"Twisted hearts shall pull their strings tighter about their puppets, drawing them in like spiders to their prey." - The Prophecies of Light

Setting out that morning was far different than what they had been used to for the last two weeks. Hyesung allowed them to sleep in, or at least the two who were still in the bedrolls; Mingyu and Wonwoo. Seungcheol took the morning to check his equipment and his horse over in the daylight, making sure that there were no nicks or wounds that he needed to address before he set off back to the city.

He was still hesitant to leave, especially with Hyesung seeming so shaken from the previous nights events. The letter the Mage had given him felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket, but it was sealed with Hyesung's mark, and he knew better than to break that for his own curiosity.

So he contented himself with cleaning the demon's blood from his tack, especially where it had splattered onto the collar. It had dried and as he scrubbed away at it with a rag and some oil from his saddlebags, he mentally berated himself for not cleaning it the night before.

A shadow fell over him just as he was finishing, and he looked up into Jeonghan's face. The immortal was mostly ignoring him, focusing more on the piece of tack held in his hands: or more specifically, the emblem of the Tower set in the center of the leather piece. 

"So you serve the Mages," he mused, his light voice sounding halfway amused as he looked up from the emblem and into Seungcheol's eyes. It was just a statement, but from his tone, the blond felt as if he were slightly picking at him. 

"I do," he said, standing to his feet and finding that he was just a hair taller than the other. "When are you ready to leave,  I will be ready, Jeonghan."

The immortal was silent as he watched Seungcheol move to his horse, deftly avoiding the sorrel's attempt to bite him as he re-attached the piece to the saddle. Seungcheol let out a sigh as he pushed his horse's nose away for what seemed to be the millionth time that morning. He had hoped that a taste of battle would make the otherwise ill-tempered animal easier to work with, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. He was determined to fight with Seungcheol this morning and honestly, the man would rather get that hurdle out of the way sooner rather than later.

Mingyu came crawling out of his blankets at almost the same time that Seungcheol finished saddling his horse, and it was with a sigh that he saw the mercenary wake Wonwoo. It seemed that he was going to have an audience in his battle with his horse. Hyesung sat at the fire, looking more tired than ever before and with a faraway look in his eyes, but he gave a start when the other two joined him, reaching for trail biscuits to break their fast.

Jeonghan stood where Seungcheol had left him, still watching the blond with a critical eye. "Where did you get your Sadovian?" he called, amusement thick in his tone as he watched the sorrel try to latch his teeth onto the man once again.

With a sigh, Seungcheol ignored the question, and instead focused on his horse. It took several tight turns before he could get angled close enough to slip a foot into a stirrup, and just as he expected, the horse exploded in a series of bucks as soon as he landed in the saddle. He grit his teeth and held on, determined not to fall, especially with an audience and on rocky ground, and as suddenly as he had started, the sorrel gave in. He snorted and tossed his head as Seungcheol pulled him around toward the fire, but he didn't try to buck anymore.

Hyesung's eyes were once again looking at something else faraway, a frown creasing his brow, but when Seungcheol called his name he looked up. He smiled slightly when he saw the man sitting his horse. "So you stuck on him," he said lightly, his small joke making Mingyu pause mid-chew and Wonwoo outright choke on his biscuit. He ignored them as the mercenary pounded on the shorter man's back, trying to relieve him, and stood to come to Seungcheol's side.

"Be wary of your companion," he said softly, too quietly for anyone else to hear above Wonwoo's coughs. "Hold close your counsel, for there are always those with ears attuned to the Dark Whispers. One of the prophecies," he added when he noticed Seungcheol's blank look. "Ride swift, stay safe, and come back to us as quickly as you can. I think..." he paused, then continued with a smile. "I think that you will be fine."

It wasn't what he was going to say in the first place, but the blond let that slide. "Sir, if I can say something?" At Hyesung's nod, he continued. "If those two are Seals, then doesn't that mean that you can trust them? You don't have to carry everything alone."

The sharp, considering look that the