distance she saw smoke rising from a farmhouse chimney, and two figures moved slowly in the empty field as if cataloguing their losses. “The road wasn’t so empty south of Cathair,” she observed.
“The winter was much harder north of the city,” Tali said. “I think that those who wished to seek shelter in Cathair have already come; most of the rest refuse to leave their villages.”
Con squinted up at the sky. “It’s going to rain.” He looked at Kaede. “North of here is the Great Wood. People believe that the trouble comes from that direction—I don’t think anyone wishes to seek it out. With few people coming or going, it makes for an empty road.”
“Then won’t we be highly noticeable?” Kaede said. “What about maintaining some secrecy?”
Tali frowned. “We’ll be all right. There are travelers on the road—just not many. And we’re such a small group that we shouldn’t attract too much attention.”
“What will we say is our purpose?” Taisin asked. The damp wind whipped back loose strands of her hair.
“Sir,” Shae said to Tali, “if I might make a suggestion?”
Tali gestured with his half-eaten bun. “Go ahead.”
“If we are asked, we could say that we’re going to visit my family. That will take us to Jilin, and beyond that is the Wood itself—we won’t need a story then.”
“It’s a good idea,” Tali said. “We can do that if we need to, but I don’t think we’ll need to tell much of a story.” He turned to Con and added, “Let me do the talking, Your Highness, and no one will ask.”
“All right,” Con said. “But you don’t need to address me so formally. None of you do—in fact, you shouldn’t while we’re on the road. What happens to one of us happens to us all. We are all equal in this.”
As if to underscore his words, at that moment the sky opened, and Kaede stuffed the last bite of her bun into her mouth as they all scrambled for their rain gear.
It rained for little more than an hour—not heavily but steadily, sliding down their oil-slicked cloaks and dripping onto chilled hands. When it stopped, there was no sun to dry them off, and they were still damp when they arrived at the hostel they planned to sleep at that night.
It was in a small village built right up to the road, a way station for merchants. The hostel itself was tiny, and all but two of its half-dozen rooms were taken. After a supper cooked over the shared stove in the courtyard, they separated to go to their rooms for the night, Kaede with Taisin and Shae, Con with Tali and Pol. Each room had a single platform bed that looked particularly hard and unyielding.
“There’s not much space,” Kaede said. Gauging the width of the bed, she judged that there was just enough room for the three of them. She guessed that in Con’s room, one of the men would have to sleep on the floor.
Shae lit the murky oil lamp on the wobbly bedside table and said, “There’s no heater, either. We may as well get to know one another.”
Kaede laughed. “I’ll take the side closest to the wall.” She began to spread her blankets out.
“I’ll be closest to the door,” Taisin said quickly.
Shae shrugged. “That’s fine with me—I’ll be the warmest one.” She and Kaede grinned at each other, but Taisin seemed to color a little and would not meet their eyes. She turned her back on them to unlace her boots and pull off her outer tunic. As Taisin lifted her hands to her hair to unpin her braids, Kaede caught herself watching. She looked away and saw Shae observing her with a small smile. Kaede flushed. “So,” Shae said, “you have brothers. Three of them, I understand?”
Grateful for the change of subject, Kaede answered, “Yes. All older than I am.”
“I have an older brother myself, and an older sister.”
“Are they both still in Jilin?”
“Yes. My entire family is.”
Taisin tried to ignore them, setting up her bedroll on the edge of the platform. Kaede asked Shae,
“The winter was much harder north of the city,” Tali said. “I think that those who wished to seek shelter in Cathair have already come; most of the rest refuse to leave their villages.”
Con squinted up at the sky. “It’s going to rain.” He looked at Kaede. “North of here is the Great Wood. People believe that the trouble comes from that direction—I don’t think anyone wishes to seek it out. With few people coming or going, it makes for an empty road.”
“Then won’t we be highly noticeable?” Kaede said. “What about maintaining some secrecy?”
Tali frowned. “We’ll be all right. There are travelers on the road—just not many. And we’re such a small group that we shouldn’t attract too much attention.”
“What will we say is our purpose?” Taisin asked. The damp wind whipped back loose strands of her hair.
“Sir,” Shae said to Tali, “if I might make a suggestion?”
Tali gestured with his half-eaten bun. “Go ahead.”
“If we are asked, we could say that we’re going to visit my family. That will take us to Jilin, and beyond that is the Wood itself—we won’t need a story then.”
“It’s a good idea,” Tali said. “We can do that if we need to, but I don’t think we’ll need to tell much of a story.” He turned to Con and added, “Let me do the talking, Your Highness, and no one will ask.”
“All right,” Con said. “But you don’t need to address me so formally. None of you do—in fact, you shouldn’t while we’re on the road. What happens to one of us happens to us all. We are all equal in this.”
As if to underscore his words, at that moment the sky opened, and Kaede stuffed the last bite of her bun into her mouth as they all scrambled for their rain gear.
It rained for little more than an hour—not heavily but steadily, sliding down their oil-slicked cloaks and dripping onto chilled hands. When it stopped, there was no sun to dry them off, and they were still damp when they arrived at the hostel they planned to sleep at that night.
It was in a small village built right up to the road, a way station for merchants. The hostel itself was tiny, and all but two of its half-dozen rooms were taken. After a supper cooked over the shared stove in the courtyard, they separated to go to their rooms for the night, Kaede with Taisin and Shae, Con with Tali and Pol. Each room had a single platform bed that looked particularly hard and unyielding.
“There’s not much space,” Kaede said. Gauging the width of the bed, she judged that there was just enough room for the three of them. She guessed that in Con’s room, one of the men would have to sleep on the floor.
Shae lit the murky oil lamp on the wobbly bedside table and said, “There’s no heater, either. We may as well get to know one another.”
Kaede laughed. “I’ll take the side closest to the wall.” She began to spread her blankets out.
“I’ll be closest to the door,” Taisin said quickly.
Shae shrugged. “That’s fine with me—I’ll be the warmest one.” She and Kaede grinned at each other, but Taisin seemed to color a little and would not meet their eyes. She turned her back on them to unlace her boots and pull off her outer tunic. As Taisin lifted her hands to her hair to unpin her braids, Kaede caught herself watching. She looked away and saw Shae observing her with a small smile. Kaede flushed. “So,” Shae said, “you have brothers. Three of them, I understand?”
Grateful for the change of subject, Kaede answered, “Yes. All older than I am.”
“I have an older brother myself, and an older sister.”
“Are they both still in Jilin?”
“Yes. My entire family is.”
Taisin tried to ignore them, setting up her bedroll on the edge of the platform. Kaede asked Shae,
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