Audrey considered for a moment. "We'll draw too much attention if we're out in the open, so the river road and that path through the meadow are definitely out. If it was just you and me," she continued with a slight grimace at Mika, "we could easily move through the woods, but with those two..." Audrey trailed off, nodding irritatedly at Ed and the molly mule, which was sidling up to Ed since Mika was not paying attention.
"We'll just have to take the route that skirts the wood," Audrey concluded wth a sigh. "It's not ideal, but at least if we get ambushed we can take cover in the woods. Plus, since we're away from the deepest part of the forest, we should be relatively safe from the more dangerous predators."
"Predators?" Ed's ears perked up at the word, his dark eyes showing white around the edges. "You wouldn't happen to mean any predators that eat...well, equines, would you? I mean, horses don't normally go in the woods much, like you said, right? So nothing would have developed a...taste for them..."
"That just makes them a delicacy," Audrey retorted crossly.
"Let's get moving; we need to get to Arlor as quickly as possible," Mika broke in, hoping to distract the two.
The group managed to complete the remainder of the day's travel without incident, apart from the occasional sniping between Ed and Audrey. As the sun began to lower, the travelers found a promising campsite. Mika and Audrey saw to their hoofed companions as Darbie was reunited with Larys, much to Darbie's joy and relief. The sky took on a reddish tinge, and Mika was looking forward to relaxing after the long journey. As Mika set down the packs, he saw Darbie returning from the woods, his hands full of firewood and Larys on his shoulder. Mika did not realize anything was amiss, even when Darbie stopped, his cat ears twitching, and Larys stood up on her hind paws on Darbie's shoulder. It was only when Audrey hissed, "Bloody hell!" and reached for her sword that he finally discerned the danger.
The shadows beneath the trees in the distance were shifting and moving. Once the activity came closer Mika could see that the shadows were human, and obviously headed for the campsite at a good pace. Mika readied a few spells, but wondered why Audrey was so on edge. He looked at her quizzically, but she was too intent on the approaching strangers to indulge him.
"Get them out of here, they'll just be a nuisance!" Audrey growled, throwing a quick glance at Ed and the mule. Mika was about to question Audrey, but suddenly stopped and froze. Even at this distance, he could feel the wrongness. He turned and looked back and the approaching horde. "HURRY UP!" Audrey snarled.
Mika hurriedly glanced around for Darbie and Larys, but saw neither hide nor hair of the two until he happened to notice a feline tail hanging from a high tree branch. Satisfied they would be safe, Mika ran over to the mule, untying the halter rope from a tree and tossing it over to Ed.
"Get as far from here as you can," Mika ordered Ed, "and take her with you!" Ed appeared about to protest, but a formidable "NOW!" from Mika quelled any dissent. Abruptly, Ed tossed his head and snorted, his animal senses finally alerting him to what everyone else had already realized. In a near panic, Ed grabbed the mule's lead rope in his teeth and tried to lead her away from the wood. However, it was too late.
While what exited the wood in the failing light looked human in shape, they moved strangely and with single-minded purpose. Before Ed and the mule could flee, they were surrounded. Mika began casting spells left and right, causing many of the creatures to fall, but he knew it would do no good. His fears were confirmed as the attackers returned to their feet, no matter the strength of his magic. The feel of the forbidden arts in the air was so strong Mika nearly felt nauseous.
"This is impossible! They're undead!" Audrey hollered as she struggled to reach Mika, lopping off limbs in every direction to no avail. "Mika, use the stone! Nothing else works; maybe we can change them into something else!!"
"NO!" Mika yelled back. "It's too dangerous! It's all black magic! There's no telling what could happen!"
Mika was distracted by a loud yelp from behind. He turned to see two of the creatures leap atop the mule, the poor animal braying and struggling in a panic. Ed had manged to clear an area around himself with flailing hooves, but the sheer number surrounding him were beginning to close in. A shriek from high above let Mika know that Darbie and Larys were in a dire situation as well, and Audrey couldn't hold out for much longer either. Knowing his own spells were useless, Mika reached into his robes for the box containing the stone as he turned back to Audrey.