Calder had no problem with the slower pace on the way back up to the Basin.  The very last thing that he wanted to do was to hurry them along and put them under more stress.  Instead, he was content to match his step to theirs and keep a weary eye out in case a threat should arise.  He had meant it when he said that no harm would come to Elspeth, could he help it, and he’d be dammed if he let any harm come to Zandora either.  Though the purple mare was the soldier of the bunch, he couldn’t imagine it would be much fun trying to fight off much of anything as pregnant as she was.  So he kept an eye on the trees and on the shadows – making sure that nothing was amiss that would threaten their little party of nearly four.
 
There wasn’t much in the way of small talk, which suited Calder just fine.  He had other ways of amusing himself on the trek north.  Watching the different expressions flick across Elspeth’s face as she traveled the unknowns of Helovia was certainly entertaining – but he did in a way so as not to garner too much attention.  Every now and then she’d catch him and he’d just offer her a quick smile and do his best to act nonchalant, but he wondered each time if he’d be found out.  He imagined his face was much the same when he’d first journeyed from the Threshold into the interior of Helovia.  Everything about this place was foreign to him, just as it now was to her.
 
“Aye, Lass. Almost,” he said, reassuringly, just as Zandora pointed out the sentinels and described the specifics and formalities to come.  Calder was just as thankful to see the border as the mares he was traveling with seemed to be.  He’d feel much better when everyone was safe inside the Basin.  Though it was evident that both Zandora and Elspeth were strong in all meanings of the word, there were signs that the trip may be taking its toll.  “Once we’ve made it past the border I’d imagine ye both would enjoy a nice long rest. Only a wee bit longer.  I’m sure someone will have spotted us already so we shouldn’t be held up long by the border.”
 
Calder imagined that Elspeth may be wary of the giant metal beasts, especially after her reaction to the magic they had seen in the Threshold.  Calder casually stepped closer and lowered his voice, whispering in the mare’s ear. “Dinna worry about the sentinels, lass.  I dinna think they work but they make a nice landmark if ye ever get lost in the snow,” he managed, conspiratorially, offering the exhausted mare a wink before turning his gaze back to the border to see if they’d been noticed.