Amid the beginning of Elian’s feast days, Edvard keeps the promise he made to Yuila.
This chapter is free to read. Signup for free below to receive our alerts for future signup-only chapters.
Read the previous chapter, or start from the Prologue.
♫♪Suggested Music: on AudioNetwork
The feast that night was minor compared to Elian's week of feasts to be held in two months. Prominent families of the surrounding valleys would eventually arrive, but tonight it was only a few notable families who would be traveling south for the winter months. Already the temporary corrals were filling with pack animals from various families.
Edvard's thoughts jolted from the Crone in the tree line when Elian slapped him on the shoulder as his brother exited his tent.
"Nice pair of does. Where'd you get them?"
"North of the river on Beaver Lake." He could look Elian square in the eye now, ever since the last growth spurt that made them nearly even in height. "Where you got that bear last year."
Elian nodded, looking out over the collection of tents that made up the camp. "Micah's here. She brought her cousin."
Edvard made a face as they walked, glancing at the trees in the distance where the Crone was keeping out of sight. "What did her father bring for you?"
Elian paused when they reached Edvard's tent. "Two palomino mares. Good lines."
Edvard whistled lowly. "Nice for your buckskin stallion. Lighten up the herd a little." His brother watched him carefully for a long moment. "What?" he finally asked, hoping he hadn't been caught watching the distant trees.
"Usually I know by now." Elian's grin put Edvard at ease.
"Well, this year you don't, and I'm not going to tell you." Edvard received a good-natured punch in the arm and returned it. "Maybe I'll let you take first at Sanvatir again this year."
This time there was more force behind Elian's second punch. "You didn't let me win!"
Edvard laughed. "I'm leaving in the morning for hunting in the Uplands."
"Again?"
"Yup."
Elian shrugged. "With all the girls here? Are you thinking straight, Edvard? We've had nothing to look at all summer but the cheesemaker's daughter, and she's actually starting to look a little interesting."
Edvard looked to where Del was meandering through the tents towards them. "I'll catch up later. It'll only be a few weeks."
"Waiting on anyone in particular?"
Edvard shook his head. "You?"
"Not really." Del caught up with them, and Elian ruffled the boy's hair until he squirmed. He glanced back to Edvard. "So what are you getting me?"
"You'll like it."
Del tried to fight off his oldest brother and backed up until he tripped over a tent rope.
"You'll be back in time for the major feast?" Elian's tone held a genuine concern.
"Of course." Edvard patted Del's head when the boy got to his feet. "Wouldn't miss it."
The evening progressed slowly, with Edvard's thoughts on the tree line in the distance and the girl he hoped was still safe. Micah and her cousin were certainly a welcome sight after the sparse teenage female population in camp that summer. Elian was right about that. And there were a few other distractions in the other visiting families, but Edvard was unable to keep his attention on any of the girls his age at the moment. Not even the unusually sweetly scented Noria that had caught his eye on a few other occasions. She smiled in his direction several times, but for some reason, she seemed to lack the same appeal she'd had a year ago.
He hadn't heard any coyotes or wolves, but at times the music and crowd were too loud to determine sounds beyond the camp. He debated going back to the tree line and bringing the child to camp, but decided against it. He knew she'd be warm enough for the night, and had had a meal to last until the suns rose.
Yuila was there in the morning, wound tightly in the blanket, drooling on the edge of his cloak when Edvard found her. He sighed, shaking her as the second sun climbed higher into the sky, following the first.
"Yuila," he said again. Her eyes opened quickly and she bolted upright.
"You said you'd take me home," she blurted.
"That's why I'm here."
She wiped her mouth with his cloak, and fussed out of the blanket. "Did you bring anything to eat?"
"Yes. But first you take this and go down to that spring." He handed her a smock he had taken from the servants' laundry line last night, feeling poorly about robbing one of Sira's own maids. He had barely packed the clothing that morning before Del had found him to say his farewell. "You smell like you're ripe."
She scowled at him and struggled to her feet. She disappeared past the trees to where he knew a small spring bubbled amid some large boulders. It was used by some of the servants on the laundry days and he was glad none of them had happened upon Yuila. He checked the saddles on the bay gelding and pinto mare he'd brought with him, then tied the rope from the pack mule to the gelding he'd also brought for the journey. He would have rather taken a donkey, but the smaller animal would slow them, and the mule could be more easily ridden if the need arose.
He rethought letting Yuila take the reins to Sova, the pinto. Crones were generally avid riders, and he did not want her taking the initiative to run off on her own with his horse. It was a chance he'd have to take.
And hope the next few weeks would indeed pay off for him.
Yuila reemerged cleaner and brighter in her change of clothing a few moments later. He held the pinto's reins while she climbed into the saddle, and warned her to stay with him and not be the child that she clearly was. She nodded mutely, accepting the canteen of water and rolls of sausage and bread he gave her.
It kept her quiet as they left the tree line, and Edvard was convinced no one at camp saw them depart. They traveled back the same way he had taken on his return from hunting only the day before. He felt a bit bad about lying to Del, but he would return with game, and he had hunted for extensive periods of time in the past. Not quite this long, however, he reminded himself; never for what would probably be a month.
Yuila was silent as the twin suns reached noon overhead, and Edvard wondered why she had never asked his name. Of course, it was possible, being a Crone, she had read his mind and already knew his name. But she was young, and he wasn't sure she had reached that stage in her development yet. Even so he tried not to think too much about anything he didn't want her to know. Actually he doubted she'd know his name by merely mind reading. He rarely thought about his own name. The pinto tread docilely at his side, the mule in tow behind them.
They were alone on the wooded path for several hours, their only company being a few deer that crossed ahead of them once and a few sightings of the black shatten that flew overhead in the treetops. They kept a moderate pace until evening, and ate a supper of more sausage and bread at the edge of a clearing. Yuila immediately fell asleep after eating, and Edvard watched her carefully in the mild night breeze.
She hadn't been injured when he found her, only tired, hungry, and scared. So far she had been an easy attachment, which left him with more time for thoughts of his own.
Why not a reward for returning her? The coast was far away, and not an easy trip to make. He wondered how she had gotten so far on her own and decided to ask her more about it on their next day of travel.
He looked up at the black bird that had alighted on the branch above them. Shatten usually traveled in pairs or small groups. He'd never much liked them, being too scrawny to kill and eat and too big and bony to leave alone any food left out.
"Nothing for you," he said in a low tone to the bird watching him.
PG13, saga; teen, fantasy, non-Sci-Fi world travel, teen romance, clean romance, realm, magical realism, shadow world, school/new school, high school. #ReadFree with free signup. ♫♪
Future chapters may require a paid subscription (when available). Signup for free now and join us!
Thanks to P.G. Waters for the use of her story!