Ewan made sure one last time that all the bundles were safely attached to Fusain's flanks, checking that the straps were properly closed and that nothing would fall off during the ride.
Fusain wagged its tail, the silky mane waving along its length, and the horse then pushed the young man's shoulder with his muzzle. The latter gasped in pain at the unexpected contact near his wound, and took a step backwards, giving his mount a reproachful look.
The animal merely blew noisily through its nostrils; and turning its ears in all directions, its gaze was drawn towards the immense doors of the military barracks.
For half an hour already, an uninterrupted stream of wagons and mounted men had been passing through, circulating in a dense column of gleaming armor and royal blue and white capes floating in the air. The metallic clanking of spurs and pieces of armor clashing together, mixed with the trotting of animals and the shouting of instructions from the staff, created a cacophony of slow, steady rhythm. The sound, sinister and disturbing, reverberated off the immense walls of the great white tower before fading into the ambient hubbub of the city.
Following Fusain's gaze, Ewan too began to watch the military column unfold along its entire length like a vine tendril being pulled by each end to tighten it. Soon, there would be only a small garrison in the city to keep order, and silence would fall over the military barracks abandoned by almost all its occupants.
However, the young hunter would probably not be there to see the place become dull and empty. He had an appointment to attend to, and he just hoped that the talking Salamander had waited for him wisely and had not caused chaos and destruction on Mount Larshen and its surroundings.
He also hoped she wouldn't be too surprised to see that he wasn't alone, contrary to what they had initially agreed.
Turning his gaze to the entrance of the dormitories, he called to the little girl.
"Pavas!" He shouted so that she could hear him despite the distance.
Immediately, the child looked at him with surprise, and Ewan waved his hand to her to come closer. Not losing a moment, Pavas trotted on the twenty meters separating them, and silently stared at the young man.
"We're going to leave, you didn't forget anything, did you? " He asked her by returning her gaze.
The small girl shook her head, and Ewan then placed his two hands under Pavas' arms to raise and sit her on the back of Fusain. Then, climbing onto the horse's saddle behind the little girl, he took hold of the animal's bridle and beckoned it forward. Fusain nervously tapped his big hooves on the square's pavement, then went towards the doors of the barracks to momentarily join the military convoy that passed the entrance like liquid poured into the opening of a funnel.
The horse was carried away by the invisible current of horses and equipment, and navigated through the crowd, slaloming and deflecting its course so as not to slow down the people behind them, or collide with the soldiers in front of them. Curious onlookers, caught up in the unusual bustle of the streets, leaned out of their open windows, both on the first floor and on the upper floors of the various buildings along the route the impressive contingent was taking.
Such attention on you could be intimidating, if you weren't used to it. Ewan didn't really care about that sort of thing, but he did notice that Pavas had kept her eyes glued to Fusain's head the whole time. She probably wasn't comfortable with all the prying eyes, although she wasn't the main object of that curiosity. That said, they probably wouldn't stay long enough for it to become uncomfortable.
Soon, the convoy arrived at the huge main square of the city, where a few days earlier the large market that Ewan and Pavas had visited had been held.
The stalls had been completely dismantled to make room for the mass of material and humans who arrived and left in a fluid way, without lingering or rushing. Taking advantage of this large space, Ewan had Fusain hurry up and send the animal trotting across the square in a few seconds to overtake the main group ahead of them.
At last, a few more minutes later, the mount and its two passengers finally found themselves on the other side of the huge, smooth ramparts of the armored city. Ewan gave a final salute to the armored guards positioned at the entrance, and turned his gaze to the large cultivated area surrounding Ylesse.
Before them, the great military column stretched uninterrupted from the city gates to the edge of the forest, occupying the entire length of the high road that ran west. However, Ewan, Pavas and Fusain set off in the opposite direction. Their destination, the imposing Mount Larshen, lay further south and east, and its dark gray peak was already visible behind the fields, forest, and surrounding hills.
Staring at the huge mountain he had not been able to see the day they arrived because of clouds filling the sky, Ewan felt a sharp pain in his right eye before a headache attacked his entire skull. Groaning in pain, he massaged his temple, and drew a concerned look from Pavas.
"Ewan has pain?" She asked in a low voice, which surprised the young man.
"Just a headache, " he reassured her by grimacing.
Determined to travel as far as possible before nightfall, he put Fusain back into a trot and led him to the other side of the forest that encircled Ylesse.
The horse set off at a heavy pace, raising a cloud of dust and sending leaves, twigs and grass flying over the edge of the road.
The resulting breeze made the long white hair of a hooded figure, heading to the oppisite direction and toward the armored city, dance in the air.
Ewan set his horse aside a little so as not to bother the traveler too much, and continued on his way; not suspecting for a second the gaze that had fallen on him at the same moment.
The wind picked up as the trio rode away, and the traveler did not take their eyes off them even after they had disappeared through the foliage, trees and bushes.
Full of regret, the traveler remained motionless for a long time, and kept looking towards the vegetation and the road leading into it.
"That's strange..." Said one of the guards in position in front of the city gates.
"What?" Asked his colleague, a little annoyed.
"I thought I saw someone coming in our direction," he said, pointing to the deserted road heading east.
The other guard then turned to the road, and seeing no one there, began to snicker.
"I think you were dreaming," he scoffed gently.
"Yes... Maybe that's what it was..." said the first guard, embarrassed.
People couldn't vanish so easily, in broad daylight and in the middle of large fields, after all.