The night was silent, with insects and animals alike still having a few more weeks before spring awoke them, and Idelle felt her eyes drift down. The hard ride wore her out, and she knew such a long period of sleep was a luxury she probably wouldn't have for a long while yet. Even the cold couldn't stop her from rolling onto her side and letting her muscles relax.

"Are you asleep?" Torran whispered. Idelle cracked an eye open to see him looking at her across the few feet that separated them. His blonde hair fairly glowed in the moonlight. It was all clear skies, which Idelle knew meant the men they'd left behind were fighting the fire mages once more.

She sighed. "What did you need?"

"I can't quiet my mind," he said. "I keep thinking about... Did you ever see Aengus?" 

Idelle shook her head. "No, I've never been to Holmley before in my life."

Torran frowned. "The war kept him stuck in that city. His father, before Glastonbex threatened us with magic, was able to go out and visit the many counties and towns." He looked beyond her, as if seeing into another time and place. "Aengus always wanted to do the same. To see his people and let them see him. But the Glastonbex queen never let him have that chance. And now..."

"I never saw him, but I've heard about him. He did what he could to help the farmers whose lands were destroyed in battle, and he pays the soldiers even when his coffers are nearly empty," Idelle said softly. "Did you know he's the one who inspired me to volunteer in the army?"

Torran's gaze snapped back on her face. "You volunteered? That's unusual this late in the war."

Idelle smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I wasn't going to volunteer, but I heard of King Aengus and how he was standing up to Glastonbex, even though he didn't have magic to help him. I couldn't stop thinking of a king who believed so much in his people and their strength, that he would go against a kingdom with magic. And a kingdom as big and fierce as Glastonbex, as that. I knew then that I had to help him."

Torran exhaled, running a hand through his hair as he turned to look up at the stars twinkling above them. "We're a dying breed, the magicless. The countries like Glastonbex think that because they have power, they can swallow up the kingdoms who were not born with their advantages. I'm glad that my uncle, and Aengus after him, wouldn't give in to Glastonbex. They were the last few brave enough to do it... and perhaps no one else ever will be, if Glastonbex wins."

"You don't have magic, but you have might and pride. They may be untrained and scared, but even the Wynherst peasants will never give in to Glastonbex's bullying."

Torran laughed, soft and almost mournful. "We'd rather die than give in to magic." He glanced over at her. "'Through strength and steel we show our might, and all through the endless days we fight. For 'tis with muscle and pure skill, the men of Wynherst do dauntless drill.'"

Idelle exhaled through her nose. "Do you actually know those songs? I thought only the old men sang them."

Torran placed a hand to his chest, acting as if she had pierced him with an arrow through the heart. "Those are our national treasures! Songs sung around campfires of hundreds of our ancestors, through a timeline of wars and battles against magic in the history of Wynherst."

Idelle rolled her eyes and shifted over so that she was facing away from him. "Goodnight, sir!" she called over her shoulder, though she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face.

"Goodnight, Idelle. See you in the morning."

########

They awoke to the smell of smoke swirling in the air. Idelle snapped to attention, her body reacting to the scent before she was even fully awake. Her eyes flew open though she forced herself not to jerk upright, knowing that it would only draw unwanted attention if she did. Across from her, Torran lay on his back, his hand clenched around his sword at his side but not daring to move to draw it.

Idelle peeked around, and when she could see nothing in her periphery, she inched closer to Torran. The dawn light was still weak and thin, and hopefully they would blend in with the dust on the ground to anyone who was at any distance. Lugh and Ffion, however...

She cursed silently but kept crawling forward until she lay down at Torran's side.

"Fire mages," she breathed out, close enough to feel the warmth coming from Torran's skin. He didn't move when she spoke, but she saw his brows draw together.

"Do you know how close?" he asked.

Idelle shook her head, but slowly propped herself on her elbows. The fields stretched away into the horizon on either side of her, but now, on the other side of the road and a few acres away, she saw the pillar of smoke rising up to mix with the apricot hued clouds.

She ducked back down, pressing a hand to Torran's shoulder. "Not close, but not far enough either," she said.

Torran exhaled and glanced down his length toward where Lugh and Ffion stood anchored to the spot and cropping the grass lazily. If Idelle was only looking at the horses, she might have thought it was a lovely holiday morning with nothing more threatening than insects on the horizon. Except, the swish of ash and wood filled her nostrils and she couldn't help but think of the walls of flames that would roast them in the space it took to blink. She'd never faced a fire mage completely on her own before, and it made her mouth go dry. She licked her lips, trying to tamp down the shaking that grew in her legs and arms as she thought of the power of the mages against just two soldiers who couldn't fight back with anything but swords.

Torran's hand scrambled in the dust between them until his fingers locked around hers. He pulled her hand close to his side and Idelle wondered for a moment what he wanted. He didn't seem to do it for any reason, and just squeezed her fingers.

Uneasy, she shifted her weight on her side but let him hold onto her. "What should we do?" she whispered. "We can't fight them head on like we could back at Avonford."

Torran lifted his head and faced her, his eyes reflecting the sun and making them look as clear and cool as a fountain. Idelle realized with a start that they were a light hazel, and she found herself wondering if she'd ever noticed anyone's eyes before. Then, the moment passed.

"Bradcombe horses can outrace anything," Torran said. "If we've already got a big enough lead, we should be able to outrun them on the road."

Idelle frowned, her mind racing to find any hole in the plan that might get them killed. "The road is between us and them. We don't know their exact position, which means we could be in range if we head to the road."

"We can't run on the fields," Torran said.

Idelle grimaced. "Right. The risk of the horses getting injured is too large if we ride them too fast off the roads."

"So what then?" Torran asked, sounding exasperated.

Thoughts of waiting in place until night flitted through Idelle's mind, but she knew it would be impossible. It was still hours and hours until nightfall and the fire mages were too close for her to feel comfortable that they wouldn't come scouting in that direction. Lugh and Ffion would be dead giveaways to their position to anyone who came near enough, and she couldn't hide them anywhere in the flat fields. She cast around for any other plan, like sneaking away or actually fighting, but they all ended with them either dead or captured.

Finally, her mind locked up and she could only shake it and run her hands over her eyes. "We'll have to take the road and just hope they aren't too close," she said, feeling like she was condemning them to some dark fate.

Torran, for his part, didn't seem to linger too long in the details of what could happen. He immediately pushed himself up to his elbows and began the process of getting to his feet without causing too much damage to the wound on his hip. He needed both hands to push himself up, and it wasn't until the warmth of his palm was gone that she realized how much she had needed it there. It felt ridiculous to think like that, and she quickly shoved it out of her mind as she got to her feet and helped Torran steady himself.

Now that they were in view of anyone who was looking, the hairs prickled on the back of Idelle's neck. She didn't waste time looking around and simply ran to Ffion and Lugh to kick back the boulder and reclaim their reins. Torran stayed where they had camped, packing up what he could without having to move too much, and Idelle brought both horses back to him. She helped boost him into his saddle without damaging his leg too much, and then secured the bags back into place before she climbed onto Ffion.

As they steered the horses back to the road, she was immensely grateful for the fluid movement of Ffion's shoulders underneath her saddle. He was bursting with muscles and ready to burn off the energy he'd built up over a slow and boring night. He tossed his head, the bridle jangling, as Idelle brought him up off the fields and onto the dusty road. Torran and Lugh were at their side a second later. 

They were in plain view now and without any way of fighting off a ranged attack. Idelle took a deep breath, steadying her nerves before she took a look around her to assess what danger they had just placed themselves into.