by M. Gregg Roe
Aliva stepped forward and hugged him, to his obvious surprise. “Of course I remember you, Stanley,” she said. “And I’m the one to blame. I apologize for not taking your interest in me seriously. If you ask me to dinner the next time I’m in Rohoville, I’ll most likely say yes.”
After that, to Audrey’s great amusement, Stanley couldn’t seem to stop grinning. He directed everyone to the ferry, and they were soon pulled across to the north shore. Most of the snow had melted there, but it was still muddy, making for slow going. There were also cold gusts of wind that soon had her wishing that she had brought a warmer cloak. Or more layers.
They set off, and Audrey found herself walking alone at the center of their formation. No one had said a word, but now Gabriel and Saxloc were well in front of her, Aliva was off to her left, Siljan to her right, and Hankin behind. Audrey was disappointed because she had hoped to talk with Saxloc as they traveled.
Everyone except Saxloc appeared alert and kept glancing around. He seemed distracted and lost in thought. Before long, Siljan moved up and yelled at him to start paying attention to his surroundings. Saxloc was embarrassed, and he promised her that he would. Audrey glanced around from time to time, but she didn’t see anything that looked even remotely dangerous.
They were headed north, walking along the boundary between the Plain of Winds to the east, and the Hills of Andoran to the west. They followed a semblance of a path through mud and knee-high brown grass. There were occasional stands of denuded trees and scraggly bushes. Audrey noticed wheel ruts in some of the bare patches, indicating that they were following the same route that the caravans did.
Audrey had thought that she was in good physical condition, but her legs were soon aching. Her new dress had barely fit inside her backpack and had made it considerably heavier. The straps dug painfully into her shoulders. She hadn’t properly broken in her new boots either, and she could feel blisters forming despite her wool socks.
Around mid-morning, Siljan called out, “Nature break! Women first!” as they were approaching a stand of bushes and evergreen trees. Siljan headed directly into the trees as the three men fanned out to surround the area. Aliva also headed into the trees. Audrey followed and managed to find a spot out of sight of the other two. She could actually see Gabriel from where she was, holding his sword and shield at the ready and facing away from her, but that didn’t bother her. It was comforting knowing that she was being protected.
When the three of them had completed their business, they headed out of the trees, and the three men promptly headed in. Audrey found herself standing next to Siljan in roughly the same place that Gabriel had been. Siljan had her shortsword drawn, but Audrey thought that she looked more sleepy than alert.
“Siljan, I have a question. Sorry, I mean Princess Siljan.”
“What’s your question?” she asked with an annoyed look.
“Good King Danj the Good?”
Siljan laughed and lowered her sword. “Oh, that. My father doesn’t know the meaning of the word redundant. And I’m not kidding. He’s illiterate and not terribly bright. That’s just how he expresses his goal to be a good king.”
“Okay,” said Audrey. “That’s comforting. But what about the other part? Spoken of by the gods?”
“Well,” said Siljan, now sporting a mischievous grin. “My father once encountered an avatar of Arwon. He thought that he was just a normal human at first and insulted him. Years later he encountered an avatar of Triara, and she mentioned that earlier incident.”
“So your father really is spoken of by the gods,” said Audrey in amazement.
“Yes,” replied Siljan. “But not in a good way.”
Audrey laughed. “I see. I suppose your father is also responsible for it being Rohoville, instead of Roho Town or Roho City.”
Siljan laughed again. “Exactly. My father is originally from a village.”
“Okay. Thank you for explaining, Siljan.”
Siljan shrugged. “I’m used to having to explain my father to everyone.”
♦ ♦ ♦
After two more hours and about five miles of difficult travel, they finally stopped by some trees to have lunch. The trees were barren, and there were several inches of snow on the ground. Audrey felt cold, miserable, and exhausted, but none of the others looked particularly tired. It had simply never occurred to her that the traveling part would be so difficult.
Saxloc walked over and looked at her with concern. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she lied. “I’m just not used to this kind of travel.”
“Oh. All right. Can we eat lunch together over there?” He was pointing at a stand of trees about twenty yards away. “I think we need to talk.”
Audrey was worried, but she agreed. They walked over to a large oak tree and removed their backpacks. She sighed with relief and rubbed her shoulders. They each pulled out the lunch that Sabrina had provided them, sat down under the tree, and began to eat. She ended up consuming every last crumb and drinking most of her water.
“Traveling is hard work, isn’t it?” he asked with an amused look. “Be glad you’re not wearing armor and carrying around a heavy sword.” His expression turned serious as he asked, “Audrey, why did you break the engagement? I just don’t understand.”
She thought a moment before replying. “I broke the engagement because it wasn’t real. There is a tradition in Farmerton of marrying a girl if you take her virginity, but hardly anyone honors it these days. Our engagement was a lie, and I’m sorry for my part in that. Please forgive me.”
He looked at her in amazement, but then the moment was ruined. “Wolves!” yelled Aliva. “From the west!”
Saxloc stood and quickly shrugged off his cloak. He drew his sword and began to look all around. Audrey sprang to her feet, automatically assuming a Shorinken combat stance. Not seeing an immediate threat, she removed her cloak and tossed it aside. That would give her greater freedom of movement.
Without looking at her, he said, “Audrey! Stay behind me!” He turned his head and gaped at her. “What are you doing, Audrey? You can’t fight wolves!”
She was starting to feel terrified and sick to her stomach, but she said, “Just watch me!”
Siljan suddenly yelled “Entangle!” Audrey looked back and to her right and saw four large gray wolves bearing down on the others from out of the west. The tall brown grass the wolves were running through was writhing and grabbing at the wolf’s legs, trapping three of them and slowing the fourth. Aliva shouted, and Audrey saw more wolves charging up from the south.
Saxloc yelled “Air Servant!” and she jerked her attention back to him. The air in front of him began to distort and swirl. “Attack the closest wolf,” he ordered, and the distortion darted forward. It went directly at the closest of four wolves that were now running toward the two of them. The sight filled her with terror, and she could hardly breathe.
He grabbed her shoulder with his free hand and yelled, “Speed!” She felt her legs begin to tingle. “That will make you faster. Run away!”
There was a flash of orange light and the sound of an explosion from behind her, but she kept her attention focused on the wolves heading her way. She felt a gust of warm air from behind as she took a position off to Saxloc’s right. “No,” she said firmly. “I won’t run away!”
Audrey could hear wolves howling in pain both from behind her and off to the right, but she didn’t let that distract her as she focused on preparing herself to fight. The Air Servant had stopped the lead wolf in its tracks, and it was angrily growling and trying to bite at it.
She felt strangely calm as a wolf came running straight at her. She dodged neatly and it yelped in pain as she hammered a kick into its side. Then it lunged at her legs and knocked her down. Audrey didn’t panic; fighting after being knocked down had been part of her training. She heard Saxloc’s wolf yelp in pain as she fended off the wolf that was now circling her looking for an opening. She kicked at it, but
it was fast and bit her right calf before she could pull her leg back. She barely noticed the pain and kept feinting kicks and punches at the wolf while looking for an opportunity to stand back up.
Suddenly Gabriel was there, covered with blood and gore. He ran the wolf through with his sword and then moved to help Saxloc. Audrey sprang to her feet and saw that Saxloc had killed one wolf and was battling two more. Gabriel took on the nearest one and she ran around behind it at amazing speed—it had to be Saxloc’s spell. She viciously kicked one of the wolf’s hind legs and thought she felt it break. The wolf screeched and began to turn to attack her, but that left an opening for Gabriel to finish it off with a rapid swing of his sword.
Saxloc slew the other wolf and then looked very relieved to see her still standing. She looked around and there were dead wolves everywhere. Most were bloody ruins, but some were burned and smoldering, and two of them appeared to have been frozen. Everyone was spattered with blood, and Aliva’s thin sword was glowing as if it were red-hot.
Audrey suddenly noticed that she was also spattered with blood. Her right calf was beginning to really hurt, and she could feel blood running into her boot. She abruptly felt sick to her stomach and began to shake. She hurriedly sat down as Saxloc ran up with an expression of real concern. He placed his hands on her bleeding leg, closed his eyes, and said, “Recovery!” The bleeding instantly stopped, and she felt warmth spread throughout her leg.
She gazed at him with an expression of gratitude and said, “Thank you.”
The others had now gathered around. Aliva looked worried as she asked, “Did she try to fight them?” Saxloc nodded, and Aliva and Siljan both looked surprised.
Audrey smiled sadly and addressed them. “I should have listened to Grasapa,” she said, and they all looked surprised. “She told me I wasn’t ready for something like this.” She paused and looked around. “That was far worse than I ever imagined. I don’t know if I can get used to this. You’re all so powerful.”
Saxloc smiled and said, “I thought that fighting stance looked familiar. You’re just full of surprises, Audrey.” He turned to address the others. “Should we camp for the night here? I think Audrey has been through enough for today.”
Aliva nodded. “I agree that we shouldn’t go much farther, but we should at least get out of sight of all this carnage.” Audrey nodded and gave her a grateful look.
Gabriel spoke next. “I agree. We also do not want to have to deal with the scavengers these dead wolves will certainly attract.”
Saxloc helped Audrey to her feet and then went to retrieve his cloak and both their backpacks. Aliva walked up holding Audrey’s gray cloak. Much of it was now a much darker color. “Sorry,” she apologized. “One of the wolves died on top of it. I wiped it off with snow the best I could.”
“Thank you,” said Audrey. “Next time I’ll toss it farther away or just keep it on.” She took the cloak from her and donned it. It was damp and reeked of blood.
Saxloc returned wearing his cloak and backpack. He was carrying her backpack, but Aliva promptly took it from him. He held out his left arm saying, “You don’t look well. Take my arm.”
Audrey nodded and did as he suggested. “I don’t feel well either,” she confessed. “But I’m ready to travel. Let’s go.”
They slowly walked about another mile north, with the other four surrounding the two of them. They stopped by a large stand of trees where there was only a dusting of snow. Aliva handed over her backpack. Audrey dug out her blanket, spread it on a reasonably dry spot, and sat down on it with a sigh of relief. She watched as the five of them quickly created a clearing, gathered firewood, and then built a fire. She was startled when Siljan lit the fire by firing a blast of flame from her right hand.
Then everyone was cleaning themselves and their weapons. Aliva brought her a skin of water obtained from a nearby stream. Audrey thanked her and drank some of the ice-cold water. She was feeling increasingly drowsy, so she laid down on the blanket and instantly fell asleep.
It was completely dark except for the fire when Aliva gently woke her and told her that dinner was ready. Dinner was basically the same as lunch, but some of it had been warmed over the fire. Audrey was starving, and she had to force herself to eat slowly so she didn’t become sick.
After everyone had finished, Siljan grinned at her and said, “Let’s see. You dumped Saxloc. You’ve been studying with Grasapa. What’s next? Are you Andoran’s long-lost daughter or something?”
Audrey smiled and shook her head. “I wish! I’m just Audrey of Farmerton, and I’m all out of surprises.”
“How long have you been studying at Xlee’s Martial Arts Academy?” asked Hankin with a sly expression.
She had to think a moment. “It’s been about six months now.”
“Six months?” Saxloc asked in disbelief. “That’s impossible! I would have noticed. Do my parents know?”
Audrey rolled her eyes and gave him an exasperated look. “Of course they know. Do you think I could afford that kind of training without help? I’m not rich like you, Saxloc. I had to borrow money from them to pay my tuition.”
Siljan started giggling, and Saxloc was beginning to look embarrassed.
“To be honest,” she continued, “I’m really amazed that you didn’t suspect something. I didn’t lose weight and put on muscle helping your mother with her plants.”
Aliva started laughing out loud and the others soon joined her. Saxloc’s face turned red as Siljan proclaimed, “I dub you ‘Saxloc the Oblivious’. I’m going to write a poem about this.” He looked angry for a moment, but then, to Audrey’s great relief, he relaxed and also laughed.
She was feeling drowsy as the other five began to discuss who was going to take which watch during the night. She kept yawning, so finally, she just went back to her blanket and laid down, pulling her cloak tightly around herself. She was startled when Saxloc laid down facing her and covered them both with his blanket.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered gently. “I should have noticed, but I really resented being told that I had to marry you. I ignored you and kept hoping that you would just go away. But now I’m very glad that you didn’t. I am rather annoyed with my parents, though.”
She felt very happy as Saxloc paused to think. “Audrey, I am not going to insist that you move out. I know that you help my mother a great deal and that she really likes you. I think you should stay, and I’m very impressed that you have been studying with Grasapa.”
Audrey felt warm inside. He actually wants me to stay! It was unbelievable and totally unexpected. “I want to stay too,” she replied. She kissed him and he was surprised. “Now shut up and let me sleep. I’m exhausted.” She fell asleep feeling his body next to hers.
27
‡ Farmerton ‡
When Audrey woke the following morning, Saxloc was no longer next to her. She sat up and saw that he and the others were busy packing up and putting out the fire. She still felt tired, and her leg muscles and shoulders ached. She noticed a piece of paper next to her holding a small pile of hard biscuits and a piece of cheese, and she quickly began to eat. Gabriel noticed that she was awake, and he walked over and handed her a skin of water.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She hesitated for a moment. “Better. Are we leaving soon?”
“Yes, the weather does not look good.”
“You’re free now, Gabriel. You no longer have to pretend to Saxloc that I’m a bad person.”
He smiled slightly. “That is true, but I still have Petra to contend with.”
“Oh. Well, good luck with that.”
He walked off, and Audrey finished her breakfast. She retrieved her throwing knives from her backpack and put them on. Noticing that the others were waiting for her, she quickly finished packing up and getting ready. Then she nodded at them, and they all began to walk to the north.
Audrey found herself walking alongside Aliva. Saxloc and Gabriel were a fair distance ahead of them
, and Hankin and Siljan were bringing up the rear. Siljan was talking away and seemed to be teasing Hankin, but Audrey couldn’t tell if that was because she disliked him or liked him. Hankin just seemed annoyed by it.
“How are you feeling?” asked Aliva. Her makeup had noticeably faded, and she looked far more beautiful because of that. Remarkably beautiful in Audrey’s opinion.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “Yesterday was kind of rough, but I got a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m glad. I can’t believe how clever you are. How did you know that breaking your engagement with Saxloc would make him start paying attention to you?”
Audrey looked around to make sure that none of the others were close enough to hear. “I didn’t,” she said forcefully. “I was just trying to reset things so that Saxloc and I could start fresh. And I knew I was risking being kicked out by Saxloc’s parents.”
“That’s actually even more impressive. Well done!”
They walked on in silence for a while before Audrey decided to ask a question. “I wanted to ask you about your sword. Does it need a special magic scabbard or something?”
“What? No. It does look like it just came from a blacksmith’s furnace, but it’s not actually hot.” Aliva drew her sword with a practiced motion. “Go on. Touch it and see for yourself.”
Audrey pulled off her right glove and cautiously touched the glowing blade. It actually felt cold. Aliva sheathed her sword, explaining, “My father made it for me as a birthday present.”
“That’s amazing. Did you get to see all of your friends while we were in Rohoville? I was surprised when you didn’t show up for dinner.”
Aliva was embarrassed and looked downward. “Actually, that was a lie. I wasn’t visiting friends. I was apologizing.”
“Apologizing? What for?”
“For meanly spurning their romantic advances. I’ve only recently realized just how cruel I’ve been to people over the last few years. I’ve always attracted romantic interest because of my looks and what I am, and I didn’t deal with it very well. I regret it now, so I spent the entire evening running around Rohoville apologizing to men and women I had slighted.”