Winter's Crossing: A Golden Fates Novel

by Katie Macey

  "Hey,” said Jomen softly. "I'm…if you're uncomfortable now-"

  Niamh gestured for them to re-join the group and continue walking.

  "No. It's just, you caught me by surprise,” said Niamh. “No-one’s ever…I haven’t…”

  "At all?" said Jomen. His eyes widened. “But you’re…well, you’re amazing!”

  He flashed a grin at her, and Niamh felt the beginning of a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Jomen was a puzzle to her, and her curiosity only seemed to grow. Falling into step, Niamh felt both unnerved and comfortable at the same time. Her hand swung freely by her side, but its proximity to Jomen’s own swinging hand made the path seem different somehow.

  "So what's it like there,” said Jomen. “I thought you lived near the palace?"

  "Not as close as Veayre. She thinks I'm low-born..."

  "She hasn't said that though, has she?"

  Niamh felt a little mean saying so, but a giggle escaped her lips.

  "Yeah, when we met, on the ship."

  Jomen’s face crinkled into a laugh. But then he ran a hand through his hair, and said,

  "The one that capsized? I can't believe you were on a boat so close to winter's eve? Don’t they know about the dangers?"

  "I think they do, they just didn't tell me about it,” said Niamh. “I'm not sure why Veayre risked it though. She’s kept her reasons for travel pretty secret…” Niamh snuck a glance at Jomen, who smiled when he noticed. A light breeze washed over the grasses, leaning their stems toward the path. “Anyway,” said Niamh, bending down to pick up a loose pebble. “So I live in the hillside village, away from the fancy neighbourhoods closer to the palace grounds. Well, they're on the same side of the bridge as me, but they’re much closer to the palace."

  "I've seen an illustration of the palace,” said Jomen. “One long bridge stretching across to an island.”

  "Yep. That's the one. And I mean, it's beautiful, but of course, I've never crossed it. ‘Royals Only’ and all that. Though there isn't really a family these days, with no heir and all."

  A breeze kicked up.

  "You don't believe rumours then?” said Jomen.

  "Do you?"

  Jomen shrugged. "It'd be such a simple solution don't you think? We're all like, the kingdom is failing, and then an heir would be like- I'm here! And we'd all be like yay, that's better." Jomen shook his blonde fringe out of his eyes and added, “Although that only helps if you’re perfectly happy with the way things are. Maybe it's just my own father, but I'm not at all convinced that having ‘great’ rulers is such a great idea."

  Niamh’s eyebrows shot up. Jomen had political opinions?

  "How are your arms, after your fall?" said Niamh, trying to change the subject.

  "I can be weak muscled, and shy, but have strong opinions you know."

  "You've given me lots to think about.”

  “What do you mean?” Jomen’s hand swung dangerously close to her own, so she clasped her hands together, blushing again.

  “Well…My mother was a priestess, so it was just assumed I would become one too,” said Niamh. “The longer I'm out here, far away from my life, the more I question it, and I wonder at my aunt's inaction."

  Niamh didn't touch his hand again, but she thought about how warm his hand had felt.

  ✽✽✽

  Hours later, Iilen bounded ahead, and called back to the weary group,

  "I’ve found where we stop!"

  "Where even are you?" said Caeednce. She grinned at Niamh though, adding, "Tomorrow, we make them carry the packs."

  "Deal!" said Niamh.

  "It's perfect!” said Iilen, “You could totally stay here for, like, a while…”

  Iilen continued to yell over the crest of the hill, still out of sight. The three carrying loads rolled their eyes. Aarin and Jomen suddenly realised they hadn't offered to carry the packs.

  "Hey, I can carry that for a while, if you want," said Aarin to Caeednce.

  "And give you the satisfaction of being able to say you helped today? No thanks. I'll keep it for two more minutes, and hopefully-" Caeednce shot a smirk at Jomen, "I won't have to even touch it tomorrow."

  "Yeah, sure, of course,” said Aarin, before he ran to catch up with Iilen. Niamh let out a relaxed belly laugh. She hadn't heard Caeednce say so much in one go, and definitely not like that!

  "What?" said Caeednce, smiling wide.

  When Niamh finally reached Iilen's camping spot, she had to admit that he was right. The hills rolled on, but this spot had been built-up on one side, so it rose like the inside of a ship's ballast hold, curving around a fire pit. The perfect windbreak.

  Dumping her pack, Niamh collapsed beside Caeednce who rolled her shoulders and said, "I'm used to heavy labour, but those packs are not made for us, somehow."

  "They can't be that bad, Caeednce,” said Aarin.

  "Says the boy who didn't carry it all day."

  "Fine, I'll carry yours all day tomorrow."

  "Good."

  "Good."

  Caeednce snuck a cheeky grin at Niamh when Aarin looked away. Niamh grinned openly back. She was starting to feel like she might fit in with this little group. Stretching out, Niamh felt each muscle stretch and relax in turn, before slumping back. The first star flickered into view. Niamh felt like everything would be alright. Here. In this weird little camping spot, with these people. True, none of them were meant to be right there, but they were doing all they could. Another star sparkled above them. An odd cluster of trees and shrubs nearby rustled their vertically hanging leaves as a breeze danced by. Niamh realised what felt so good about this moment. Freedom. No-one watching. She hadn't realised how much her aunt had pressured her. For the first time, Niamh cast her mind’s eye back to her life at home and questioned the way things were. Why had her mother been a priestess, but also had a child? And why had she died? And her sisters…why was the story about how they came to live with Aunty so vague? Aunty hadn't really explained anything.

  Aarin dumped a pile of sticks into the empty fire pit.

  "Need a hand?" said Niamh.

  "Nah, I was trained for this kind of thing."

  "Guards build fires?"

  "No,” said Aarin. “But survival and leadership and being prepared for the worst, that is what I was trained for."

  He began working on the flint. Niamh watched as a spark flew off but didn't catch. Aarin kept trying, again and again, until the tiny pile of leaves in the centre caught alight. Scattered in a loose circle, they all watched the fire take hold of the first twig. A quiet reverence fell over them. Stars scattered across the deepening sky.

  "I hope your parents are okay,” said Niamh. “I hope all your families are okay."

  Niamh kept her voice to a whisper so as not to drown out the quiet crackle of the fire, and leaned her head on Caeednce's shoulder.

  "Uh guys, look-" said Veayre, with a tremor in her voice. Niamh couldn't see her face across the fire, with orange flames and a tunnel of smoke blocking it from view. But she could see Jomen, and his face reflecting the fire’s glow as he searched the sky.

  Niamh raised her face to the sky. But she couldn't see anything unusual up there. More stars had appeared, but then she'd just been staring into the fire. Her eyes would need to adjust before she saw anything in the dark sky.

  "What is it? What can you see?" said Niamh, leaning forward. But no one answered her. Niamh left the circle of warmth and stepped into the deepening dark of the evening, following the others who stared slack-jawed at the sky.

  "I wasn't sure it could be true,” said Jomen, his voice hushed.

  Caeednce turned away and returned to the fire. Niamh and the others stepped further away, to see more clearly.

  "Our eyes will adjust..." said Aarin.

  "I can see it right now - what it is,” said Veayre, actually sounding happy for once. “The sign. It's actually happened!"

  She squeaked with excitement. Niamh was more confused than ever. Veayre had been g
rumpy for so long, and this made her happy? Some bunch of stars moving in the sky?

  "They really do dance,” said Iilen, even the most outgoing of them filled with reverence at the sight. Niamh suddenly felt left out. Veayre glanced at her.

  "Oh, low-born Niamh, weren't you taught about this in school?"

  "We glossed over palace matters pretty quickly..."

  "The High King. He's passed away. But look, the new heir...” said Veayre, as her hand traced along with a lonely moving star, "comes to take his place."

  "There is no heir,” said Caeednce, muttering from the fireside.

  "There were rumours,” said Veayre, “that the king kept the heir a secret, to protect it from assassins."

  Niamh's mind buzzed. The High King was dead. And an heir might actually exist?

  "But, the stories...hey I know most of it, alright?” said Niamh.

  Her mind raced as she tried to match what she’d been taught, with what the sky supposedly demonstrated now.

  “I just didn't know about the stars dancing at his time of death."

  Niamh ran through the tale in her mind. Rumours had been circling for months, but she hadn't put any stock in them until Aarin had overheard that conversation in the caves...

  "The heir would be our age."

  Veayre spun and looked at her. Niamh clamped her mouth shut. She hadn’t meant to think out loud.

  "What a stupid thing to say,” said Veayre.

  "Is it?” said Niamh. “The heir has been kept secret…do you think they know?"

  "Everyone knows who they are," said Aarin, his voice betraying the same strength of emotion Veayre’s had.

  Veayre pressed on. "I can't believe he's passed away. I've only been to court a handful of times, but even so..."

  Everyone took a step back. Niamh froze. Veayre had been inside the palace? Which family did she come from again? How had she not explained who she really was properly before?

  Veayre spun to face them and shrugged.

  "None of you asked. Not even you, Niamh. So full of your own problems. But I wonder..." Veayre began tracing a circle with her steps around them and the fire.

  "If it were one of you,” said Veayre, “what would you do?"

  "This is silly Veayre,” said Niamh, “why would it be one of us?"

  She spoke up for the others. After all, she had known Veayre the longest.

  "Well I know it's not me. My father is an advisor to the High King-" Veayre paused, dragging her eyes away from the stars for just a moment. "But Niamh, do you even have parents? And Caeednce you've been evasive about your origins also. What about the rest of you?"

  The stars seemed further away now. Could they really be a sign? Was the king truly connected to the heavens - that the stars would mark his passing?

  "I always wondered if the signs in the stars were really true,” said Aarin, “until now."

  "There’s the heir's star,” said Iilen, “they must have survived."

  Niamh frowned. Something tickled in the back of her mind, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

  "But the little prince,” said Niamh, “he was stillborn, everyone knows that. I don't understand why, or...how could there even be a star for him?"

  The night air chilled her skin through the light fabric and she returned to the fireside.

  "Nobody really knows what happened that night,” said Veayre joining her. Her face glowed orange as she faced the fire. Iilen and the others re-joined them one by one, and gradually the sombre mood lifted. After all, they couldn't be sad about a king they barely knew who was so far away.

  "If the heir did survive..."

  "Oh Iilen, can't we drop it?" said Caeednce, with a sigh. But he only shuffled closer to the fire, so he could be seen by each of them.

  "Think about it. The queen was so sad, right? But the king was worried-"

  "About assassins," Aarin interjected.

  "Yeah, assassins. So, what I’m thinking is, he really could have whisked the baby away, and just reported something different. Who would dispute him?"

  "That's literally what the rumours are, Iilen,” said Caeednce, “you didn't make that up."

  He shook his head and lifted his hands.

  "But someone must have been there. Someone knows the truth. An heir would solve everything."

  "Would it?" Jomen leaned back against a smooth boulder pressed into the hillside. "I am sorry for the little dead prince, but there's an opportunity here. Right now, in our kingdom, people could change things."

  "Change things?” said Veayre. “What's to change?"

  "Well,” said Jomen, “I don't know, I haven't been able to learn very much. But surely not every kingdom in existence is run by one man? It just doesn't seem right. Surely we could make our own decisions, and it not be a disaster."

  "Says the son of a city leader,” Aarin shot back.

  "Just because I had a position, doesn't mean I approve of it."

  "I like the way things are,” said Veayre, smoothing her skirt. “And you can say it’s only because I'm high-born, but I think it’s true. There are other ways, but what about all the riches and the beautiful things we have in Gutheacia."

  "That's the problem, Veayre,” said Jomen. “Most of us don't get to see and enjoy those things anyway."

  Niamh let out a pent up breath with a slow whistle. Flexing her hands, she said, "I guess we've gotten to be good enough friends that we can discuss such things."

  Iilen shoved her playfully. Jomen shrugged.

  "Let's get some rest,” said Caeednce, mothering them. “The map doesn't seem to have any shortcuts, and we've got a long way to go yet."

  Leaning back, keeping her toes clear of the fire, Niamh stretched out. She wasn't anywhere near her destination. And she didn't know what her own opinion even was on the whole heir issue. But maybe it didn't matter. She was safe, and she was actually starting to feel like she belonged.

  ✽✽✽

  No one was in any rush to get going the next morning. Veayre slept on, and Aarin stayed quietly by the warm coals. Iilen found a stream close by, then set about breaking off a sturdy branch he could use as a walking stick.

  Icy water trickled across Niamh's bare hands as she dipped a crystal flask into the rushing stream. Shivering, she abandoned all thought of bathing, immediately. Instead, she filled the three flasks and ran wet hands through her hair. Even in the rippling reflection of the water, she could see that her usual tidy braided-look had been well and truly compromised. Not only that, she still wore the damaged silk clothing - practically useless against the elements. She would be walking in rags before long. Niamh drew her hair up into a knotted bun on top of her head. Anything to feel at least a little tidy and clean. Her skin prickled at the touch of even a few drops of the water, but she felt fresher for it. Leaning on her knees, she stood, then spinning her arms wide, she launched herself upwards.

  At home, she'd needed to find secret places to practice. Mainly because most village folks thought it a waste of time. The air whirled and whipped about her and her just-tied-bun came undone, so that her hair whirled around her like magenta rose, blossoming from the top of her head.

  Toes pointed and arms wide, she slowed her spin, and gradually drifted back to earth. Her shoes dabbed onto the grass, and she picked up the flasks and re-joined the others. When she got closer she saw that Caeednce’s eyes were red and puffy, and her shoulders jerked with each breath.

  "What's going on?" said Niamh, jogging the last few steps.

  "Veayre is gone again, Niamh."

  Aarin clenched his jaw. Jomen and Iilen rolled the packs and very obviously kept their eyes down. Neither wanted to deal with Aarin when he was like this.

  "I'm worried, but Aarin's just angry,” said Caeednce, “we shouldn't wander off, not alone, what if something were to happen?"

  "Take a breath Caeednce, she'll be back,” said Niamh as she passed the flasks to Iilen. “She's very used to having her own space, and she won't have thought anythin
g of it."

  "Don't defend her,” said Aarin, “she's disappeared twice now. We're all being sensible, but she keeps risking…to what it might mean-"

  "Is something wrong?" Veayre appeared.

  Finger pointed and standing to his full height, Aarin took one step towards her, and said,

  "I don't know what you're up to Veayre, but I won't have you risking us all-"

  "You?” said Veayre, meeting him toe to toe. “You won't have it? Well, that makes all the difference." Then she laughed and moved away from Aarin’s glare.

  Niamh blinked. She couldn't believe it.

  “I can go to the bathroom alone can't I?” Veayre's voice changed in pitch, getting higher and higher as she spoke. “I can wash in the stream alone, can't I?"

  Niamh stepped between them and spoke to Veayre.

  "We have to stick together, Veayre. Little misunderstandings can't split us up. We need each other."

  But Niamh had no power over either Aarin or Veayre. They were strong personalities used to standing up for themselves. Niamh just wished everything would be smooth and easy between everyone all the time. Thankfully, both parties stood down. Exhaling, Niamh changed the topic.

  "Are we ready?"

  Iilen nodded in reply and stood, adjusting the pack on his shoulders.

  "Load up,” said Iilen, directing Aarin and Veayre to the two remaining packs. Niamh hesitated. They both looked positively ticked off. But beyond making an exaggerated show shouldering the packs, they managed to head out without any more fighting.

  ✽✽✽

  "Are these clothes good for nothing?" said Veayre, stomping her feet. The sun blazed down. "What I'd give for my old dress back.”

  "I'd hate to agree with you, on anything," said Aarin, but then in good spirits continued, "but I do, I was cold in the night, but sweltering now..."

  "I guess they're for inside the caves,” said Caeednce as she stopped off to the side, to let them pass. Falling in step with Niamh, Caeednce continued,