"I shall have to rein Silver in slightly," Ariadne said with a chuckle. "At full tilt no other horse would be able to keep pace with her." With that she said a word into Silver's ear and the horse set off, even before they reached the path again treating the undergrowth like it was flat ground. The ride north was uneventful, only the occasional glimpse of creatures in the tree line showing any other sign of life. By the time they emerged at the other end the light of the day had almost faded away, but in the near distance they could see a small settlement, smoke rising from chimneys within it's low stone walls. "Stay by me," she said to Ebony, stopping for a moment. "There is no real law enforcement this side of the forest, so I advise you trust no-one unless you have to." They entered the settlement, only stopping when they found themselves outside a tavern from which sounds of merriment emerged. Outside it was a young boy, barely 13, sleeping against a makeshift spear. Ariadne let out a slight laugh as she let herself down off her horse. "I was told the Wolf's Head was protected by Merrick the Mighty, I was obviously lied to."<br/><br/>"Who goes..." the boy started saying as he got up, before realising who he was looking at. "Aunt Ariadne, it has been too long," he said, running up and hugging her before she could respond. "Who's your friend?"<br/><br/>"Take our horses to the stable and behave yourself and I'll introduce you," she said, helping Ebony off her horse. "But first, I need you to tell your father we must speak to him as soon as possible." Merrick led the horses off eagerly, Ariadne letting out a sad sigh. "Marcus isn't his real father," she said to Ebony. "I don't know what happened for certain, but I found him as an infant in Erisel, his dead parents beside him. Marcus was the only human I trusted not ruled by Myraz so I brought him here." She took Ebony's hand, leading her through the door. Most of the occupants ignored their entry, the few who seemed curious being put off by the sight of the sword Ariadne wielded. "The advantage of being with me," she said, kissing Ebony lightly. "No-one with any sense picks a fight with a Ranger. Find us a table, I'll get us a drink."