We•Will•Rise

Chapter Thirteen

Besides the strange looks people gave us, we got out of the Royal Square without any trouble. People don't mess with the Sultans, they know better. Besides being the Queen's royal guard, they are also the ones to dish out her punishment. While the Guardsmen do the same, the Sultan's is almost always worse, so everyone typically gives them a wide berth. That's what they did today at least, but that could also have to do with the three pirates hunched over in the buggy, watching the people with greedy eyes.
We reach the Red Oaks when the sun is just over their treetops, having rode in relative silence except for Edmund and Garreth's light conversation. I look to the east as we break past the rows of trees, thinking of the Blue Tavern and Tarryn that works in it. It seems like so long ago that I was just a girl running from being an Imordal. And now I've mostly embraced it, along with it the gift inside of me. It might as well have been ages since I've met Nikolai as well; it's almost like he's just always been around, not at all the truth of only knowing each other a few days. I could trust him with my life and my secrets, and he could me. Or least his life, I don't know about his secrets. They almost seem too precious, and he carries them so close that it's like a dark cloud around his body, leaving him on edge every second. I realize how badly I want to calm that storm of emotion, the warmth in me tripling each time I think about it.
We reach Milladge Bridge not too long after the road grows rockier, the Red Oaks slowly giving way to cliffs. The bridge is quite a sight up close. It's made all of hard grey stone, fashioned by men centuries ago, with stone arches greeting us at its start. It stretches across two cliffs and one of the most narrow parts of the river, with a four-foot ledge to separate us from our descent into the water. Three men are stationed at the bridge, all three of them standing inside a little shack. The Guardsmen of the bridge, set to monitor the comings and goings of the capital. They only watch as we pass from the window overlooking the bridge's entrance, making no move to stop us. I suppose it has to do with the several Sultans that outrank them escorting us out. Garreth and Edmund don't even glance in the men's direction, they only continue across it without hesitation, apparently trusting the old thing not to break or crack under our weight. The last in tow, I'm a bit more skeptical. My horses trudges along without a worry, following after the others. I lean over the horse, glancing down into the rushing water below. It's at least a forty foot fall from the bridge into the fastly moving river. I gulp and straighten, my legs instinctively tightening on my horse's stomach.
"You look awfully pale," Nikolai says with a raised eyebrow. "Scared of heights?"
"Scared of falling," I correct, glancing at him. The corner of his lip turns up in a smirk and he shakes his head.
"Unless your horse takes a nose dive off of the bridge, you'll be fine." Nikolai waves off my worry. I swallow hard, my nerves still bad despite his assurance.
"Are you really from the capital?" I ask, not only for a distraction, but out of curiosity. Nikolai is like a tightly sealed chest, one that's lock and key has been lost long ago. He's filled with only Gods know what, but whatever it is taints him like a poison. I want badly to uproot the poison and the problem, but I have a feeling that it will be just as difficult as facing the vamphir. Maybe more so.
"Yes," is all he says, his eyes going hard. He looks away in a subtle message that he wants the conversation to end. I roll my eyes, but press on.
"Where at in the capital?"
He gives me a look that makes me purse my lips, but I continue anyway. "Give me something. You seem to know everything about me."
"In due time," he says quietly, staring off ahead of us. I glare at him the urge to shove him off the horse hitting me hard. I sigh loudly, exasperated. Maybe if I give a little. . .
The memory is an old one, but it comes forth from my mind like a harsh sting nonetheless. "When I was a young girl," I begin, a bad taste suddenly in my mouth. I swallow hard and continue despite the warning in my gut telling me not to. "Me and this other girl were playing on a tree. She was my best friend, her name was Estaphi," he turns to me with a raised eyebrow, but I ignore him, focusing on my white-knuckled grip on the reins. "We were so young and we didn't realize how high we were on the great oak, we were just having fun," I take a deep breath, struggling to fight back the unsteadiness that leaks through my voice. "She fell, really far and hit her head and she didn't wake up, not to me, or her mother or father. And I could feel it, how bad it was and I knew—I knew I could fix it but I couldn't," I say the word like it's a lifeline, cling to it like I have all of these years. "She never woke up again and I—I had to just let it happen. I didn't have a choice, it was me or it was her," I blink roughly, as if that will keep the tears from spilling over. But the wound is already reopened, raw and bloody to the touch. Nikolai watches me quietly, but his grip comes off the rein and to my thigh, our horses so close his is brushing against my leg. "I should have saved her. I was a coward—"
"Don't," Nikolai's voice is low and rough, a warning in his single word. "You were a child, you weren't—you aren't—a coward, you are one of the bravest people I've ever met."
I look at him finally, forcing back the tears and lifting my chin in defiance to my own sorrow. "I vowed then it will never be my life over someone else's. Never again. You may not be able to choose a lot of things in life, but you surely can choose who you are and I choose to be good. I want to be someone I'm proud of, someone that stands up for what's right even if it's hard."
"You are that person, Alaya," Nikolai says fiercely, gripping my thigh hard enough to leave a bruise. "You are selfless and strong, and you don't even know it. You are fire, an explosion of hope that will ignite hearts and burn its enemies. You are built to conquer."
I watch him through my hazy vision and place my hand over his. He pulls his arm back and we stay silent for a moment before he looks away, his jaw tight. "I was born in the castle," his words throw me for a loop and I stare at him in bewilderment. "Almost a century before you were born," he turns to me, gauging my reaction. I fail horribly at keeping my surprise off of my face; in fact I might as well be slack-jaw. Anyone would be none the wiser to that fact since he looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties. I have to remind myself that Imordals age incredibly slower than mortals, and that in fact will be my case one day.
I expect him to go on, but when he doesn't I simply nod. This is all I'm getting for now, I suppose. He'll tell me the rest when he's comfortable enough to, if that's ever the case. But he's given me enough to know that through his many years he has seen things that I couldn't imagine. A century ago would be at the height of the Imordal war, which technically was only a slaughter. Imordals never had a fighting chance. My people were hung in the square like raw meat for everyone to see, proof that we weren't Gods because Gods aren't killable. Nikolai had to witness that, had to live it. That enough is traumatizing.
We walk for several hours until the sun is drooping in the sky, casting an eerie orange and pink glow between the trees. The closest town to us is Ovilis, which is a day away, and from there it's two days away to Ferway. After that, in roughly a day, we get to Vlaria which ends at the Weeping Wood and then past that is our destination. And until we reach Ovilis, well, I don't know. I've never been outside of the capital.
I can say that the scenery around is much more pleasant than the capital's stone walls, especially with the beautiful colors of the clouds. I look around me, taking in the brilliant setting sun that filters through the autumn leaves. Everything is set in a warm color and all I see is oranges, reds, and yellows. The foliage is thick here, and hangs down over our head like it's sheltering us from the rays of the sun. A cold breeze rustles the leaves every few seconds, scattering them across the air and down onto the path below us, causing a satisfying crunch from under the horses' hooves.
"There's no turning back now," Nikolai says, watching me as I look around at the scenery in awe.
"Are you kidding?" I turn to him, "I never want to go back after seeing this."
He chuckles, a warm sound that makes the warmth in my belly twist. Or maybe that's just butterflies. "Don't forget your reason for venturing out of the capital in such dire times."
My face falls into a frown. "You ruined the moment," I grumble, shooting him a glare. He only chuckles again. But he's right. I left for answers, and I'm going to get them. For my people, and for myself. After all, our world might depend on it.
We rode way past dusk and into the first few hours of the night when the only light was from the full moon and I was sure the poor horses would drop from exhaustion any second. The foliage even began to change, the trees growing less dense and only appearing in small clusters.
It isn't until we reach a part of the forest that is more clearing than trees that Garreth finally stops. "We'll camp here," he says, pointing towards a particularly open patch of woods. Everyone slides off of their horses except for me, my legs are so numb I'm not sure if I'll even be able to stand. Nikolai ties his horse against a tree before coming over to me, his form barely a silhouette in the darkness.
"Require some assistance?" He says with a knowing smile, his teeth bright against the moonlight.
"I got it," I snap, starting to swing my left leg over the horse's back. My muscles groan in protest and I move sluggishly, but I hop down off of the horse without Nikolai having to lift a finger. I straighten out my trousers and smile at him. "See?"
He shakes his head, but is still smiling when he takes the reins of the horse and walks it over to his, tying it on a branch on the same tree.
"How was the ride, Miss Alaya?" Garreth comes up to me and asks, a boyish smile on his face.
"Alaya," I correct him, "And it was an. . . experience," I say with a laugh, unsure how else to describe it. Other than the stiffness and soreness in my legs and the uneven terrain in the beginning that made me think I'd faceplant off of the horse, it was fine. The beautiful scenery made up for it. Mostly.
"I suppose most capital women wouldn't enjoy a day full of horseback riding," he says, making me frown. I open my mouth to object, but Nikolai beats me to it.
"She isn't like most capital women," he says, glancing at me. I narrow my eyes.
"We're all different. There's nothing wrong with that." I cross my arms over my chest and the men exchange a look.
"You're right, Miss," he says with a slight bow. I start to correct him but he's walking away before I can. I shut my mouth and shake my head, following them into the clearing. Most of the men have already set up their fancy tents, each of them scattered sparsely around the clearing. The pirates stay on the buggy where they have plenty of room to lay back or curl up, which they are doing now and have been doing since night fell. Lucky them.
"Did you bring a tent?" Nikolai asks, dropping his bag on the ground beside me. I glance down, then back at him. Of course I didn't think to bring a tent, I wouldn't even know where to find one in the capital. I smile sheepishly in response and he chuckles. "No worries, you can have mine."
"No, no, that's fine. I brought some blankets." I say, pulling my bag around and unzipping it to show him.
"So did I, I'll use them instead," he grabs my hand to stop me, "Alaya, I've slept in worse. Please, use my tent."
I scowl at him. "I don't want to take your tent."
"You're not taking it, I'm giving it to you. I'm not sleeping in it so either you do or I put it up for nothing," he says, unzipping his bag and pulling out the folded tent, "your choice."
My scowl deepens, but I sigh, relenting. "Fine, fine. You know, you don't always have to be such a gentleman."
"He would roll over in his grave if I wasn't," he mumbles and I frown, but I know better than to ask who this person he's referring to is. He'd either ignore me or shut me down. "And besides, you should expect nothing less from a man, Alaya." He stops for a second and gives me a look. I sigh again and cross my arms over my chest.
"At least let me hel—"
"No, no. I've got it," he shoots me down before I can even finish.
"What? You think I can't figure out how to put a tent up?" I say, offended, though he may be right. I watch him with my brows raised as he links certain poles together and slides fabric over them.
"I'm sure you could, but this is faster." He says, working quickly and efficiently by himself. He has the tent up in just a few minutes, with room enough to fit at least two people. "There," he says, standing and dusting off his trousers, "all set."
"You really—"
"Don't want to hear it." He holds his palm up as he grabs all of his blankets and starts to walk away. He stops when there's about a ten foot gap between us, settling down there with his blankets. I frown but say nothing else as I climb into the tent. It's just as spacious as I thought. I wonder where he got such a thing because I know he hasn't had it on him since we met. But I remind myself it doesn't matter now, not like anyone will miss a single tent. I just hope it doesn't rain because then I'm going to feel real shitty.
I set up my blankets how I want them, one across the floor and the other on top of me. I climb back out as Torin brings a bundle of sticks of varying sizes to the center of our campsite. He places them in a neat pile and pours lantern fluid on them, dousing the sticks heavily in the strong-smelling liquid. Edmund comes up behind him with a handful of burning leaves and dry grass and tosses it on the sticks. The fire ignites in seconds, casting a bright glow across the clearing, highlighting Torin, Edmund, and Orian. Felmen retired to bed early and I'm not sure where Garreth and the other boy—whose name I can't remember—went.
"Now, we can eat with some light," Torin says in a gravelly voice, plopping down beside the fire and pulling his pack into his lap. Edmund and Orian do the same, both of them pulling out different wrappings of food.
I glance at Nikolai who shrugs and takes a seat across from them, raiding through his own pack for something to eat.
"Where's Garreth and. . . the other boy?" I ask, wincing because I forgot his name. Edmund laughs and Torrin gives him a look while Orian swallows a smile.
"Ricket. And they're out hunting for something more fresh. They don't much like nuts and dried meat I suppose," Torin shrugs, tossing back a handful of said food into his mouth.
Nikolai bumps my shoulder and I glance at him to see he's offering me a piece of bread. I grab it and smile gratefully, practically inhaling the piece. I shovel through my own pack and pull out the remaining rabbit jerky I had got from the Blue Tavern. I eat it slowly only because it's so dried and chewy now that it's hard to bite through.
We eat in relative silence, Edmund tossing a few crackers towards the pirates every now and then who accept them with hungry smiles.
"I got something better than you lot," Garreth announces as he walks up from the woods, two small furry animals and a bow over his shoulder. My stomach growls at the sigh of fresh food and I place a hand over it as if that'll shush it.
Nikolai looks at me with a smirk and I shoot him a glare that warns him not to comment. So what I like to eat? I know good food when I see it, especially after several hours without it.
Garreth and Ricket clean and cook what I figure out are three squirrels, roasting them over the fire and talking between themselves. I watch the food with hungry eyes and I don't even realize Nikolai is talking until he bumps my shoulder again.
I turn to him with a shake of my head. "What? What did you say?"
He chuckles. "I said I could have gone find you something better to eat had I known all you brought is crackers, dried fruit and old jerky." He takes my last forgotten piece of jerky out of my hand and inspects it with a raised eyebrow.
"First you give me your tent then you offer to go out and kill something? I'm starting to think I'm ill-prepared and you're too nice." I frown at him, swiping back my rabbit jerky. Nikolai shakes his head.
"You are ill-prepared," he says, making my frown deepen. "But for someone who's never left the inner ring of the capital, I'd say that's unsurprising. I should have helped you pack."
"I'm not a child, Nikolai," I snap, tossing the old jerky into the fire. "I bet I'm the only one that packed medical supplies or coins."
"That's funny coming from you," he says with a chuckle. "But it is smart, and I'd bet you're right."
I huff triumphantly as Garreth pulls his squirrel away from the fire. He picks of it's back legs and turns to me, outstretching his arm in my direction.
"Here, Miss, I saw you eyeing it," he says with a knowing smile. I take the meat from him, returning the gesture.
"Thank you, Garreth." I don't bother correcting him again even though the title makes me uncomfortable. I scarf down the squirrel meat, picking out small bones here and there. It's the first time I've actually had squirrel since the royals of the capital think it's below them. A tree varment they call them, dirty and useless. But the meat is tender and has a unique flavor and I find myself wishing they did cook them in the capital because I'd love to eat more of it. Especially now, but I wouldn't say that or ask for more. Not when they're the ones who put in the effort to kill it.
"Do you like it?" Ricket says, starting to offer me the legs from his as well. I nod my head but ward off his offer.
"Please, eat. You killed it. I'm good with crackers."
"I truly don't mind." Ricket says, but I shake my head. He shrugs and offers it to everyone else until finally Orian takes it.
"I'm actually going to call it a night," I say, standing despite my stomach's protest. I only brought so many crackers and dried fruit, I didn't want to eat it all in one night like I know I can. "I will see you guys bright and early."
"She isn't lying," Nikolai snorts and I shoot him a glare before turning on my heel and walking back to the tent.
I kick off my boots once I'm inside and curl up underneath the warm fabric of the blanket. It's quiet besides the noise of crickets, frogs and whatever other little bugs are out there and the frequent laughs of the men outside. It's a change from the complete silence that envelops the castle at night. There it's like the entire castle is holding its breath in wait for the sun, desperate to stay still. Here things stay awake through it all, their lives dependent on the cloak of the night. I find myself falling asleep much faster with the noise of the animals out here in the forest, and I'm out before I know it.