Part 16: Back in the Saddle

Philip watched in stunned silence for several seemingly unending moments, unable to move or to think beyond his own fear of the enormous army less than a mile from where he was standing. Suddenly, his mind snapped to action and he dove backwards quickly into the sunflowers, hoping the men on horseback hadn’t spotted him. Fortunately for him, their roving eyes never passed over him as he stood at the edge of the field in shock.

Slowly, he forced himself to his feet and ducked down slightly as he wandered through the innumerable flowers. He looked around, then finally spotted Hauseld standing amongst the tall flowers in a bit of a haze. He grabbed the horse’s reins and tugged him gently in the direction away from the marching army, toward the Eastern end of the field. Philip wasn’t sure where he was heading, but he knew he couldn’t take any chances with the army.

It took about fifteen minutes, but Philip finally reached the Eastern end of the field. Once he did, Hauseld began to stamp impatiently at the ground, the beast’s mind having cleared once he was free of the field. Luckily, there was a dirt road running along the field as it wound its way North.

Philip rubbed the side of his head as he removed the bag from Hauseld’s saddle, a dull ache lightly pulsating through his skull every few seconds. He had no idea what had happened to him. There was only a vague recollection of an unusual encounter back in Yellow Field that, at the moment, made no sense. Philip shook off the disorientation, then climbed into the saddle and urged Hauseld on.

The horse moved to a canter rather swiftly, but Philip did not push him any faster. Caution was needed with an army of nearly 20,000 men less than a mile and a half away. He could still vaguely hear the shouts and the thousands upon thousands of footsteps, but as the road began to wind away to the Northeast a bit, those sounds soon faded.

After about a mile had passed, the sunflowers quickly began to vanish from sight. Philip glanced back toward them and smiled, enjoying the sight slowly beginning to grow less distinct, turning more into a large patch of yellow on the otherwise green landscape. The terrain had risen a bit, creating a slight barrier between Philip and the army. To the North, the terrain was starting to rise as the White Mountains became more recognizable.

The pair rode swiftly through the slightly hilly terrain before coming to a stop as the road ended at another road. Philip stopped and looked around, then urged Hauseld to the left to read a small wooden sign. It indicated that Idyll was to the West, while Wood Bridge was to the East.

“Well, at least I know where we are now.� Hauseld let out a snort of impatience for having to stop. Philip sighed and patted the beast’s neck. “Just calm down. I need to figure out what we’re going to do before we get too far ahead.� He then tugged Hauseld farther toward the West and urged him into a light canter.

The hills began to grow bigger and taller as the road wound along the base of the foothills beneath the tall, elegant mountains. Off in the distance, the terrain grew from a lighter green to a very dark shade of green, and the sight sent a chill down Philip’s spine.

“The Karesh Forest,� Philip muttered to himself. He absolutely, positively wanted to avoid going through the depths of the forest if at all possible. There were many stories and rumors of strange, malevolent spirits that lived in the woods, creatures that would attack travelers without remorse simply for entering the forest. Philip shook his head slowly and turned his gaze back to the road.

It wasn’t long, however, before Philip had to make an important choice. The road continued along the base of the foothills, winding within about half a mile of the beginning of the dark forest. Off to the North side of the road, a smaller road branched off, wound up a hillside, and disappeared into the depths of the forest. Philip tugged Hauseld to a stop and considered his options.

“If we continue West, we won’t have to enter the forest, but we might run into the army,� he pondered aloud. “But if we go through the forest, we’ll avoid the army altogether and possibly run into the spirits that live there.�

Philip frowned and lowered his gaze in thought. In his mind, it was a lose-lose situation. Slowly, he reached forward and stroked Hauseld’s mane. As though inwardly sensing his decision, Hauseld shook his head and snorted again, his feet shifting nervously upon the dirt road.

“I know you’re going to hate me for this, but we can’t risk getting captured.� Philip swallowed hard, looking at the thin strip of brown road winding into the forest. “We’re going to have to go through the forest.�