“How did they catch up so quickly?” Lara whispered at her knee, drawing Mirae’s gaze down.
“When a man has a purpose, nothing stands in his way,” Mirae answered, tapping Lara’s shoulder. “Brecken Jandry is filled with determination. He always has been.”
“What are we going to do now?” Griyer asked, gripping his sword. “Can we outrun him to the border of the woods?”
“We still have too much distance to cover.” Jaeger’s head swayed back and forth. “There’s no way we can get into the forest before they catch us.”
“Then we’re helpless,” Lara whimpered. “They outnumber us. We cannot fight such a large army!”
“Yet fight you shall,” Astra said, coming alongside Lara. “To fight is the only choice you have, the only choice you’ve been given.”
Mirae nodded. “Astra’s right. Begin circling the wagons.”
“Mirae.” Jaeger reached out, gripping her arm. “Are you sure you want to do this? The man is your brother by law. You are going to war against your family.”
“If his purpose is to kill me, then he is not my family,” Mirae grated. “War tends this way, Jaeger, to pit brother against sister. I no longer know Brecken Jandry, and I certainly do not trust him.”
“But to openly prepare for battle against him ...”
“He has given me no choice.” Mirae’s shoulder slouched, wearily. “Astra, can you shield the women who will not fight, and the children?”
“Circle the wagons, and I will protect them.” Astra dipped her head.
“Thank you. Griyer, call the men to arms and sound the horns. I’m done running.”
Damari peeked out through the crack in the shutters, her heart bumping into her throat when she saw a troop of guards march by. Biting her lip, she glanced over her shoulder at Noelle where she slept peacefully in Analli’s bed. The tavern owner and his wife had been kind enough to shelter her when the bells began to ring throughout the city.
News of Brae’s arrest was spreading wildly throughout the streets, and the guards had been even more diligent in their patrols in the Lower Village. Damari hadn’t had a chance to reach the city gates, not with Noelle in her arms. She’d had no choice but to come to the tavern and seek refuge with her friends, who were kind enough to keep her presence here a secret. Damari moved across the room, shivering in the cold air and wishing she could light the fire. But no one was supposed to be here, and if the servants found warm embers in the hearth, then she would be discovered.
Grabbing up the bag Analli had given her, Damari began stuffing clothes into it. The woman had been kind enough to provide decent woolen skirts and thick shirts for her to take with her to the Shadow Lands. She couldn’t stay in the Kael colors, not if she wanted to remain unnoticed. Getting out of the city would be hard enough with Noelle’s distinctive red hair and emerald eyes. Just leaving the tavern would be difficult enough. Noelle whimpered, turning over before burying her face in the pillow.
Damari’s eyes filled with tears when she thought of Noelle. How was she to explain to the little girl she might never see her mother again? How was she to explain to her even where Brae was? She was too little to understand what was happening, or why her mother and father were both suddenly absent from her life. Damari sniffled, rubbing tears fiercely from her cheeks before she continued with her packing. She’d never felt more helpless than when Brae had sent her away with Noelle. Nothing had gone according to plan, not with Raphaela moving against them sooner than expected.
Damari had known Raphaela hated Brae because of her marriage to Brecken. Her older sister didn’t care their brother was the one to force Brae to marry the man Raphaela had wanted all her life. Brecken still belonged to someone else, but Damari thought the worst part for Raphaela was Brecken never loved her. One only had to see him look at Brae to know his heart was hers. For years, Damari had felt sorry for Raphaela. Now she hated her, more than she thought she could hate anyone in the world, and that hurt her more than anything else.
A soft knock at the door brought her around. Damari pulled her sword quickly from its sheath, striding to the door. Carefully, she inched it open, and Analli’s big smile greeted her. Damari sighed, opening the door wide. Analli slipped in, a leather sack in one hand and a bundle of blankets in the other. Damari leaned back against the door, catching her breath. The plump woman looked at her curiously, her head tilted and swaying her silvering hair to the side.
“Food for your journey, lovely.” Analli waved the sack at her. “Blankets for the little princess.”
“I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done, Mistress Analli.” Damari slipped her sword back to its home on her hip. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you and Master Rufus.”
“For Brae Sundragon, we would do anything,” Analli replied, stroking Noelle’s hair. “Your Kael colors, burn we will. Also, your necklace—”
“No.” Damari pressed her palm to the eagle at her throat protectively. “No, the necklace stays with me.”
“As you wish, as you wish.” Analli fussed, rubbing her arms. “Cold in here, yes? You do not wish for fire?”
“The servants can’t know I was here,” Damari explained gently. “Any of them could betray me, and my sister would be after me in a moment. She must know I’m missing by now, and she will not take long to connect Noelle’s disappearance with mine.”
“What about handsome lieutenant yours, hmmm?” Analli’s brow rose. “He helps you, he could, yes?”
“He is not mine.” Damari bowed her head, her voice lowering to a thick rasp. “And he was there when she was arrested. I can’t trust him. Not anymore.”
“He did not know what he was doing,” Analli cooed, massaging Damari’s arms. “He has good heart, the lieutenant yours.”
“He’s not mine,” she repeated. Damari’s chest deflated with a heavy breath at the thought of Lathan.
There was nothing she could do about him and his decision to help Raphaela. As much as she wanted to march back to the Blood Keep and shake some sense into the man whose heart she knew was pure, he’d chosen his path, and she’d chosen hers. Though she wished their paths were one and the same, there was no going back. He had stood by when they put chains on his sister by law. He had turned his back on his own family, something she never thought she’d see a Jandry do.
He’s completely out of my reach now. Damari winced, shaking off the heady feeling at the thought of Lathan.
“Noelle and I must be out of the city before the last bell. Is the caravan still leaving tonight?”
“Indeed, they are.” Analli’s head bobbed. “You may walk among them, as one of them. The leader, he will be sure to include you when they leave the gates.”
“Good,” Damari said, hurrying back to the shutters to peek out. “I must be cloaked.”
“Off with those colors now, young princess.” Analli fussed, pulling Damari away from the window. “Up with your hair, yes, yes. Now you must look as a Woodlander.”
Damari’s voice was muffled as Analli pulled the bodice of her dress over her head. “I’ll look like one of the entertainers, won’t I?”
“Yes, yes.” Analli’s head bobbed again as she pulled off Damari’s skirt next. “All Woodlanders, them. All Woodlanders.”
“Good. That’s good.” Damari closed her eyes, breathing deeply to calm her thundering heart. She smiled at the woman’s tendency to repeat herself. She wasn’t sure if the quirk was common to Quintarians or just a part of Analli’s personality.
The woman dressed her, though Damari wished she would let her clothe herself. But Analli had a way about her, a mother’s way that kept Damari from stopping her. Analli shimmied the heavy woolen skirt up over Damari’s hips and then buttoned the thin white blouse down Damari’s front before tucking it into the waistband. Damari sighed, stretching her neck from side to side as she readjusted hersel
f, settling down on the edge of the bed to lace up the black leather boots Analli provided. The woman was quick to take hold of Damari’s hair next, braiding it into three separate ropes before winding them together at the nape of her neck.
“Pretty, you.” Analli clapped her hands together. “Now for the princess! Lovely, lovely!”
Damari stood, her skirt rustling as she shuffled to the window again. Peeking out, she saw another troop go by, and her heart nearly stopped. Even with her hair up and in these clothes, could she get by the guards unnoticed? Every one of them knew her; they’d recognize her.
Creator’s Night ... how will I get past the gate?
Damari tried to breathe deeply as she tied the dull brown cloak around her shoulders. The wind tried to lift it from her back, tugging fiercely. Damari pulled the hood up over her head, shadowing her face with the edge before making her way to where Analli was sitting with Noelle in her lap. The little girl refused to eat anything until the Quintarian woman had taken her on her lap and spoon fed her the porridge. Damari didn’t know how she would make the little girl eat once they were out of the city, far away from the comforting presence of Analli.
Noelle had woken asking for her mother, and Damari didn’t know what to tell her. If Analli hadn’t been there to coo and pet her, the little one would have burst into tears, Damari was certain. How was she supposed to convince people she was Noelle’s mother if the child kept crying for Brae?
Stopping at the head of the small table, she forced a smile, bending to stroke Noelle’s hair. The little girl looked at her with big eyes, identical to Brae’s, and Damari’s heart squeezed. Her family was doing this to the child. Her brother and sister were causing this suffering on the child’s heart, and there was nothing Damari could do.
Except get her as far away from Sunkai and Raphaela as possible. Damari kept her smile in place.
“Are you ready, little one?” she whispered. Noelle nodded, her little curls bobbing. “We’re going to play a little game now, sweet one. I’m going to hold you, and I want you to pretend I’m your mama, all right?”
“Why?” Noelle whispered, big eyes growing larger at the request.
“Because it’s very important, sweetheart.” Damari stroked a finger along Noelle’s full cheek. “All you have to do is hug me like I’m your mama. Can you do that, Noelle?”
“Yes.” Noelle held out her arms, wrapping them around Damari’s neck.
Gently, Damari lifted her, holding her on her hip. She pulled the little hood of the child’s cloak over her hair to cover her. Noelle did just as Damari hoped, burying her little face against the curve of her throat and hiding her distinctive features completely from view.
“There.” Analli nodded. “Come now, through the back. Master Fadin prepares his wagons, and there is a horse for you. Stay close to him, and you will be out of the gate first.”
Damari followed her, keeping her head down as they went through the kitchens to the back door. Rufus was waiting for them at the back door, glancing at Damari before bending to mumble something to Analli. The woman smiled gently at him, patting his round cheek before lightly kissing his lips. Damari turned away, giving them some privacy. Her cheeks flushed when she realized she wanted that someday. Someone to grow old with, to love as long as Analli and Rufus had loved each other. Yet such a future was far out of her reach because of the decisions which had brought her here now. Damari sighed, putting the thought from her mind as she turned back. She pressed a hand to Rufus’s arm as she passed.
“Be safe, young princess,” Rufus murmured as she went by.
The alley was dark, troops moving up and down the streets as they prepared for the bells to be rung. The caravans always traveled in the dark. Moving in the shadows at night and camping in the forest during the day to rest kept them safe from thieves on the road. Some said that was why they all wore dark clothes—so they could blend into the night. These Woodlanders were entertainers, they made their living doing tricks and stunts, aside from selling their brightly colored wares and homemade trinkets. Damari had always found them fascinating as a child, and none of them had ever teased her. They were people from all over the country, some Kaldoners, others Molderëinian. They didn’t discriminate, and they were welcoming of strangers from any walk of life.
Damari had never been more grateful for their open hearts than she was today. Stepping out into the frigid night air, Damari held Noelle closer, hoping her warmth would spread to the child so she wouldn’t feel the chill in the air. Shuddering, she kept close on Analli’s heels, following her down the back street to the stables.
Glancing from beneath the edge of her hood, she saw the caravan up ahead, shadows in the shapes of people floating around the darkly painted, round wagons. They had wooden roofs and canvas walls to be pulled up when they were ready to display their stores. Damari bit the inside of her mouth, trying to keep control of her nerves. Her arms squeezed around Noelle and the little one fidgeted, whimpering softly before Damari loosened her grip.
“Master Fadin!” Analli waved a hand over her head, beckoning the big man at the front of the line of wagons. He smiled, stepping forward to meet her halfway. His potbelly jiggled when he chuckled, kissing both of Analli’s cheeks before he stepped back. His thick, gray mustache curled at the ends, a layer of stubble shadowing his cheeks and his bright hazel eyes gleaming in the light of the setting sun.
“This is the young lady I spoke of. You will help her, yes?”
“Of course,” Master Fadin bubbled, turning to Damari. “Protection you need, yes?”
“Yes,” Damari answered hoarsely, trying to deepen her voice. “I need only to reach the Aulend Forest safely.”
“Then with our company, you will go.” Master Fadin glanced at Analli. “An entertainer you are, yes? That is what we shall tell the guards.”
“I am very grateful, Master Fadin.” Damari dipped her head slightly.
“The women will be glad to hold the child for you in the wagon.” Master Fadin suggested, beckoning two smaller figures in the shadows forward.
“No, thank you.” Damari tightened her hold. “She stays with me, Master Fadin.”
“As you wish, as you wish.” Master Fadin nodded. “What shall I call you?”
“Mistress Salene,” Damari replied. “The child is called Keaira.”
“Welcome, welcome.” Master Fadin grabbed her hand, raising her knuckles to his lips. “Here is your horse. We must go to the gates now and be beyond the walls before the last bell, or they will keep us in.”
Damari nodded, fumbling with the reins of the dull brown gelding. He snorted at her, his shaggy mane swaying when he shook his head, rebelling against the hold she had on him. He looked to be older, his big hooves stomping against the cobblestones impatiently and his brown eyes dull. He would be good for her, especially since she had to hold Noelle. Damari bit her lip when Analli handed her supplies over to Master Fadin, to be stored in one of the wagons until they were beyond the walls.
She felt powerless without her weapons, her sword and bow all wrapped up in some of the blankets Analli had given her to hide them. Damari felt lighter without her blade at her hip, despite the heaviness of the skirt she wore. Hoisting Noelle higher on her hip she turned to Analli, the corners of her eyes stinging as she resisted tears.
“I’ll come back one day,” Damari whispered as the woman leaned in to press a kiss to Noelle’s head. “I’ll come back with Adlae Sundragon and set all of you free. I promise.”
“Think only of taking this lovely to safety,” Analli sniffled, tugging a handkerchief loose from her sleeve to dab her eyes. “Then you may think of your return. Free Brae Sundragon, we will, and then the true battle for the world will begin.”
“Thank you for everything.” Damari dropped the reins to throw her arm around the woman, pulling her close in a tight hug. “I won’t forget.”
�
�Be safe, young princess.” Analli hugged her back, and Noelle wiggled between them. Analli laughed softly. “Goodbye, little Noelle.”
“Goodbye, Mistress Analli.” Noelle kissed the woman’s cheek.
“Come little one.” Analli scooped her out of Damari’s arms. “Up into the saddle with you, young princess.”
Damari nodded, lifting herself lightly into the saddle. She grumbled, readjusting the thick skirts around her legs before holding out her arms for Noelle. Analli carefully placed the child, sitting her sideways on the saddle. Noelle lulled against Damari’s chest, once again burying her face in Damari’s shoulder.
“May the Creator light your path to safety.” Analli blew her a kiss as she backed away. “We will meet again, young princess.”
Damari took up the reins, turning the gelding around as she came alongside Master Fadin. He grinned at her, his mustache twitching when he scratched it.
“You stay close to me, Mistress Salene. All will be well.”
Damari nodded.
By the Creator’s Blessing, all will be well. Damari shook off the feeling of dread as she spurred the gelding forward, riding close to Master Fadin’s side.
They would take the north gate out of the city and from there circle the wall until they came upon the hills to the Gracian. Their journey would take half the night to reach the border of the woods, Damari was sure. Only when they were through the gate would Damari be able to calm her heart. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let the gelding follow his master down the street, swaying smoothly with each step he took.
The first bell resounded through the streets, and Damari squeezed Noelle. They had minutes to leave the city in time, and she sensed Master Fadin’s tension at the sound, heard the quickening of the wagons all around her. Noelle looked up at her with wide eyes and Damari forced a smile.
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