The pounding of the horses' hooves on the hard-packed earth and the creaking of the wheels under the weight of the crates made the entire convoy tremble.
The first day passed without incident. The convoy advanced at a steady pace.
By the time the sun began its descent, they had put a good distance between themselves and Ravenspire.
Malconte called for a halt near a clearing, close enough to the road to keep an eye on the traffic, far enough to avoid unwanted attention.
A fire was lit. Lyra handed out rations. The group settled into the familiar rhythm of camp: weapons checked, gear sorted, and above all, speaking in hushed tones so as not to draw unnecessary attention.
Auriel sat apart at first, watching. His gaze drifted to the other cart now parked a few meters away, its canvas tied tight.
Ma'am Dolgen appeared beside him suddenly.
"Admiring my merchandise?"
He didn't turn.
" ~Monitors~ is a more appropriate term. But I admire your discretion. You don't usually travel with the goods yourself."
She smiled, settling onto a rock with ease, then reflecting thoughtfully.
"I said that people don't change. It was certainly true, but only partially. What about the environment around them?" She looked at him in the eyes. "A person carries the weight of the past whether they realize it or not; that's a fact. But for all that, the past doesn't remain only one variable. The present and the future also represent an infinite potential of experiences, much more than the past alone. Thus, people remain who they were but also become entirely new people at every moment. I suppose that's what the beauty of life is all about."
She paused and lowered her head, a slight sadness visible in her smile.
Auriel looked at her calmly.
"So?"
She sighed, her voice thick with emotion.
"Times change."
They both remained there in silence until Aldric arrived and broke the situation.
"Hi Auriel. Sorry to bother you." he said, scratching his head with slight discomfort.
"You're welcome, did you have something to ask me?"
"Lyra sent me to tell you that we were going to decide on the guard groups and the rotation time. We wanted your opinion."
Auriel turned his head for a moment towards Ma'am Dolgen.
"Go and join your friends. Don't worry, I'm keeping a close eye on my possession; it's the very basis of the business after all."
Malconte was facing Sirine when Auriel and Aldric arrived at the campfire.
"Good, as I said, you and Auriel will be in a group for the night watch." He turned to Auriel. "No problem for you two?"
They replied simultaneously.
"That's fine with me."
"Yes."
He continued.
"Kael and Aldric. You'll be together. Lyra and I will handle the first watch. You'll do the second, and the younger ones will take care of the rest until morning. Is that clear for everyone?"
Again, no one answered. "Good, let's go to bed now. It's going to be a long journey."
Aldric chuckled and said, "It's a bit late, but good luck to you all. Hey Auriel, here's Malconte's old sleeping bag. Even though it still smells a bit despite being washed the day before yesterday, it should still do the job."
"Thanks, Aldric."
"My pleasure, sir. Now, going to bed!"
"Yes, yes."
They all headed towards sleeping bags. Auriel laid his down at the foot of a large, sturdy reed. Looking towards Sirine, he nodded to check if she had seen where he was.
Then he closed his eyes, fighting against the brutal cold that hit the camp.
...
A strong hand pushed Auriel's shoulder a few times.
Struggling against his foggy mind, Auriel forced his body to stand.
"We've already woken Sirine. It's your turn now."
"Right."
Still a little evasive, Auriel took his water bottle and poured some water on his face. He tilted his head back, his thoughts becoming clearer.
[Had my body readjusted to my daily life in the city? This is annoying.]
Auriel turned his gaze to look around. Kael had gone back to bed while Aldric knelt on one knee on his sleeping bag, rummaging with difficulty through the bag lying on the ground. Finally, he raised his head towards a girl who was admiring the view, his head pointing towards the sky filled with jewels.
He advanced silently.
"I've never seen you at the Ravenspire guild before. Or even in Tornreach, for that matter."
She jumped, grabbing her bow hastily. Auriel stopped dead and casually raised his arms.
"Woua! Calm down, miss. You can shoot me all you want, but you might wake up our comrades in the process."
She sighed in frustration, "Idiot."
"You could have simply not noticed me in the guilds. A lot of people go there regularly; you can't know them all."
He smiled as he lowered his arms and approached the large rock where she was sitting.
"I'm certainly an idiot, but I'm an idiot with eyes. I would have noticed such a pretty girl like you a long time ago."
She looked at him uncomfortably. "This is the first time anyone has said something so awkward to me. You're getting a little too confident today, I don't like it."
"Actually, I'm very shy, you know." He chuckled softly and smiled at her again. "I was just trying to see you a little embarrassed. You seem more lively now than you did all day before."
Without asking her opinion, he leaped forward and arrived side by side with her.
She didn't know what to say.
He nodded to her, then sat silently in a meditative posture, one hand on his blade.
Unable to say anything else, she finally resigned herself, frustrated, and sat down on the rock too.
Several dozen minutes passed silently before Sirine spoke, "They said you've been with the guild for a long time. How long have you been a mercenary?"
He opened his eyes and turned his head to the right.
"To be honest, I don't really remember when I started being a mercenary. It was a very long time ago, that's all I can tell you, sorry."
"Aren't you afraid of being attacked with your eyes closed like that?"
The smile returned to Auriel's face and he looked at her mockingly. "There would have to be something threatening around me in the first place, to threaten me. I am confident in my experience to handle unforeseen circumstances."
For the first time she smiled at him slightly.
"You're arrogant."
Silence returned.
"When I arrived, were you looking at the sky?"
They both turned towards the sky.
"It's been a long time since I've seen such a beautiful night. It's rare in the city to see such a show. I guess I'm feeling nostalgic."
"Nostalgic? For the sky?" Auriel asked, perplexed.
"Yes. For the sky..."
Auriel expected her to stop talking there, but to his surprise, Sirine continued.
She kept looking at the sky as her eyes moistened slightly. "When I was younger, my mother and sister lived in hiding. We were poor, and bad people were after us. Our only comfort, my sister's and mine, was this sky. When things were going well, and Mom was with us... this sky was there."
She paused, then continued, while Auriel saw her wipe away a pearl that had run down her face with the back of her hand.
"When things were good or bad, this sky was there. Today, even when I find myself alone, this sky is there. It has always been the same. The same one we looked at when we were younger. I remember my sister and I discussing a thousand and one reasons why one half of it was empty, and the other half filled with sparkling light..."
"Excuse me… I'm bothering you with my story. I'm not a child anymore."
"No, It's my fault for not seeing the value of your memories. Sorry..."
From the cart, a middle-aged woman watched the two impassively. "You haven't changed either, you're still the same hypocrite you used to be."
Peacefully, time passed as the two young people continued to gaze at the starry sky until it was chased away by a pale, distant ray of orange light.