They left before sunrise, when the city still felt unfinished and quiet, like it hadn't fully decided to wake up. The streets were empty except for a few distant figures, and even the guards spoke in lowered voices.
Eliora had considered telling her mother, but the thought didn't stay long. If she stopped to explain, she might not be allowed to go at all. So she chose silence instead.
Kalderon didn't need permission from anyone, and Iremiel had no one waiting for him in the first place. In the end, the three of them walked out of the city without looking back, as if this decision carried no weight at all.
The northern mountains were too far to reach on foot, so Kalderon had gone ahead to arrange horses. By the time the others reached the outer road, two of them were already waiting.
He stood beside them, tightening the straps with quiet focus, while Eliora checked the map again, her eyes scanning the same lines like they might suddenly reveal something new.
Iremiel lingered between them, uncertain where exactly he fit into this plan that already seemed decided without him.
"Two horses?" he asked.
Kalderon didn't look up. "It's enough."
Eliora didn't hesitate. She climbed onto one of them and turned back, extending her hand toward Iremiel as if the answer was obvious.
"Get on."
"With you?" he asked, still unsure.
"Unless you want to run behind us."
For a brief moment, everything stilled. Kalderon's hand paused on the reins, and though he said nothing, the look he gave Iremiel carried something sharp and unspoken. It wasn't anger exactly but it wasn't nothing either.
Iremiel felt caught between that silent resistance and Eliora's steady expectation. He hesitated longer than necessary before finally taking her hand and pulling himself up behind her.
Kalderon didn't react. Not outwardly. He mounted his own horse and moved ahead without a word.
"What's wrong with him?" Eliora asked, glancing after him.
Iremiel didn't answer. He wasn't sure himself.
The road stretched long and quiet as the city slowly disappeared behind them. Buildings gave way to open land, and the air grew colder with every mile.
For a while, no one spoke. The rhythm of the horses and the sound of hooves against the ground filled the silence between them.
Then the horse jolted slightly over uneven terrain. Without thinking, Iremiel reached forward and grabbed Eliora's waist to steady himself. It was instinctive, nothing more than balance but ahead of them, Kalderon's posture shifted almost imperceptibly. His shoulders stiffened, and he urged his horse forward, putting more distance between them.
He didn't look back.
Soon by midday, they reached a river.
Eliora was the first to stop. She stepped closer, her expression tightening as she studied the water.
"…This wasn't here before."
The river cut across their path, wide and steady, its surface reflecting the pale sky above. Iremiel let out a quiet sigh of frustration, already imagining another obstacle they hadn't planned for.
"Great. Now what? I'm not risking another nightmare for this."
Eliora didn't respond immediately. She stepped closer to the edge, thinking, then spoke almost absently.
"I can freeze it. Not enough for the horses, but enough for us to walk."
She raised her hand slightly.
"Let it freeze."
Nothing happened.
For a moment, both boys just looked at her.
Then, without reacting to their silence, she stepped forward and placed her foot directly onto the water.
The surface froze beneath her instantly.
Just where she stood.
Iremiel stared, unable to hide his disbelief.
"…They don't teach this in school."
Eliora glanced back, a faint smile appearing.
"Of course they don't. I learned it from my mother."
She continued walking, and the water obeyed her with every step. Iremiel followed carefully, guiding the horse and placing his feet exactly where hers had been.
Kalderon came last, his gaze lingering longer than necessary not just on the ice, but on Eliora herself.