Chapter 56: The Woman With The Beastkin
She responded immediately, picking up speed.
Within moments, the town was behind him, the last of the warm lantern light swallowed by the darkness of the open road.
The sound of hooves striking damp earth filled the silence. The road stretched endlessly before him, a slick path illuminated only by the occasional break in the heavy clouds above.
The moonlight was faint, casting long shadows that danced with each flicker of movement.
Zayn kept his posture relaxed, letting the mare find her rhythm beneath him.
Riding through the night had always given him a strange sense of peace. There was no chatter, no merchants blocking the way, no unwanted distractions.
Just the steady beat of hooves, the whisper of the wind through the trees, and the distant rustling of unseen creatures moving in the underbrush.
...
Zayn exhaled as he finally reached Timberstead. The journey back had taken roughly three hours, and while he had made good time, his body was feeling the strain of the ride.
His muscles ached from staying in the saddle for so long, and the dampness from the lingering drizzle had soaked through parts of his clothes.
He would have liked to head straight to the guild and report his mission, but first, he needed to deal with the horse.