10.

While Sahyun knew it wasn’t going to be an easy journey, she still wasn’t quite prepared for the amount of walking and moving that was actually involved. Junhui had explained to her that first drag through would take six days, as it was the biggest of the three. 

She wasn’t really sure what she was expecting either when they entered the Black Alleys. A part of her had imagined some dark and filthy marketplace type of setting, with carts and booths scattered about, bustling with chaos and booming people who didn’t know how to keep their voices down. She thought maybe alcohol and drugs would be passed around, and that it would hard to walk without bumping into a stranger at every turn.

She was utterly shocked to find that once she entered the gates to the first drag, nothing had really changed. It still looked like the wooded road they had been traveling on the previous day. She supposed the length of the wall the gate was up against should have been a good indicator that the Black Alleys weren’t small, and stretched for miles and miles in either direction. But to think it was barren would’ve just seemed crazy. Or so she thought.

Jihoon seemed to notice the confused look on her face when they began walking through on the road after the gate shut behind them. “Most of the selling and trade happens off of the main road, though we will still likely come across a few people trying to sell things off of their carts. They tend to be the most dangerous to deal with, so make sure you keep your guard up.”

Sahyun frowned at him but nodded, an uneasy feeling settling over her once more. Her eyes stayed trained on Soonyoung’s back as he guided everyone in the front, watching as his head would turn gently in either direction every once in a while as he checked their surroundings. Her grip tightened on the staff she had slipped under the cloak with her, apprehension at the forefront of her brain. If Soonyoung was so cautious, she supposed it was far more dangerous than what her first glance would allow her to see.

She felt Jihoon’s shoulder brush against hers gently, but when she turned to look at him, he was staring past Soonyoung, his eyes also darting from place to place. She didn’t, however, miss the slight color that tinted his ears. He had bumped her shoulder as a form of comfort, and the thought made her smile warmly as she returned her gaze to the black haired man in front of her.

After a while, Sahyun began to feel the fatigue settle over her again. It had likely been four mortal hours since they entered the drag, and her legs felt like they were going to cave in on her at any moment. It wasn’t until the road began slanting uphill slightly and she felt her stomach cramping and her chest burning from exertion that she placed a hand on Jihoon’s upper arm, and gave him a pleading look. He frowned but didn’t miss how pale she had begun to look and how out of breath she was. 

“Soonyoung, we need to stop for a little bit.” He called out to the male in front, who turned around with raised brows. 

Soonyoung’s eyes scanned Sahyun from head to toe before he sighed and directed them off of the path road and to a clean patch of grass. “You should have said something sooner, sweetheart. I would’ve stopped had I known.”

“She’s just a mortal, Soonyoung. We shouldn’t have expected her to be able to travel like us.” Junhui scolded him when Sahyun looked down in guilt. “Don’t make this her fault.”

“No, it’s alright. He’s right. I could have said something sooner, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to burden you guys.” She waved Junhui off, a small smile on her lips. He sighed but didn’t press it any further, instead helping her to sit down comfortably on the ground.

“From now on, tell us. We promised to take care of you.” Jihoon reassured her, taking a seat next to her and giving her head a pat. She blushed at the action but ignored the heat in her face and nodded.

They stayed there for close to an hour before Soonyoung stated that they should start walking again. Sahyun was reluctant to get up, her legs still feeling a little numb, but she knew that resting any longer wasn’t likely to help that, so she followed suit when they stood thirty minutes later and began their traveling once more. This time Soonyoung trailed a little further back so he could keep his eyes on Sahyun better.

In the entire time they had been walking, it was hard for her not to notice that they hadn’t passed a single soul once. That was why it came as an even bigger surprise to her when they could see dust kicking up on the road a distance ahead. As they got closer, she could see the outline of a single carriage with around seven or eight men on foot beside it. As they approached, if she squinted her eyes she could just barely make out the shape of a green dragon at the top of the carriage.

“That’s Baekho’s crew, isn’t it?” Jihoon muttered, taking a protective step toward Sahyun. She frowned at the action only to become further alarmed when Soonyoung did the same thing and stood so his shoulder blocked half of her from view.

“Yes. Sahyun, try and stay hidden.” He ordered, his hand reaching back to pull her arm s