“What about Greenhollow?”
“It was friendly the last time I was there. But that could have changed. I can scope it out when we get close.”
I consider this new plan for a few minutes. I know it might take a few days longer, but I also know it’s a good idea to stay as far from the main road as possible. Like we did before.
“Let’s do it. I think it’s a solid plan.”
Tui mumbles his agreement. He seems to be speechless around Catriona, which tells me how much he really does like her—he usually has plenty to say.
Over the next few days, we make our way north through the forest. When we get close to Goodacre, we cut back into the wood, leaving a wide buffer between the town and us. We don’t see a single person.
But two days later, we do see them: Hunters moving south from Nordell. We hide in the trees, watching them snake through the grass. A purple serpent.
They’ve got dozens of commoners with them—tied together and blindfolded. They must be suspected Treasoners … or a mere warning for speaking the wrong thing. It might be whole families; there are children of all ages. They look exhausted, stumbling along. One of them trips, a woman; she starts to fall, and a Hunter grabs her hair, yanking her back up.
It takes all of my strength to hold myself back. I desperately want to charge over there and take command of them. To free them, let them return home.
“Raven. Don’t.” Tui is next to me, his hand on my arm, as if he could restrain me. I look down at my own hands, the knuckles white from clenching onto Pearl’s reins so hard. I’m crouched above her, ready to dart.
I sit back down in the saddle with a loud exhale. “I’ve got to do something, Tui. They can’t keep rounding people up like this. The people have the right to oppose old Araroa. Besides … I mean … look.” I wave my hands toward the line of prisoners. How could Araroa expect to garner respect from his people by doing this?
“I know,” Tui says. “Something will be done. I’m sure of it.”
We watch until the line of Hunters and Treasoners are out of our sight. Then we step out of the cover of trees and onto the plain. And we run for our lives.
Two days later, the smoke from Greenhollow’s chimneys comes into view at dusk. We’ve run the horses hard, stopping to sleep only for a few hours. I breathe a sigh of relief that we made it, descending into the cover of the trees once more. But more than anything, my heart leaps at the realization that, with the long summer days, we’ll be able to reach Baldachin tomorrow.
We decide to camp on the outskirts, and send Catriona in the early morning to scope the town out, to make sure it’s still free from Hunters. If it is, we’ll keep going and not stop until we reach Baldachin.
I realize what a gamble we’ve made; if it’s not safe to pass through, we’ll have to backtrack for days before we can make it over the rugged hills that lie between me and home.
Despite my utter exhaustion, I can hardly sleep a wink. I can’t shake this feeling of dread either. It’s been going so well the past few days, hardly a hitch. I know our good fortune is unlikely to continue.
The next morning, as planned, Catriona rides into Greenhollow to see if it’s safe for Tui and me to move on. While we pack up, I finally get the chance to ask him what I’ve been dying to for days.
“Have you told her yet?”
Tui finishes rolling up a blanket before he replies. “Nah. Can’t seem to get the words out.”
This makes me laugh.
“What’s so funny?” He stops and looks at me, motionless.
“It’s just that you’ve never been at a loss for words before. Too many is your usual problem.”
“Oh, ha ha. I’ve never had to say these ones before. Besides—what if she laughs at me?”
“She’s not going to laugh at you. Besides, if she did, she wouldn’t be worth the trouble in the first place.”
“True.” Tui returns to his task of packing the blanket in one of Pango’s saddlebags. “I’ll tell her once we get to Baldachin.”
“Keep me posted.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
We’ve got the horses ready to go again when Catriona rides back up. She’s grinning—it must have gone well. “Come along, you two. Not a speck of purple in the whole town. It’s the same as ever.” Tui and I follow her back through the trees to Greenhollow, which is nestled in the valley.
And she’s right: the town is just as I remember it. We pass by the Hollyhock Inn, where Tui and I stayed the last time we were here, and Mr. Black’s shop where Papa trades many of his things. The streets are empty, but I notice a few faces peering out at us as we pass by.
We’d not planned on stopping. But the smell coming from Mrs. Willow’s bakery is too enticing. I halt Pearl in front of the small shop on the edge of town, hop down, and step inside through the open doorway. I breathe deeply; the smell of cinnamon and vanilla and fresh loaves of bread is as marvelous as ever.
“Hello there! I’ll be right out,” Mrs. Willow calls out from the back. A minute later, she appears, wiping her hands on her apron. Her normally beaming face falls when she sees it’s me.
“Oh—it’s you, Raven. It’s, uh, good to see you, dear.” She glances down to Fortissima hanging by my side. “It’s been such a long time since you’ve been in.” She looks around quickly. Searching for someone.
“Yes, it has,” I agree. “I’m finally on my way home.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, let me get you something for the trail, then.” She looks outside, where Tui and Catriona are waiting. I’d told them I was only going to be a minute. She grabs a paper sack from the counter, shoves scones and rolls into it, then thrusts the bag into my hands. She leans in, her head nearly touching mine. “You should get going. Mr. Willow would not like to find you here. He’s not one of your supporters, I’m afraid.”
“What do you mean? But are you?”
She shakes her head, putting one finger to her lips to indicate we shouldn’t speak further. “Godspeed, m’lady.” I can barely hear her whisper as she pats me on the arm, trying to force a smile. She’s practically pushing me out of the shop. Once I’m standing on the outside walkway, she shuts the door, right in my face.
“What was that all about?” Tui asks.
“I don’t know,” I reply. “But I think it’s time to go.”
Chapter 17
Leif
It’s got to be well past midnight, and sleep is but a fantasy. I’m lying on my cot in the Hunters’ tent and staring up through the open flap above me. I watch the stars shift. The moon drift past. Tick. Tock.
What the hell happened to Papa?
This is just great. Really, really great. Papa’s not here; either he escaped or he never was sent here in the first place. Not in the Bastion dungeon either. Was he ever captured at all? A sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly I’m certain I’ve been had. One way or another.
That probably serves me right. There were so many alternatives to the story I believed: that Papa’s note made it to me in Nuimana because he’d been imprisoned. Maybe he’d just forgotten about it. Had to make an urgent delivery and hadn’t gotten the chance to tell anyone. Maybe he’d run off with a group of Treasoners, like those Imogen had told me about. Had sent word to Imogen or Raven or me, and it simply hadn’t arrived. Or had been intercepted.
I sit up quickly.
That’s it.
I don’t know how, but I know that’s the truth.
It doesn’t make me feel any better.
The words that have been repeating over and over in my head for the past three days keep on going: They’ll shoot her on sight. Raven has no idea.
Who knows how far they’ve gotten by now?
Who knows how close the Hunters are?
And now, I’m stuck in this prison camp until the Hunters leave in a few days, back to the Bastion to get another lot of Treasoners.
No—I’m not. I’m leaving.
All the other men are sawing
logs. I pull on my boots, grab the violet jacket, and practically run outside. I duck behind the corner to scope out the situation.
The camp is quiet. Outside the tents, it’s nearly deserted with everyone asleep. Only the night patrol, milling around the fences, mostly at the main gate.
I hesitate. This could really get stupid.
But the image of Raven riding away from me flashes through my mind.
They’ll shoot her on sight.
I need to get to her.
I clasp my hands behind my back, pretend to patrol along the fence. But really I’m searching for a way out. A small hole. Something to grab on to, to hurl myself over the wire. Anything.
I pass the prisoners’ huts. Lots of snoring. Muffled sobbing, and someone is wailing. They are packed in there. The smell. It drifts out of the open windows and nearly makes me wretch.
I keep walking. Faster. Until I slam into a body. She’s suddenly appeared before me, right out of nowhere.
“Leif?”
We’ve knocked our heads together, and for a moment all I can see is stars. When my eyes finally clear, it’s Hannah who comes into focus. Her face is gaunt, bone white in the moonlight. Her hair, once so thick and long, is lying in tangled clumps on her shoulders.
“Hannah?”
She grabs my arms. Her dull eyes are wide. Desperate. “Leif—I knew it was you I saw earlier! You’ve got to get me out of here. I can’t take it anymore.”
I look around, searching frantically. Thankfully, we’re alone.
“Hannah, I don’t know how I’m getting myself out of here, much less the two of us. I want to, though. I’m so sorry for how the Hunters treated you. If I had known that Imogen—if I had known you were …”
“Going to be used like a pawn? Yeah, wish I’d have known that too. But she did. And I’m here. And I need to get out. I need to get back to my family. I need to get out. The men here”—she gulps down a sob—“they’re animals.” Her voice is tight and small. Her hands are still on my arms, gripping them so hard it’s starting to hurt.
I look around again. Still alone. I don’t know what to say.
She tightens her hold on me, her eyes pleading. “Besides, you promised me, Leif.”
I can’t believe she remembers that. But we were only kids back then.
“Hannah—I’m with Raven now.”
She drops her hands from my arms. Finally.
“I know that. But Imogen sent word to me in the dungeon. Swore she’d get me out. And here you are. So let’s go.”
My heart is thudding in my chest now. I’d not had much of a plan to start with, but even that is blown up now.
This time it’s me who puts my hands on her shoulders. I look into her watery eyes. “Fine. But you’ve got to trust me, okay? No matter what happens. We’re getting out.”
She nods, a small smile forming.
I take her hand and lead her toward the front gate. When I’m certain the Hunters have us in sight, I whisper in her ear, “Fight me.”
I seize her, tug her close, and kiss her. She struggles. It could be real. I’m not sure. She shoves me away. I grab on to her hair, pulling her back toward me. I drag her to the gate, one arm around her narrow waist. She starts to scream, and I clasp my other hand over her mouth. Her feet kick at me. But none of the blows land.
“Just heading away for some privacy. Please excuse us.” The Hunters laugh and stand aside at the gate, waving us past with a flourish. When they are behind us, I let go of Hannah’s mouth to find her beaming up at me. Still as beautiful as ever.
I keep dragging her into the darkness, lewd laughter from the Hunters spilling around us into the night. When I’m certain they are out of sight, I let her go. I yank off the violet coat too and throw it on the ground.
“Okay,” I say. “Now, we run.”
Chapter 18
I’d so been looking forward to arriving home to Baldachin, had imagined the scene over and over again in my mind: Sunshine glitters down through the treetops as I climb up the ladder to my treevillage. Everyone comes running to greet Tui and me, begging to hear stories of our journey. Papa takes me into his arms, Mum too. Miss Lilith is off to the side, beaming proudly.
That’s not how it happens.
It’s dark, moonless, when Tui, Catriona, and I ride up to Baldachin. The village is nearly hidden in the blackness except for a few lamps and candles still glowing in the treehomes above us. Catriona and Tui offer to unpack and pasture the horses, and I gladly accept. I can hardly wait to see my family.
I go to Miss Lilith’s treehome first. Before I knock, I peer into the small window next to her curtained front door. She’s sitting in her rocking chair, a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other, reading by candlelight. I don’t want to startle her, so I knock quietly.
“I’m coming!” she calls out, setting her cup and book down on a nearby stool. She pulls herself up out of the chair slowly. Painfully. She seems so much older than I remember.
“You don’t have to get up.” I walk through the curtain into the cozy, round room. Miss Lilith’s eyes go huge when she sees it’s me, and she collapses back into the chair. Her hands fly up to her mouth; she doesn’t move for several long seconds. Finally, her hands drift down to her lap.
“Raven! What in the world are you doing here? You—you are supposed to be on Nuimana! Did you not get my letter?”
“Yes, I got it. But I came anyway. I know I’m better off there, but … I was worried about you. And everyone in Baldachin. Araroa’s coming. His Hunters are anyway. You’ve got to get out of here.”
Miss Lilith shakes her head silently. She eases herself up out of her chair, all the way this time, and walks over to pull me into her arms. Finally.
“My dear child.” She reaches up to kiss me on the cheek, then holds me close again, her head pressed against my shoulder. I kiss the top of her gray hair; I don’t remember her being so short.
She leans away from me and takes me in with watery eyes. “Let me look at you. Woman King of Nuimana.” Her eyes fall upon Fortissima’s hilt at my waist. She gently touches it with one finger. “So it’s true. Fortissima lives.”
“Yes, she does. But listen, I want you to come back with me. You and Mum and Papa. Tui and his family, if they want. I want to show you Nuimana. It’s beautiful there. So warm and peaceful. And the ocean—you’ve got to see it. We’ll all be safe from Araroa there.”
Miss Lilith sighs. “Let’s have a seat, shall we?”
She pulls up a stool for me, then sets a plate of cookies between us and pours another mug of tea. The scent of peppermint reaches my nose. I immediately think of Leif, always chewing on his peppermint stalks.
“You’ve got something else to tell me?”
I wake from my tiny daydream, returning my attention to Miss Lilith smiling at me warmly.
I’ve never been able to keep anything from Miss Lilith. Not for long, anyhow. So I tell her.
“I’ve met someone.”
Her eyebrows shoot up, but she manages to keep her face calm.
“So I’ve heard.”
Of course she has.
“Leif.” Suddenly I have no idea what to say. How do I possibly express how I feel about Leif? Falling in love with a commoner? No, worse: a smuggler, a storyteller? A liar? My love.
Miss Lilith simply waits for me to go on. She takes a cookie from the plate, dips it in her tea, takes a small bite. Finally, she says, “And where is your Leif now?”
“I don’t know. He was in the Bastion the last I saw him, looking for his father …” I fill her in, starting with the letter from Nile we received on Nuimana—all the important parts of the story anyway. “But his father is fine, I saw him not long ago; he’d been with Treasoners the whole time safe in the woods. And now I don’t have any idea where Leif is. But he’s supposed to meet up with me, once I return with you and Mum and Papa to sail out.”
“Are you really planning on returning? To Nuimana?”
My hand h
olding the cookie stops in midair. “I hadn’t really considered anything else. I like it there. I’m safe there.” Mrs. Willow’s words repeat in my mind. Her warning of what might happen should her husband—who’s a Loyalist from the sound of it—find me there. “There’s a lot of people who don’t want me here,” I say quietly.
Miss Lilith nods. “But there are many who do.”
We’re interrupted by the sound of footsteps pounding down the wooden walkway outside. Miss Lilith’s curtain is thrown aside, and Mum and Papa fly into the room. I jump up into Mum’s open arms, and Papa wraps his around the both of us. Mum is crying. And finally, at long last, my own tears fall on her shoulder.
Minutes later we break apart, sniffling and wiping our faces. Papa touches one finger to the carven leather sheath Fortissima rests in. “This is beautiful work. From Nuimana?”
I nod my head. “It was a gift before I left. I still have yours too.” I reach inside my shirt and pull out the obsidian pendant he gave to me before I left last time.
He grins. Proud. “You deserve something far more beautiful.”
I find it hard to imagine what that might be, but before I can answer, Mum grabs my face in her hands. “I can’t believe you are here! I truly never thought I’d see you again …” She goes on and on, kissing my face as she does. Finally, she stands back to look at me. Her hand flutters to her chest. “My, but you are the spitting image of your Queen mother. You are a stunning young lady, Woman King Raven Araroa.” She pulls a handkerchief from her pocket, dabs at her eyes again. “But what, pray tell, are you doing here?”
So I tell her and Papa what I told Miss Lilith, that Hunters are on their way here. That Araroa knows where I’ve been living all these years. That they are all in danger and must leave with me, and soon.
Mum sinks down onto a nearby stool. “Is this why you returned? From Nuimana?”
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