The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 56: Fifty-five

As the sun sinks below the horizon, the world is enveloped in deep and eerie darkness.

The shadows lengthen and the air takes on a chilly, crisp temperature. The sky slowly transitioned from a golden light that creates beautiful vivid hues of orange, pink, and red that blend into a deepening dark blue hue.

The stars begin to twinkle behind the clouds, casting a faint, silvery light across the land.

There is a false sense of tranquility and peace as the hustle and problem of the day gives way to the quiet stillness of the town.

As the night seeps in, Jannah and Duke Eulicies had guided their people out of the town with quiet movements, locking the thick wooden gates just like how they did in Kentucky’s gate.

"We have to hurry if we don’t want to get ourselves tumbling on a zombie’s hideout." Jannah vocalized her concern, glancing at the children with hidden worry.

"We’re done locking the gates, my lady." Loren informed Jannah, his voice low and quiet.

"Alright, let’s move out." Jannah raised her hand, signalling the people in the back to start moving.

She kicked the stirrup on her stallion’s side, urging the horse forward. She looked away from her people and kept her eyes on the path, she glanced at the map every now and then just in case.

This leopard is naughty and hard to deal with. Jeriel whined to their link, making Jannah look at her sister with a raised eyebrow.

True to her words, the baby leopard in Jeriel’s arms is standing on his little hind legs and swatting her coat’s fur, ultimately making it hard for Jeriel to balance herself on her mare’s back.

The cub looked happy with his tail whisking left and right, being held tight by Jeriel to stop him from falling off the horse.

I can’t say the same to mine because this one is very well-mannered and decided to go to sleep. Jannah chuckled, shooting Jeriel a teasing and mocking smirk.

Jeriel squinted her eyes at her, glaring playfully before she turned her head the other way, "Hmph!"

The knights and servants behind them exchange a look at each other, noticing the interaction between the sisters. One seem to be proud of something while the other seem dejected.

Is it because they’re sisters? They simultaneously thought, sweat dropping on their cheeks at the sight of Jeriel pouting.

They felt like they were talking without having to make a noise or move their mouths. How could their Lady Jeriel know what their Countess be thinking without hearing her speak?

As they traveled through the forest, the dark towering trees loomed overhead, their thick branches casting long shadows across their path to Philipia.

The air was thick and heavy with the smell of damp earth, decaying leaves, sickly sweet smell of corpses, and the eerie stillness of the night was only broken by the occasional hoot of an owl, a caw of a crow, and hisses of unknown creatures.

The only light came from the torches the knights carried, and it was difficult to see more than a few feet in front of them due to the moon hiding behind the thick clouds on the sky.

The path seem to grow more treacherous the more they get near Philipia. It was strewn with haphazardly fallen logs, tangled roots, twigs, and seemly newly dug up patches which makes each step a carefully calculated move.

We’re getting closer, right? Jeriel asked through the link, her lips turned upside down because of the bumpy ride.

The horses stumbled constantly and the carriage bounced and shook behind them, the crates inside shifting and colliding with a nerve-racking clamor. It would have been alright for the noise if it they’re not at any risk of waking up those sleeping zombies.

We are. Jannah reassured, glancing at the map to look at their travel progress. Sure enough, they were already way past half of their journey to Philipia.

Oh, thank heavens, I would have die if I have to deal with Dia’s bumpy services any longer than this. Jeriel’s comment made Jannah smile as she kept her eyes on the map.

After that, the rest of the journey to Philipia was peaceful and quiet.

The darkness shrouded their surroundings completely, save for the flickering light of the dwindling torches in the knights’ grips. The woods were eerily silent, but a whistle from the wind whisks past their skins every now and then.

Despite the danger lurking in the dark and dense forest, they forced themselves to push on, determined to make it to Philipia before midnight.

Jannah would switch to looking in the map and looking at the path ahead of her as they got closer to the town. She could tell that they’re almost to the town she wanted to use a base with the path began to widen and becoming more even.

The trees slowly get thin and she could see the faint glow of light shining through the branches. The horses seemed to sense that they were close because their pace picked up slightly, alarming Jannah, Jeriel, Duke Eulicies, and her people.

"Woah!" Lucienta pulled the reins of her horse when her stallion suddenly picked up the phase.

"Calm down, boy!" Marco’s voice echoed lightly in the air, bouncing off the trees.

The sound of the carriage wheels on the hard work of their path soon joined the seemingly enthusiastic neighs of the horses and the noises of the creatures of the forest.

"Is it just me or did it get colder?" Dante asked no one on particular, puffing out smokes as he rubbed his hands together.

"It’s probably midnight." The female hunter from the group of women stated, "It gets colder during the night and can freeze any surface of water depending on the temperature, but since we’re getting further up to north, it will only get colder."

"Thank you for that information." Jannah smiled at the woman, making her return the smile and nod her head.

"It’s my pleasure, my lady."

True to the woman’s words, the air gets colder from there. Not only that, they could smell the strong scent of wood smoke and hear the bustling loud voices.

The town was just ahead.

They finally emerged from the forest, the large and study wall of the town Philipia was spread out before them, a glowing beacon in the night— a place where she build her safe haven for her people with people she could trust.

The thick walls were made of rough-hewn wood and the flickering lights inside the town that passes through the small gaps that cast dancing shadows on the path ahead of them.

They could hear the distant sound of thumping and bustling noises from the townsfolk with the smell of roasting meat wafting through the air.

Jannah could hear the knights, her people, and the women from the previous town breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that their chilly and tiring journey was almost over.

As they get closer to the gates, she saw a familiar face by the watchtower.

"It’s the Countess! Countess Rafelon is here! The gates! Open the gates!" A excited yet authoritative voice echoed, making both Jannah and Jeriel smile.

Jannah could see the faint outline of the people behind the gates and they could hear the creak of the wooden gate as it was swung open by unseen hands.

The horses neighed nervously, and the women travelers clutched their children closer, their eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of danger.

They knew that the noble lady ahead will protect them, but who knew what waits for them behind those walls? For all they know, the people might be the same as the men they previously trusted.

However, while the people open the gates, it slowly revealed the town beyond, an assemblage of wooden shafts that has axes, spears, and arrows resting on it with a few carts and wagons can be seen from their spot.

The gate creaked open and Jannah was greeted by a friendly and familiar face who waved at them enthusiastically, his face barely visible in the darkness.

"My lady!" The man’s voice resonated in the air, dripping with a sense of relief and happiness.

Simultaneously, they kicked the stirrups and the horses picked up their pace with the sound of the carriage’s wheel trundling through the opening, the man waiting for them beaming brightly.

The gateway immediately closed behind them with a clang, jolting the children as they clutch their mother’s clothing tightly out of fright, looking back to the gates that locks them into the safety of the town.

"My lady!"

A man who looked eerily similar to Marco greeted her, minus the wrinkles, grey hair, mustache, and beard. He was running down the watch tower with heavy footsteps.

"Polo." Jannah greeted back, chuckling under her breath as the knight approaches them with incredible speed.

He made an abrupt stop in front of Jannah’s horse, a relieved look in his eyes, "We’ve been waiting for you! We received the news from the Marques Ebonics that you will arrive sometime today, we didn’t expect for you to arrive soon.

"I see. We were supposed to arrive yesterday, but we had troubles on the way here." Jannah glazed over the details and gave the knight a small smile.

Polo returned the smile before he blinked rapidly, as if he remembered something important, "Oh, yes! The Marques should be at the town hall. It may be bold of me, but please it is a must that you head there immediately."