The barbarian woman took bread and dried meat from the barkeep before she followed Ulrin out. In the street, the Constable was already mounted and waiting for them with an irritated expression. Already the clock was ticking past dawn and getting into general morning territory. Ghil eyed one of the few mounts gathered around Thaedrin and turned toward Ulrin with a nod of her head.
?I will ride with you. Come, you are light as feathers.? She swung up into the saddle and reached a hand down to help the elf up.
?Komnenos,? Thaedrin said, though loudly enough that all could hear, ?I hope your performance will not continue to decline at the same rate as yesterday. Come, we?ve wasted too much time already.?
Both Constables had their own mounts, so it was left to Sulahn?nehn to either ride with Diocles or walk; in either case, Thaedrin was already headed towards the gate and the highway at a canter. He wasn?t lying when he said the journey was far from over. The pace he set was hard, and if the horses were not living creatures he may have chosen never to stop at all. The further south they came, the more blatant the destruction left behind by the Darkspawn. One stop, for a quick meal of rations and to water the horses, was in the cover of a small town left burned black by a raid, and empty of living souls. He didn?t allow them to linger, though, who would have wanted to? They were back on the highway in less than an hour.
