“Perhaps they’ve merely been delayed.” Jhessail looked back the way they’d come, fully expecting Sianna and Aiven to come riding around the bend at any moment. Yet she was plagued by a feeling of unease that she couldn’t seem to shake. “Or it might be the queen has assigned them to another task.”<br/><br/>She spared a glance for the path, hope rising; then she sighed heavily when she saw it remained empty. “I have traveled the woods at length during my apprentice training, but that was decades ago,” she said to Aysia. “Since then, I’ve scarcely set foot in them. There are certain things one never forgets, of course. And I have learnt magic since then that could prove useful in navigating the terrain and avoiding danger. But when it comes to the deepest reaches of the woods, I will be relying upon your guidance.”