The preparation came almost immediately.
There was no long pause, no drawn-out hesitation where Luke lingered in thought. Once the idea was settled, it remained so. The sun was already leaning toward afternoon, its light angling warmly across Nateron's stone paths, and that meant they could still make it out of the city before evening if they moved now.
So they did.
Luke and Ilyrana headed straight for the stable, where the carriage had rested undisturbed since their arrival. Vartha greeted them with a low, rumbling chuff, golden eyes half-lidded in contentment until she saw the harness come out. Then her tail flicked once, deliberate and alert. Travel mode. She knew it well.
