Bravura

by Sara Kingsley

  “I think Catriona’s right,” Tui says. I turn to glare at him. “What? Cecil and his fellows are good guys. But they haven’t been seen by men in generations—not in a positive manner, that is. What if the Hunters overreact? What if the Loyalists have found out about those other three and blame it on the bearcats? Rightly so, I’m sad to say.”

  I sigh. As irritating as it is for Tui to not agree with me, he and Catriona do have a good point. The whole plan is very risky. For us, for Cecil, for his entire clan.

  “Thank you for your concern, Tui, Catriona,” a deep voice behind me in the dark says. I jump up, startled. “Now what is this about, men?” Cecil says.

  Catriona, now standing, lowers the stick she instinctively pointed at him, jumping out of the darkness like that. “Back already?” she asks, seating herself back down next to the fire.

  “There’s plenty to eat out here. We didn’t have to go far.” He licks his lips with exaggeration. Which even I have to admit looks quite terrifying, his face both shadowed and lit by the flickering firelight. He notices the three of us all staring at him. “Oh. So sorry to interrupt. We do have good ears.”

  I’m glad it’s dark, so he can’t see my red face. I wonder how much Cecil heard. Probably most of it, knowing him.

  Once again, I figure it’s best to get right to it—we simply don’t have the time. “Come with us, Cecil. Sedgewick too, and at least one other of your cats. We have a long way to go to the Bastion, and we could use your help. The Hunters are just a little way ahead—”

  “Yes, m’lady. We’ll continue keeping watch over you and your friends. And if anyone looks like they are going to hurt you—”

  “No, that’s not what I mean. I want you to travel with us. Out in the open. Like you once did, before you were exiled, before you were forced to go into hiding. Could you do that?”

  Cecil is stunned into silence. The low purr returns from deep within his throat. “Are you sure about this, m’lady? We’ve been in hiding for so long. The very thought of our kind strikes fear in the hearts of humans. If they were to set eyes upon us …”

  “It’s undeserved. The rumors were spread by Araroa and his predecessors. To keep the fear alive. To keep you from coming out of exile. But that’s over now. The people need to know the truth about your kind—that there is nothing to fear from you.” I can’t stop the image of the three dead Loyalists from flashing through my mind. I look into Cecil’s huge golden eyes. “But you or any of your cats can’t do that again, what happened to the Loyalists. You can’t kill them.”

  Cecil nods his head, his fur shimmering in the firelight. “You have my word, dear Raven. We will not hurt men again. But what will they think? When they see us?” Then he shakes his head. “No. I don’t care. Let them see us. I am Cecil! King of the Bearcats!” He throws his head back and roars. I nearly fall backward at the terrible sound that reverberates deep into the night around us.

  The sound makes my mouth go dry, and it’s hard to speak my next words. “So will you? Will you come with us?”

  He doesn’t hesitate with his reply. “Yes, m’lady. We’d like nothing more than to see you safe back to the Bastion. Back to Leif.”

  “You know about him?”

  Cecil nods. “I’m sorry about Leif. I wish we could have done something …”

  “No, Cecil. There’s nothing you could have done. I think what Leif did was incredibly foolish. But at any rate, I’ve got to do what I can to get him and Hannah from Araroa. Before it’s too late.”

  Cecil’s got his bearcat grin on now. “Then we’d better get more to eat. You too,” he says, nodding toward our fire and what must seem like a few crumbs of food to him.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, then?”

  Cecil’s purr is his answer, and I can still hear it as he bounds away, back into the darkness.

  Tui and Catriona don’t argue or say anything further as we eat our meal. They know there’s no going back, not on this deal.

  The sun has just cracked the horizon when we’re ready to go. I’ve been awake for hours, though, listening to the deep snores coming from a few hundred yards away. The bearcats must have settled in to sleep after hunting late last night. It’s not a nice sound, not at all, but it’s comforting all the same. Knowing we’ll arrive at Dunfall later today, I grin to myself, imagining the look on the Hunters faces as we ride in with our bearcats.

  I’ve just finished tightening Pearl’s saddle when Cecil appears next to me. “I’d better introduce you to my crew!” The huge bearcat is quivering with excitement.

  I smile at Cecil. “Definitely.”

  Cecil’s howl echoes into the misty dawn air. Two bearcats come bounding into view. Sedgewick and a white-and-gray bearcat. Cecil introduces us to Everett. The horses are unnerved when the huge creatures approach us, but I talk quietly to Pearl, telling her they are our friends and won’t hurt us. Eventually, she settles.

  Then we ride. As fast as we can for miles and miles of seemingly endless road. The bearcats run along with us—more of a trot, really. I can tell they are used to running much faster than our horses can go. It’s an exhilarating day, and I almost forget where it is we’re going, and what I must do. Almost.

  It’s late afternoon when they come into view, stationed in the middle of the road: four violet men sitting atop black stallions. The low buildings of Dunfall are visible in the distance behind them. We slow our horses, and the bearcats move in to surround us. I wipe the sweat from my brow, the least of which is caused by the setting sun before us, which is searing into my face and eyes.

  We continue our slow approach. I sense the Hunters’ horses are fighting to run. The men pull on the reins, trying to get them to stay in formation, but the horses continue to shy away, wanting to escape the creatures coming toward them. We stop, still a hundred yards away.

  “Let us pass! We will not hurt you!” I call out. Now that I am closer, I see the Hunters’ faces, mouths open with shock.

  The one in the middle calls back. “Who … what are you?”

  And then, the second part of my plan. The one I did not tell my friends about.

  “I am Raven Araroa. Let us and our bearcat friends pass, and you will not come to harm.” My voice is shaking nearly as hard as my hands. My heart pounds so hard there are sparks at the edges of my vision.

  Catriona and Tui say nothing. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch a large grin form on Tui’s face. That gives me the strength I need to give Pearl the signal to keep walking.

  The three of us, our horses, and the three enormous bearcats approach the Hunters. One of the Hunters’ horses rears up, nearly throwing its rider off. The Hunter is forced to turn and ride away so the horse can calm down. The other three horses grow more agitated, nearly as much as their riders.

  “Are … are … th-those what I think they are?” The Hunter closest to us can barely get the words out. A second one is backing his horse up, slowly but surely.

  “They are indeed,” I say. All of the Hunters have moved off the road, our company taking up the middle of it.

  “Ki-King Araroa won’t allow this,” the lead Hunter says, visibly terrified, despite all the weapons on his belt. He’s got one hand on the handle of a long knife.

  Cecil growls. A deep, terrifying sound. “I use knives like that for toothpicks,” he says. The Hunter lets go of the knife and wipes his hand on his breeches.

  “Well, then. I suppose we’ll have to let you pass. Not much we can do to stop you, I guess?”

  In answer, I thank him for his cooperation. “I’m sure my father will be glad you’ve helped me get … home sooner,” I say. The Hunter’s eyes grow wide in awe, but he doesn’t flinch. “What was your name again?”

  “L-Lieutenant Mills,” he replies. “Please, don’t tell the King I’ve let you pass.”

  “On the contrary. You are to be commended, Lieutenant Mills.” I give the shocked Hunter a salute and push Pearl on toward Dunfall.

  When we first approach
, there are screams. Doors slam as residents duck inside. I salute the Hunters we pass, staring slack-jawed from the side of the road. Halfway down the main street, we are stopped again, as I suspected would happen.

  The Hunter steps off a porch right into our path. His violet coat is open, shirt untucked. He must be off duty. “What in the name of—how did you get past my other men?” He studies the bearcats. Cecil growls. But this man does not appear affected by it. Still, it’s clear he knows there’s nothing he can do. He looks around, but the other Hunters have ducked inside the buildings too.

  “We asked,” I tell him. “I’m on my way to see my father, King Araroa.”

  This does take the man by surprise. “Really. And you’re taking these … pussycats with, are you?”

  I tilt my chin up higher, just a bit. “They have chosen to accompany me to the Bastion. Yes.”

  He makes a noise of derision. “Well, good luck to you. Araroa loves to hunt bearcats, I hear.” He waves us on with a flourish, and I don’t hesitate to nudge Pearl on. We set off at a trot, the rest of my friends following close behind.

  As Dunfall grows farther behind us, the relief I feel is only slight. I know with certainty that much more difficulty lies ahead. But at least we’re closer.

  We push on for another two hours. I keep checking on the three bearcats loping alongside our horses. The huge animals don’t appear to be winded in the slightest.

  It’s Tui who rides up alongside me and begs to stop. He makes a motion like he’s eating, pats his belly. I laugh and finally slow Pearl to a walk. It’s nearly dark, we’re a long way from Dunfall, and I’m starving too.

  We stop to camp just off the road, the horses happily munching on the rich summer grass.

  There’s nothing to make a fire with here, so Catriona, Tui, and I pass around some stale bread, dried meat, and fruit. The bearcats have just woken from a short nap and have disappeared into the plain to hunt for themselves.

  Catriona and Tui are sitting in the grass across from me, leaning against each other. The moon has risen, and in the silvery light I watch Tui’s eyes shine as Catriona smiles over at him, laughing at a joke he’s just made. He’s got his arm around her, and he reaches up to caress her hair, burying his hand in her thick curls. She leans in and puts her head on his shoulder.

  An incredible sadness overtakes me. I mean, I’m still glad for them, that they have each other now, but it’s only making me feel more alone. What if this doesn’t work? What if Leif’s already dead, executed in the Bastion square, just like my Queen mother? What if I never see him again?

  At that moment, I am certain of it: despite all of the stupid things Leif has done—joining with Hunters to find me that first time, leading me to the Hunters as Queen Seraphine wished, and now getting caught in his desire to free Hannah from the prison camp—I still love him. I’d rather die trying to get him back than live without him.

  I’d do anything to have him looking at me again how Tui is looking at Catriona right now.

  The next morning we come across a small stream, and we drink greedily. Just in time too, as I shared the last of my water with Pearl before we left camp. Catriona tells us that means we’ll be coming up to the main Zenith pass in another couple of days. My heart starts jumping around at this news. I know for a fact the whole pass is heavily patrolled by Hunters, and has been since last year.

  “How many Hunters, do you think?” I ask Catriona.

  She doesn’t sugarcoat her answer. “A lot, Raven. The whole road is thick with them.”

  Something else occurs to me: Why haven’t we seen any other travelers on the road? I ask Catriona about this too. “The Hunters rarely let anyone pass,” she replies. “Araroa wants everyone to stay put. He knows that the more people travel, the more information will spread.”

  “What information?”

  “About you, of course.” My heart skips a beat at hearing her answer spoken aloud—it was a truth I knew already. But I feel a smidge of satisfaction that Araroa’s plan is not working. Thinking back to those men at Blackpool, at our reception in Greenhollow—I realize that Araroa’s desire to keep everyone in the dark about my return is futile.

  “How have you gotten through?” I ask Catriona.

  She grins at me. “I haven’t. I always go around. Through the forest routes.”

  Her answer is alarming. It certainly doesn’t ease my anxiety about the next leg of our trip. “Should we go around too? Is this really wise?”

  She shrugs. “It’s your call, Raven. But I’m looking forward to encountering these bastards face-to-face.” She gives me a glittering smile and a wink, then kicks Hazel to ride ahead with Tui.

  As we ride, the mountains loom up before us. All day I struggle with my thoughts: Are we being utterly foolish to think we can simply ride up to the Bastion like this? Around and around my thoughts go, and they only end up in one place each and every time: of course we are. But I’ve no other choice.

  At the bottom of the pass, we close in on Westford. I groan inwardly, not looking forward to dealing with the Hunters who are sure to be here. The three bearcats are still walking alongside us, and I can only hope the residents don’t panic at the sight.

  But as we ride through in the early morning, I peer around the paint-peeled houses. I can tell the place was once a tidy little mountain town, with colorfully painted homes and flowers, but now it has an air of neglect. All the same, I breathe a sigh of relief that there is not a single violet coat to be seen. There are not a lot of townspeople either. I catch glimpses of only a handful of faces peering through windows, wide-eyed in wonder—and terror at the bearcats. I catch a woman’s eye; she raises a hand, hesitates. Then she waves and smiles. I wave back.

  It’s then I know where many of the townspeople have gone: either to Araroa’s prison camps for supporting me, or into hiding in the woods with the other Treasoners.

  My heart is torn between feeling both honored that people would risk so much to defy King Araroa and feeling horrified that families are being ripped apart because of it.

  My heart is sure of only one thing: something has to be done to stop this.

  With Westford behind us, we wind back and forth up the mountain. Fortunately, the climb up the pass is an easy one. We’re not very high up; the sky remains clear blue, and it actually seems to be getting warmer the higher we go.

  Still no Hunters. Maybe they’ve given up and Araroa has called them back to the Bastion? But I know this is a useless fantasy. We still have a long way to go.

  It’s dark when we finally reach the top. I look around, but the night is still moonless and there’s nothing to see but a billion stars above.

  There’s a few small bushy trees up here—plenty of wood for a fire. With the bearcats nearby, we feel it’s safe to make a roaring one. The day’s heat left us a long time ago, and I sit shivering until the flames are licking up, red coals shimmering in the night. Tui throws a simple stew together with some of our dried meat and the last of our carrots and potatoes. He even tosses in a handful of dried herbs Miss Lilith packed for us. As the stew simmers, the scent of the concoction reaches my nose. I close my eyes, and suddenly I’m there, in Miss Lilith’s small treehome. I picture her stirring a similar stew set over her small wood stove. She turns and smiles at me. Then she raises a finger to her lips and, with her other hand, points somewhere in the distance, off to my right. I throw my eyes open, and the vision disappears. I listen hard.

  I hear them.

  “Someone’s coming! Put the fire out! Quickly!” Tui looks at me, confused. The jangle in the distance echoes in the night air around us, and Tui hears it this time. He grabs the hot stew off of the fire with a cloth and then starts kicking dirt into the flames. Catriona and I dump water over the remaining coals. It seems like it takes ages for the fire to smother, but finally all that’s left is a small column of smoke rising up into the night sky.

  We stop, standing stock-still. Listening. It’s definitely horses, but the sound is
still a good distance away. I hold my breath, waiting for them to come nearer.

  Minutes pass. Eventually, the sound dies down. I become aware of the tight hold I’ve had on Fortissima’s grip, and I uncurl my fingers, shaking out my trembling hand. So close.

  “Where’s Cecil?” I whisper.

  “I haven’t seen him since right before we got here,” Tui says.

  “I don’t think he’s nearby either,” Catriona adds.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” We wait another few minutes, but the night around us remains silent.

  There’s nothing for us to do but each grab a spoon and eat the cold stew, right from the pot. We tuck into our bedrolls soon after. I wake up at least once an hour to listen, but whomever it was we heard earlier is gone, back down the mountain.

  My face and hair are damp in the morning when I wake. A thick fog has fallen during the night, and I can barely see the horses grazing a few yards away.

  There is still no sign of Cecil, and now I’m more than a bit worried.

  I ask Catriona if she knew if he’d returned during the night, but she shakes her head. “The smell of them alone would have woken me up. But I slept like a baby all night.” I, too, can usually sense when Cecil and his cats return from their nightly hunting and curl up nearby to sleep. Besides, Sedgewick’s incredible snoring usually wakes me up.

  “Maybe they needed to go hunt a little farther away,” I say hopefully. “Game is probably more sparse way up here. We’d better get going ourselves.”

  After a quick bite to eat, we pack up and start out to make our way down the other side of the mountain, weaving our way through rocky crags. The thick white fog hangs around us, draped like a blanket. As we drop down, the trees become taller and more numerous, their tops piercing the fog not far above us. The trail gradually widens until it resembles a road once again. There is still no sign of Cecil, Sedgewick, or Everett.

  By midday, the sun pierces through the cloud. As we ride out from under the cover of the fog, the road to the Bastion comes into view, stretching out before us.