I breathed easily when we stepped back out into the night. However, my spinning head and hammering heart did not abate. I knew I couldn’t rest until the second guard left Evren. Was he searching for me even now? Would he reveal who I was?
Avrik kept a hand on my left shoulder and Lyanna stayed close to my right side, while Bren and Rev followed behind. The five of us treaded through the snow silently, following the road until it became the winding countryside path that led toward home. We passed several cabins and stone houses before we stopped in front of Lyanna and Rev’s house. My house.
“I’m sorry all of this made Elena late to dinner and had you worrying,” Avrik said to Lyanna, then glanced at me. “I hope you feel better.”
I struggled to smile at him. Despite the cold, I still felt sweat lining my forehead, and I knew he was still affected too. I could see the familiar glimmer disappearing from his eyes, like clouds slithering over the sun.
“Goodnight,” Bren said.
He and Avrik set off into the darkness, each going their separate ways, and Rev, Lyanna, and I turned back to the house. Stepping eagerly inside, I plucked off my boots and hung my cloak on one of the hooks by the door.
“Are you hungry?” Lyanna asked as she pulled her mittens off.
Even though my encounter with the guard had stolen my appetite, I shrugged, not wanting her to worry about me. Lyanna took my noncommittal response as a yes and steered me toward the dinner table, already set and laden with food.
As we ate, I tried to pretend to enjoy the beef and potatoes, even though I could scarcely choke the food down.
“You are certain that you are fine?” Lyanna asked, turning to me and brushing her hand gently over my forehead, pushing strands of brown hair out of my eyes. She stared at me so intently that I dropped my gaze to my plate to hide the cut on my neck and the fear on my face.
At last Lyanna appeared satisfied and the conversation turned toward normal topics. Rev told Lyanna about his day at work, and then mentioned the latest village news: the arrival of the guards.
“Everyone was a bit surprised the king sent two royal guards rather than simple messengers, but maybe he did not trust anyone else to make the journey,” Rev said while adjusting his glasses on his nose.
Lyanna raised her eyebrow. “You mean, because of the stories?”
“Yes, I do believe word of our mysterious sedwa lurking in the Vorvinian Mountains and Evren Forest has spread.” Rev shot us an amused smile. “They took the old route through Evren Forest, since it is faster than the route by sea. Anyway, they came to bring us news. Old news, they said.”
“News of what?”
My stomach clenched. What if they had come to search for me? What if my father suspected I’d survived Narek’s attempt to drown me? I waited for the words that would send my world spiraling out of control again.
“News of King Reylon’s death. He passed away from his illness—a type of fever, they said—and because his son, Gillen, is too young to take the throne, his brother Zarev has taken his place.”
I hesitated, staring into my cup and waiting for the next sentence.
“King Zarev and Queen Ryn announced that their daughter disappeared not long after, and they fear she was kidnapped.”
Lyanna gasped and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. What would happen if everyone guessed my secret and tried to return me to the palace? I held my breath.
“That is terrible,” Lyanna said. “I can only imagine the grief that family is enduring.” She frowned in thought. “I don’t remember much about their daughter. All the news was always about Crown Prince Gillen.”
Rev took a sip of water. “I believe she was young—only a small child of five or so. The king and queen have lost hope of finding her alive, for she has been gone for months. In fact, the guards only came to spread the news about our new king—the search for his daughter has turned up no leads. A memorial service in the poor girl’s honor will be held in the capital soon.”
I thanked the Giver of Blessings for how little I had been a main point of interest as a child. Few people in Misroth knew enough about me to suspect my secret.
“The guards will be leaving tomorrow,” Rev was saying, but I knew I wasn’t out of danger. The second guard was probably looking for me. Now that he knew I was in Evren, there was no way he would depart without me—or my body.
~ ~ ~
Shivering, I lay in my bed, staring into the darkness. Outside, the snow continued to fall and the wind howled against my window. Somewhere out there, a royal guard was hunting for me while another was dead, slain by my friend’s hands. How was it that even the death of a guilty man continued to haunt me? The moment played itself over and over in my head: the arrow slicing through the air, hitting its mark, and bringing a man to his death. His blood spilling onto the snow.
I rolled over onto my side, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that footsteps were coming for me again. Another guard would peer into my face and threaten me with death. It would be my blood staining the snow.
But where could I run? Who could I tell? Should I steal out into the night and travel until I found a new haven? Tears stabbed at my eyes at the thought of leaving Lyanna, Rev, and Avrik behind.
You did the same to your aunt and cousin. My jaw clenched as I tried to shove my guilt and sorrow back down inside myself, where I’d been trying to hide it for months. Unbidden memories leaked into my mind: Gillen’s laughter as he and I rode our horses along the beach, chasing seagulls; Gillen’s bright smile when he first defeated his trainer in a swordfight while I watched from the sidelines; Gillen’s boisterous spirit, kind blue eyes, and gentle nature. Gillen with his golden hair that stuck up from his head like a small mountain when he woke in the morning and pushed away his personal attendants until after he ate breakfast. Gillen with all his uncertainty and fear about taking the throne, his great desire to please his father coupled with his desperate wish for a life of freedom from the heavy responsibility of the crown. Gillen with his heart to help, to heal, to protect, whether his attentions were concentrated on an injured gull outside his chamber window or his people.
I shut my eyes tightly against the shadows creeping about my room. Gillen wouldn’t have abandoned me, if he were in my shoes. He would never have left Misroth City until he had found me and helped me escape with him. My cousin was as brave as any of the heroes he pretended to be when we’d played as children in the palace. He wouldn’t have left me to an uncertain fate, as I had done to him.
I bit my lip. I cannot return; I’d die. Even if I did find him and convince him to escape with me, that would only endanger him more. As long as he doesn’t know who my father is…what he has done… I inhaled deeply, trying to convince myself my hopes were true. As long as he is ignorant, he is safe.
A dark shadow flitted across my mind before I could banish it completely. But will my father abandon the power he killed for and let Gillen rule once he is of age?
Before that thought could drag me down into further fear and guilt, someone pounded on our front door. My heart jolted and I sprang from my bed.
Run. Get out of here. I pulled my stockings and boots on before I even allowed myself to consider what exactly I should do or where I should go.
Rev left his and Lyanna’s bedroom, his bare feet pattering on the wood floor as he approached the front door with a candle in hand. Heart pulsing madly, I stepped to my doorway and peered around to watch. Rev yanked open the door and snow poured inside. The dark figure standing outside our home was difficult to make out, even as Rev lifted his candle higher to illuminate the stranger’s face.
“Kyrin?” Rev asked.
Kyrin—not the royal guard? Did I dare let relief flood me?
“There was an…attack in the forest tonight,” Kyrin said gruffly. “I wanted to warn those closest to the forest’s edge.”
Rev stepped back to let Kyrin in and shut the door. “What happened?” he asked as Kyrin brushed the snow out of his dark brown beard
.
“I was out hunting this evening when I came across the body of one of the king’s royal guard.”
Rev frowned. Lyanna strode out of the bedroom in her robe and crept to her husband’s side. “What was he doing in Evren Forest alone?” she asked.
Kyrin shook his head. “I do not know what folly led him there without his companion. His body was…” He shook his head. “I brought the remains back for his comrade to dispose of, and helped him bury the man.”
“Will he travel back through the forest now?”
“He was as shocked as I was and unwilling to risk the danger. He said he will depart in the morning for the Alrenian and take a ship out of Kelwed.” Kyrin shifted on his feet.
“What do you think it was?” Rev murmured.
“Some will say the sedwa …” he sighed. “But I doubt it was anything other than a bear. No sedwa attacks have been reported for many years. Even if it was a sedwa, they have never been known to leave the forest or mountains. But I decided not to take any risks and warn the people of Evren, in case the sedwa choose to ignore the legends surrounding them and take up a new habit of attacking our village.”
“I am sure it was merely a bear, as you said,” Lyanna replied, unable to keep the tremor from her voice. “Not a creature of myth.”
Kyrin’s eyes looked so dark they were almost black. His gaze flicked toward me briefly—though Lyanna and Rev hadn’t noticed me, I couldn’t conceal myself from a hunter—and settled back on Lyanna. “Let us hope we are right.”
~ ~ ~
When I flung the door open the next morning to walk to school, Avrik was waiting for me. His face was devoid of his usual grin; he had dark circles under his eyes and his complexion was paler than usual. Before Lyanna could come to the door and grow concerned over Avrik’s appearance, I waved to her and stepped outside.
For a while, Avrik said nothing, staring down at his feet while he walked. Then he sighed. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” he said softly. “I kept seeing that man—the man I killed…” He fidgeted with the quiver on his back and glanced at his hands, as if he could see blood staining them.
I opened my mouth before I remembered no sound would come out. Curse this silence. I wanted to shout to make him understand he wasn’t a killer. He had saved my life.
Stopping in the snow, I turned to him as he stopped with me and studied his face, wished he could read my thoughts.
“He was going to hurt you,” Avrik whispered, staring back at me.
I nodded vigorously.
“Do you know why?”
My mouth went dry and I averted my gaze. Hopefully he would take that as a no, since I couldn’t lie directly and couldn’t risk sharing the truth.
When I dared to turn back to Avrik, a shadow passed over his face. “You don’t know why.” It was a statement, not a question. “Father… he says some people like to harm without purpose, to hurt simply because they can.”
And some harm with an evil purpose, destroying everything they touch. I returned his gaze without flinching, hoping my expression wouldn’t give anything away and he would accept my silence as an affirmation. No matter how grateful I was to Avrik, no matter how much I disliked withholding information from someone who was fast becoming a close friend, I had to leave my past behind. If I wanted to survive, I had to live like Halia had died months ago in the depths of the Alrenian.
Swallowing, Avrik stared toward the schoolhouse in the distance, blinking like he was trying to prevent tears from flowing. “I won’t regret what I did,” he said at last.
~ ~ ~
By the time school ended, Avrik’s mood had improved considerably, and we left the schoolhouse in a companionable silence. The day had warmed and yesterday’s snow was beginning to melt into muddy puddles. Where there had been a mass of foreboding clouds last night, there was only bright blue sky, and though the breeze was cool, the sun was putting up a valiant fight against the onset of winter. I breathed in the fresh air and let relief and peace soak deep into my heart.
The other guard is not looking for me. He’s gone. Somehow, he must have never even known I was here.
I turned my face to the sun and let its warmth envelope me. I noticed a sparrow flying overhead and realized I felt a lot like it must feel: happy, free…safe.
The king won’t find me here.
“I have something for you,” Avrik said, snapping me from my thoughts.
I turned away from the brilliant sky, where I’d been following the sparrow’s path as it chased the sun. My eyes met his and I cocked an eyebrow at him. His smile brightened his whole face as he continued, “It’s a surprise. Do you like surprises?”
Frowning thoughtfully, I shrugged. None of the surprises I’ve had recently.
With a smile, he added, “Well, you’ll like this one. But you’ll have to race me home first!”
As he burst into a sprint, I raced after him. Soon I was hurtling over the grassy hillsides and sliding in the snow and mud, coating my new boots and dress in grime that would make Lyanna cringe. But my heart felt as weightless as the sparrow had looked. The sun glared on my back and sweat lined my flushed face. Flying past Avrik, I stopped at his house and leaned back against it, arms crossed. I wiped my forehead, smearing mud from my hands across my face.
“All right, you’re fast when you’re not tripping over your own shoes,” Avrik exclaimed, panting as he reached me a couple moments later.
I responded with an upward tilt of my chin and a sly smile.
“Next time, I will leave you behind,” Avrik said, but he grinned, letting his loss fall away with an easy shrug of his shoulders. “Your surprise is inside, but you’ll have to take those shoes off.” He nodded at my mud-encrusted boots. “Father gets really grumpy if I track dirt inside, because he hates to clean. Usually he makes me do it, but I hate it too, so…I always take off my shoes.”
We yanked off our boots and left them in a row by the front door before we slipped inside.
“Sit down.” He gestured to one of the armchairs by the fireplace and started to build up the fire. I tugged at my shirt sleeves and scratched my forehead where the mud was beginning to dry and itch. Avrik didn’t even turn as he grumbled, “You’re getting mud all over that chair, aren’t you?”
I smirked at his back.
As the fire roared to life, he rose to his feet and reached for the mantel. That was when I noticed the long piece of wood lying there. He spun and held it with both hands palm-up like he was presenting me with an elegant sword. That’s when I realized it was a sword: a practice sword hewn from some of the dark Evren Forest wood. The blade was wide and long, carefully balanced.
Standing, I reached out carefully and found that the hilt was matched perfectly to my hand. I glanced up at him in astonishment. He shrugged, appearing almost shy. “It took me a while to get it right, and I had to guess a lot, but…it wasn’t too difficult to decide on measurements. I figured maybe you would let me teach you? That is…if you don’t already know how to swordfight.” Half teasing me about my mysterious past and half enamored by it, he grinned.
Then his smile faltered for a moment. “I was already working on this, before…before… Well, after last night, I decided now was the time for you to learn. And we’ll hope you never actually need to use a real sword, but just to be safe…” He shuffled his feet uncomfortably.
I gave him a reassuring glance and nudged his shoulder. Thank you for caring enough to worry about me.
Avrik forced another smile. “Let’s take it outside and try it out. I have a few of my own; I’ll go fetch one now.” He left the living room and strode down the hall leading back toward his and Kyrin’s bedrooms. After a few seconds, he returned with a worn-looking practice sword.
Slipping our feet back into our boots, we exited the cabin. “I’m not an expert, of course, but Father has been teaching me since I was six. He expects I’ll be quite skilled by the time I am eighteen,” Avrik explained proudly. He gestured to my practice sw
ord. “Try giving your practice sword a few swings to see how it feels in your hand.”
In the shade of the forest, Avrik watched me as I tested out my sword. Feeling self-conscious under my friend’s gaze, I grasped the hilt with both hands and imagined I was swinging at an enemy: Captain Narek himself. The stick felt awkward and heavy in my hand; my father had never encouraged me to learn sword fighting. He and Mother always told me it was a man’s skill. It felt good to be doing something they had disapproved of.
When I dared to turn to Avrik, a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes. “Well…it looks like I am the first person to teach you.”
I shot him a playful glare.
“Your first problem is that you should grasp this type of sword with only one hand. The next is that you aren’t standing properly,” Avrik explained. He stood across from me and demonstrated a sword fighting stance, standing with his feet shoulder width apart and his right foot forward.
I attempted to imitate him, but he shook his head. “You’re too rigid. Bend your knees.”
I relaxed, and he nodded when he was satisfied with my stance.
As the afternoon wore on, Avrik taught me how to grasp a sword hilt, and then how to swing and jab, parry and defend.
“Your opponents will underestimate you,” Avrik said as we sparred. “They might be stronger, but you are fast. Use that to your advantage. Move a lot. Come in close for an attack and then leap away before they can counterattack.”
At last, panting and laughing, he stepped back from me and glanced up at the sun, hovering over the woods. “It’s getting late. I’ll walk you back to your house, but I have one more surprise.”
He led me back inside, through the living room and down the hall, past closed doors toward one final open doorway at the end of the hall. The evening sunlight streamed from a window within and played along the hallway floor and walls, chasing away shadows.
At the doorway, he paused and turned to me. “Are you ready?” He was beaming. Stepping backward into the room, he made way for me and swept out his arm in a grand gesture as I looked around.
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