They found the horses just where they had left them, tethered quietly beneath the trees, their dark coats shining under the moonlight. Deng Mi had already swung into his saddle. Wei Ling took up the rear guard, ever alert.
Zhao Yan helped Hua Jing up, his hands firm at her waist, careful and steady, as if afraid she would slip through his fingers.
She looked down at him from the saddle and offered the faintest of smiles. "I can ride alone, you know."
He didn't answer. Instead, he mounted behind her, wrapping one arm securely around her waist, the other hand gently taking the reins. "Not tonight," he whispered into her ear.
They began their ride, the hooves of the horses thundering softly against the path, swallowed by the mist that coiled around the forest floor like forgotten spirits.
