The cart wheels creaked to a gentle halt in front of the small inn nestled beneath the swaying shadows of towering pine trees. A lantern flickered above the door, casting a warm amber glow across the weathered sign that read The Sleepy Hare.
Bellflower snorted softly and pawed at the earth once before lowering her head, content. She had traveled tirelessly through miles of forest terrain, and even the old mare looked grateful for a stop.
Orion jumped down from the cart with a grunt, his boots hitting the earth in a soft thud. Despite the healing of his wounds, a ghost of weakness still clung to his muscles — the price of too much blood lost, too fast. He turned to the cart and offered a hand up to Megan.
She accepted with a quiet word of thanks, shifting the sleeping twins gently in her arms. Their tiny heads lay nestled against her shoulders, soft breaths warming her neck. She was careful with every movement, trying not to jostle them awake.
