Chapter III, Reading 15

At the foot of the mountains, Flindra found a fast moving creek. She let Deru take a long drink of the clear water. She moved upstream of him and refilled her water bags. It was a little surprising to find the creek here since she hadn't seen evidence of it out in the boulder field. The water must seep underground once it intercepted the rock-strewn valley. That could also explain the existence of the numerous springs she had encountered.
When she was ready to continue her march, she pressed her hand against her tunic so she could feel the warmth of the orb more distinctly. The crystal indicated that she should proceed in a direction parallel to the creek and directly up the mountain. After walking a few yards, she discovered a faint trail alongside the creek. She could pick out numerous deer hoof prints as she walked. There was no sign of people having ever used this trail. There were no blazes on the trees, which usually marked pathways, even hunting trails.
Instead of warming up with the rising sun, the day was getting increasingly colder and the wind was blowing stronger. Flindra looked up to check the sky for hints of any bad weather blowing in. The sky was blue with distant clouds beyond the peaks. Even at this distance, she could see that the clouds were moving south at a rapid clip. There might be a storm moving in, but it was too early to tell.
The cold began to wear on her and she wished the sun could reach her through the tree cast shade. Even a cold day felt warm if the radiant heat of the sun could shine on one's clothes. Flindra stopped and took a pair of gloves out of her saddlebags and gave a silent thanks to her mother for the gloves and her warm cloak.
Flindra finally decided to ride again for she was just too tired to walk anymore. The night of horror and no sleep was adding to her fatigue. After tightening the saddle girth strap, she mounted Deru and continued up the trail. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her face and angled her head down to help shield herself from the icy fingers of the wind.