It has been ten years since the brothers left Edunas, The youngest thinks, as he arrives at Archet, slipping through the gates late at night, covered in dark clothing from head to toe. He has lived like this ever since setting out, moving under the cover of night, hiding his face. It is perhaps due to the people he has had to ally himself with over the years to survive; he has fallen further and further behind Damlan in his journey and now may have lost his trail altogether. He can find no tracks past Archet, so in Archet he will stay.
In hindsight, his entry to the town would have been extremely suspicious, especially as two nights later, the Blackwolds burned the small village almost to the ground.
But he had no part in that; indeed, he fought tooth-and-nail against them, back to back with a woodsman a year older, guarding him like a shield brother.
It holds a certain irony, that. He was unable to find any tracks past Archet due to the surprising fact that his brother had not passed Archet. In fact, Damlan had fought tooth-and-nail against the Blackwolds, back to back with a man a year younger, who guarded him like a shield brother.
Fate is cruel, the youngest thinks, when he finds out a few days later. not only now has he come so close to reuniting with his brother, but he has also lost the tracks, thanks to the Blackwolds. It will take a great deal of dedication and skill to find Damlan now.
It is lucky he has both.
