Mina and Talya had been walking under the hot sun for many hours since they woke up. Three days have passed since they crossed the border. At night, they slept hidden between trees or bushes. When hungry, they ate berries and other wild fruit they encountered and quenched their thirst at springs they found along the way. It had been years since Mina walked without shoes, and her feet hurt from all the sharp stones she had stepped on. The previous day, while running from a pack of wild dogs, a few thorns got stuck in her feet. Even with them pulled out, each step was agony.
Luckily, Talya was not suffering like her. The little girl always paid attention to what she was stepping on. Mina would have done the same, but she was constantly keeping one eye on the road and the other one. En the sky. During the night, when Talya slept peacefully next to her, Mina could barely close her eyes. No doubt King Stig was looking for Talya and her. Mina was still trying to figure out why King Stig had Talya in his castle in the first place. She appeared human, but there were races that could conceal their true appearance if they so wished.
The wound she got on her left hip from Saba’s claws, despite chewing all the embelia leaves Illia gave her, was still bothering her. The skin was pink and tender, and an ugly scar was forming. It was not the only one she had. Her elbows and knees bore reminders of her tomboyish childhood.
As the long summer days began, the air felt suffocating with heat. Sweat ran down her temples, and her dress stuck to her like a second skin. Talya and Mina washed as best as they could each time they found a spring, but keeping their clothes clean had been a challenge. She didn’t want to appear in front of her father-in-law looking like she had fallen into a puddle of mud.
The dusty road nor the forest to their left didn’t reveal where they were. Saba and Ilia had left Mina and Talya close to the border between Litus and Nodor, but that meant anywhere in the Ulsted Region, and Ora Dorei was in the Valru Region. Litus was East of Nodor, while in the North was Hepys, the land of the Black Mercenaries.
Despite walking on the same road for three days, they hadn’t encountered a living soul they could ask for directions. The war between Nodor and Litus had forced many to flee their homes and build new villages in other places.
They passed by an old castle, but by the way vines climbed on the walls and doors or the nests on the broken windows, Mina knew no one had lived there for a long time. She tried to climb through one of the windows of what once used to be the kitchen, wanting to look inside for something useful, but a low, menacing buzz of hornets coming from inside made her change her mind.
Mina was nine years old when she last traveled to Ora Dorei, and the journey lasted days. In a carriage. She and Talya were on foot without any gold or any weapons to defend themselves in case of danger. It would take weeks to reach Ora Dorei. But Mina was determined to do what it took to avenge Jayden’s death. During the night, when she closed her eyes, she relived the moment she felt him die.
Once Jayden’s father helped her get all the members of the Resistance out of Athea, she would show the entire kingdom who Mina Ruxman was. For too long, she had acted like a proper lady, not wanting to bring shame to the Castex family, but since she married Jayden and took his family name, she became the Ruxman Baroness.
For the first time in her life, she didn’t care about the Castex family anymore. Hugo was next in line to become the head of the family, but with her uncle being part of the Order.... Hugo would be lucky if he made it out of Athea alive.
Talya tugged on Mina’s sleeve. “Did something happen?” Mina asked.
Talya pointed behind them.
A wooden cart pulled by a horse was slowly advancing on the road. A man and a woman sat in the rider seat. They appeared to be in their late forties.
Mina stepped into the middle of the road and started waving her hands, hoping the couple would stop the wagon. “Wait!” she yelled. Talya waited at the edge of the road.
To her astonishment, the man pulled the horse’s reins, and the cart stopped a few meters in front of her abruptly, leaving a cloud of dust behind it.
“You have no idea how glad I am that we finally encountered someone on this lonely road,” said Mina.
The man glanced at Mina before scanning the forest. He appeared nervous. Mina didn’t blame him. Thieves often attacked travelers.
The woman looked at Talya before turning her attention to Mina. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“My sister and I have been traveling for some time, hoping to get to Ora Dorei, but a few nights ago, we were attacked, and all of our possession were stolen. Even our boots,” Mina lied. She put her left hand behind her back, not wanting the couple to see her bracelet. “I was wondering if you could tell me in which direction we should go and how long until we reach Ora Dorei, and perhaps, if it isn’t too much trouble....” she shrugged while hiding the bracelet under her long sleeve, “let us sit in the back of your wagon until you reach your destination. My sister and I won’t give you any trouble. I promise.”
The man kept his eyes on the forest, a frown on his face.
“What happened to your left hip?” the woman asked.
Despite Mina’s best efforts to keep her dress clean, the blood stain refused to disappear. And maybe it was a good thing. “When we got attacked, I was.... hurt.” Talya rushed to Mina and hid behind her.
The woman put her palm on the man’s thigh. “Ned, they are hurt.”
The man groaned. “Very well. You can hop in the back of the wagon. My son is there, sleeping, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t bother him.”
The woman smiled at the man and his features softened.
“Of course,” Mina said before picking up Talya and helping her climb into the wagon.
The wagon was almost empty except for some bundles of clothes and furs. A bow and a quiver full of arrows were in a corner, close to the man’s reach.
A young boy, around six years old, slept on top of the furs. His black hair reached his shoulders. Mina sat in the middle of the wagon, with Talya on her lap, and watched the little boy. His pointy nose and square chin reminded her of someone.
“Where are you headed?” asked Mina after the wagon started moving.
“Ora Dorei as well,” the woman replied. “It will take at least a day and a half to reach the city. We are close to the Yellow River.”
The Yellow River started in the North, in the Orsodow mountain chain—that stretched from the North-East of Nodor and all the Kingdom of Hepys until it reached the Endless Sea—and disappeared below the Rocky Mountains, which were close to Isyleon island. It was not only the biggest river in Nodor but also separated the Ulsted Region from the Valru Region.
Mina let out a sigh of relief. She could not believe how close she was to reaching her destination. Saba and Illia had probably left Mina and Talya not only at the border between Nodor and Litus but close to Hepys as well.
Mina still remembered the letter Jayden received from his father in which he confessed to Jayden that Fherax, the Mercenary King, had targeted him for killing Fherax’s heir. She only hoped the Black Mercenaries hadn’t been sent out and her father-in-law was still alive.
“I am afraid I don’t have any healing potions, but there is some food and water in the satchel close to where my son is sleeping.”
The man growled, but the woman shushed him and encouraged Mina to take the satchel.
“You are very kind. Thank you,” Mina said while giving Talya a slice of bread and hard cheese. “I wish I could repay you, but...”
“We understand,” said the man.
“See, you can be nice if you want,” the woman sweetly told the man.
“To be honest, I prefer to be nice only to you, if you know what I mean,” he whinked at the woman and she smacked his arm.
“Ned!”
He laughed.
Mina ignore the couple. They reminded her of what she would never have again.
Talya ate the food in silence.
Content that Talya was having a decent meal for the first time in days, Mina leaned her head on the wagon and closed her eyes. She was so tired she could sleep for days. The sounds coming from the wagon’s wheels or the chirping of the birds were so soothing that Mina fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When she woke up, she was laying on a fur and the forest was gone, replaced by a valley. A watchtower stood proudly close to an orchard. By the position of the sun, it was late morning.
Mina sat on the fur, yawned before rolling her shoulders.
Giggles came from her left, and she turned her head around. Talya and the boy were sitting on the furs, eating from a meat pie. The man and the woman were still in the rider seat, her head leaning on his shoulder.
“How long have I been sleeping?” Mina asked Talya.
Despite Mina’s best efforts to make Talya speak out loud, she was still quiet.
“For about a day,” the woman replied instead of Talya. “By evening, we will be in Ora Dorei.”
Mina chewed her lip. “I must had been more tired than I thought. It’s been days since I had a proper sleep.
“It is understandable. Traveling the two of you alone and on top of that you were robbed,” the woman said sympathetically.
“Thank for booking out for my sister. I hope she didn’t gave you any trouble.”
The woman turned her head and gave Mina a smile, but it did not reach her eyes. “Not at all. She reminds me of someone dear to me.” Ned stiffened. “He was as quiet as her when he was of her age.” Ned patted her back and she put her head on his shoulder. He whispered something to her and she nodded quietly.
Mina looked ahead. Just a few more hours and she would finally be in the city where she was supposed to start a new life with Jayden and everyone else. Until the Necromancer escaped the tower with the help of Aksel. Well, she was only suspecting Aksel of helping the Order, but with what purpose, she did not know. And maybe she was wrong all along. Her uncle never confirmed there was a traitor among Jayden’s men.
The boy kept looking at Mina while laughing.
“What? Do I have something in my hair? Or perhaps my face?” asked Mina.
“You were drooling in your sleep,” the boy replied.
“Anton!” his mother chided him.
“Did I now?” commented Mina. She was glad Anton was distracting her from the pain she constantly felt in her chest.
Anton nodded.
Talya passed her a waterskin, and Mina washed her hands and face before grabbing a piece of the meat pie.
“How old are you?” Mina asked Anton after finishing her food.
“Seven, almost eight, but mother tells me I look small for my age. Father is positive I will start growing soon.”
“I am sure you will,” Mina encouraged him. “I bet you will be strong as well.”
Anton seemed to beam with happiness. “My father is the best hunter in all of Nodor, and he is already teaching me how to track animals in the forest. When I turn twelve, he will guide my first shirt just like he did with my older brother. We are looking for him.”
Anton’s mother turned in her seat. “Anton! You are not supposed to talk about this with strangers.”
“It is alright,” Mina assured the woman. “So, you are a Son of the Land? And ocxoa perhaps?” Mina asked Anton.
His eyes lit up with happiness. “Are you one as well?”
The couple stared at Mina. She touched her left wrist with her right hand. The bracelet Jayden gave her was still there. “My mate, he was an ocxoa.”
“Was?” Ned asked.
Mina racked her teeth over her bottom lip. “He died not long ago.”
“I am so sorry for your loss,” the woman said, and Mina nodded, blinking away tears. “Do you have someone in Ora Dorei? Family? Friends?”
“My father-in-law.”
“What tribe was your mate from?” Ned asked.
“Well, he had no tribe. He grew up in Athea with his mother. That is where we met and married.”
Ned nodded. “I see. Well your father-in-law is doing the honorable thing by letting you stay with him. But if your mate was from Athea was were you doing so faraway from home?”
Mina blinked. “Visiting some relative. Then me and my sister heard about what happened in Athea and we decided it would be best if we went to Ora Dorei.”
“What is happening in Athea is terrible. Our Uzgaia killed by the Necromancer. Most likely the Andarra as well. Many ocxoas are going to Hepys to seek refuge from the Mercenary King. We will be in Ora Dorei for a short while before traveling to Hepys. You should consider doing the same,” Ned said.
Mina hugged her legs and pulled her knees to her chest. She didn’t want to tell couple she was the Andarra. “When I tried to ran away from my problems, terrible things happened. This time I will face the danger and destroy those that hurt my mate.”
Ned looked over his shoulder but said nothing more.
They spent the next hours mostly in silence. Anton pulled out an old backgammon set and proudly said it belonged to his older brother. He played with Talya, who also knew the rules very well, until they finally reached Ora Dorei.