by Katie Macey
"Where did you learn that?" came Iilen's shocked voice.
Niamh took in all of their surprised faces in turn, and explained, "I understand that the old arts aren't valued now that-"
"They're irrelevant," said Aarin.
"And dangerous," added Veayre. "You shouldn't be using them whenever you want, especially not when you’re angry."
Niamh took a breath and replied, "Noted. But you weren't complaining when I used the old arts to meet Herup's requirements."
Veayre had no response to that.
Niamh intended to use every advantage she had, old arts or otherwise. She would make it to the academy. And she would keep her family from being separated.
"Hey, I think there's a clearing ahead," said Aarin.
Caeednce cocked her head.
"What is it?" Iilen asked, glancing around them fearfully.
"I think we're near water..." said Caeednce, still listening carefully. “Wait here!”
Without discussion, Niamh and Caeednce darted off to inspect the sound of rippling water, leaving the others to inspect the clearing.
CHAPTER 7
Caeednce and Niamh ran and slid down the steep hillside.
“Whoa!”
Niamh stopped as the slope evened out into a rocky ravine. Sparkling water lay in pools that wound around large boulders, all the way up to a waterfall. The falls misted in the shade of hanging ferns and tumbled into the largest pool.
Scooping up crystal clear water, Niamh sipped it tentatively.
“It’s fresh!”
When both girls had guzzled their fill, Niamh had an idea.
"Hey, we’ll tell the others about the water, but they’re a way off now, do you think we could..."
"A wash would be wonderful. I feel disgusting,” said Caeednce, agreeing immediately. But she looked back up the slope. With one foot on leaf litter and the other on a large smooth stone, she said, "I’m not used to bathing in a stream though. What if someone sees us?”
"If that happens they'll have both of us to reckon with," said Niamh. “Besides, there are so many different pools, there’s heaps of space for clean drinking water and a dip.”
Caeednce smiled at that but hugged her cloak to her chest a little tighter.
"Even so...”
Niamh realized Caeednce was really worried about being seen.
"I'll keep watch for you."
Niamh pointed out a particularly good branch to hang her clothes on. Caeednce barely made eye contact with her, but hurried away. Facing the path, Niamh stared back the way they'd come. The others had such different reports of this place, but no one had been here before. Veayre stayed strangely silent. Niamh had prepared for the priestess position from the age of eleven. Maybe she was mistaken in assuming that Veayre had spent the same amount of time in her own studies. Niamh didn't really know, but she had nothing more pressing to worry about while she waited for Caeednce to finished washing.
"Are you nearly finished?" said Niamh, without turning to look.
"Yes."
Niamh spun to see a shiny Caeednce, back in the same crumpled smoky clothes, but clean-faced and with damp hair. Her eyes crinkled in the corners and she let out a small chuckle.
"And you think I'm jumpy!"
Niamh laughed with her and kicked her boots off. Lining them up next to Caeednce's designated guard post, she headed to the branch she showed Caeednce. The water felt cool on her bare toes, but nothing like the icy salty waves of the open ocean. Removing her cloak, Niamh draped it across the creek like a curtain. Hanging up her clothes, she quickly dipped into deeper water. The pool wasn't very wide. She could reach out and touch both edges of the pool at once, but if she crouched down, the water lipped up and over her shoulders. She left her hair in its current braid and dipped her head under the water.
Goosebumps prickled her skin and water dribbled off her nose and chin as she stood.
“I wonder…”
Niamh moved her hands in the ways of the old arts, curious at what she could do. She had been so close to mastering flight before she left the city…
“Oh no! What-”
Niamh scrambled to regain control. Water twisted around her hands, like transparent vines, then formed one giant wobbling blob that rose out of the pool. She stood in the floating water-bubble with dry feet poking out the bottom. Niamh clapped her hands together, a failsafe she regularly used while practicing, and the water crashed back into the pool. It slopped up the rocky creek-side and splashed the hanging ferns.
“Hopefully no one noticed that!”
Niamh threw her clothes back on, not caring if her dress sat perfectly or not. Grabbing her cloak, she dragged it back to where her boots waited. But Caeednce hadn’t noticed. She’d been distracted by something else. Niamh got closer and saw what held Caeednce’s attention.
Iilen bent over, hugging his stomach. His face distorted in pain but even as he staggered around near Caeednce, he laughed. Aarin laughed from further up the path.
"You were taking ages! We were worried!" the grimacing boy spluttered.
"Moron!” said Caeednce. “Nobody, least of all you, is going to diminish our honour!"
"Your honour?” said Iilen, through tears of laughter, “Aw, come on Caeednce, we didn't even know what you were doing down here, like, we actually-"
"Shut it, Iilen. You're making it sound wrong,” said Aarin.
"Well it’s pretty obvious..." said Caeednce.
"What's obvious?" said Niamh, joining them.
She noticed that Aarin and Jomen had blushed a little, as they noticed their clean faces and wet hair.
"You went bathing?" said Jomen, squeaking from behind Veayre.
"I didn't see anything, I promise!" said Iilen, wincing as he tried to stand. Caeednce moved closer to him and he flinched, causing more laughter from Aarin.
"You better not have," Caeednce threatened. "You alright?" she asked Niamh kindly.
"Yeah, just need to pull my boots back on," Niamh replied, sitting on a nearby boulder.
"You should all wash too," Niamh addressed the group, "who knows when we'll get the chance again”
"Great idea,” said Aarin.
"Someone surely must use this path,” said Veayre. “It is obviously maintained."
"Hey, look!" said Niamh, calling to the others. One of the trees had a green stone lying at the base of its trunk.
"Do you see that?" she said, pointing high into the tree. The others saw what she meant, and stared into the canopy puzzled.
"Is it safe?" Jomen eventually asked.
"Psh, safe? We're lost!" said Aarin, his voice immediately annoyed.
It was Veayre who stepped in, saying, "Our current options dictate that we must simply take this is as the good fortune it is: a divine gift."
"I don't care if it’s divine or not!" said Iilen. "I'd give anything to rest somewhere comfortable, even if I am ravenously hungry!"
"You're always ravenously hungry, Iilen," said Caeednce, chuckling with him. It seemed to break the tension in the group and before long they had all bathed, drank their fill, and made use of the hidden treasure they’d found.
"I can't believe there are woven hammocks here, just waiting for us to use them!" Caeednce gushed. Niamh nodded. Each branch carried a woven hammock, strung between the branch and the tree's trunk.
The sun hung low in the sky, painting the grey smoke from the north a deep orange. After nothing to eat all day, they knew they were on borrowed time, yet no one sought to rush to the sleeping place of the hammocks before the sunset. They couldn't watch it dip over the horizon, as they would have in Muspary. Here they would only witness the gradual fading of the light that trickled between the leaves of the trees.
"Not long until sunset," Jomen said aloud, addressing no one in particular. "I'm going straight up.”
"Me too,” said Veayre.
Niamh looked at her traveling companion, though, now everyone here was a traveling companion, she'd have to start thinki
ng of Veayre as something else. A friend? She wasn't sure.
Niamh watched as they climbed awkwardly up the lowest branches and settled into their hammocks. Jomen watched the group, not far up. But Veayre turned to face away from them all, and before long, her heavy breathing could be heard.
Looking wistfully in the direction of the setting sun, Aarin said softly, "Do you think they're all right?"
"Your parents?" said Iilen.
Niamh had forgotten, in their efforts to continue, that the others had left behind friends and family. Stricken with remorse she said, "I'm sorry that we didn’t find a way back. I've been a little selfish I’m afraid, only seeking to go on to the academy, when returning to Muspary should have been my first thought."
"There was no way back," Caeednce offered kindly.
"Exactly, going on was our only choice,” said Aarin, seriously. “But thank you."
"Who did you leave behind?" Niamh asked Aarin. She didn't know much about them or the people they'd been connected to. And with Aarin she only knew his recent story, about his position being taken away by Lord Egleril.
"My father and mother," he replied, his voice gravelly. "They didn't expect to have any children, so I was a surprise to them in their old age. They need me, well, my wages keep the roof over our head.”
"His father was the leader of the old guard, respected by all of us," said Iilen, holding a leaf between his fingers and twirled it absentmindedly.
"He still has our respect," said Caeednce.
"I appreciate the sentiment, especially from you Caeednce,” said Aarin, “But his honour was taken away the moment Lord Egleril disbanded the village guard. These last few years haven't been kind to Muspary. You should have come three years ago, Niamh. Then you would have seen a glistening shiny village, small though it was. We were proud of it."
Niamh watched in amazement as the others nodded in agreement, each of them lost in the memory for a moment, smiling.
"W-what happened?" said Niamh.
"Lord Egleril happened,” said Aarin, leaning against another tree trunk on the opposite side of the path. "He wasn't supposed to be the city's Lord, but he was the only living relative...the only choice..." Aarin shook his head and kicked a pebble gently. "I love my father, and we all loved the old Lord, but we didn't know what we had.”
"Egleril has broken more than one family,” said Iilen. “How many mosaic artists sweep the streets with you, Aarin?"
"I had no idea,” said Niamh softly, “And the High King just lets him..."
"What about the High King?” said Aarin, his anger re-surfacing quickly. “He is far away, and Muspary is small. We don't matter to him."
Niamh was saddened to hear their explanation but not shocked. Who watched over them all? It felt like only a sad answer remained: nobody.
"I'm sure you're mother and father made it to the beach in time, Aarin,” said Niamh. “As soon as we're able, we'll send word."
"What good will that do?" asked Aarin, defeated.
"If they're alive, they'll be wondering what happened to you,” said Niamh, resting a hand on his shoulder. Squeezing before she let go, Niamh met the eyes of Iilen and Caeednce. Tired and worried, she climbed up to the highest hammock and drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 8
Niamh felt the rough twine scratch against the back of her smooth hands. Silence. Deftly lifting out of the hammock and onto a strong branch, Niamh lowered herself to the forest floor. Niamh instantly knew something wasn’t right. She’d climbed past everyone except Jomen. And he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Glancing around, her ears straining for any sound, she dropped her gaze to the sandy path they had been following. Her jaw dropped. She had heard nothing overnight. There had been no rowdy disturbance. She had felt as alone through the night as she had all through the day before.
But the evidence before her proved otherwise.
Barely able to understand how they could have let something so shocking go unnoticed, she let out a long-held breath. How lucky no one had looked up into the tree!
The path widened here, and though the heavy leaf litter from the forest's canopy framed the edges of the path, the centre lay thick with soft sand. Niamh was sure they had left some footprints the night before, but this was something else entirely. Hundreds, even thousands of footprints left indented impressions on the path. Leaves had been kicked and scattered. The entire path was a mess of boot-prints. A great number had passed under them during the night. But who were they?
Crouched down, Niamh tried to glean any extra information from the prints. Concentrating hard on the patterns she found, and trying to note the size and other details, she forgot to keep notice of her surroundings as well...
"It doesn't seem possible, does it?"
"Hey!” said Niamh, startled. “Oh, Jomen! You can't sneak up on people like that."
"I wasn't sneaking, and with the path torn up like this, I figure I can stomp where I like. I'm not going to alert anyone."
Niamh stood and put a hand on her waist, reluctant to meet his eye. She knew she'd overreacted.
"I get it,” said Jomen. "We're all on edge."
"Yeah well,” said Niamh. “I'm supposed to be better than that."
"Oh?"
"Training, you know. Anyway, what do you mean?"
Jomen pointed at the path.
"The ground is so soft here, see?” said Jomen. “I think it's made that way on purpose, so the forest isn't disturbed."
"The path deadens the sound of our steps?" said Niamh. It did explain their lack of awareness, but it just didn't seem like a plausible explanation. "I've no way to tell if you're right or not."
"I know,” said Jomen.
An easy silence passed between them, and Niamh smiled. Maybe Jomen wasn’t like his father at all. He’d certainly gone against his wishes by setting them free.
"Do you think your father is okay?" said Niamh.
Jomen looked up at her surprised, then poked at a tree's trunk with the tip of his shoes. The bark crumbled and fell away.
"He will have made sure he was safe."
Niamh heard the shame in his voice and wished she could reassure him somehow. But what did she know?
"Oh, before I forget. Here,” said Jomen, glancing up the tree towards the silent filled hammocks.
Seeing that the others still slept, Niamh managed to keep her voice down, even as she exclaimed in surprise at what he held out in his hand.
Smithed silver, woven and detailed with filigree designs...her bracelet!
"How did you-?"
"The other's think I'm just like my father...but it's not true,” said Jomen. “He wants me to be a leader too, to make people listen to me, but I don't think I’ll ever be able to do that. It's just not who I am, you know?"
He placed the missed bracelet into Niamh's waiting open hands and watched as she slid it over her hand and up her forearm.
Niamh felt suddenly self-conscious. Pulling her sleeve back down to her wrist, she explained,
"It's part of a set. There are three of them. The other two belong to my- well, they're the reason I have to reach the academy, and soon."
"Does the king's illness affect your life directly?" said Jomen, pushing his white hair out of his face.
"In one sense no,” said Niamh, unsure of how much she should share. “I am free to live how I please, continue my studies, or travel, or marry - eventually." Niamh laughed that last suggestion off, hiding her blushed cheeks. "But as for my sisters, I don’t know why, but they have no status, no position. There is no way forward for them."
"That doesn't seem right,” said Jomen.
"I was angry when I found out,” said Niamh. “I couldn't understand it. Actually, I don't understand it even now, but I have a way to solve it."
"The priesthood,” said Jomen.
"Exactly. As a priestess, I can claim them as dependents."
"Are they younger than you?"
"Not by much, but that won't matter."
; They fell into silence again, both lost in their own thoughts.
"Well, I'm glad you've got it back,” said Jomen, his mouth curling into a slight smile. "But what about these footprints?"
Niamh ignored how her stomach fluttered with butterflies at his half-smile. Turning her attention back to the shocking news at hand, which somehow felt easier to speak about, Niamh stared hard at one footprint, clear and un-messed.
"There's nothing unusual about the prints,” she said.
"Just how numerous they are."
"Exactly."
"Do you think they knew we were there?” said Jomen. “Like while they passed by, did they know we were here?"
"I'm not sure,” said Niamh. “And either way, are they friend or foe?"
Aarin dropped down, and immediately took in the trampled path.
"We're not alone here," he remarked grimly, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Veayre peeked out from her hammock, her eyes wide, and skin pale. Caeednce and Iilen emerged from their sleeping places also yawning.
"I don't understand,” said Veayre.
Aarin paced back and forth, stomping all over any clear impressions. Niamh raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"They can't mean us harm,” said Aarin. Niamh frowned. Did he mean that as a statement or a question?
"Maybe not," said Niamh, "but they can't mean to help us either."
"That's if they noticed us at all,” said Jomen. Niamh noticed that he spoke quietly, intending that only she could hear. Unfortunately, Aarin overheard.
"Not all of us are so convinced we could be passed over,” he said.
"Come on, Aarin," said Iilen, joining the others on the ground.
"Save your energy for walking."
Then without further conversation, Iilen led them further along the path. Their journey had to continue until they found help or otherwise.
✽✽✽
Conversation and even private wonderings melted away until Niamh felt consumed with the rhythmic drudging of their march. Grateful that the thorn-covered trees had vanished, Niamh tried to keep her mind active, knowing they needed to stay alert. But she hadn't eaten in too long. And a stomach full of water hadn't tricked her into feeling full. Her lips chapped, and her stomach growled. Unable to focus, she found herself watching the dusty boots of Iilen, who walked just ahead of her. Their path descended further into the valley, but Niamh found no sign of the hundreds of footprints or those who made them.
