Watching her words take effect she lifted her sleeve to wipe off the blood off her chin. Her tongue came out to lick over her split lip. So he could smile again. That was a relief! A moment she had feared he would suspect her of something or get defensive towards her. The night grew darker and they rode in silence. Illinfer listened into the darkness to keep them from running into trouble. Luckily the night was quiet and as the moon rose and the stars slowly showed behind the thinning clouds a moment of peace grasped the warrior. She had a purpose she could concentrate on. Pushing the lingering memory of her husbands death aside, burying the jumbling emotions Darren had caused, she was finally able to breathe in deeply.

They soon reached Astipor. The buzz of life surprised Illinfer. She had only been to the city once as a child shortly after her mother had died and her father had desperately looked for work. At that time the nights hours had been filled with the eerie moans of the sick. It hadn't been the (illness Rhoynar talked about) but the measles going around. Many died. Some were lucky – they had had the illness in young ages and fought it successfully. After that night they left, protected by the guild who had accepted her  father into their ranks. Astipor had changed greatly! The warrior barely recognized it. As they passed the gates her eyes darted over the walls, finding that little firecrest hewn into the stone. If she were to follow the little bird she would find the guilds initial meeting point. From there she could be directed to any other houses the guild owned in the city. The safety procedures were dire at first, but one got used to it. 

Following the knight Illinfer was very aware of her surroundings. But she didn't let herself get distracted by the flurry of colours and music. They passed dancing people and the northern woman asked herself when they slept. It was well past the moons zenith and she was starting to get tired herself. Rhoynar held towards a fort and was swiftly followed by Illinfer. She, too, left her horse with the stable boy who had rushed to them the moment he had seen the knight. As he rushed inside the northern woman cursed softly under her breath and hurried after him. She came to stand beside him. “This is a lovely home.” Her soft words carried through the semi silence surrounding them. It was quiet. “They are probably asleep. Do you want to wake them to be reassured, or may we rest first and greet them in the morrow?” She spoke in a quiet and deep voice, her eyes wandered through the room to rest upon Rhoynar. It was dark where they stood. And yet her eyes seemed to glow ever so slightly, her internal fire visible to the man standing next to her.