Chapter 49: Unwelcome Visitors

After a short break for lunch, Izzy found herself sitting in the back of the wagon, gazing out at the scenery, book in her lap, coffee cup in hand. Since he had found out that Izzy ran on coffee, Nate had kept her stocked with her favorite beverage. The caravan was driving along the edge of the Forest of Whitaker, following it to their new home in Kreil.

Kreil sat on the edge of the forest between the trees and the mountain range. It was beautiful part of the country with rolling hills, waterfalls, mountain scenery and wildlife. The forest was fabled to be magical and there were some places that did look the part with mossy grass and jewel toned pools. The caravan would follow the edge of the forest until they reached Kreil.

Izzy was looking out over the flat plain to the north when she heard horses galloping toward them at high speed. She set her coffee aside and squinted in the distance behind the wagon. She could see a cluster of horses speeding toward them, dust