Soon Areana was trotting Emerald along and had slipped outside of the city. Within a few hours, she had reached the forest and the road that led toward Kobel's kingdom. She continued at a trot until she felt a sudden surge of urgency, “Hu-ya!” she kicked her heels lightly against Emerald's sides. Urging her into a run. She wanted to make it halfway to the castle by nightfall. At this point, she only had a few hours left of daylight.
As the sun began to set, she pulled Emerald off to the side of the road, into the forest. She set up camp, unsaddled Emerald and brushed her down. She had a fire going and laid out her blanket. Soon she was lying down, ready to rest. It was a dreamless sleep.
The sun rose quickly, waking Areana. She pushed herself off the ground, packed, and saddled Emerald
