As the little troupe packed up lunch, Victoria stroked her horse's neck.
"I'm sad I cannot ride you this afternoon, friend. Perhaps tomorrow." She said a bit mournfully.
Simone felt a little bad about making the girl sad, but not nearly enough to make her want to suffer Shayn's presence for the rest of the day.
"You'll have plenty of turns on this trip, don't worry," Simone assured her. And the woman would do her best to make sure those turns alternated so that she wasn't stuck on the wagon with Shayn again.
"I know." Victoria smiled. "It's just strange to be on the first day of what might be a longer time than I'd realized."
"Do you regret joining?" Simone wondered aloud.
"No… but it's a long trip. We'll see what comes." Victoria pursed her lips.
Nodding, Simone took the reins and patted the animal.
"Ready to go?" She whispered, receiving a nicker in response.
"Are you serious?" She heard Shayn ask from behind her.
"I thought I could manage a full day of riding, but it turns out I was wrong," Kyler said, more quietly.
She cast a glance over her shoulder. The brothers appeared to be in a muted argument.
"It would serve you right if I made you ride," Shayn grumbled.
"But you wouldn't do that to me," Kyler replied softly, but confidently.
"You're worse than Riley and Mayra," The younger brother seemed done arguing, but needed to have a final word.
"I'm deeply wounded. Wait, no, the goblins did that. Your words can't hurt me." Kyler shrugged with a self-deprecating grin.
Simone blinked at the strange humor. He seemed open enough talking about it, perhaps she would have occasion to find out more in the course of their journey.
For now… it looked like she would be riding beside Shayn. Or maybe Walter, if she could manage it.
She led the horse to a fallen tree trunk and stepped on it to have an easier time mounting. It was quite a tall beast. Once she was atop, she arranged her split skirts for modesty before steering the animal back towards the little group.
Shayn had also mounted, and was glaring at her.
"Should I maybe ride behind the wagon? The road is getting bumpier, I would hate for anything to bounce out and be left behind unnoticed." She asked nervously.
"That seems wise," Shayn put in, and Simone almost startled at the unexpected compliment, until she heard him continue. "I'll scout ahead and stake out a campsite for the evening."
Ah, so he just wanted to be as far away from her as possible. The feeling was mutual.
"Allow me," Walter put in. "I was a scout in the wars. I know how to pick a campsite like no one else!"
"How gracious of you, Walter," Kyler said with a smile, earning a glare from Shayn. "Thank you. I'm sure Shayn would be much happier making sure the wagon's contents stay in place."
"I really would prefer to ride ahead–" Shayn tried to cut in.
"Think I'm not up to the task??" Walter interrupted, "I'll have you know–"
"That's not it at all," The younger man tried again. "It's that…"
He looked at Simone reluctantly, and she shrugged. He could admit in front of everyone that he hated her company, if he wanted to. It wouldn't hurt her feelings.
"I think Simone would have a much more pleasant time riding with you than with me. She doesn't seem to like me very much."
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. How dare he put all the blame on her, as if she disliked him for no reason at all! He could have said it was his fault, or at least made it a case of mutually not getting along!
"I can understand that," One corner of Walter's mouth twitched, and Shayn had the decency to put on an ashamed face.
"That can't be true!" Victoria cried. "Shayn! You must be mistaken. Simone is very kind and I can't imagine her disliking anyone!"
Now it was her turn to be flustered, but she remained silent until everyone turned on her for a response. With four pairs of eyes on her, she sighed.
"Shayn and I got off on the wrong foot when we first met," She explained.
"Ah, so you just don't know each other well enough," Victoria nodded sagely.
"I'm sure that's not it," Shayn put in. "Have you ever heard the expression 'familiarity breeds contempt'?"
"Then you must despise me after years alone together," Kyler shook his head.
Simone didn't miss the look that passed between the brothers.
"You're fast using up your allowance of guilt trips," Shayn shook his finger at his brother.
"I feel I'm using them wisely, but I thank you for the warning," The elder smiled. "Walter, we'd be delighted for you to scout for us."
The older man looked confused, but nodded and rode on ahead while the rest of the party finished preparing to leave.
An irritated pair of people atop a frisky pair of horses fell into step behind the wagon.
"Did you have to try and blame me?" Simone snapped at him.
"Blame you? I tried to make myself out as the dislikeable one!" He retorted. "I was sparing you the shame of it being the other way around!"
"No, what you did was make yourself look like an innocent victim of my capricious and unjustified malice!" She continued.
He stared at her silently for a moment. "I was being nice."
"THAT was you trying to be nice? Have you been trying this whole time??" Simone asked incredulously. Was this what counted as effort for this insufferable man?
"Not the whole time," He admitted in an admirable moment of honesty. "The meat pie, that was effort."
"And then you snapped at me when I tried to accept the apology," Simone reminded him.
"You get on my nerves more quickly than anyone I've ever met," He pursed his lips as he made the excuse.
"Likewise," She assured him.
"Well, stop it!" He threw one hand up as if she'd never considered the option before.
"I'll think about it, if and when you stop being so abominably rude to me," She really did find him to be one of the least likable people in her life's acquaintance.
Shayn stared at her a moment longer until she became uncomfortable. His eyes were serious, assessing, and unreadable. Finally, he shrugged and turned forward in his saddle, leaving her wondering exactly what he'd decided, if anything.
She exhaled loudly through her nose in frustration, determined to enjoy the rest of the afternoon's sights without his interference.
The foothills around Klain were lovely and rolling, with smatterings of trees that slowly collected into a great Northern forest. The woods of the South were, her maps told her, temperate and good for orchards and farming all the way to the sea.
North, however, the forest became more dense, slowly turning coniferous and cold as it met the mountainous border of the known lands. Further west, the desert put an end to the trees. The rolling, sandy hills were not good for growing anything at all.
It was those lands that Shayn and Kyler had surveyed, the furthest North and West a person could conceivably travel. The journals of the War Between Worlds Queen Serafina had accumulated and entrusted for safekeeping to the Treasury indicated that King Roland had been North of the mountain range. Though he'd only looked at it for a few moments, it seemed that vast, snow-covered flatlands were what lie on the other side.
It was only by the queen's good graces that Simone had been allowed access to the restricted materials.
Simone had had a hundred questions for the queen, though it didn't seem polite to ask all of them. Was it winter? Is it possible that the snow melted in summertime and left some great grassy plains behind? Were there landmarks? Animals?
It would have been marvelous to send some expedition, but of course the mountains were impassable now.
What a great shame.
A chittering squirrel caught her attention, and her horse snorted in displeasure.
"It's all right, it's only a squirrel," She said softly, patting the horse's neck.
"I thought you were supposed to be a quiet travel companion," Shayn complained.
Ah, so he hadn't chosen to try being nice.
"First of all, I wasn't talking to you. Secondly, I hardly said a word this morning. If that doesn't qualify, you must want someone by your side who's taken a lifetime vow of silence." Simone didn't look at him as she spoke, staring into the thicket of trees.
"Who said I want anyone by my side?" He challenged. She sighed and started to shift her gaze forward.
"I didn't say–What's that?" The wagon rolled over a large bump in the road, and a little sparkle in the air caught her eye, like a firefly but bright enough to be visible in the afternoon light.
"KYLER!" Shayn called. "HOLD!"
The wagon stopped as the pair of riders pulled their horses short. Victoria hopped down and ran back towards them.
"What is it? Oh! That's just like the one–" She stopped short.
The shimmering circle wavered slightly, and warped. It looked like something was trying to come through.