Chapter 29: On the road again

When they got back to the house, Koth took both horses into the stable as Irin ran inside. She was thankful that Alesseja had kept the saddlebags almost fully packed, and she took them out of the hallway closet. She put them on the kitchen counter and took food and other necessities from the cupboards. Irin could hear Koth come inside.

“Are your things packed?” he asked.

“Almost. I just have to roll up the blanket,” she answered, without looking away from what she was doing.

“I’ll grab it for you,” he said as he hurried off. Irin sorted the perishables from the food that would keep longer. As they had known they would be leaving, the fresh food was at a minimum. When she had packed everything that needed to be packed, she took down the bag of magical flour and scattered it over the table. The map traced its outlines and markers.

“Good thinking,” Koth told her as he came into the kitchen with both their backpacks.

“We have time, right?” she asked.

“Yes. It would be best if we waited until night before we leave. It will make it harder for any lookouts to spot us, and the nights are still cold enough that the ground freezes. We won’t leave tracks that way,” he said as he studied the map.

“And it will be dark and icy,” Irin reminded him. He grunted, and she understood. It was worth the risk.

“We need to adapt our plan,” Koth told her. She nodded.

“It’s not safe to go back to the main road from our road. It’s too close to the town,” she agreed. “Should we go about halfway back and then cut through the woods until we get to the main road?” she asked.

“I don’t like it. If they know where we live, they can lie in wait for us. Even if they don’t, it will be dangerous to go into the forest at night with the ground in the state it’s in. It will be dangerous enough if we stick to the roads,” he said.

“We go the other way?” she asked, looking at the map.

“Yes, we go west. We will get to the Na’ung river in a couple of days. We can follow it down to the Great Lake,” Koth said, showing the path with his finger. Irin nodded.

“What do we do now? It’s at least two hours until dark.”

“We take everything out to the stable, get things ready, and get the item. I’ll light the fire in the living room fireplace. If they have found out where we are and slip out of the town before the gates close, they won’t find us in the house. Hopefully, they will trigger my alarm so we know they are there. As soon as it’s dark, we set out,” Koth said. Irin nodded and, while Koth started the fire, she swept the flour into the bag and secured it to the outside of a saddlebag. They walked into the stable in silence. They made sure the saddlebags were secure on the horses; Koth hadn’t taken off their saddles. They walked out to the arch in the garden, and Koth found the wrapped statue. He put it inside his tunic.

“Are you okay?” Irin asked.

“I think so. I don’t feel any strange effects,” he told her. They headed back to the stable and got comfortable in some hay. Irin took out fresh bread, cheese and what was left of a poppyseed cake she had made the day before. It was just as well that they ate the fresh food first. They sat in silence, trying to listen to the sounds outside. Irin had mixed feelings about the situation. Part of her felt excited about sneaking around, dodging bad guys. It was the same part of her that had loved it when her father handed her the family sword. She was also scared. There was no shame in admitting it. She knew both Koth and she were strong; they could handle most things, but there was always a chance for the unexpected. Then there were the feelings she had about leaving the house. She knew it had been coming from the day they first moved in. This had never been a permanent solution. Still, she would miss it. She had been happy here, and she hoped Koth had been as well. It had been the place where they had got to know each other on a more personal level. It was a nice house, and in another life, Irin could see herself living here permanently, with Koth, and maybe even starting a family with him here. She dismissed her thoughts. There was no use in lingering on what could have been. She had known from the start how this would end. Well, almost. She had thought they would get to ride off on their own terms, when they were ready. Dusk was settling in outside; it was almost time to leave. Irin sent a prayer to her goddess, asking to be made aware if there was anyone around the house. Their only hits were Koth and her.

“We are alone, at least in a five hundred metre range from the house,” she whispered to Koth.

“Good, it’s almost time,” he replied, and she nodded. She stretched her legs out to make sure she had blood flow in them when they needed to stand up. “Ready?” Koth asked, half an hour later. Irin nodded, and he stood up and gave her a hand to help her. They put on their backpacks and listened. There were no strange noises, no unfamiliar sounds. They led the horses out of the stable and mounted. They set off at a walk at first. Both Koth and Irin watched the landscape for any signs they weren’t alone. When they had put some distance between them and the house, and they still hadn’t seen anything suspicious, they picked up the pace. The fastest the frozen ground would let them go was a trot. It was still better than a walk, or being on foot.

“I will miss this place,” Irin whispered to Koth as she rode next to him. She didn’t know why she had told him; it had felt important to speak the words out loud.

“So will I. It has been a good place to stay,” he agreed. It made Irin feel better knowing she wasn’t alone in her feelings. The night was dark, the moon was almost new, and clouds blocked out most of the stars. “I don’t like the clouds,” Koth said.

“They block out the starlight,” Irin pointed out.

“That they do, but it looks to me as if they will drop a load of snow on our heads,” he told her.

“No. I refuse to even think about that possibility,” Irin said. She was not in the mood to ride through a snowstorm.

“I think it was you who once pointed out that it is futile to try to win over Mother Nature,” Koth pointed out. It had been, Irin thought, when they had first met, when she had climbed that stupid hill his tower was located on. It felt like a lifetime ago. “Keep an eye out for natural shelters,” he said. Irin sighed and tried to make out the landscape in the darkness.