping outside, alone, in The Unforgiving. Such a thing was normally downright stupid, a dare traded between young Inartans that no one ever was ever really expected to follow through on. But the danger that gathered back within the city would kill her more surely than anything that might be lurking nearby.
When dawn’s fingers stretched and chased the night from the sky, Aela would be awakened from whatever shelter she had managed to make not by the light, but by the sound of voices. Very close voices, coming from the tree line. A quick inspection would reveal an old man and his horse, making his way towards the road that lead up into Wind Reach. His back was bent with age, a knobbly stick in his hand clearly helping support his weight as he hobbled along, the white whisps of hair atop his head blowing in the cool morning breeze. The old man walked with purpose, as if he had been here before. And in fact he had, a traveling trader that stopped by the mountain city when he found himself in the vicinity. The Yasi loved the arrival of the old man, for his appearance meant that they could try and beg some sweets out of him. Aela would surely remember him from her childhood, Old Man Grale.
His horse was heavily laden with goods, and Aela would be able to spot a little of everything she would need to survive in the wilderness, for a short time at least. But was it worth the man possibly carrying the news back to Hof and his fellow Endal that a young woman had been spotted in the trees? Perhaps she could obtain the items she wanted without being spotted… but the pinions also clacked around in the bottom of her bag. Choices, like before… except this time, they were her own.
