Over on the snowy Rhydian Pass, Leona, Thorsen, Gwili, and a few others such as Neko and Marte, made their way down the fork in the road that led to Harut. Gwili, having already noticed a few of his former troupe of bandits shifting in the bushes, rode up to the front of the group.
"Let me take point from here, your majesty," he said cautiously. "Are there dangers up ahead?" Leona leaned in to ask through chattering teeth while Thorsen also paid close attention to what was being said. "Y-yes and no. My former… associates are lying in wait for us to cross their path. I'll diffuse the situation and we should get by unscathed, your majesty," he said with an awkward smile.
Thorsen nodded his agreement to Leona, who then gestured for him to ride ahead. With a nod, he spurned his horse to pick up the pace into a trot until he came across the rock he once greeted King Bashir from.
However, there was a hooded figure standing in the middle of the road ahead talking to Wyrran, his former second in command, whom he almost failed to recognize. "Bernar? Is that you?" Gwili called out from a good distance away.
"Ah, there you are! Finally!" Bernar exclaimed, turning around to greet them. "I've been waiting for you all for nearly a week, and was about to go looking for you myself," he said, spreading his arms widely.
The rest of the group caught up as he walked towards them, noticing Leona was giving him a warm smile.
Gods above, she's still just as stunning as ever. I'm glad I remembered to put my pendant back on, otherwise she might have mistaken me for someone else. Also, why isn't she talking? he thought, noticing her thick, fur coat wrapped tightly around her in a fruitless attempt to stave off the mountain air.
"What brings you out here, though? I know we sent a message to let you and your brother know as a courtesy, but none of us expected to actually see you here," Gwili said, dismounting his horse.
"What? You really thought I was just going to let Leona walk straight into a country whose queen is probably trying to kill her?" Bernar asked sardonically. "Not that I don't trust yours or Thorsen's abilities to protect her, but I'd rather not be sitting around with my thumb up my ass and waiting for news," he continued, raising his hands placatingly.
"Well, we didn't mean to interrupt your training with Thoma," Thorsen said with a heavy shrug of his fur cloak. He was speaking in place of Leona who was arguably too cold to even unclench her jaw, let alone speak.
"Thoma has been on an expedition to Soule with my…" he paused, unsure of whether he wanted to mention his mother. "With my good friends in the Caegweni Royal Guard. It's been a few weeks now, and they should be coming home soon with news," he said, adding in a hopefulness to his tone.
"I see," Gwili began. "In that case we should probably continue moving," he suggested. Wyrran, however, gave him an interesting look. "Actually, I have a proposition to make," he said, turning toward Leona and Thorsen. "What might that be?" the giant asked.
"We could add my old companions to our ranks. I trust them like how you trust me, and I know for a fact they won't do anything to betray anyone I deem worthy," Gwili replied, gesturing to those coming out of the bushes behind and around the group. Thorsen looked to Leona who, amidst her shivering, gave him a nod.
"Very well, then. You'll have to introduce us later, as we have to make it to the town at the base of the pass by nightfall," Thorsen's voice rang out throughout the pass. There were a few whoops and cheers of excitement in response. "It appears luck favors you, friend," Bernar said to Wyrran, patting him on the shoulder.
Just as the cheers reached their peak, however, Bernar noticed a rider off in the distance.
That's the path I took to get here, he thought, realizing it was one of the Caegweni guards.
"Bernar! Bernar Fayren!" the rider called out. "I'm here, guardsman!" he replied with a wave of his hand. The rider came up to the group, recently doubled in size, and dismounted swiftly, grabbing the parchment from his satchel. He ran over to where Bernar was and handed it to him, backing off a little just before he spoke.
"There has been a direct attack on Caegwen. Anwill has disclosed all available details in this report," the messenger spoke as Bernar scanned the parchment quickly. "Vesryn…" he said, reading the names of the fallen which were written at the bottom of the page. "Has any other country been notified of this? Has anyone at Codrean been notified, yet?" he asked urgently.
"They have, but there is another problem that we've just been notified of regarding your brother's expedition," the rider said. Leona, Thorsen, and Gwili immediately paid much closer attention to what was being said. "What problem? What happened?" Bernar asked, cocking his head a little to the side.
"Well, you see. There was a message directly from Vyra that was transmitted from Soule. She said that while the expedition was a success on all other fronts, your brother and Ysevel have been missing since the last battle they took part in," the rider said nervously.
"Missing? How could they possibly be missing?" Bernar asked incredulously. "According to the message, Irun Mothac, the former synner of Codrean cast a strange spell on the ground," the guardsman began carefully.
"Ysevel saw the spell being cast, and went to help him out of it, but she was just a little too late, and ended up getting caught in the spell with him. Vyra, Haldir, and Derion were also unable to help, as was the Commander due to her engaging in combat with a difficult enemy. Thoma and Ysevel; they're… they're gone," the messenger said dejectedly.
"What the fuck do you mean they're gone?" Bernar asked, feeling his stomach sink.