Silence in Sagas

5

Oliwa's mind crashed. She sat still for a long, long time.

What reason did she have to believe these people? What reliability did they have?

"Wh--wha--Pardon?"

"Willa," the man repeated. "You know her?"

"YOU'RE LYING!" she wanted to cry out, but instead, she gestured for the note. "Can-can I have a look at that for a second?"

Denevon glanced from the note to Oliwa before reaching out a sturdy hand.

Oliwa looked at the note for a few seconds.

It had to be the seaweed-smell, or... this couldn't be real.

The note was written with Schoolmaster Jemen's straight letters, and... and the name was so real. 'Willa' it said.

The note was short and stuck to the subject. So like the Jemen Oliwa knew.

It told the tale; how 'The other schoolmaster,' clearly Schoolmaster Helina, had decided to send Willa to the tournament to replace her.

With shaking hands, Oliwa gave the note back to Denevon.

"You know her," Ismina said, her smooth voice filled the quiet.

Oliwa swallowed and nodded. "Wait--this, no... what?"

Oliwa spoke to no one in particular.

Denevon sighed after a few moments of devouring silence. "Hey, let's get this girl some food and a place to stay, other than here."

Oliwa looked up and frowned. "N-no. I need to get back!"

Denevon shook his head. "There is nothing to go back to."

Oliwa was ready to argue. She would run away. Gallop home on a horse. It'd all work out... but it hit her hard... that there might not be much left in Notteny for her.

It seemed as if Willa had been shipped off to the Tournament.

A pang of frustration tugged at Oliwa, and a bad feeling hung over her, like a shadow that was impossible to get rid of.

***

The world was not steady, and a distinct disorientation plagued Willa.
She opened her eyes, but she couldn't see anything. Strands of hair were piercing her eyes.

Mental images of the Schoolmasters, and the sting she had felt welled up in her mind, and she shot upright, brushing wildly at her face to clear her vision.

She sat on a bench. A bench that belonged in a carriage. With a look around, Willa registered that she was alone, there was a door that was locked, and she was indeed in a carriage—just not one she was used to. The interior of the wagon was purple—the walls, floor, curtains—the bench she sat on had a cushion. Even that was purple, and way too comfortable for her taste.

But the biggest difference would be how smooth the wagon moved, and when she looked out the window, she saw a yellow landscape flashing by at a speed way faster than her family's carriage, or any carriage she'd ever been in.

Willa couldn't believe it, but she was in a royal carriage, even if the reason made no sense whatsoever. She'd heard about the royal carriages... Driven by Willshires—gigantic, immensely strong horses that were only the property of Castle Centis (the Main Castle).
Outside the window, long fields of cultivated earth stretched as far as Willa could see.

She was already in Soviw—the realm that provided Sagas with the most corn and wheat, and all the other grains and whatnot, that Willa couldn't name.