Things Unseen: (An epic fantasy adventure series) (The Caris Chronicles Book 1) by Melina Grace Page A

have needed it after all, she mused.
    Before long they were all mounted, Caris wearing her dress pulled up around her hips over her trousers. She had planned to lay her shirt over her pack to dry but with the day heating up already, she opted to tie it round her shoulders and let the wet material cool her. Crispin set out at a fast walk until they were past the village and then he started to canter, ignoring the groans of a few of the young men who were nursing headaches.
    Though Bonny was always good company and everyone friendly, the days seemed longer to Caris without Janen by her side. Caris was aware that one day she would never be able to ride beside Janen whether he was scouting or not, so she resigned herself to get used to it. Knowing it was probably not a good idea for her own peace of mind, she defiantly allowed herself, for this one day, to think over the fun she’d had, dancing with him in the village, the evening before. Bonny eventually gave up trying to make conversation and, with a laugh left to find someone else to talk to.
    As Bonny rode over to talk to Belti, Garner took her place by Caris’ side. Caris, startled out of her reverie by Bonny’s laugh and sudden departure, pushed herself to pay more attention to what was going on around her. To her surprise, it was almost midday. “Did you enjoy the village yesterday?” she asked Garner, unable to pull her thoughts far from the topic that was filling her thoughts.
    “I did, even though I didn’t get to dance with you,” he replied with a smile.
    Caris laughed, “I’m sure that’s what you were thinking about!”
    “It was,” he said looking at her intently. Caris looked away, not sure what to make of his strange comments. After a moment, Garner broke the uneasy silence by commenting on the heat. Caris replied and Garner managed to steer the conversation into talking about the different people in the village. Caris enjoyed the conversation for a while but soon found her thoughts drifting again.
    She was surprised, when Crispin called the order to stop for a break, to find Garner still by her side. He jumped down quickly and coming to her, commented with a shy smile, “Remember the second night after you joined us and you couldn’t get out of your saddle?” Caris began to laugh a reply when he reached up and putting his hands around her waist lifted her down again. Embarrassed, Caris stepped away from him quickly but allowed him to stay by her side as they ate a hurried meal.
    The afternoon passed quickly for Caris as she rode lost in her thoughts. During dinner, she was disappointed, that while the other scouts returned, Janen, Tilda, and Bek were still out. Bringing herself back to reality after a day ignoring it, Caris sat despondent in the knowledge that in the future she would spend a lot more time without Janen than with him. Shaking herself out of her melancholy, she set herself to focus on those around her and to find happiness in friends.
    After her meal, Caris found herself sitting next to Syngar enjoying a mug of hot cocoa. She watched Kalen who once again had Jispri and another young man vying for her attention. “If I didn’t know better, I would think that they had feelings for Kalen, the way they act,” Caris laughed.
    Syngar looked at her quizzically. “What makes you think they don’t?” he asked her.
    Caris laughed again. “Be serious Syngar”.
    “I am being serious for once; it is you that has me confused.”
    “Kalen is very nice,” Caris said cautiously, “but why would they be interested in her when there are young women who look like Bonny and Tilda around?”
    Syngar continued to look at Caris as if she was talking another language. “Kalen is very beautiful,” he said seriously.
    Turning serious herself, Caris admonished him “Syngar! Don’t mock!”
    Syngar sat thinking quietly for a while before saying, “I don’t think Kalen would mind my telling you as it is not a secret and indeed those young men