Dawn arrived before I could even notice it. It was still dark when the first movements began to be heard in the camp. The sound of carts lining up, horses snorting, short, sharp orders to finish adjusting the last things before departure.
"At least we don't have to stand guard today" I muttered while helping Daren fold his tent.
Claire, sitting in front of me, adjusted her gloves. "Don't say it like it's a tragedy."
Rowan was leaning against the side of a cart, his eyes half closed.
"If Luke doesn't have something to complain about, he malfunctions," he commented without opening them.
"I'm not complaining," I replied with a grumble.
Shortly after finishing loading everything onto a nearby cart, Serin called all the guards to gather around and listen. "Alright, everyone, the escort formation will be the same as when we came." After saying a few more words, she went over each person's position. This time I was assigned to the left side of the formation, again with Leofric.
We began moving shortly after. The constant rattling of wheels over the frozen path replaced the sound of axes. During the first few minutes, no one spoke much.
The forest slowly opened before us. Unlike the valley we left behind, everything here remained untouched. Tall trees, branches heavy with snow, silence broken only by the advance of the carts.
It felt colder than the previous days, or maybe it only felt that way because we had left before the sun had risen. I adjusted my cloak as I walked beside the cart, attentive to any movement among the trees.
Leofric walked a few steps ahead of me, spear in hand, gaze fixed forward. I looked into the forest. Everything seemed calm.
"Do you see anything?" I asked quietly.
He barely shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."
That should have been reassuring, but for some reason I couldn't explain, it wasn't.
A couple of hours later, the sun began to rise high enough to filter light between the branches. The white of the snow stopped looking grayish and the forest regained some color.
From my position I could see Rowan on the opposite side of the formation, walking with his usual relaxed posture, though I knew nothing escaped his notice.
The path descended gently and then turned east. I remembered it from the journey there.
I heard one of the guards speaking behind me. "If we keep this pace, we'll camp near the stream before nightfall."
I still wasn't very good at this; I couldn't easily figure out where we were or how long it would take to reach a certain destination. Hearing more experienced men talk about it reassured me.
A crow suddenly took flight from a nearby tree, causing one of the horses to startle slightly. Several guards turned their heads at the same time, tense by reflex.
Nothing.
I exhaled slowly. It gave me quite a scare. Just the forest reacting to our passing.
The sun finished rising, though its light barely managed to warm anything. The snow reflected an almost irritating brightness, and I had to squint at times.
"When we get back, I'm going to sleep for two days straight," I muttered.
Leo slowed his pace to walk beside me. "I heard old Edric is quite strict in his training. Will he let you?"
"Probably not, but well, dreaming isn't bad," I replied with a shrug.
The path narrowed slightly as it went deeper into the forest. The carts slowed down to prevent the wheels from slipping on certain frozen stretches. From the front, Serin raised her hand signaling to maintain distance. Everything remained in order.
By midmorning we made a brief stop so the horses could drink water from canteens and to check the cart straps. It wasn't a real rest, just enough to make sure nothing failed halfway through the journey.
Claire and Daren approached from the center of the column. "Everything calm over here?" they asked.
"For now," I answered.
Rowan appeared a few seconds later, brushing some snow off his shoulder. "In theory this should be a quiet journey. Most beasts hibernate during this time of year."
We resumed the march shortly after.
The forest began to change slowly; the trees were shorter, denser, and the terrain less even. We had already moved considerably far from the valley and the logging area.
The wind started to blow with more force, dragging fine layers of snow that crossed the path in small gusts.
"If another storm rises, we'll take twice as long," Leofric commented.
"Don't say that out loud," I responded automatically, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.
He let out a brief laugh in response.
The convoy continued advancing at a steady pace. The crunch of snow beneath wheels and boots marked an almost hypnotic rhythm. I tried to focus on that, on something simple, instead of on the slight discomfort that wouldn't quite disappear.
The wind blew again, this time a little colder. Some high branches shook and dropped small cascades of snow onto the path. Leofric moved ahead again, resuming his position.
I looked to the right, then to the left, mentally reviewing what Serin had advised during guard duty: don't look, observe. I tried to apply the difference. Footprint over footprint—ours, the horses', the wheels'.
A little further ahead the path descended into a more shadowed area. The trees grew closer together there, their crowns intertwined, blocking part of the light. "Maintain formation," Serin's voice was heard from the front. It wasn't an alarmed order. Just firm.
We entered that section of forest and the sound changed. The wind no longer ran freely; it became trapped between the trunks and produced a low, constant murmur.
I felt my hand settle near the hilt on its own—not because there was anything, but because that place had always made me uneasy.
A dry crack sounded to the left. I paused for a moment. Leofric barely turned his head. "Branch," he said quietly.
I nodded.
It was probably that. A second later, something small crossed the path a few meters ahead, quick and low. A fox. It disappeared into the white undergrowth without even looking at us. Some of the guards released their breath almost at the same time, tension fading without words.
"You're getting nervous over nothing," Leo murmured, without mockery this time.
"I know," I sighed, closing my eyes slightly.
My back relaxed without me noticing. In the distance, barely perceptible, the sound of water began to be heard—the stream. If everything continued like this, we would arrive before the sun began to set.
One less day of travel.