[Suggested song for this chapter, Fix You, Coldplay]
"We'll stop at the next inn and get some dinner and sleep," Fifth called out over the thump of the horses' cantering.
Meili nodded grimly. She was beyond exhausted after riding hard all day. Not to mention it had rained earlier, and she was still damp despite her riding cloak.
"I'm drenched and cold, so I won't resist," she said through chattering teeth.
"Let's get you warm and dry before you fall ill," Fifth looked at his younger sister with concern.
Her fatigue overwhelmed the temptation to ride for another hour in the fading light.
The bamboo forest was so dense on both sides of the road that everything was bathed in an eerie green light.
She looked behind her at Tricky-Wu. Even Tricky's cream fur was now a strange soft green, like he was an alien dog descended from the moon.
