Chapter 48

They woke up the next morning without much sleep at all. They only had five more days to reach the capital, and they still had a mountain in their way. Really a chain of mountains, but this particular one blocked their path, as it hung on the southern edge of their route. These were old mountains, so they were not as tall as some, but they would still be difficult. It would take two entire days, three if they did not take the shortcut Elaine had suggested.

After rubbing their horses awake, and saddling them, which the horses did not take kindly to, Elaine and the girls set off. The path that had been so flat before, that Elaine had been grateful for, now rose steadily. Their poor horses huffed and puffed along the way, and they had to take frequent breaks. The sky above shone a light, clear blue, and although it was sunny, it grew increasingly colder, and Elaine knew that it would be frigid once they started climbing higher.