When they finished, Maelina paid for the meal and they all stood.
They stepped outside into the cool afternoon air.
The tavern yard was less noisy now, though many horses were still tied where travelers had left them.
Their own stood where they'd left them.
Eliora looked around once before saying,
"I actually doubted you when you said nobody steals at Frostfall Hollow."
Zarek adjusted the saddle straps casually.
"Told you," he said.
He turned and helped her mount first. Then he climbed up behind her, and gripped the reins.
Maelina mounted hers too, and just like that, they rode off again.
The path ahead sloped upward as they left the tavern behind.
Eliora adjusted her veiled hat as the wind picked up again. "Where are we headed now?" she asked.
"To Elam Hills," Maelina answered from beside them.
"Hopefully, we get there before nightfall," she added.
Eliora tilted her head. "Where is that?"
Maelina blinked once, then laughed. "Where do you even know?" she teased.
