The first rays of light came with the bustle of frantic servants and indolent masters from the departing caravan of the palace courtyard. Throughout the aristocratic district of the capital city, many carriages of the finest manufacture joined the procession that was growing like a tail to embark on the daylong journey to the Emerald Forest of Baela.
All of the carriages were moved by kar'ood stallions, magnificent beasts with untainted grey coats bred for strength and endurance. They had a light gait, taking to the roads in the plains with precision and speed.
Because the Emerald Forest was on the other side of the peninsula, in mainland New Oalta, it was nothing less than a long journey and required the fastest beasts to get them there before the day's end.
A road that should have taken three measures to cross only took half the time, and only when they began to traverse uneven ground, near the eighth measure since the rise of the lesser sun, did they slow to a stroll.
