Chapter 211 - Napping dialogues
Having slipped away from Crowcairn unnoticed under Raimond’s invisibility spell, Scarlett and Rosa managed to make their way to the encampment. Upon arrival, they discovered that most of Sir Home’s forces had left to search the village after defeating the Tribe members who’d fought them back. Only the injured, a few officers, and their exhausted mages remained.
While searching for a place to rest, Scarlett realized that her carriage was still at Anguish’s citadel. Fortunately, Sir Home and his men soon returned, apparently having been asked by the Dawnbringers to postpone their investigation of Crowcairn. It hadn’t taken too much work to convince the man to lend her a couple of able-bodied soldiers to retrieve the carriage and the horses her group had originally used to reach the citadel.
From there, even though Scarlett had wanted nothing more than to collapse on the nearest empty spot, she left Rosa in one of the tents and spoke with Sir Home about what had happened in the citadel, deliberately omitting certain details for the time being. She would wait to explain things a bit further until after her talks with Raimond were finished.
Allyssa and Shin, accompanied by the knights who had ventured into the citadel with them, also joined Scarlett in the camp. Fynn arrived eventually as well, after apparently having wrapped up things with Raimond. The interstitial space had closed as Scarlett expected, and the deacon himself had instructed Fynn to rejoin her while he attended to other matters.
As for Rosa, the woman instantly fell asleep the moment Scarlett had found an unoccupied resting place for her. Exhausted herself, Scarlett seized the chance to rest after her discussion with Sir Home. Once the carriage was returned, she relocated to its cabin with the others for privacy and shelter against the cold. Fynn carried the sleeping Rosa and placed her in the cabin’s corner, while the rest made themselves comfortable with some blankets and pillows retrieved from the trunk.
Sir Home’s people were still moving about the camp as Scarlett’s group did this, busy preparing for potential attacks and being concerned about the citadel still covering the horizon. Scarlett understood their worries, but she wasn’t going to let that affect her at this point. She had assured Sir Home that the major threat had likely passed, but she doubted that would get him to let down his guard. As was his prerogative. Scarlett’s, however, was to finally get some rest.
Settled into the carriage, she had drifted in and out of sleep as what remained of the night passed. It wasn’t the best sleep she’d had, both because a carriage was far from her preferred sleeping accommodations and because there was too much on her mind. But some rest was better than none.
It was after the first light of dawn had begun to break, with the sun rising slowly in the east, that Scarlett stirred, still tired but at least in marginally better condition than before. Across from her, she met Allyssa’s doe-eyed gaze. Glancing to the side, she found Shin wide awake as well, absorbed in a book. Why he would choose reading over resting right now was a mystery. At least Allyssa looked like she had been sleeping until recently.
Beside Scarlett, Fynn sat with closed eyes—presumably immersed in his meditation—while Rosa was the only individual in the cabin who remained fully asleep.
“Fynn,” Scarlett spoke quietly. “Is there anyone within hearing distance?”
The white-haired youth’s eyes shot open, and he furrowed his brows. After a brief pause, he replied, “No.”
“Good.” Scarlett peered out the carriage window. She had intentionally positioned the carriage at the back of the encampment, facing away from Crowcairn and the citadel. No one would have reason to come here. “I suppose we should have a conversation,” she said, returning her attention to Allyssa and nodding towards Shin. “Have you shared anything with him yet?”