Darin nodded as she accepted Ridahne’s answer. To be honest she wasn’t sure she wanted to find a village. If the Eluri really did receive vision it was possible that one or more of them already knew who and what she was. That would be the very opposite of the discretion she was trying to maintain. The young human was almost half tempted to tell her companion that maybe they should avoid towns until they finished being in the Eluri land and crossed over to Azurei land, but the goal was to make friends. She wasn’t going to be able to do that if she avoided people. She needed to talk to as many people as she could. She needed to learn as much about the cultures as possible. Darin was going to have to step out of her comfort zone. She just hoped that was never obvious. She had a feeling it would be.

Darin was about to speak when she noticed the silence. It was instant; every creature in the forest stopping making noise all at once. It was odd for a forest this size. It was odd for any forest. There was something out there, and she was willing to bet that it didn’t belong there. As soon as she had that thought The Seed began to burn against her leg. It was sharp and sudden. It was vaguely familiar, and it took a moment for Darin to recognize it. When she did, she knew her eyes had to have grown impossibly wide. It was the same feeling she had when she had first met Ridahne right outside of Greyrock. It was someone like Mark. They might even be connected to the same group of people like Mark. Her grip on Talbot’s reins became impossibly tight. She didn’t know what to do. She knew Talbot had sensed the strangeness. She could only hope Ridahne had as well. Then, if there was a fight, she could only hope to stay out of the way and trust that the two of them could handle it.

She stayed silent until Ridahne spoke up. Then she nodded as she whispered her answer, “Yes. I feel it. It’s like Greyrock. Do you remember?”

Darin didn’t want to go into details. She didn’t know who was listening and who wasn’t. She didn’t want them to know that she knew what they were. It was another monster. She still didn’t know what they wanted. She just knew that they wanted her from completing her mission. Of course, that was only true if this was the same group of people connected to Mark. There were other evils. She did have to wonder if people would be looking to stop her if they knew the truth the same way she and Ravi knew. They might even encourage her. It depended on what their true goals were. Darin had to wonder if they would be open to starting a dialogue. Somehow, she didn’t think that would be the case. Besides, she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what the true goal was. She hadn’t even told Ridahne.

Darin continued, “I don’t want to be caught of guard.” Talbot nodded in agreement, “We should find someplace to make a stand.” There was another nod, “Maybe even find a place to make camp. The sun does look like it’s about to go down.”

The truth was Darin didn’t trust her abilities to defend herself while standing firmly on the ground. Trying to do it while Talbot was battling and Ridahne was fighting next to her would be downright impossible. It would be wiser if they got somewhere where Darin could get out of the way; either by hiding in a cave or climbing up a tree. Darin knew that one day she would be expected to fight her own battles, but she didn’t see that day happening today. Right now, her arm was torn practically to pieces, she had an injured hawk to look after, and she was tired. It was not a good combination at all. She could only hope that Ridahne could see the sense in getting the human out of the way. Though Darin wouldn’t be surprised if the warrior decided that battle would be the perfect place to hone her skills. That seemed like something the Elf would do.