by Imogen Elvis
“Exactly,” Kade said. “We’re tired and cold and wet. We’re not going to get to Mizra any quicker if one of us injures ourselves in the dark.”
“We have Briar,” Lara countered. “She can heal us.”
“Yes, but what happens if she gets injured? No. We’ll stay here until the storm passes.” The tone of Kade’s voice suggested it would be wiser if Lara didn’t push this point.
Lara let out a heavy sigh. “Alright. If that’s what you want to do.”
A wave of relief washed through Briar. She didn’t have to force herself to go any further than the shelter. It was an effort just to follow Kade as he clambered back up the rain-soaked bank. The slope grew steeper and more treacherous as they climbed higher. Briar grabbed at the surrounding bushes to keep her balance on the slippery stones, hauling herself up with shaking arms. The rocks were stacked haphazardly around them, some hanging over their path, water pouring over their edges in slick waterfalls that would have drenched Briar completely if she hadn’t already been as wet as she could possibly be. As it was, she just ducked her head and carried on.
Kade stuck to the narrow track until they reached the top of the slope, where the ground widened out a little, before heading left, and finally ducking under the edge of a low rockface. The lip stuck out just far enough that he could climb underneath and be sheltered if he tucked his feet in. With the water flowing around the rock, and over the edge of the overhang, the ground inside their little hideaway was, if not dry, then merely damp, compared to the thick, clinging mud outside. Briar crawled in after Kade, pressing her back against the stone, drawing her knees in close and wrapping her arms around them.
They didn’t have any food or blankets. Those were all still on the Done Wishin’, and the cold from the rockface leached through Briar’s sodden clothes, but Kade’s shoulder pressing against hers was warm, and they were out of the rain at least. The thunder might still be rumbling, and bolts of lightning split the sky, but they had a little shelter. Enough that they could rest. And they were free, which, considering everything that had happened in the past two days, seemed almost impossible. As soon as the storm passed, and they had slept, they could get back on the road to Mizra. Briar stifled a yawn, her eyelids already growing heavy. They were free, and right now, nothing else mattered.
Briar woke with her cheek pillowed on something soft and warm. She squeezed her eyes shut and cuddled down. No more thunder and lightning. No more pouring rain. Just the quiet sounds of her friends breathing as they slept. If they were still sleeping, maybe she could rest for a while longer too. But now Briar had woken this far, wakefulness flooded through her. Slowly, Briar opened her eyes. Oh. The warm, soft thing she’d been sleeping on was Kade’s shoulder. Briar’s cheeks heated as she eased away. Luckily, he was still sleeping. Maybe she should stretch her legs, leave them to their rest.
Crawling out from under the shelter of the rocky overhang, Briar stood, stretching the kinks from her spine. The purple storm clouds had given way to the palest of blue skies, and the warmth of the rising sun colouring the sky to the east. A bird, hidden somewhere in the branches of the surrounding trees, trilled it’s three-note song, over, and over, and over. The new day felt so fresh and clean.
“I’m glad the rain has stopped.” Kade stepped up next to Briar. His hood was drawn back, and his face was peaceful in the early morning light, lacking its usual lines of worry. Though it did hold a few more bruises than it should have from his beating the day before. Behind them, Lara slept on, her cheek nestled on her palm.
Briar and Kade took a few steps away from the little shelter, moving closer to the river instead. Their rocky overhang sat a little way back on a ledge overlooking the water, and they had a good view over the entire river. Sunlight glittered on the surface in a thousand sparkling fragments, dancing with the rippling of the current. It was hard to imagine that this was the same water Briar had struggled so hard to fight her way through the night before.
“How is your cheek?” Kade asked.
Briar touched her swollen face, holding back a wince. “I’m sure it looks better than yours.” She turned away so he couldn’t see the bruising or the flush that covered her cheeks at his concerned gaze. “Anyway, I would be fine if I’d actually managed to convince Micah to free us.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“It was.” The taste in Briar’s mouth turned sour. “I wasn’t good enough.”
“It was a slim chance, and you did your best.” Kade put a hand on Briar’s arm. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
Briar managed a lopsided smile. It was kind of him to try and comfort her, even if the weight of her failure still sat heavy in her stomach. “Do you think the sailors will come back and look for us?”
Kade nodded, his face turning grave. “Finbar is looking to get paid handsomely for turning us in. He won’t give up so quickly. They’ll return, likely sooner than we expect. Our greatest advantage is that they can’t possibly know where we came ashore. I wouldn’t like to take our chances, though. The sooner we move on, the better.”
Briar nodded. Much as she wanted to believe that they were safe, she knew better. The sailors would be back. “What is the plan?”
“We need to head east, away from the river.” Kade pulled a folded map from his pocket, shaking out its waxy creases, before laying it on a nearby rock. “There should be a road running south, all the way to Mizra.”
“Where did you get this from?” Briar’s eyes widened. “The sailors took all of our things, didn’t they?”
“It was hanging on the wall in the cabin. I couldn’t reach our packs, but I thought that we might find this useful at least.”
“That’s why you took so long escaping.”
Kade nodded. “It should help us reach Mizra without any more…mishaps. Especially as we have no supplies.”
Briar craned her neck to see the map over Kade’s shoulder. “Where are we?”
Kade shifted, so Briar could see better and tapped his finger on a spot along the meandering lines of the river. “This is where we are, at my best guess. With the wind, it’s hard to be sure, but I think we’re in that area at least. If we head east,” his finger slid over the waxed surface of the map, “then eventually we’ll come across this road here.”
“And if we follow the road, we should eventually reach this town.” Briar pointed to another spot on the map. “It doesn’t look like it’s too far to Mizra either.”
“It shouldn’t take us more than four or five days,” Kade said. “Of course, it would have been quicker by boat, but we’re close enough that we can reach it easily on foot.”
“We almost made it,” Briar said. “If the captain hadn’t figured out who we were, or if I’d been more convincing-”
“That’s not your fault. It was Lara’s signet ring that told Finbar who we are. He made up his mind well before he ever came to confront us. You couldn’t have changed that. What you did do was find us a way off the boat. If it weren’t for you, we’d still be locked in the captain’s cabin.”
“I guess.” Briar managed a smile. Kade’s words lessened the cold weight of guilt somewhat. “Anyway, I suppose the main thing is that we’re free, and we’re close to Mizra. Now, all we need are supplies and-”
“How long have you two been awake?”
Briar and Kade swung round. Lara stumbled out of the little shelter, blinking and squinting in the growing daylight. She braced a hand on a straggly tree growing nearby, raking her hair off her face. “You should have woken me.”
“You looked like you needed the sleep,” Briar said.
“Well, I’m awake now. We should probably get moving. The sailors will be back.”
“That is true.” Kade folded the map and tucked it back into his pocket.
They turned their backs on the whispering river and headed into the forest that bounded the river. Kade led the way, with Lara following behind him, and Briar bringing up the rear. She looke
d back as they left. The only trace of their presence now was their footprints in the mud. Then, the trees folded around them, and both the river and their little camp were lost to sight.
Briar and her friends trekked through the forest, following the path of the rising sun. The trees pressed close together, forcing them to travel in single file. As the sun warmed the damp leaves, the air turned thick and sticky. Briar pushed damp strands of hair off her forehead. The distance from the river to the road looked so small on the map. Once they found the road, it wouldn’t be long before they reached Mizra itself.
It was a strange thought that the end of their journey might be so close to hand. They had been travelling for so long that the idea of actually reaching Mizra had never quite seemed real. What would it be like? Briar had never been to a city before. How big would it be? How dangerous? That was a sobering thought. The city would be full of soldiers, looking out for them, and who probably all knew exactly what Kade looked like.
But they would come up with a plan to keep themselves safe. They always did. And Lara knew lots of people who might be convinced to support them. Convince by telling the truth, not by using magic. They needed these people to believe because they truly thought that Kade was innocent. If she manipulated their allies, how would that make them any better than Master Sachio? They had to be better than him. She had to be better.
The forest thinned out as the morning progressed, and finally, there was the road. It was wide and appeared to be well-travelled, judging by the deep wheel tracks, and the fact that the thick, springy grass hardly dared to encroach on its bare brown surface. Right now, though, there were no other travellers or carts in sight. Just the three of them, standing in the middle of this broad road that ran from north to south.
“Now to find the town,” Briar said.
“Will we reach it today, do you think?” Lara asked.
“Hopefully.” Kade turned and led the way down the road, heading south. “If my guess at where we ended up is anywhere near correct.”
“Do you think the sailors will track us this far?” Briar asked.
Kade shook his head. “Unlikely. We’re far enough from the river that it would be too difficult for them to follow us.”
“What will they do if they can’t find us?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lara said quickly. “They’re no danger to us anymore. We should focus on reaching Mizra.”
“I wouldn’t be quite so sure,” Kade said.
“What do you mean?” Briar frowned.
“Once they give up searching for us, they’ll most likely continue on to Mizra. Finbar has business there. And he’s smart. He’ll tell the soldiers everything. They’ll be expecting us before we ever reach Mizra.”
Briar bit her lip. If Finbar warned the soldiers, their one advantage would be gone. “If they’re expecting us,” Briar said, “then they’ll be looking out for us at the gates.”
“We’ll just have to come up with another plan,” Lara said. “There’ll be a way. Mizra is huge. They can’t possibly watch every entrance.”
“I hope you’re right.” It would be too cruel to come all this way, only to have their plans ruined by a cargo captain out to make a little money.
The road wound its way up the steep side of a hill. Sweat beaded on Briar’s forehead as she slogged her way up the slope. Just a little further. Then maybe she could take a moment to catch her breath. They slowed as they reached the top of the rise. Even Lara and Kade breathed heavily, their cheeks tinged with red from the effort. Briar pressed a hand to her side and sucked in a couple of deep breaths. The view from up here must be amazing. She turned her eyes over the valley.
And froze.
What Briar expected to see were rolling hills, fresh with green growth. Maybe some birds, soaring through the air. Lush crops waving gently in the fields. And of course, the path, winding gently through a countryside washed clean by the storm and still sparkling after the rain. With bright blue skies and a warm golden sun overhead, this should have been idyllic.
Instead, the land was barren and lifeless. Dust spiralled into the air, filling it with a grey haze. Just like at Lorholt. This must have been a farming area, if the charred remains of wooden fences and the crumbling stone walls were anything to go by. Irrigation channels criss-crossed the ground, empty of any water, surrounded by ashen earth where the crops should have been.
It was as if a devastating fire had ravaged the fields, followed by one hundred years of drought, and even that could not touch how little life was in this place. There was nothing left in this valley. The line between the dead land before them and the green, vibrant summer grasses behind was so stark it couldn’t have been more distinct had it been painted with a brush.
“Why would someone do this?” Lara asked softly. “Those were people’s crops, their food and livelihoods.”
Briar shook her head in silence, staring out over the barren earth, her eyes following the eddies of dust as they spiralled into the air. It would be a long time before a crop would take root here. She could only hope that the Order would send singers out to heal the earth. Without their help, this place would remain a wasteland, maybe forever.
“If they did this here,” Kade said, finally breaking the numb silence, “what will they have done to the town?”
Briar’s fingers tightened around her medallion. She had expected Master Sachio to be continuing his campaign towards the throne, of course, but not like this. What purpose did this serve in his cruel, twisted plans?
“We should keep moving.” Lara’s voice was soft, lacking its usual impatience. Her eyes lingered on the barren fields. “We’ll learn more by reaching the next town.”
Kade nodded and led the way down the road again. Briar fell into step behind him, a lump forming in her throat. It was hard to look at the barren, devastated fields. Harder still to look away. Cresting the next hill brought no relief either. Everywhere she looked, there was nothing but dead earth. Master Sachio’s long arm reached out, and more people paid the price. How many more must suffer before he was stopped? Or before he won?
CHAPTER EIGHT
They travelled for mile after mile before the barren earth finally yielded any signs of life. Here and there, Briar made out the scattered shapes of people picking their way through the dead fields. She bit her lip. At least, if people were out seeing to their fields, there might be a chance that their homes were untouched.
Ahead, something on the horizon finally broke up the unchanging sameness of the hazy grey fields. “Look.” Briar pointed. “That might be the town.”
Kade shaded his eyes. “It looks like it.”
“Food,” Lara said simply.
Briar’s stomach growled. The very thought of food was enough to make her mouth water. She picked up the pace, the sight of the buildings in the distance enough to give her aching feet a burst of new energy.
As they drew near the town, it became clear that it had not been attacked. Not like Lorholt. None of the buildings showed any sign of damage, no crumbling walls, or clinging vines, or scorched stonework. This attack deliberately targeted the crops in the fields, leaving the town unharmed. All around Briar, the earth was bare and dead. But, at the outskirts of the buildings, the grey dust stopped abruptly, and a thin line of green grass ringed the town. Beyond the buildings, however, the fields to the south were as bare as those in the north.
It was mid-afternoon by the time they reached the town, and most people should have been out tending to the fields and looking after their farms. Instead, the streets were crowded, filled with all kinds of people, townsfolk and farmers, men and women. Instead of going about their business, they milled about, uncertainty written on every face, eyes wide with a touch of fear as they gathered together to talk. It was easy to pick out the farmers with their sunburned skin and hollow, desperate eyes. They must have come in from the fields because many of them were coated in the fine grey dust that had once been their crops.
“Guard.” L
ara nodded towards a young man in the customary blue of the soldiers.
Kade tugged his hood down over his face, and Briar’s hand crept to her medallion. She turned her face away and watched the guard out of the corner of her eye as they approached. He didn’t even glance at them. Dark circles surrounded the young man’s eyes, and his shoulders were slumped as if he’d been standing watch too long. His blue jacket was still neatly buttoned though, even if it was coated in the grey ash that filled the air in a haze. Despite everything, he seemed to be trying to do his job the best he could.
A woman, wild-haired and desperate-eyed, clutching a small child in her arms, spoke to him earnestly. “-we have a little money put aside, but this crop was to see us through the winter. Without a harvest, what are we supposed to do?”
Despite his obvious exhaustion, the soldier was gentle in his reply. “We’ve sent word to Mizra. As soon as they get our message, they’ll send extra troops to help.”
“What good are they going to be when all the crops are gone?” The woman’s voice rose. “They’ll come, and they’ll pretend they’re helping. But come harvest time, they’ll be long gone. Even if we make it through the winter, we’ll have no money to plant new crops come spring. Look at this place. Everything’s dead.”
“I’ve also sent word asking the Order to help,” the soldier said. He kept his voice quiet, and genuine sympathy showed on his face. He touched her arm. “We’re doing everything we can. Have patience. We’re fighting for you.”
A lump formed in Briar’s throat. Master Sachio should be out here, having to see what his actions were doing to these people.
“We should find the market,” Lara said in a low voice as they slipped past the solider. “The sooner we get some supplies and leave, the better. I don’t think it’s wise for us to stay here for too long. Newcomers will draw too much attention.”
Briar couldn’t argue with that. Everyone would be on edge, watching for more danger. “I feel so sorry for them.”
