CHAPTER TEN

N adia was very talkative and upbeat for a child who almost just poisoned herself to death. Throughout our long hikes towards Chatus, she described all of her favorite things in great detail. Her favorite flowers are roses, but not the red ones. She liked the white ones. Her favorite food was chocolate, of course, and she was very excited to get to Chatus so she could buy some.

“Why are you traveling to Chatus anyway?” I asked her and Magda out of curiosity.

“For shopping!” Nadia squealed with enthusiasm.

Magda smiled at her sister, then gave her own answer. “We were traveling with a group so we could pick up a decent amount of supplies for our village.”

I almost stopped in my tracks. “Village?” I asked her.

“Yes,” she replied. “We have a small village behind the mountains between Monuvia and Sprath. Sprath is closer, but Chatus has the best supplies.”

“They have everything you could think of! We can get everything we need all in one spot, it’s amazing!” Nadia chimed in.

I looked at Elias, who shrugged. “Which kingdom is it a part of then?” I asked Magda.

Nadia answered. “We aren’t part of any kingdom,” she said boastfully.

“We keep to ourselves, mostly,” Magda continued. “Away from the politics of the Four Kingdoms. It’s peaceful.”

“Politics?” I muttered. As far as I was concerned, the Four Kingdoms were at peace. There hadn’t been war in well over a century. Besides the other three being wary of Sprath, the kingdoms all got along peacefully.

“War can brew at any moment,” Magda shrugged. “That’s what our chieftain says, anyway. We prefer to stay away from it all, away from the possibility.”

I did not know what to make of this. All my life, I had been taught every detail known about the Four Kingdoms. Now I learned that not only may there be a fifth, but that there are even villages that exist independently between them.

“Is the village a secret?” I couldn’t help but ask, wondering if this was public knowledge that I was just never taught.

Magda sighed. “Sort of,” she stated, sounding unsure. “The chieftain of our village does not welcome outsiders, but we were never really told not to tell anyone it exists. I think most of us choose not to disclose it, though. To maintain our safety and peace.”

I gawked at her. If I had to guess, those in Sprath probably knew this village existed, or if other such villages did as well. Another secret they have likely kept to themselves to exploit in the future.

I composed myself. “Well, your secret is safe with me,” I assured her. Magda smiled in response .

I looked forward to see Nadia now keeping pace with Elias, nagging him again with questions about his favorite things. He would answer her with uninteresting, one-word responses. I laughed at the thought of someone else now pestering him for information about himself besides me.

“Can I ask you something?” Magda whispered to me, breaking my thoughts. I nodded. “Did he…hurt you?” She gestured towards my bandaged arms, some spots showing small bits of blood that had soaked through. The blood wasn’t fresh though, as the wounds were healing nicely, although they looked rough. I looked up from them and could have sworn I saw Elias slightly tense as if he could hear her. But he certainly couldn’t have heard the whisper from our distance behind him and Nadia.

I shook my head. “No, on the contrary. He saved me.” I began to silently reminisce about feeling his warm arms pulling me out of the vicious river just in time.

“Oh,” was Magda’s only reply. She had a look of surprise on her face, and her gaze grew distant as she thought.

“You don’t need to worry about him,” I urged. “I trust him, and you can too.”

She pursed her lips. “It’s hard for me to trust people,” she answered quietly. “Especially men.”

“Why?” Maybe the answer was obvious, with women always being taught to be wary of men. But I asked anyway.

She shook her head. “Nadia and I are actually originally from Chatus. Our…our father, he was a drunk. He used to beat my mother and me, most nights. When Nadia was born, his drinking only worsened, and so did his beatings. My mother took me and Nadia and ran. That’s when she found the village, and they took us in. She died a year later of illness, and I was left to raise Nadia. Even though we were safe, it took me a long time to open up to the villagers.

“And then I met Gabriel.” She smiled, her eyes brightening. “He showed me how to love. How to trust. But even after all this time, men…intimidate me. All but him. We’re getting married in a year. If…if he’s still alive.” She sniffled, and my heart ached for her. He must have been in the group they separated from when the bandits attacked. I prayed to the gods for her that he survived.

“I’m so sorry that all that happened to you,” I said. “You were just a child. And your father sounds like a bad man. But Elias is not. I promise.”

She gave a half smile. “I believe you.”

We kept walking for another hour or two, Elias’s patience likely growing thinner and thinner with every invasive question from Nadia. She did give up pestering him eventually, and started chatting with me instead. It was when we finally decided to stop and make camp for the night that she asked the question I was hoping to avoid. “Where are you from, Aura?” she pondered gleefully.

I set my pack down and began laying out my blanket while trying to think of a response. I peered over to Magda who was eyeing me curiously, clearly also waiting for my answer. “Rimor,” I finally answered truthfully, unable to think of a better lie. Elias subtly glanced at me while he set up his own blanket.

“Oh, I’ve never been there!” Nadia squealed. “What’s it like?”

I smiled and happily spoke of my beautiful kingdom without sparing any detail. The stone streets that bustled with busy workers every day was a sight to behold. The vast farmlands that existed outside the city limits provided bountiful food and harvest year-round. The intricate stonework done on each and every building, even the small homes, was like a deeply talented artist sculpted each home with their bare hands. Lastly, the way Rimor Castle looked when it was lit up at night, which was breathtakingly stunning. I suddenly started to feel a little homesick, but I was glad that Nadia didn’t press further about why we were so far from my home or where we were headed, although I assumed Magda would ask eventually.

“Wow,” Nadia replied when I was finished. “It sounds beautiful.”

“It is,” I smiled back. “Maybe someday I can show you around.”

Nadia’s eyes grew wide. “Yes please!” she squealed again. And without another second, she changed the subject immediately, her brain moving a thousand miles a minute. “How’d you know how to save me from the poisonous berries? Did you learn that in Rimor?” she asked.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her spontaneous questions. I was now very certain that they drove Elias crazy. “I have a book on plants,” I answered, then pulled it out of my pack to show her.

“Neat!” she smiled. We opened it together, Nadia asking questions about every single plant even though all the information was right there on the page. “What’s this one?” she said, pointing to a flower with long rows of purple pedals that cascaded down a tall stem.

“Wolfsbane,” I answered, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Elias’s head shoot in our direction.

“It’s pretty,” she said.

“It’s also very poisonous,” I answered. “Just because something looks tasty or pretty doesn’t mean you should eat or touch it,” I reminded her.

“I know, I know,” she sighed. “What happens if you eat this one?”

“Let’s see.” I ran my finger down the page. “Nausea, vomiting, dizziness,” I read aloud. “And here, it says it’s extremely dangerous for… oh,” I stopped.

“Dangerous for what?”

“I’m not sure, the writing is smudged. This is a very old book.”

She frowned. “Well I promise I won’t eat it,” she said with a triumphant nod, and I laughed .

A moment later, Magda came and urged her sister to start getting ready for the night. I slept deeply until Elias woke me so I could take watch. I didn’t mind at all, watching over my new friends as they slept peacefully.

The next two days passed uneventfully. I was thrilled to know that we did not need to cross Rebellia River again to get to Chatus. Neither Magda nor Nadia pressed us further about why we were in the middle of the deep forest when we found them. I had the feeling Magda knew we kept our secrets for good reason.

“It’s not much further,” Elias called back to the three of us as we stopped to fill our canteens in a stream. “Maybe an hour out.”

“We made good time then,” Magda said enthusiastically. Elias only nodded.

I finished filling my canteen and walked up to Elias while the sisters continued chatting by the stream. “I want to run something by you,” I said as I approached him.

“Oh, do you? You mean you don’t want to just follow your own plans without thinking them through first?” he said sarcastically. I shot him a nasty look.

“Very funny.” I rolled my eyes. “But listen. We are almost out of food and supplies.”

“Adding three days to the journey and two more mouths to feed will do that,” he snarked.

“I do not regret helping them,” I snapped back. Elias looked to me, eyeing me intently. His shoulders then relaxed.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said.

I cleared my throat, not expecting him to forfeit so quickly. “What I was saying is, maybe we can stop at Chatus for supplies.” Elias shot me a look of disapproval. “Briefly,” I added.

“That is a terrible idea,” he argued.

“Maybe,” I shrugged. “But maybe not. We can stock up on at least a week’s worth of supplies and food. We could even buy a bow from a weaponsmith. It would make hunting much easier.”

Elias thought for a moment. “Are you going to explain to the sisters why you’ll have to sneak in?”

“Well no, but you could go in and grab a few things while I wait—”

“No,” he barked, his voice stern.

I tensed. “Why not?”

Elias cleared his throat. “Going into Chatus is foolish. And leaving you by yourself would be even more so. You’re weak from what happened at the river, and may not be able to effectively defend yourself if someone finds you.”

My eyes narrowed. “I can defend myself just fine,” I seethed.

“It’s not smart to take chances, Princess.”

I bit my lip. I honestly didn’t want to separate from him anyway, but I hadn’t thought about what I would say to the sisters when I would inevitably have to hide my face as much as possible. I turned my gaze to Magda and Nadia, who were splashing each other with the cold stream water, Nadia squealing with amusement and Magda laughing. I admired their love for each other more than I could admit. Maybe it was because I didn’t have any siblings of my own to share that kind of love with.

“I’ll tell them what they need to know. Nothing more,” I said.

Elias let out a sigh. “Fine,” he replied. “We’ll go into Chatus. But we make it quick. In and out within an hour.”

I grinned. “Agreed.” I turned back and walked to the sisters, and explained that we would enter Chatus with them, but could not stay long. I explained that my face would need to remain as hidden as possible. Magda shot me a skeptical look, but it was Nadia who asked why. “The less you know, the safer you are,” I replied truthfully.

Magda and I made eye contact for a moment. Her deep blue eyes peered into my green ones, possibly searching for any sign of dishonesty. She would find none. “Alright, we’ll help you get in and out,” she said. “But what about him?” she pointed towards Elias who now leaned against a tree as he watched us.

I peered at him. “Do you have any reason not to be seen in Chatus?” I asked him. “Have any warrants for being a hardened criminal?”

Nadia laughed while a small gasp escaped Magda.

“Not that I’m aware of,” he answered with no emotion, then took a sip from his canteen.

I smiled and looked back at Magda. “Let’s get going then,” I said as I continued walking towards the kingdom.

When we arrived, we remained hidden behind the tree line to inspect the gates. As I feared, they were being guarded by no less than five muscly-looking soldiers.

“That’s odd,” Magda said from peering over my shoulder. “There’s usually only two guards.”

I took in a deep breath, praying to the gods that they weren’t placed there in case the Princess of Rimor were to show up. “I need to be disguised,” I said stiffly. Both Magda and Nadia eyed me curiously. “Got any ideas?” I asked.

“Mags is a great artist,” Nadia whispered with excitement. “Right, Mags? You can change her face.”

“Change my face?”

Magda let out a sigh, then turned to pick some soil and a stick off of the ground behind her. “Back home, I like to dabble in art. Drawing, painting, clay, all of it.”

“Mags can make anything out of anything,” Nadia continued, eyeing her sister with admiration.

Magda began to press the tips of her fingers into the soil to compact it, then dipped the fine tip of the stick into the gray dirt. Then she brought the stick to my forehead, gently etching lines where the wrinkles on my father would be. “If I can contour your face enough, I can give you wrinkles. I can make you look old,” she said as the stick glided on my skin with precision. Elias watched from beside us with interest.

A minute or two passed, and Magda stepped back to get a good look at me. She let out a laugh, which was echoed by Nadia. “It’s not my best work, but it will do,” she snickered. “But I recommend wearing a hood to hide your hair.”

I quickly pulled my cloak out of my pack and put it on. I pulled the hood up as high over my head as it could go, and tucked my long hair in. I turned to Elias. “What do you think?” I asked.

Elias smiled. Not a half smile or a forced grin. A genuine smile. Butterflies filled my stomach. “You look like a dirty grandmother,” he teased.

Heat flushed my cheeks. “Well I guess that’s the look we’re going for,” I laughed. “Are we ready?” Elias and the sisters composed themselves, then confirmed.

We stepped out from behind the trees and onto the path towards the gates. I walked as I had seen elders walk, with a slight limp and short, slow steps. As we approached, one of the guards shouted, “Halt!” We stopped in our tracks. “What business of you in Chatus?”

Magda stepped forward. “My husband and sister and I brought my grandmother to see a healer,” she answered. She was a quick thinker. She reminded me a lot of Rose.

“What ails her?” the guard asked, maybe not out of concern, but rather to confirm the newcomer’s story.

Nadia began to play her part and came up to put my arm around her shoulders, indicating that I should be acting less independent. I leaned into her, pretending my legs were weak. “She barely sleeps. Hardly eats,” Magda continued. “We were told the healers in Chatus were the best.”

The guards looked to each other in silent conversation, then back at us. Perhaps the little boast about their kingdom stroked their egos enough to blind them from the truth. “Enter,” one guard told us. We did so without looking back.

As we stepped through the gates of Chatus, the familiar sound of a bustling city hit my ears. Gaving was the name of the city, and only a few blocks from the gate was Gaving’s glorious city market, filled with vendors and shoppers alike. Unlike Rimor, whose castle sat at the back perimeter of the city, Chatus Castle lay at its center. I could see the golden walls of the castle in the distance.

We made our way through the city towards the market, which was overflowing with civilians. Many of them wore extravagant garments, from silk dresses to full leather ensembles adorned with feathers and jewels, that showed off their wealth and unique style.

The market itself was full of canopies, tents, and wooden stands topped with all sorts of priced goods. The smell in the air was a mixture of heavily seasoned foods, rich perfumes, and succulent wines. People from all Four Kingdoms would come to Gaving for its famous market. The rich city market was filled with delectable foods, fine clothing and tapestries, and nearly any vendor you could think of. As we got closer to the loud crowd, we paused to discuss the plan.

I looked at Elias, who seemed uncomfortable to be in such a crowd of people. “I can go to the food vendors and purchase food for travel,” I said to him. “I can also see if they have anyone who sells bandages and medicines just in case. Why don’t you go find us a bow and some arrows from a weaponsmith? Or look for anything else you think we might need.”

Elias eyed me and my ridiculous wrinkled face. “I do not think we should separate,” he stated.

“We can meet back here in half an hour,” I told him. “It won’t take long at all.”

“It’s okay, Elias. I’ll go with you!” Nadia said, grabbing Elias by the hand.

“Absolutely not,” Magda interrupted.

“But I want to see the weapons with Elias!” Nadia argued. I was starting to think she had a little crush on the poor man.

“This is not up for debate,” Magda scowled. “You stay with me.”

“It’s only for thirty minutes, Mags! Please. We’ll meet you right back here, I promise.” Nadia continued to hold onto Elias’s hand. He did not try to pull away.

Magda placed a hand on her forehead as she furrowed her brow. She then looked up at Elias, seriousness in her eyes.

To my amazement, she gave in. “You don’t let her out of your sight, you understand?” she said to him, sounding as intimidating as I’d ever heard her. Elias only nodded in response and we watched as Nadia led him by the hand towards the market. “Let’s go,” Magda said to me, trying to mask the tone of annoyance, but failing.

We stepped into the market, and Magda led me towards the side that held the food vendors. I realized she had probably been there a lot more than myself. I hadn’t stepped foot into Chatus since I was a child. Chatus was the midpoint between the Four Kingdoms, making the Golden City the usual host of events, many of which I was allowed to attend before my mother’s death.

As we approached, the aroma of delectable foods hit my nostrils. Lamb topped with rosemary and other spices. Smoked meats that I had no doubt were as fatty and juicy as they smelled. I quickly realized how hungry I was for a good meal.

I kept my wrinkled face hidden under my hood as I began approaching each vendor and nearly drooling over the fine foods. A few minutes had already passed by the time we reached a vendor who sold dried meats, the perfect traveling food. Magda stood behind me as I pulled a pouch of gold pieces from my pack. While I began counting some out in my hands, I heard a male voice call out from behind us, differentiating his voice from the rest of the crowd. “Magda!” he cried.

I whirled around in sync with Magda as we searched for the voice. Magda’s eyes frantically darted around, searching the crowd. “Magda!” we heard it again.

“Gabriel?” she cried out.

Suddenly, a tan-skinned man with brown hair and a young face pushed his way through the crowd until he was only feet from us. He stopped for a moment, and he and Magda stared at each other with wide eyes. Before I knew it, they collided into a deep embrace, and heavy sobs escaped from Magda.

“Gabriel!” she cried his name again, tears flowing from her eyes. They pulled away from each other only for a moment so they could kiss one another. “My love. I feared you were dead.”

Gabriel cupped Magda’s face in his hands. “I thought the same of you,” he said frantically. “I didn’t know where you went. If the bandits got to you.” A tear fell from his eye.

“We escaped,” Magda said, holding back from crying. “Nadia and I escaped. But then she grew hungry and she ate poisoned berries, and…” she abruptly stopped, suddenly remembering me. “We were saved by Aura, and her friend Elias,” she continued, finally turning to me and leading Gabriel over until they stood next to me. “They brought us to Chatus safely.”

Gabriel looked at me quizzically. I watched his eyes dart around my face, likely wondering why it was lined with dirt. “Aura,” he repeated. “How can I ever thank you?”

I smiled weakly, a little nervous that now another person had seen my face. “No need,” I answered shortly.

Gabriel nodded in return, then looked back to Magda. They kissed again, long and passionately. I turned away and shuffled my feet. The last time I had seen love like that was between my mother and father. I had always found it beautiful and mesmerizing. Since my mother’s death, I had barely given a thought to falling in love myself. But watching Magda and Gabriel, I began to wonder what it must be like. A tinge of envy hit me, but I forced it aside.

“What happened with the bandits?” Magda asked Gabriel after their kiss. “Did you fight them off?”

Gabriel began explaining to Magda that he and their other two male companions killed the bandits that attacked them. They then followed the ones that chased Magda and Nadia, but were never able to find them or the sisters. He searched for two days and feared the worst. When he couldn’t find them, Gabriel and his crew decided that they would head to Chatus in hopes of reuniting. They had been there for days, Gabriel’s fear worsening with each passing day, though he refused to give up hope. Then he spotted his love in the thick of the market, alive and seemingly unharmed.

I listened while Gabriel told his side of the story, but as I peered over his shoulder for a moment, something caught my eye. A guard walked through the market, observing the civilians. But his armor did not match the typical gold-plated chainmail of the Chatus soldiers. Instead, this one had dark steel armor. Rimorian armor. Fuck . I looked behind him and saw two other Rimorian guards following, also surveying the patrons of the market. It seems my father sent soldiers to Chatus after all, and they made it there quickly, likely on horseback. Was my father here too?

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath.

Gabriel and Magda stopped speaking and both looked at me. “Are you alright, Aura?” Magda asked.

“I need to go. Quickly.”

She and Gabriel looked at each other, then scanned the distance to try to pinpoint what had me worried. I placed a few gold pieces down at the vendor’s table and snatched up a large amount of the dried meat. “Thank you,” I whispered to the middle-aged man selling the meat. He dipped his head and put away the gold pieces without counting them, because I probably gave more than enough.

“This way,” Magda urged, and she led me and Gabriel into the crowd. I wondered if she saw the Rimorian guards and was able to put all the pieces together.

We made our way through the labyrinth of people before we finally found a small side street that hid us from view of the soldiers.

“What’s going on, Mags?” Gabriel asked.

Magda looked at me, and I gave her a nod. “Aura cannot be seen here,” she explained. “I was going to help her collect supplies so she could quickly leave.”

Before Gabriel could ask any more questions, a booming voice came from behind us. “You there!” we heard him shout. I frantically looked around, but there was nowhere to run. The market patrons were practically walking around shoulder-to-shoulder on this busy day. I gave Magda and Gabriel a pleading look before pulling the hood even higher over my head. “You!” the Rimorian soldier shouted again.

“How can we help you, sir?” It wasn’t Magda, but Gabriel who stepped in front of me, subtly trying to block me from view of the guard.

“Remove your cloak,” the guard ordered to me, ignoring Gabriel.

“My grandmother is sick,” Magda began, but the guard ignored her too.

“Have her remove her hood,” he repeated.

“Sir, you do not want that,” Gabriel said. “Her grandmother is very sickly. Her face is covered in boils and blisters. I wouldn’t get too close.”

I was shocked that Gabriel was trying to help me when he didn’t even know me. Maybe it was because I did the same for Magda and Nadia, and he thought he owed me. Or maybe he was just a good person.

I huffed, and pulled the cloak as far over my face as it could go without completely shielding my vision.

“Why doesn’t she speak?” the guard asked.

“Her illness prevents her,” Magda answered. “Please excuse us, we were trying to get to a healer as quickly as possible.” Magda began walking, but the guard stepped in front of her. He looked back towards me, and I turned my head away, heart pounding in my ears. If anyone were to recognize my face immediately, it would be a Rimorian guard.

“Remove your hood. I will not ask again,” the guard threatened. He was adamant, perhaps because he recognized something about me.

Fuck, what do I do? I thought. Should I turn myself in? Try to run? If I ran now, that could put Magda and Gabriel in danger of my father’s persecution.

I let out a slow, deep breath as I slowly raised my hands to my hood and began to lift it. Then I stopped suddenly, at the sound of a girl’s screams.

“Help! Help! My brother has fainted!” Everyone in our small vicinity turned towards the screams, including the guard and myself. The civilians began circling towards the shrieks, barely creating a line of sight between me and the disturbance. But I saw a girl’s dark red, curly hair huddling over a man lying on the ground. Elias. My heart jumped to my throat.

“Dear gods,” Magda whispered from next to me. “Nadia is creating a distraction.” She turned to me, and her eyes widened. “Go, Aura!”

I did not hesitate. While the guard was watching the commotion that Nadia and Elias caused, I dashed to the side and slipped into the crowd. I pushed my way through the hive of people, most of which were headed in Nadia’s direction to see what was going on. “Hey!” I heard the Rimorian guard shout from behind me, the distance between us growing. I briefly looked back to see that he was scanning the thick crowd for me. I slowed my pace, so as to not look conspicuous.

When I felt that I was safely out of sight, I turned and headed towards the exit gates. As I arrived, I peeked around the corner of a building and saw the handful of guards from when we entered, still keeping watch. I observed as a man and woman were questioned by them when attempting to leave. I swore I heard one of them say the word “princess.”

Shit. How was I going to get out? Chatus surrounded itself with metal walls, too tall to jump and too smooth to climb. I had to get through the gate.

I placed the purchased meats in my pack while I weighed my options. Then, opportunity struck. I saw a carriage headed towards the gate, pulled by two horses. The carriage was large, and the wheels were nearly as tall as I was. I could easily fit under it. If I could hold on for long enough, I could leave the kingdom undetected. I waited for the carriage to roll closer to my hiding spot behind a building, then made a break for it. I cleared the short distance quickly and made my way directly behind the carriage. Luckily, the carriage occupants had the window curtains pulled shut. I followed close behind, matching the walking speed of the horses.

The carriage approached the gates and came to a stop, per request of the guards. At that moment, I darted underneath of it. I looked up and easily found a wood panel that I could grab onto with my hands. I pulled my pack to my chest and grabbed hold of the panel, then wedged my feet into another small space on the opposite end. My back was to the ground and my face pressed up against the underside of the carriage, my pack squished against my chest. It was very uncomfortable, and my muscles already began burning from holding the position, but I stayed firm.

“We need to inspect the carriage,” a Chatus guard told the driver.

Shit . I held my breath as two pairs of heavily armored boots approach either side of me. One of the guards opened the door and inspected the passengers, while the other walked the perimeter of the carriage.

Please don’t look underneath, please don’t look underneath, please don’t look underneath , I silently pleaded.

“Are you done yet?” an annoyed shriek of a woman’s voice barked form inside the carriage. “We don’t have all day!”

“My apologies, my lady. We must thoroughly inspect—”

“You’ve inspected enough, and we’re in a hurry. You’ve seen my carriage in and out of here countless times before, so move it along before I make sure you both lose your rank.”

“Yes, Duchess. Our apologies. You are free to go.”

A duchess. And a mean one at that. I never thought I’d be so thankful for someone’s rudeness and impatience.

“Safe travels,” the other guard said as he closed the carriage door. I didn’t dare breathe as the carriage rolled forward, for fear that the smallest movement would cause my burning arms to fail me. I was using every bit of my strength to hold myself up, my muscles screaming at me to give them relief. We continued rolling for a minute before I could not hold it any longer. I let go and dropped to my feet, ducking as the carriage rolled over me and continued on like nothing happened. I looked back and saw the guards distracted by another person exiting the kingdom. I dashed to my left and ran straight into the woods.

I kept running until my own legs begged me to stop. I leaned against a tree and caught my breath, my heart still pounding. I needed to get far away from Chatus, and fast. If my father’s soldiers caught me, they would drag me back to Rimor where I would have to face my father, never see the light of day again, and never get my answers.

But where was Elias? Would he be able to find me?

I rubbed my face with my hands, feeling overwhelmed. When I looked down, I saw the dirt that wiped off my face and onto my hands. I sighed. If I could find a stream or pond, I could at least rinse my face off and get some water.

Walking a bit further, it didn’t take long until I found a small stream. I bent down and began rinsing my face, happy to not look like a “dirty grandmother” anymore. I laughed, remembering Elias’s words.

A sudden grief hit me. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Magda or Nadia. I didn’t even get to thank Gabriel for trying to help me. Would I ever see them again? All I knew is their village was somewhere between Sprath and Monuvia. That’s a long distance, and a lot of land. Even if I did get my life back in order after all of this, I may never find their home.

I took a deep breath, and said a small prayer to the gods to watch over them. When I finished, I unwrapped my arm bandages to rinse the cuts and scrapes aligning my bruised arms. As I was doing this, I heard a heavy twig snap behind me. Elias.

“I was wondering if you were going to be able to find me,” I said, whirling around to meet him.

“I was wondering the same,” he said. But it wasn’t Elias’s voice I heard, or whose gaze I met. It was my father’s most trusted and most ruthless guard. Horus.