Concern clouded her friend’s eyes as he too scanned the area. He motioned for her to come in and helped her climb in through the window. Quietly, he shut it behind her and drew the curtains.
“When did you speak to him?” Aedan asked in a low voice.
“Yesterday in the stable, just after he got here.”
“Are you sure no one saw you?”
“I don’t think so. I’m sure they would have come after me by now.”
“What did Torick tell you?” Aedan wanted to know.
“That Zirtan is evil and we are prisoners.”
“He told me that too.”
“What else did he tell you?” Makilien desperately hoped Aedan had learned more information than what she had been able to obtain.
“He said there are people and creatures fighting to end Zirtan’s rule.”
“Did he give you any details?”
“Not much, but he did say Zirtan is preparing to attack them. The army going against him is not as strong as Zirtan’s, but they are trying to rally more help.”
A sudden tingle of excitement raced through Makilien’s body as she thought of being part of the fight. “Is that all he told you?”
Aedan nodded. “We were going to speak again, but then . . .”
Makilien sighed. “I was supposed to meet him at the stable this morning and talk more too. Where did you talk to him?”
“At the inn. I didn’t think anyone else was around, but I guess I was wrong. Someone must have seen us talking, but I don’t think it was Keni.”
“No, he wouldn’t tell on you.” Makilien took a deep breath. “What do you think, Aedan? Do you believe what Torick said?”
“Yes, I do believe him,” Aedan answered with certainty.
“What are we going to do?”
“What can we do?”
“We can leave,” Makilien murmured. The thought had for years floated around in her mind, but never this seriously.
Exhaling, Aedan shook his head in regret. “I can’t just leave, Makilien. I’m all Mother and Rommia have. I can’t walk out on them.”
Makilien understood his position, but that didn’t change the decision she’d already made. “I am going, Aedan . . . tonight.”
The young man’s eyes widened. “Tonight?”
“Yes. You know how I feel, and it’s worse now than it has ever been. I must find the truth. I can’t stay here and just accept I am a prisoner. I have to try to do something about it.”
“Do your parents know?”
“No . . . and I don’t think I can tell them. I know they would stop me from going. I told them what Torick said, but they won’t believe it.”
“Where will you go?” Aedan asked, wondering if she had any plans beyond her escape.
“I’m not really sure. I figure my best chance is to head south since Aldûlir is called the North. That’s all I know,” Makilien answered. How could she know any more than that?
“I wish you luck, Makilien, and you know how much I wish I could go with you.”
Makilien smiled. “I know. Thank you, Aedan.” She turned back to the window. “I’d better get back home and get ready. I want to get as far as I can before morning.”
But Aedan stopped her. “Wait. Before you go, I have something I want you to take.”
He walked over to a chest on the floor and dug through its contents. Makilien was shocked when he pulled a dagger out of the chest and placed it in her hands. Weapons were forbidden in Reylaun. To know someone who possessed one was rare.
Makilien gazed in awe as she wrapped her fingers around the polished, deep red mahogany handle. Pulling it out of the sheath, her eyes took in the shining, razor sharp blade, slightly curved and about as long as her forearm. It had a snake-like design etched along the top edge.
“It was my father’s,” Aedan explained, “but I want you to take it.”
“Oh, Aedan, I couldn’t if it was your father’s.”
Makilien tried to hand it back to him, but he refused it.
“You need to have some protection, Makilien. You’re going to need it much more than I am.”
Aedan walked over to the window and opened it again. He peered out carefully before helping Makilien climb out.
“Be careful,” Aedan whispered, almost afraid to speak out loud. “Torick said there was good, but there is also evil. You don’t know what is out there.”
“I know,” Makilien murmured. After a pause, she told him, “Aedan, I am going to come back, and I’m going to come back with the truth.”
Her friend nodded gratefully at her promise.
“Goodbye, Aedan.”
“Goodbye, Makilien,” he said, his eyes expressing the deep longing to join her.
Wishing she could have him at her side as she began this dangerous and uncertain adventure, but knowing she could not, Makilien turned and ran home. She climbed back up the tree and through her bedroom window. Listening, she heard nothing and suspected her family had gone to bed.
Careful not to make any noise that would wake them, Makilien pulled a pack from under her bed and packed clothes and a few of her belongings into it, including her sketching supplies. She reached for her belt and buckled the dagger Aedan had given her around her waist along with a small pouch of coins she’d been saving.
With most of her preparations done, Makilien sat down at a small table in the corner of her room and wrote a note to her family, explaining her reasons for leaving and promising she’d be back for them. She placed it on her bed with her uneaten supper and snuck downstairs into the darkened kitchen. She’d left just enough room in her pack for enough food to last a couple days, hoping she’d be able to find more by the time it ran out.
Once Makilien had filled a waterskin and packed a couple useful items, it came time to leave. Taking one last look around the house, Makilien quietly walked to the back door. Just as she reached it, a voice broke the silence.
“Makilien?”
She spun around. Leiya stood in the kitchen doorway.
“Leiya, what are you doing up?” Makilien whispered.
“I’m thirsty,” Leiya told her innocently.
Makilien filled a cup with water and handed it to her. After Leiya had taken a long drink, she looked at her sister curiously.
“What are you doing?”
Makilien sighed and explained, “I’m going on a journey.”
“A journey?” Leiya perked up. “Like in stories?”
Makilien nodded.
“Do Mama and Papa know?”
“No, they don’t,” Makilien answered hesitantly.
“Won’t they be mad?”
Makilien grimaced. “I hope not. Now, Leiya, you have to go back to bed quietly, okay?”
“Makilien, will your journey be dangerous?”
“It might be.”
Deep concern clouded Leiya’s face. “Will you come back?”
“Yes, I’m going to come back,” Makilien assured her.
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
Leiya’s face drooped sadly. “I’m going to miss you.”
Her expression melted Makilien’s heart. She got down on her knees and hugged Leiya. “I’m going to miss you too.” When she let go, she said, “All right now, go on back to bed.”
Leiya turned and went quietly to her bedroom. Having seen her little sister made it difficult for Makilien to leave. But finally, she let herself out the back door and hurried past the paddock and through the side streets until she reached the palisade. She would never be able to leave by the gate, which was closed at night, but she knew one of the stakes that made up the wall was loose. When she was much younger, she and her friends used to dare each other to sneak outside the village and then, of course, come right back in. She hoped she could still squeeze through the gap.
Scanning the entire area for guards before she moved, Makilien dashed from the shadows of the buildings to the palisade. Kneeling down, she put her fingers around one of the
wooden stakes and pulled hard. Finally, the stake moved a little. Eyeing the gap, she shrugged off her pack and pushed it through first.
Makilien glanced over her shoulder once and squirmed through the gap. On the other side, she pulled the stake back into place, grabbed her pack, and stood. If she took just one more step, it would be the first time she had ever truly left Reylaun in her entire life.
Taking that one step, relief and a sense of freedom swept through her. She wasn’t a prisoner any longer and was determined never to be one again. That thought sent her hastily into the woods for cover, and she began her journey south.
Chapter Four
The Village
With the passing of the night hours, Makilien put several miles between her and Reylaun. Once daylight came and her parents realized she was gone, the search for her would begin. Zirtan’s men would no doubt come after her, and maybe even take her to Zirtan if they caught her.
When the pink glow of dawn spilled across the sky, Makilien pushed on even though she was overcome with weariness and hunger. Unexpectedly, the forest opened up, and she stumbled upon a dirt road. Only then did she stop to look both ways. One way led back north, and the other continued south. If I follow the road it will probably lead me to a village where I can get some information, Makilien reasoned. But, to be safe, she stayed off the road and followed it from the safety of the trees.
Finally, when the noonday sun had caused Makilien to become uncomfortably warm, she stopped in a group of tall ferns not far from the road. She opened her pack and ate hungrily, but had to be sparing. Who knew how many miles the road would go on without reaching civilization?
Just as Makilien had packed up again, a sound echoed from up the road. She froze. The sound grew louder, and she realized it to be the clamor of horses approaching fast from the north. They’re after me! Heart racing, Makilien scrambled to her feet and bolted farther into the forest. She ducked down behind a big tree and peered around it, just able to still see the road. In only a few short moments, five riders appeared—guards from Reylaun. Makilien nearly stopped breathing when they halted just yards away and peered into the trees. They can’t know I’m here. She rested her hand on the hilt of the dagger Aedan had given her and tried to control the terror building inside of her.
The group’s leader turned to the other four, gesturing. “We’ll continue south. You two go back and check between here and Reylaun again. If you find her, restrain her until I’ve returned and, if she puts up a fight, kill her.”
Makilien gulped as her heart hammered in her chest. Please don’t let them find me! She had never before prayed and hadn’t any knowledge of who she might be praying to but felt she had to ask someone for help. If she was caught now, she would surely be killed one way or another.
Two of the guards spun their horses around and galloped back the way they had come. With one last penetrating look into the forest, the leader and the two remaining guards rode south. Still, Makilien waited for a long time after the hoof beats had died away before she dared to stand, trembling a little, and moved on, her senses on high alert. Now she would have to be especially careful on her journey and stay as far away from the road as she could without losing it.
For the rest of the day, Makilien only stopped when she had to. She stayed well within the forest, listening and watching for even the faintest sign of the guards. When evening came, she was forced to stop since the road was no longer visible. In a small hollow, she sat in a bed of leaves and reached into her pack for food. Goose bumps rose on her arms at the chill in the air, and she wished she could build a fire, but she did not dare to. After her hunger was satisfied, she wrapped herself in a blanket and huddled against a tree in the stillness of the dark.
The night before, she had not even thought about what could be in the forest, but now Aedan’s words echoed in her mind. “You don’t know what is out there.” This night, every sound startled her and prevented her from sleep. She wished she would have at least thought to climb a tree when it was still light enough, but even in a tree she didn’t know if she’d be safe.
For a long time, Makilien sat wide awake, clenching the hilt of her dagger in a desperate attempt to be brave as she listened to the rustling around her. It’s probably just deer or raccoons and other small animals, she tried to tell herself. Harmless animals.
Suddenly, leaves and twigs crunched and something bounded toward her. With a jolt of terror, she jumped up and pulled out the dagger. But all that appeared in the dim moonlight was a small fox. It stopped and looked at her curiously before bounding off again into the darkness. Makilien blew out her breath and looked at the pale glow of the dagger’s blade. Her legs shaking, she sank down again feeling exhausted and a bit uncertain as to whether or not this had been the right decision.
* * *
The lively birdsong echoing through the trees roused Makilien from the slumber she had found sometime late during the night. She was quite relieved to look around the sunny forest and know nothing terrible had befallen her during the night.
She packed away her blanket and pulled food from her pack for breakfast. Taking stock of what she had left, Makilien found enough for another two days, possibly three if she was very sparing. She looked to the north where she had come from and contemplated the uncertainty she’d felt during the night. But the memories of the meaningless years she’d lived, and all those she would yet live if she went back, drove away the uncertainty. She would not go back. Not without something that would give life a purpose—for her and for her family and friends.
Well clear of the road, Makilien continued on her course, though she realized the road had veered more to the southwest now. She wondered just how large the forest might be and when it would eventually end. One mile after another stretched before her and again evening came with no sign of Human population. Neither did Makilien see the guards she’d encountered the previous day. By this time the weather had changed. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and thunder rumbled slow and menacingly from the northwest. She dreaded the thought of spending the night in a storm.
Yet, just as Makilien decided she should search for some sort of shelter for the night, she realized the trees ahead were becoming sparse and the ground rose steadily uphill. Curious to know what lay beyond the hill, Makilien hurried on. She could always return to the forest.
Climbing the rise, she reached the open hilltop a few minutes later and stopped. Just below, Makilien gazed upon a village. The gathering of wood and stone buildings were nestled close together, closer than most in Reylaun. A plank wall ran along the perimeter. Makilien’s eyes dropped to the gate to which the road led. No guards appeared to be on watch, and she came to the conclusion that the village must not be directly controlled by Zirtan.
For several minutes, she just looked at it, contemplating. She desired to go and find a place to stay out of the rain, but what if the guards from Reylaun had come here and would spot her? Makilien looked back at the forest. She did not want to spend another night out there, especially if it stormed. This feeling was compounded as a sharp crack of thunder sounded and the clouds opened to spill heavy raindrops.
Makilien pulled up the hood of her cloak. I’ll try to blend in with everyone else, she thought, making up her mind. Confidently, she strode down the hill, though at the gate her caution returned, and she peeked in first to assure herself there truly were no guards. Satisfied, she stepped inside the village and paused to take in the surroundings. Many more people inhabited this village than Reylaun. The streets were full of people noisily hurrying about. Makilien didn’t know what to do next. I need to find an inn, but where? Her only option was to start walking and hope she came upon one. It seemed logical an inn would be built somewhere on the main street through the village so she did not deviate from that path.
After a good fifteen minutes of navigating through the pushy crowd and muddy road, Makilien’s eyes landed on one of the many signs hanging at the entrances of the buildings. Fastened to the sign was a
great pair of antlers, gray and cracked from years of exposure to the weather. Below the antlers read The Black Stag Inn. Makilien sighed in relief, and a little spark of hope kindled inside her. Anxious to be out of the elements, she pushed open the door.
The strong, pungent odor of ale and smoke struck her, causing her eyes and nose to sting. She coughed a little, and her gaze swept the large, open room. A rowdy, noisy mass of men populated the tables. Makilien’s hope was instantly snuffed out by apprehension, and she wondered if she would rather sleep in the forest. Yet, not having shelter didn’t appeal to her either. Before moving from the door, she studied each individual to see if she could spot any of the guards, but she found none with their familiar black clothing.
Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to cough again, Makilien approached the counter where a slim little man with white hair stood filling mugs. She drew herself up in an attempt to appear confident.
“Excuse me.” Her voice came out sounding rather small compared to the noisiness all around her, but she continued, “I’d like a room please.”
The man peered at her, his brows lowering at the oddity of a young woman like her traveling alone.
“What are ya doin’ here?” he questioned gruffly.
“That’s none of your business,” Makilien answered, taking offense.
The man narrowed his eyes. “How long are ya plannin’ to stay?”
“I don’t know yet. A day, maybe two.” Not long if I’m only met with suspicion.
“Well, I don’t want ya causin’ trouble while yer here, got it?”
“I don’t plan on it.”
“Good.”
The old man turned to grab a key. Makilien followed him out of the common room, eyeing the men at the tables along the way, and into a hall dotted with doors. The innkeeper unlocked one door near the opposite end and handed her the key. Wearing a scowl that never seemed to leave his face, he left her without a word, and Makilien walked into the room he had just unlocked. It was dark inside so she lit a couple candles. Standing in the middle of the room, she looked around. It was small but cozy with a narrow bed, a table, and two chairs.
Truth: Makilien Trilogy - Book 1 Page 3
