The sun was setting behind the forested hills in the distance, the subtle orange light filtering over the hilltops, made the group of raiders cast long shadows, which trailed far behind them.
At first glance, they seemed to be an ordinary group of travelers, all wearing hooded travel cloaks, but a more astute observer would notice the outline of armor beneath their cloaks, and the obvious shapes of sword hilts poking out from their cloaks.
But only the most observant would notice their horses, which had the scaled patches and irregular coloration of the finest hybrids, as well as noticing that even these hybrids were breathing hard, and their flanks were covered in sweat.
The group of riders had managed to traverse hundreds of kilometers while riding through the night and again through the day until sunset, and only now, had they slowed their horses to a trot.
