Chapter 28: Just The Night

"That’s good to know." Caelan felt slightly relieved after hearing that.

The three continued eating as the night grew deeper. Without anything to do, Caelan and Eveline started talking, including the driver in it. Their conversation started from random things, to their ongoing journey, and eventually what they would do once they reached the capital.

Before long though, their exhaustion from traveling all day started catching up to them.

"We should probably get some rest," Eveline said as she covered her mouth to yawn.

"Yeah." The driver nodded as he stood up. "You two can sleep peacefully in the tent. I’ll sleep near the carriage."

"Are you sure?" Caelan looked at him. He didn’t mind sharing a tent with the driver since it was pretty big.

"I’m used to it. Besides, someone should stay close to the horses and our belongings."

"Ohh, I see." Caelan didn’t argue with him further. Still, to make the driver more comfortable, they gave him a pillow and a thick blanket to fight off the coldness of the night.

After cleaning up what remained of their food, they made sure the fire was low enough before finally preparing to sleep.

Caelan and Eveline entered their own tent while the driver settled himself near the front of the carriage. It had a pretty good space, so it wasn’t that bad. It was pretty comfortable with the help of the pillow and blanket.

Alone in his tent, Caelan closed his eyes immediately after settling in. The forest was filled with noises as insects chirped. There was also this occasional sound of leaves brushing against one another whenever there was wind.

At first, Caelan thought he would have a difficult time falling asleep. But exhaustion quickly won him over. In just a few minutes, he was deep asleep.

In the next tent, Eveline had quickly fallen asleep too. It was the same case with the driver outside, who was even snoring for a little.

The campsite eventually became completely quiet, and the forest around them became darker. The light from their campfire also slowly weakened as wood burned.

However, in the middle of the night, something moved between the trees. A faint rustling sound came from deeper inside the forest.

In there, several dark silhouettes slowly emerged from between the trees. They remained hidden within the darkness, watching the forest from a distance.

Their attention moved between the trees, only to spot a lighted area.

From where they stood, they could barely see what was ahead. However, the light coming from a campfire was enough for them to notice that someone had set up camp nearby.

One of the silhouettes slowly moved closer at it. The others quickly followed behind, careful not to make too much noise.

As they approached, the campsite gradually became clear. There were two tents set up and a carriage, and two horses tied to the trees.

While that was happening, the driver was still sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that several figures were watching him from between the trees.

One of the silhouettes raised a hand, and the others, following immediately, stopped moving. After another moment of silence, the figure slowly stepped forward.

Its movements were careful and quiet. Step by step, it approached the campsite while making sure to stay away from the light of the fire.

It passed the sleeping driver and approached the side of the carriage. Instead of opening it up, the figure crouched beside one of the wooden wheels. He reached beneath his clothing and pulled something out.

The figure pressed it against the inner side of the wheel, and a small mark slowly appeared on the wood. It was barely noticeable, especially in the distance.

The figure stared at the mark for a second before standing back up. Then, just as he quietly arrived, he also carefully stepped away into the distance.

Once he returned to the others, the group began retreating back into the deep part of the forest. Within moments, every single one of them disappeared into the darkness.

The campsite became quiet once again, as if nothing had ever happened. The only thing they left behind was the small mark hidden on the inner side of the carriage wheel.

Hours passed, and eventually, the darkness surrounding the forest slowly began to disappear as the first light of morning passed through the trees.

The birds started chirping loudly, and the forest that looked terrifying just hours ago slowly returned to its peaceful appearance.

Inside his tent, Caelan slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh..." He stared blankly at the roof of the tent for a few seconds before remembering where he was.

"Oh, right." They were still traveling to the capital.

Caelan slowly sat up and stretched his arms. Surprisingly, he had slept pretty well despite sleeping in the middle of a forest. He stepped outside the tent and immediately felt the cold morning air against his skin.

The fire from last night had already gone out, leaving only a pool of ash and a few burned pieces of wood behind.

The driver was already awake too. He was standing near the horses, preparing them for another long day of traveling.

"Good morning," Caelan greeted him.

"Morning."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough."

Caelan looked toward the other tent. Eveline still hadn’t come out.

"She’s still sleeping?"

"Looks like it." The driver chuckled.

Caelan sighed before walking toward her tent.

"Eveline... hey?" he lightly nudged the tent to give it a movement.

"Yes?" A low, raspy voice sounded just seconds after.

Caelan lightly chuckled at it. It seemed like she really had just woken up.

"We’re already awake. Once you’re ready, come out."

"Okay..."

When Caelan heard it, he nodded and took a step back. He walked closer to their carriage, thinking of preparing something to eat before they set out once again. However, as he passed by one of the wheels, he failed to notice the small mark hidden on its inner side.