The first day's journey settled into a rhythm as steady as a heartbeat. The civilized lands north of the capital unfolded in a patchwork of harvested fields, tidy villages, and managed woodlands. The imperial post road was an artery of safe, monotonous travel. The only sounds were the symphony of the column: the creak of saddle leather, the jingle of harnesses, the soft thud of hooves on packed earth, and the distant cry of crows.
And always, in the periphery of my vision, a fixed point: Kaelen's back.
