Rhea remained silent, and he knew better now than to press her further for answer.

"We will search the forest for a few days to avoid the locals. Seeing as you are one of them, you'll have no trouble performing reconnaissance and being our eyes within."

"What—" Rhea began, and Captain Daliternos held up a hand to stop her.

"We will heed your warnings, and show respect to the spirits of this land as you bade. In return, you will follow your orders," he said in a low voice, turning back to her. HIs tone softened, though it brooked no protest. "… Once you've begun your pilgrimage, you won't be able to return here for some time. If you wish to see her, now will be your chance."

Her mouth hung open, protests frozen upon her tongue only to be drawn back unheard when her jaw snapped shut. She raised her hands, tugging and pulling at the clasps of her helmet until it slipped free from her head. From their trek through the forest, Captain Daliternos' eyes adjusted well to the darkness but as the clouds began to part and silvery moonlight showered them, he marveled at the keen brown eyes peering up at him from beneath thick curls matted against her forehead. So distracted was he that he didn't recognize the single-fisted salute she'd given until the ringing sound of her fist colliding against her mail-covered chest broke him from his reverie.

She bowed stiffly, then rose to her full-height before marching off to gather her horse. After fitting the bridle around its head, she swung herself up onto the saddle and urged it into a light trot. Captain Daliternos strode toward her as she began to maneuver her steed toward where the outcropping's natural slope banked off toward the plains below. She spared him another glance, then nodded rigidly before kicking her heels with a crack of the reins. Her horse reared its head, sprinting forth into a gallop down the path.

"Captain Daliternos?"

He turned to glance over his shoulder, and nodded to Eisner. She stepped forward to stand by his side with a slight frown.

"Where is Dunamis going?" She asked tentatively.

Captain Daliternos closed his eyes, and hummed. "To perform her duties. Our objective is somewhere in these woods, but where is harder to find when we don't know the lay of the land."

Eisner nodded once, slow and wondering but not quite dissenting. "… And what of the fires, sir?"

"Tell the men to wind themselves in their blankets, stay close to one another to ward off the chill."

She made a soft noise of confusion, looking up to him with wide eyes. "But sir—"

"No fires," Captain Daliternos repeated, narrowing his eyes at her before turning his head to regard the soldiers who'd been walking close enough to hear. "Not one soul sparks even a fleck of flint without my word."

"The night grows cold, sir," Eisner pleaded, desperation warring with confusion until her breath hitched when Captain Daliternos turned a piercing gaze upon her head. 

"As do corpses, Lady Eisner," he swept his cape behind him before marching back toward the camp with his hands clasped behind his back. "If you do not wish to be one of them, you will heed my orders."

"Stay still for but a moment longer, Ulysses." 

Rhea smiled when she lifted the bridle from her horse's twitching ears, watching as he shook himself from head to tail. He whinnied loudly, reveling in what she considered was the feeling of freedom once the stifling weight of his barding was removed. He pranced about in the tall grass, kicking up a small cloud of dust in his fervor while she tucked his barding within a hollow between the roots of a towering oak tree. She sat down near one of the roots, pulling at the clasps of her armor. One by one, the pieces were gathered and nestled beneath the tree until she was down to her small clothes.

When she dragged her saddlebags in front of her, she sat down on a boulder and searched through the folds for a plain tunic and breeches. Dressing within the wilderness was less stifling than amongst the soldiers in the encampment. With their natural blunders against the elements, and their insistence upon noisiness, it was all she could do to keep her senses honed on their surroundings. But now, with the softness of the ground beneath her feet, she could almost take her time with dressing. But a brief glance off in the distance where the silhouette of the village rippled off in the distance stirred a reminder.

There was a mission to be done—

A lilting voice crooned to her.

And she would need to arrive before too many eyes found her—

Memories of soft fingertips danced along the notches of her spine.

Time was of the essence.

She stood to her feet once fully clothed, and crouched down with her hands cupped on either side of the boulder. Her chest tightened with a deep inhale before her muscles clenched as she pulled the boulder up into her arms. The stone pressed down against her elbows as if begging to be released, but she carried it toward the knothole then slowly set it down to seal off the contents from the outside. She drew up to her full height with a sigh, then turned back to where Ulysses was standing with his tail swishing enthusiastically.

A small smile almost curled her lips before they puckered with a low whistle. Eagerly, his ears perked before he turned and started to run through the fields. Dust and grass kicked up into a cloud behind him, and Rhea sprinted to follow. Her boots thudded against the ground, matching the pounding gallop of Ulysses' hooves blow for blow as she pumped her legs against the backward draw of wind hurtling past them. Without his barding, Rhea reached for his mane when she neared his side and kicked off from the ground when she managed a full grip. 

Ulysses whinnied, high and triumphant when she swung up onto his back with a grunt. Her hand knotted in his mane as he lowered his head and raced on toward the horizon toward the glimmering star welcoming them toward its light.