“Is Cecil and his clan well?”
Tui nods in affirmation. “They are all sticking to the highlands for the most part. The Hunters are still lazy and don’t bother going near the peaks. Cecil left me at the edge of the moor and then hightailed it back to the Zenith Mountains.”
“That’s positive news at least. I don’t have much good news, I’m afraid. Nile is missing.”
“That’s why you’re here.”
“Yes.”
Tui purses his lips together. I can tell he’s trying to keep what he really wants to say in. I wait.
He changes the subject. Points at Fortissima. “That’s some blade you’ve got.”
“That’s Fortissima, the sword of Woman Kings.” I tell Tui a little about her history. He’s incredulous when he finds out that it wasn’t destroyed as we’d all been taught but kept safe on Nuimana for hundreds of years. “Imogen—that’s Leif’s aunt over there—has been teaching me how to fight. Though I’ve got quite a way to go.”
“I hate to say it, Raven, but you’ve got to get up to speed, and fast. There’s more I haven’t told you.”
“What? Tell me everything you know, Tui.”
He hesitates. Just for a split second. “The Hunters are burning as they go. Entire villages have been destroyed. I think Araroa’s idea is if they get people to move into the Bastion, they’ll have better control over them. With—what are you calling yourselves again?”
“Treasoners. But wait, I’m not—”
“Yes, Araroa thinks the Treasoners’ power will spread if they are farther apart. It’s like rounding up cattle.”
I realize my hands have been clenching tighter and tighter as Tui says this. “Does everyone at Baldachin know?” Once again, my heart is in my throat, and I can barely get the words out.
Tui sighs. “No. Nothing of the sort. Cecil told me all of this on our way here.”
What to do? How can we get word—quickly—to everyone that they are in imminent danger? There’s got to be a simple solution to this. “We’ll send them a letter, then. Write it in code if we have to. I’ve got to warn Miss Lilith to get out of Baldachin. And your parents and mine. Everyone.”
Tui scratches the whiskers on his chin. Considers this. Before he’s able to respond, Leif walks up to us. “What’s this about sending a letter to Baldachin?”
Before Tui or I can reply, he sits down on my other side and puts his hand on my arm. Immediately, my heart slows down. My thoughts stop tumbling inside my head. A bit of clarity, finally. “Tui told you about what Cecil said … about the Hunters … burning villages.”
Leif’s face is solemn. “Yes, he did. And you want to warn your family? Is that it?”
I nod in reply.
“Dammit. I wish my papa were here. He’d know how to get word to them quickly. Araroa is not allowing official letters of any sort. There’s other ways, of course. But they are slow, and—”
“There’s no time, then.” I speak as quickly as my thoughts form. “The only way is in person.”
“I know what you’re thinking, Raven. And I can’t allow it.” Tui’s voice is stern, big brotherly.
I hate that tone of his. It drives me mad. “What do you mean can’t allow it?”
“It’s why Miss Lilith sent me. She figured you’d be coming back, once you got word that Nile was missing.”
“Wait—what?”
“Oh crap.”
“You all knew about this already?” I can’t believe it. So Miss Lilith knew Leif would get word that Nile was missing and return to find him. And me, sooner or later. “Tell me everything, Tui. And I mean it, every last bit.”
“Please,” Leif adds, his voice like steel.
“All right. Here’s all I know. Nile got word to Miss Lilith and myself that his note had been sent to Nuimana. I’ll be frank: it was done intentionally, from what I gather. At the time he was in no danger, still here in the Bastion, for all I know. It was the Treasoners who’d encouraged him to send it. They knew it would get you to return. But that was months ago. The situation has gotten far more serious since then, and that was why Miss Lilith sent me to find you. To tell you … to tell you to go back to Nuimana. Where you’ll be safe.”
“And my papa? Do you know what’s become of him?” Leif asks.
“I’m sorry, mate. Nobody knows. There’s been no word from him for several months, as you’re aware. Not since he warned Miss Lilith about the note. He must have regretted sending it, or letting it be sent, whichever it may be. But he’s not been heard from since.”
I’m not thinking about Nile any longer, though. I’m thinking about Miss Lilith sending Tui here, to send me back on my way to Nuimana. I laugh out loud.
Leif and Tui both turn to stare at me. Neither dares to speak a word.
I stand and pace back and forth in front of them. I can’t decide whether I’m more angry—to be played again like a pawn—or relieved that Nile has probably just gone into hiding. Probably.
I stop and look at the both of them. “I’m not going back to Nuimana. Not yet. That I am certain of.”
“But, Raven—” Tui clasps his hands together, pleading before me. “Miss Lilith told me not to let you—”
“I do not care what Miss Lilith intended. Baldachin and her people are in terrible danger.” I look directly at Leif. “And Nile is still missing and could very well be in the hands of Araroa. Especially if he found out about the … the plot to get me to return to Nadir.”
And then my real problem becomes clear as glass: Do I help Leif find Nile? Or do I return to Baldachin as fast as I can, to warn everyone? I start to think about who’s responsible for pretty much all of my problems of the past year—King Araroa—and I start to fume again. Maybe that’s the problem I need to take care of first.
I don’t get the chance to decide right now. A large group of children come barreling down the ladder, loaded with bundles. The smell of what they are carrying nearly bowls me over.
A young boy hands one of the bundles over to me, and I open it up to find smaller packages wrapped in waxed paper. It’s hot and steaming as I carefully peel it open. Inside are pieces of roasted pheasant and potatoes and carrots. I’m too stunned to taste it.
“Where did you get all this?” I ask the boy.
“From the butcher’s wife. It’s a new place.” He blushes, then runs over to the other side of the room and hides behind his mother’s skirts.
I finally take a few bites of the meat. It is juicy and melts in my mouth. Divine.
“Where did the butcher get this meat? It’s really good. Everything else the commoners get is so old and tough.”
Leif has already tucked well into his meal. He wipes his greasy chin with his sleeve. “It can only have come from the Palace itself. There must be people inside leaking the best meat out. For you.”
While I’m grateful for the food, the news that my secret’s well and truly out makes me lose my appetite more than a little.
“What else do you know about this, Leif?” I ask.
“It’s what I wanted to tell you earlier. The Bastion is positively buzzing—well, quietly—of the news of your return. It’s all the Treasoners are talking about. And unfortunately, the Hunters too.”
“So much for staying unnoticed.”
“Yeah, I think you’d better keep yourself good and hidden for now. But the good news being all the donations of food. Getting better all the time, I’d say. And supplies. Look over there.” Leif points to a corner of the cellar. I’d noticed earlier that it was piled with gear, but now I see that most of what’s there is for fighting: knives, clubs, bows and arrows.
I don’t know what to say. Violence is the very last thing I’d wish to incite. Then again … The image of Seraphine hanging at the gallows flashes across my mind once more, and I have a very short fantasy of gutting Araroa with Fortissima myself. But no—that’s wrong. There’s got to be a peaceful resolution to all this. Araroa’s old. He’s got to die naturally before too much
longer …
“I think you need to get out of here.” Tui’s voice breaks into my thoughts. Leif and I both look at him, incredulous.
“Out of this cellar?” I ask, confused.
Tui breaks into a grin. I can see he’s been silently plotting. He’s nearly bursting with the excitement of danger ahead. “Yes, that and out of the Bastion altogether. Too many people know you’re here now. It’s only a matter of time …” His voice trails off as a dark shadow of worry crosses over his face.
“But you just said I shouldn’t go back to Baldachin.”
Tui shakes his head. “I tried to convince you not to”—he winks—“but maybe I’ve failed. Baldachin might be the best place for you. At least until we convince everyone it’s time to move.”
I consider that for a minute. He’s right: anyone in Baldachin who knows who I really am needs to leave, and before the Hunters get there. We’ve really got no time to lose.
“I’m sorry, but that makes no sense at all,” Leif says. “Tui, you’ve found Raven as Lilith asked, and warned her about the dangers surrounding us. Why don’t you head back to Baldachin to alert everyone about what you’ve learned here. Raven and I will find my papa. We could meet you somewhere after. Then, when everyone’s together, we can decide what to do about Araroa—if anything. Maybe we can get everyone on a ship back to Nuimana. Then they’ll be there for our wedding.” Leif winks at me, nudging my arm. I try to smile back at him, but the idea of that is too terrifying for me to succeed.
Tui says nothing. But his eyes go wide, his mouth pressed into a hard, straight line. Leif and I both wait for him to speak. Finally, he does. “I think Raven needs to decide.”
“Can’t we all just go together?” I ask, brows raised.
Tui and Leif both shake their heads. “The Hunters are already on their way to Baldachin. We’ve got to beat them there,” Tui says.
“I know.” I sigh.
“And I need to find Papa,” Leif says. “Not only because I want to make sure he’s okay but because he’s the best chance we’ve got to move and plan for whatever’s coming next.”
“I know that too.”
Leif continues. “You don’t need to go to Baldachin yourself. Tui can go, get everyone somewhere safe. Where the Hunters won’t find them. Papa will be able to help with that. Once we find him, we’ll meet them there.”
It sounds like a good plan. It really does. But something huge in my chest is pulling me back to Baldachin. I need to see my treevillage in person, to know it is safe and everyone is well. I care about all who live there, not just my own family. And then I can say goodbye to it forever.
Maybe I can sleep on the decision? But as soon as I ask myself that question, I already know the answer: there simply is no time. I need to get out of here in the cover of darkness.
Tonight.
I close my eyes, hoping for something, anything, to signal what I should do. And then I remember it: the vision I had holding Fortissima on Nuimana. Tui’s face. Screaming. Blackness. Terror. Then I know.
“I’m going with Tui, to Baldachin.”
Leif is silent. I watch as he tries to keep his face even, but he’s struggling.
He slaps his hands on his knees and jumps up. “All right, then. Let’s get you two ready to travel.”
My mouth is agape. I can’t believe he’s being so casual about this. But I know Leif better than that. I can tell he’s seething.
“I’ll be right back.” Leif crosses the room to where Imogen is talking with several people. I watch as he quietly explains to her what we’ve—I’ve—decided.
“What?” Imogen’s voice booms across the cellar. She marches over to me, hands on her hips. Tui and I stand when she reaches us. “What’s this? You’re planning on leaving the Bastion? I’m sorry, m’lady, but that’s simply not a good idea. It’s much safer for you to have us protect you here. We’ve got teams of people dedicated to the sole task of keeping you safe.”
“But they know I’m here. The Hunters—they’ll search everywhere.”
She pauses, just a beat, before replying. “We’ll be one step ahead of them. We always will be.”
I think I believe her. Still, I’m not quite sure. I do know it’s true that Araroa could have anything up his sleeve.
“I know that, Imogen. And I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am for all the protection you’ve provided me over the past few days. But I simply need to see my family to safety, and I don’t think we’ll find that inside the Bastion. Not now anyway. Beside, once Leif finds Nile, they’ll be able to help us as well.” Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Leif shift uncomfortably from foot to foot.
Imogen looks at him icily. “And you agreed to this … this plan?”
“No,” he says curtly. “I think she should stay as well. But I also know there’s no stopping Raven—once she’s made her mind up about something.”
I can’t help my mouth turning up into a smile at his words. Our eyes meet, but his definitely aren’t smiling. The green of his eyes glints hard. Like emeralds.
“Very well. Let’s prepare Raven and Tui to leave tonight. They’ll need light provisions and appropriate clothing.” I’m expecting her to look at Tui’s tattered clothing but instead she’s looking at mine. “Raven will need a dress. She needs to be a convincing wife.”
Leif visibly shudders at that. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Imogen continues, “that the only way Raven and Tui will be able to travel convincingly is to appear to be husband and wife. I might even send Rosie with them. Her parents are … gone.” Imogen indicates toward the girl with blond curls, who’s sitting by herself in a corner on the other side of the cellar.
Tui looks over at me, teeth flashing proudly. He puts an arm around my shoulders and tugs me against him. “I like this plan,” he says with a wink. I laugh, knowing he’s simply joking. Being his usual clown self.
But Leif’s face is ashen. Still, he forces a smile. “Very well. I’ll return shortly with what they’ll need.” He turns on one heel and marches over to the ladder, quickly scrambling up it and out of the cellar.
My heart falls. I think I’ve really screwed up this time.
Chapter 8
Tui and I are ready to go by evening. We’re waiting for darkness to fall so we can make our way out of the Bastion; Leif says the best time is when the Hunters change over and most of them go for supper.
Tui’s got a set of clean clothes on. For me, Leif’s brought a long blue woolen skirt. It’s plain but tidy and, I have to admit, comfortable. I put it on over my gray pants and boots and then tuck my tunic in. I pull on my beloved leather jacket, then cinch Fortissima’s belt tight.
I’m trying to arrange my hair when Rosie appears beside me. “Here, m’lady, let me help you with that.” I hand her my ribbon, grateful.
As Rosie combs her fingers through my hair, still tangled from Imogen’s sword lesson earlier in the day, I ask her if she really wants to leave with us.
“Oh yes, m’lady. I’m quite honored to go with you.”
“How old are you?”
“Eight, m’lady.” Rosie divides my hair up with her small and deft fingers and then begins braiding.
“Do you have any other brothers? Sisters?” Imogen had told me Rosie’s parents, both friends of hers, had simply disappeared one day a few months ago, as had so many suspected Treasoners. She’s taken care of Rosie since then.
Rosie nods her head in affirmation. “I have an older brother, m’lady—Callum. He’s sixteen. But he’s gone too.”
“Was he … taken away as well?”
“No, m’lady. He left me with Imogen. Then he went to fight with the others. I miss him.” Her words startle me. What does she mean—fighting? I don’t know of any fighting going on and hope to goodness there isn’t any. That would be too much. I chalk the story up to her child’s imagination.
“I’m sure you do. Well, thank you for coming with Tui and me. It will help us to get where w
e need to go faster, to travel as a family of sorts. Maybe we’ll find your parents.”
“Oh, that would be marvelous!” she exclaims, and continues with her braiding. After only a few minutes, she announces that she’s done. “Tell me if you like it, m’lady.”
I feel my head with my fingers; she’s coiled the long braids at the base of my neck and pinned them together. It’s perfect. I pull the shimmering blue scarf Leif bought me over my head, tying it at the nape of my neck, over my hair. “How does that look?”
Rosie clasps her hands together, beaming. “You look beautiful, m’lady.”
“She does indeed.” Leif appears out of the dim light behind Rosie. “Why don’t you run and get something to eat, Rosie? It’s going to be a long night for you.” She does as he asks, and darts away.
Leif stands in front of me. Dim lamplight highlights strands of his hair, mussed up as usual around his face. He grasps both of my hands in his.
“Raven, I’ve got to be honest. I don’t like this plan. You, and Tui, and Rosie, masquerading as a family. I don’t know … it’s just … just … I don’t know if it’s enough to keep you unnoticed.” I can immediately tell what he really means: he doesn’t like the idea of Tui and I masquerading as husband and wife. But that’s ridiculous. Tui is simply my friend. Always has been and always will be. I don’t feel the need to point this out.
I step back, looking Leif right in the face. “Maybe it won’t be enough. But it’s the best chance I’ve got to get out of here right now. I can’t help you find Nile anyway. It’s too dangerous for me to even take the chance of being seen—and possibly recognized—any longer. Things need to calm down, here in the Bastion.”
Leif snorts. “I don’t think anything is going to calm down. I have the feeling it’s just getting started. I’d feel better taking you to Baldachin myself.”
“I’d feel better with you along as well. But what about Nile? Would you look for him when we get back?”
“No—I can’t do that. Let me find him first, and then we’ll go.”
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