"What exactly are we looking for?" Brother Canser rode at the rear of the group, so visibly exhausted that he seemed on the verge of collapsing onto his horse.
After several days of riding, their horses' hooves and boots were caked with dry mud mixed with grass clippings, and a thick layer of dust, like mountain mist, covered their cloaks. They carried less and less, yet he felt heavier with every passing day.
They were crossing scattered settlements nestled among the Rock Walls and forests, all in pursuit of some vague, undefined goal. Even Benny, a traditional knight, was starting to lose patience, to say nothing of a monk who had never received specialized training.
The physical burden was the least of it. The mental strain was even worse.
It was like being forced to read some exceedingly dull, incomprehensible tome of unknown length, each page bringing the crushing disappointment of Why isn't this the last one?
"I'm not sure either," Kup replied without looking back. He reined in his horse and turned onto the muddy, stony road leading into the village.
They'd had this same conversation many times. It came up almost every time they reached a new settlement.
Brother Canser had been about to complain, but then Yvonne rode quietly past him, and he decided to keep his mouth shut. Surely an adult couldn't be less capable than a girl, could he?
Then again, even Benny thought she had the makings of a fine soldier: quiet, fit, patient, and able to endure hardship. If not for her sex, she might have become a knight no commander could turn down.
Of course, Yvonne had no idea what the others thought of her. She was tugging the unruly reins back, forcing her horse to turn at a gallop.
In a