Refuge In The Shadows

7.

The early morning sun poured in from the window, bathing Carys in a fiery glow. The rare instance of light was what woke her up in a confused daze. She blinked and gazed outside with a ghost of a smile on her lips. The clouds hardly ever parted and Carys did not dare to complain. Wales bids us her goodbyes, she thought. Carys felt a pang in her heart. She loved her home; nowhere else did Carys feel so safe, so comforted by the simplistic beauty of nature and its earthly inhabitants. Surrounded by the limitless expanse of the sky and vast stretch of land, Carys did not feel suffocated; she was free to take up as much space as she wanted.

Carys indulged herself with a few more minutes of basking in the sunshine before she gracefully rose from bed to prepare for the long day ahead. As she passed Cadeyrn's bed, she threw one of her pillows at her brother whose head was buried under the covers. In a flash, Cadeyrn stood before Carys holding a knife to her throat. Unperturbed, Carys laughed, "I am glad to know that your reflexes are still sharp even after sleeping like the dead." Cadeyrn paled and immediately upon recognising that the assailant was his sister, retracted the knife and took a step back. "Carys, please do not do that. I-I could have h-hurt you," he stammered, an expression of self-loathing already brewing in his eyes. Carys ceased her laughter and silently gathered the day's clothing. "You would never hurt me," she finally whispered.

Cadeyrn rubbed at his tired eyes, "Forgive me. I have been on edge as you can most likely discern why." "As am I," Carys replied and the pair quickly got dressed and packed each of their belongings into two bags. As Carys shrugged on a dark, knee-length green coat over her dark trousers, white collared shirt, and navy blue vest ensemble, she took one last sweep over the room making sure she did not forget anything. Cadeyrn waited patiently by the door as Carys dashed to her bedside table and grabbed the wooden toy soldier she had kept all these years. She knew it was ridiculous to bring along a useless toy, but she had this instinct that she would need it in some way or another. Carys rejoined Cadeyrn by the door and stuffed the figure into her coat pocket. Cadeyrn remembered that day as if it were yesterday when she came home clutching the tiny figurine. He did not know exactly what had transpired that led to the toy's acquisition, but all would be revealed in due time. "Good luck charm?" Cadeyrn asked. Carys nodded, "I suppose you could say that."

At the very bottom of the stairs, the twins met Bryn, Rhys, and James with knapsacks slung over their shoulders. After a quick morning meal, they made their way through the empty hallways, their departure intentionally going unnoticed by the other members of the Phantom Hunt. Hunter Jones wished to keep London a covert affair to avoid compromising both their safety and the mission. Honestly, Carys could care less about the bastards. The boys briskly walked out of the doors leading to the stables and were about to enter the wooden structure when they noticed they were one person short. Carys lagged two or three metres behind the group, clutching her bag with both her hands and looking around the castle property and with it, the breathtaking scenery as if she were inscribing its features into her memory. When she noticed them staring at her, she rushed over to the door, mumbling her apologies.

"Do you need more time?" Cadeyrn asked gently. He knew too well Carys's attachment to their home. He would terribly miss it as well, but he needed to be strong for her. Carys shook her head and confidently strode ahead of the boys into the stables. Cadeyrn exchanged glances with the others before following his sister. Once they saddled up their horses, they formed a circle to briefly go over one last time the logistics. "We will make the several day ride to Cardiff where an acquaintance of Jones will bring our horses back to Dolgellau. Then we will make the rest of the trip to London by rail," instructed Cadeyrn.

Satisfied by the group's understanding of the plans, he turned his horse south towards the silhouette of Cadair Idris in the distance.

"Onward."