They wouldn’t use horses, Heiko had said. They were to sneak out during the dead of night and walk the length of the field to the forest edge. Simonese horses startled easily in there, anyway, so using them would only be a hindrance. Apparently, Burkean horses were more suited for the Grey Forest, so they would barter for some when it was necessary.
It proved to be a long wait for midnight, even when Cele was tucked into a room with Prince Heiko. He did not speak after explaining his plot and seemed quite comfortable in the silence that prodded angrily at the general’s boredom. He found himself a book and a seat, engrossed in the words scrolling across the pages. The king’s capelet rested on his right thigh, seeming both coveted and grossly out of place. Something seemed very off about it, but Cele knew if he inquired about it, he would only be scorned.