Northward
Entressa stroked Huan’s neck. That was Andel’s horse’s name. The mare’s ash-colored coat stood out amidst the gray, brown, and green of the forest. Steep slopes rose on either side, hiding them from view. They had traveled almost a week now. Andel had ridden hard, toward the evening sun at first. They took the main road from Porton, the one they had already walked on their way to the city. But after someone saw Andel’s ring and recognized him, he left the road, putting the sunset on their left.
Sebastian’s final words haunted them: Sombron will pay a fortune for your head. Rumors of the northern prince and princess buzzed in every tavern, every house, and even on the roads. As they walked, two men had come alongside them, talking about it. “It’s true,” one said, “There was a ruckus back at Porton. They say he sliced someone’s head off before riding away.”
“Bosh,” the other scoffed, “The Commander, here by the Newr? Why would he?”
“For the princess,” the man’s voice became secretive. “It makes sense, don’t it? Those two disappeared at the same time—you remember the tale. All this time he’s been tracking her down, and here they are.”
“Probably to kill her,” the other chuckled.
“He could have sent any man for that,” the first man pressed, “He still wants the woman, I tell yeh. He wants her for a bride.”
Footsteps were the only sound for a moment. “That’s bosh,” the second man said again, “If the king finds them, they’re both mincemeat. I mean, I love my wife and all, but would I follow her into my enemy’s house? Huh.”
“He surprised us before, in the war,” the first pointed out.
“Careful where you say that.” The two men glanced nervously at Andel and Entressa, who were the only other people present. People here constantly feared speaking against Sombron, as the punishment was usually a swift death. Andel was tactfully gazing the other way. For her part, Entressa had learned how to avoid notice. “Chopped a head off?” the second man asked at last.
“Clean off. Somebody was trying to stop them. That’s what they say.”
“Huh. Well, he’ll have more than one head to deal with before they get to Esthena. If the king believes a word of all this, he’ll have the whole army out for them.”
“What’s left of it.”
“Exactly. But shut your mouth, for crimey sake.”
That had been three days ago, just before someone saw Andel’s ring. They went more carefully now, keeping away from people. Andel had left Entressa and Huan hidden in this gully while he scouted ahead. His plan hinged on staying as hidden as possible for a while. They tried to only meet people when they needed food.
Bored, Entressa crossed her arms, tapping a finger on the patched sleeve of her tunic. A linen bandage made that part of her clothes bulky. The elbow burn was healing nicely, thanks to some odd healing plants Andel had found. He knew this type of country better than she.
She stood on one foot, then the other, testing her new boots. He had paid a whole silver coin for the pair, insisting it was too cold for her to continue with only rags on her feet. Contrary to what she had thought at first, Andel only had a little money. The boots still felt odd on her feet, as if her toes couldn’t breathe, but she relished the warmth. It seemed the air grew colder every week.
Entressa fiddled with a strap on the horse’s leather saddle, pondering their fate. She looked through the saddlebags, all full of various gear and food. A delicious smell greeted her as she opened one pouch. There were apples, fresh ones, so beautiful that her mouth watered. Andel must have bought them this morning from the farmer he had met. Her heart beat a little faster, all her practice at thieving suddenly coming alive. Would he miss one if she ate it? There were six in the bag—perhaps he hadn’t counted. Was Andel the kind of person who counted things?
She was just about to take the first bite when he suddenly appeared in the gully. “I’m sorry,” she panicked, throwing the apple back, “I was going to pay for it but I just—” She instinctively turned to run, but tripped.
“Wait, listen,” he caught up with her, “Please, I got them for you.” They stared at one another a for a moment, his face kind and hers confused. It was becoming a common interaction.
“You. . .”
“I got them for you. What, did you think they’re all for Huan?” Andel chuckled. Entressa chuckled weakly. Huan the horse sniffed at the apples as if she’d like one or two.
“That was quite a throw,” Andel added, retrieving the apple from the saddlebag. He poked a dent on its side. “You’d better eat this one now before it bruises. But we should get going—can you eat and walk? We must cross a ridge before nightfall.”
Several hours of marching filled the rest of the day. The sun, high and bright above them, had lost its power to scorch her face; in fact, she wished it would shine more strongly. Their way was uncertain, and they often had to retrace their steps, finding a path through the rocky and uneven country. One hill was always ahead of them, though, and most of their steps were higher than the ones before.
They reached the summit at sunset. The crown of this hill was bare of trees, giving them a wide view of the surrounding country. Gold-red and blindingly bright, the sun had begun to sink below the world. Valleys lay in gray shadow, while the hills reflected the sunset’s cherry hue. Close by in the Northeast, a line of mountains climbed down to them from an unguessable distance. And past these, northward, a higher range of steely peaks loomed over the horizon. The sky was indigo behind them.
Andel’s plan was to walk north. “It’s the best way out of this country,” he had said, “We could go west to Esthena, but that would mean going through big towns, and Sombron will look for us there. Astor is a little farther, but it takes us away from his eye. I know of a pass through the mountains.” So they went north. Entressa was nervous about going to Astor. Would King Lorind be merciful to her? She wished to see her father first. But never mind; she had cast her lot in with the northern kingdom, and it was too late to change now. Besides, if the king of Astor were anything like his son, maybe she needn’t fear.
They stood together, watching the sun dip close to the earth, drinking in the red light as if it were a potion of strength. A gentle breeze rolled over the hilltop, whispering around the corners of rocks. “I’m sorry,” Andel said, “For not coming to you sooner.”
“What?”
“At Esthen. It would have saved you much hurt if I had come when I promised. I left you lonely. I see that now.”
She frowned. “You were needed in the West.”
“They would have managed without me. A man’s duty should be to his bride.” Entressa wondered how many of Astor’s warriors would have died if Andel had left the fighting to visit her. How many lives is a runaway worth? She wasn’t sure he should have come at all.
“I’ve been thinking,” he spoke again, “It isn’t safe to use our real names when people are around, since we’re being chased.”
“We’ll have to use our false names,” Entressa said.
“I refuse to call you Romni anymore.” He thought for a moment. “When others are nearby, I’ll call you Elina.”
“That was my mother’s name.”
“I know.”
They lingered on the hilltop a few minutes longer. The sun sank to the horizon, touching distant hills with arms so bright, she thought they would melt. Near the horizon, a few clouds glowed like white-hot iron. At last, she and Andel left the light behind, plunging into the valley where everything was in shadow. Night noises were testing their voices. The whisper of bats’ wings came from a nearby cave. The cold was tangible, greeting them with little chilly breezes that rose from the valley floor.
As soon as they found a sheltered hollow, they went to work making camp by twilight. Entressa dug a hole with one shallow side and gathered a bundle of dry sticks. She had gathered tinder throughout the day, and soon a little fire was flickering in the hole. It was a trick Astor’s scouts used when traveling abroad. With the fire below ground, it couldn’t be seen from afar by enemies.
She caught Andel looking at her. “Behold, you’re handy with that flint,” he said.
“I always made fire for Sebastian and cooked his food,” she explained.
“You’re better at woodcraft than many of my friends,” Andel chuckled, “They’d be ashamed to be bested by a lady.” Of course, it had been Romni, not Entressa the lady, who had made all those fires for Sebastian. But Andel didn’t seem to think about it that way.
Fire has a hypnotizing quality. She could lose herself in the leaping tongues of flame that licked around sticks like water on stone. Sebastian loved to make up stories about the wily underworld spirits, whose faces you could almost see in a fire’s red coals. He would take a burning stick and juggle it, the ember whipping through the air, glowing and smoking. He would pretend to drop it, but never burned anything. Sebastian always seemed to be laughing at something.
He had betrayed her. Sombron will pay a fortune for you. She had grown tired of hearing his voice in her head, but she couldn’t get it out. Even though he’d been cruel to her at the end, she always thought he loved her in his heart. Was it all just one of his schemes? The thought made her insides churn.
Entressa looked up to find Andel watching her. “You miss him, don’t you?” he asked.
She hid her face. “I don’t know why. I’m sorry.”
“I should think you would. You were with him a long time.”
“Will I ever be able to forget him?”
“I think so.” Pondering it, he smiled. “You have a long time ahead, to think of other things.”
She looked down the valley, out into the darkness, where a little village slept in the distance. There might be men there with armor and swords, men with orders to find the northern royalty and drag them to Sombron. “If we can get home, that is,” she said.
Andel didn’t reply until she looked back at him. “We will.”