The following morning, Lara woke up earlier than usual. She had no desire for prying eyes to watch her exercise, and today she planned to return to the village to retrieve a few items from their house at Mount Roca.
At dawn, the rest of the household was still asleep—Reya even lay snoring softly beside her.
Quietly, Lara slipped into her black pants and a loose, hooded jacket before beginning her routine. She started with her usual yoga stretches—sun salutations, then moved on to sit-ups and push-ups.
Alaric, too, had risen early. Determined to face the rising sun during his meditation, he stepped toward the east-facing window.
When he slid it open, he was unexpectedly greeted by the sight of Kane performing sun salutations. Kane’s movements were fluid and graceful, like a carefully choreographed dance.
Mesmerized, Alaric left the window only slightly ajar so he could watch the outline of Kane’s form in the dim light of dawn.
After finishing his routine, Kane glanced toward the window and sighed in relief upon noticing it remained closed.
Alaric frowned. Had he deliberately risen even earlier than yesterday to avoid unwanted attention?
Curious, Alaric opened the window fully and stepped back a few paces. With his photographic memory, he carefully committed every detail of Kane’s movements to memory. He then mimicked the routine himself—performing sit-ups and push-ups—until, at the end of his winding-down exercises, he could feel his abdominal muscles tighten and his core, upper body, arms, and back strengthen with each repetition.
In the midst of his workout, Agilus suddenly opened the door.
"Ari, what are you doing?" Agilus asked. He was curious at the strange movements he was making.
Alaric ignored the interruption, continuing his routine until he finished.
After a brief pause, Agilus queried, "Why do those movements look familiar?" but Alaric offered no reply.
"Tell the men to get ready. Let us enter Mount Ourea. Make sure that we have our weapons. By the way, don’t forget to buy insect and snake repellants from the pharmacy. We need a lot of those." Without missing a beat, Alaric issued his orders.
"Ari, are you really serious about entering that mountain?" Agilus pressed further.
"If we don’t move now, do you want us to continue waiting here for them to return? Every day we delay endangers the Northem army," Alaric retorted.
Agilus grunted in response. They had brought only twenty soldiers, plus the two hidden guards of Prince Alaric—barely two dozen in all—which might suffice to ward off wild animals in the mountains, but not a prolonged threat.
Meanwhile, Reya was already busy preparing breakfast as Lara returned from her bath.
"Reya, I’ll have breakfast now. Please pack something for lunch and supper," Lara instructed.
"Okay, Miss. When are you coming back?" Reya paused her actions and asked Lara.
"I will stay there for two or three nights. I want to gather some of the rare herbs that can be found on the peak of Mount Roca and also more yarrows from that hill."
"Didn’t Grandpa say that there are a lot of poisonous plants in that hill? Why are you still coming back there?
"I know how to identify poisonous plants; I’ll simply avoid the areas where they grow," Lara assured her.
Just then, Jethru interjected, "Lara, could you also retrieve the chest I buried under the tree? I know you remember what I mean and where I left it." Jethru added when he saw that Lara was about to ask him where he kept the chest.
Lara grinned. "Alright, Grandpa. It looks like you’re finally going to spend your silver and gold."
"Okay, I concede. You’re right—what use is hoarding these treasures? I’ve already failed to care for my son, and I won’t let my grandchildren suffer any longer," Jethru replied, his tone turning solemn.."
"Of course, Grandpa. We fully support you on that. Alpha and Omega were adorable. How could you let them suffer?" Lara approached her master, her eyes gleaming brightly as she gazed at the handsome face before her.
"You should not let these beards grow long, Grandpa. You look a lot better without them."
Jethru ignored her teasing and went back the room he shared with Samuel.
With the first light of dawn barely cresting the horizon, Lara set off. She carried with her the supplies she had purchased at the market the day before—sweet potatoes, lard, sugar, salt, and an assortment of spices.
She had hired a bull cart to speed her journey, though she mused that perhaps one day she would invest in a horse for even swifter travel.
Upon arriving at the village, Lara discovered that the Lenard brothers were already awake. The sound of oxen approaching the gate had everyone scrambling to the door.
At first, they assumed it was their father, but when the three siblings saw that it was Kane, their eyes lit up, and they quickly opened the gate to welcome him inside.
"How is your mother and Darius?" Lara asked.
"Mother is much better—she no longer has a fever and is up and about. She’s been helping Aunt Lina care for Darius," one of the siblings replied.
A flicker of worry crossed Abel’s eyes. It did not escape Lara.
"Is something wrong with Darius?" She asked as she walked towards where Darius was.
Barett answered grimly, "He’s had a high fever since yesterday, and his wound has festered."
"Didn’t the village healer come by to apply a salve and clean the wound?" Lara inquired.
"He did, but we don’t understand why his wound continues to worsen," Barett replied.
Lara pursed her lips. She did not want to think that the healer had bad intentions and that it was a form of revenge. He was a village healer, after all, and saving lives was what he needed to do.
Nearby, Delia sat beside a delirious Darius, persistently dabbing his skin with cold water to bring down the fever.
"Madam, you may rest. Allow me to examine him," Lara offered gently
"Sir Kane, may I observe your treatment? Perhaps you can teach me, so we won’t have to rely on healer U-Mao in the future," Delia asked eagerly.
Lara nodded. She unwrapped the bandage.
Her breath hitched when she saw the wound.