The old man did not move. His bare feet were planted on the rocky ground while his hands hung along his body, motionless. Only his mouth moved behind the thin black fabric that covered him.
"My wife... she is very sick. You must help her."
Malconte shook his head. His right hand rested on his blade.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a doctor. The nearest village is two days away from here. You would get there well before us if we escorted you."
"She doesn't have two days. Please, she needs someone now."
Malconte inhaled. His fingers tightened around the pommel of his sword.
"If your wife is so sick, why did you bring her on this road? The main road would have been a much safer path, and you would have come across help long before us."
The old man did not answer right away. His eyes remained fixed on Malconte with an empty, indifferent face. Then he spoke, but his answer had nothing to do with the question.
"Did I tell you about my wife? She is very kind. She would like to meet you."
Malconte felt his hair stand on end. He finally understood the real danger of the situation. He did not insist further and asked no more questions. They had to leave, but without angering this thing.
"We can't help you, sir. We have our own people to protect and our own mission to complete. We wish you good luck, but we have to continue."
The old man stared at him for a very long time in the silence.
"Why?"
"Our cart is already too full. Our supplies are counted. We have no medicine, no space, no time. It's not out of cruelty, I promise you. It's just not possible for our group."
The old man nodded slowly. But the coldness in his gaze did not change.
"I understand. But... she needs you. Just one look. It won't even take a minute. We'll be very quick."
Malconte gestured to Aldric without taking his eyes off the old man.
"We're sorry. Truly. But we can't. Safe travels, sir. I sincerely hope your wife recovers."
He stepped back. Then another step. Keeping the old man constantly in sight.
Aldric clicked the horses, and they moved forward without hesitation toward their four silent counterparts. As they brushed past the black cart, very faint whispers with no real meaning could be heard.
The two men at the front fell silent and made as little noise as possible, their hearts pounding.
The old man watched them pass. His neck pivoted to follow their movement.
"One minute. Just one minute, I assure you."
The cart moved away. Behind them, the old man remained standing in the middle of the road, motionless, arms dangling, his gaze still fixed on them in the distance.
"What the hell was that thing!?" Aldric shouted.
"I have no idea," Malconte replied, still a little frightened and thoughtful.
The cart's canvas was pulled aside as Auriel appeared behind them.
"Now we know why the construction work in this area was suddenly stopped. In less than an hour, we've already encountered a horror. Let's remain even more cautious from now on," he said calmly.
Malconte sighed and struggled to regain his composure.
"You're right. We'll make groups of three for the next watches. Always one person on the roof watching the rear perimeter while we move. And formal prohibition from moving more than ten meters away from the caravan, especially alone." He turned his gaze to the others inside the cart.
"Understood?"
They nodded silently in unison.
...
The cart rolled for several more hours. The landscape did not change, always the same rocky scenery, numerous dry bushes, and a dark gray sky. No one spoke despite the time that had passed.
At times the horses breathed heavily and the wheels creaked against the hard ground.
Malconte had taken his place on the roof first. Fatigue was visible on his face as his gaze swept the horizon, again and again. Lyra was at the front, next to Aldric. Sirine and Kael were inside, silent, hands on their weapons, ready to act.
As for Auriel, he was sleeping...
Leaning against a crate, arms crossed, head slightly tilted. His breathing was slow, steady, and very deep.
Sirine looked at him for a moment. She could not imagine ever meeting someone capable of sleeping so peacefully after what had happened. Still, she said nothing and did not wake him.
She then turned to Kael. "Aren't you too upset about earlier?"
He opened his eyes and looked at the young woman before him.
"Upset?" he asked, puzzled.
"You poured at least half of the poison flask onto your blade and then didn't even use it. You said it was worth a lot of money," she explained to him.
"Oh, that. It's fine. Our lives are worth more than poison. I followed Malconte for several years; it's by following his instructions that we're still alive today." He turned his head toward the sleeping boy. "He's far from an amateur. He's probably the most experienced member here. He judged the situation dangerous and returned with a serious expression. Malconte didn't contradict him. That gives me two reasons to say I didn't overreact."
He looked at Sirine to see if she had understood. He seemed more like a cold professor than his usual unpleasant demeanor.
"Right?"
The sun began to set, and the shadows of the crates lengthened.
Suddenly, Malconte knocked twice on the roof.
"We stop here. We're not going further in the dark."
Aldric stopped the horses at his command. There was nothing around. The terrain was very open, and nothing could obstruct the view here. As the sky turned orange, it bathed the plateau in a pleasant late-spring warmth.
Fortunately, it hadn't rained for several days. Heavy rain would likely come soon, but the fact that it wasn't frequent would still work in their favor.
They dismounted.
Kael made a small fire, and Lyra quickly brought out the rations before nightfall; a fire in complete darkness would make them far too easy to spot.
Sirine climbed onto the roof of the cart to keep watch alongside the others.
Malconte approached Auriel, who had just woken up.
"You're taking the first watch tonight with Aldric and Sirine, right? We'll bring you hot food soon."
Auriel nodded without arguing, stood up, and stretched lazily. With an agile jump, he climbed up next to Sirine, who remained serious and silent.
"Are you still scared by what we encountered earlier?" he asked, laughing.
He expected a sulky reaction, but to his surprise, she didn't deny it. Worse, she seemed to be trembling.
"Yes... it's been a long time since I've come across a horrible creature like that. And that one seemed truly terrifying..."
The cart tilted slightly as the behemoth climbed onto the roof, which seemed to struggle to withstand his imposing weight.
"So. What are you kids talking about?!"
An hour passed, then two.
Leftovers lay to the side as the three ate in silence. In the center was a pitcher of water, and to Sirine's right, there was also some dried meat and stale bread.
No one complained despite today's poor rations. Caution was the rule now that they couldn't even hope to stock up by trading with passersby like on the main road.
When they had finished, Malconte ordered his group of three to sleep.
He, Lyra, and Kael slipped into the cart alongside Madame Dolgen, who was surprisingly very silent and focused since their entry into the zone.
Kael settled into a corner of the cart, one hand on his blade, careful not to touch the numerous poison residues on it.
Sirine stayed awake with all her might as fatigue assaulted her much earlier than the other two. Her eyes were discreetly fixed on where Auriel was sitting, motionless, meditating on his breath as usual.
Time passed quietly as the calm of the night gradually settled in.