Kira's Journey

I slowly loosened my grip on Afon's reins, now completely confident that I was outside the confines of my ancestral home, and within the boundaries of the human kingdom of Rifarne. I could relax now; humans could be hostile, but they didn't possess even a fraction of the lethality that elves did. In fact, I could probably wipe out an entire fully armed and prepared garrison of humans single-handedly.

Afon's reliably choppy strutting turned to a gentle trot, my conspicuous brown robes dropping relatively still over my figure in response. I let my shoulders relax. For the first time since before I joined the Queens Guard, I finally felt safe.

I took a deep breath in, taking the serenity of the forest along with what felt like Afon's endearing trotting.

A twig snapped.

A second passed.

Suddenly, my ears pricked up involuntarily. A surreal note pierced through the ambient harmony—a haunting whir that kept oscillating in volume, yet still grew louder with each passing moment.

Bolas?