Kaelix tightened the saddle straps on his horse, his fingers moving with a precision born of routine but marred by exhaustion. Every muscle in his body felt taut, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, fraying at the edges. Days had blended into nights, stretching into weeks of fruitless searching, but he refused to surrender. Eirik was somewhere out there, and Kaelix's only purpose was to find him.
Drystan stood beside him, his steady presence a rare comfort. They shared few words, but Kaelix felt the weight of Drystan's silent support. The palace, too, had grown accustomed to Kaelix's single-minded focus, his relentless, almost desperate drive to uncover any hint of Eirik's whereabouts, no matter how obscure or distant. He'd follow even the faintest whisper, if it meant bringing his consort home.
