Bow and Sparrow

CH 38

We packed the rest of our things quickly and we took off in the opposite direction of the patrols. It would take time to backtrack and find another route but to risk being seen could mean trouble, even if they weren't looking for us.

Every once in a while, the twins would split off into the trees and come back moments later with a grim look. It seemed every inch of the border was being guarded.

It was around dusk when we got our first opportunity. Haiden had reported that the scouts had separated, each in a different direction and that if we moved fast, we could slip past them before they met back up. It was risky but it was the first chance we'd gotten all day.

We moved quickly, every snap of a twig or rustle of underbrush making us tense, but soon we were past the scouts. If we crossed the border, we didn't know it. The forest still looked the same.

After putting some distance between us and the patrol groups, we sat down for a break, downing the last dregs of the water cantines Marge had given us. A fine sheen of sweat coated my forehead, from the humid air and the stress.

The journey had taken its toll on our group, I could see it when I looked around. We were moving slower than we started. There wasn't much talking anymore as though our tiredness had robbed us of words.

As we broke through the thicket of trees, we stumbled upon a worn dirt path that had seen many travelers by the feel of the hard-packed dirt beneath my feet. We followed it for a short while, too tired to worry about being spotted anymore, until something wondrous emerged from the darkness.

Along the path was an inn, its windows lit from within with a warm, inviting glow and a sign that hung lazily in the breeze. As if a thread were connecting the inn to my very soul, it tugged. I longed for a proper bed and I could tell that the others felt the same.

Rylan noticed it immediately and seemed to consider it, but then he crushed our spirits when he said, "We have no money."

At that the twins darted ahead of us, crazed laughter bubbling from their throats. I could almost hear the coins rattling in their pockets. We followed eagerly after them.

If the innkeeper -a thin, wiry woman- was surprised to see a battered and weary group walk through her door, she didn't show it. She was probably used to odd characters passing her threshold.

Rylan paid with the twins' money for six beds and a small bale of hay for Dava who was tied to a post outside. He paid in golden dracs and the innkeeper eyed them suspiciously but pocketed them all the same.

"Could we also buy a hot meal?" Anders elbowed his way beside Rylan, leaning against the counter causing the innkeeper to flinch back. She gave a meek nod and crossed the room, disappearing through an open doorway. We heard the sounds of pots and pans clanging in the room beyond.

I looked around the room, taking in our surroundings. There were a few tables and chairs in the open room to our left, the innkeeper's desk to our right and straight ahead was a set of wooden stairs leading to the rooms upstairs.

"Not very homey, is she?" Haigen muttered as we took seats around the table.

"Hopefully she doesn't poison our food." Haiden agreed with his brother. "I heard about an innkeeper doing that once."

"Be grateful she's letting us spend the night." I had the urge to kick their shins under the table but I settled on scolding them instead. "She didn't have to accept your stolen money."

I was only joking about the money part but neither of them denied it. "Really?"

Haigen shrugged in response. "It was for a good cause. We'd be sleeping on the dirt floor without it."

I couldn't argue with that. Just the thought of a warm bed almost caused my eyelids to droop. A short time later, the innkeeper came out from the kitchen, balancing six bowls in her hands. She plopped one down in front of each of us, a bit of stew sloshing over the sides. I murmured a quiet 'thank you' when she finished, retreating back to her spot behind her desk. I could feel her stare on my back.

I gulped a spoonful of stew, pleasantly surprised as I bit into a seasoned vegetable. It was much better than the dried jerky and stale bread we've been living off of.

"How's your shoulder?" Knox asked from beside me.

I bit back a retort, stirring the vegetable soup. I was still mad at him for tricking me. I wiggled my arm in its makeshift sling, a pang of discomfort radiating down my arm. "It's okay."

Knox gave me a knowing smile, "It would've been a lot worse if you hadn't-"

"I know. I know." Or so I'm told.

Knox snorted into his soup, but I couldn't stay mad at him. Not when the promise of a full belly and a good night's sleep awaited us.

It wasn't long until our bowls were empty and we were being led to our rooms upstairs. The twins shared a room down the hall, while Rylan, Anders and Knox took a separate room across the hall from mine, which I got all to myself. It seemed that the other rooms upstairs were empty.

Rylan lingered in the hall after the others had retreated to their rooms and I could tell he had something on his mind.

"What is it?" I asked, leaning heavily against the doorway that led into my room. He didn't answer right away but I waited patiently. If he wanted to tell me, he would.

"I've never left Rezantri before. I hope it wasn't a mistake." Rylan took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair. The morning spent swimming had left it curlier than usual. "Not that I don't trust your judgment. It's just I knew what I was getting myself into and I'm afraid the others didn't think it through before jumping into this mess. They've sacrificed their futures."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." I took his hand in mine and he closed the distance between us.

"That doesn't help." A ghost of a smile crossed Rylan's lips when he looked at me.

"Listen, you didn't force them into this. You can't feel responsible for their choices."

"You're right. Getting them to do anything they don't want to do is impossible." He looked at our intertwined fingers, his thumb brushing over the sensitive spot of my wrist. "I should let you get some sleep instead of keeping you in the hallway all night."

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing." But even as I said it, I fought against a wave of exhaustion that threatened to engulf me, weighing my limbs down. "But maybe I should."

"Goodnight, Noreena." Rylan pressed his lips against my temple, his breath tickling my hair, before retreating back to his shared room. He looked back one last time, as though I was the last thing he wanted to see before he went to sleep, then shut the door behind him.

I did the same, crossing the room to one of the four empty beds. I picked the one closest to the window, making sure it had a good view of the night sky, and dropped my satchel down at the foot of the bed. I was just untucking the blankets when the door opened.

I looked up, expecting to see Rylan in the doorway, but it was the innkeeper. She had a panicked look in her eyes as she raced towards me, and I barely had time to take a step or two backwards before her fingers wrapped around my wrist with a surprising amount of strength.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"What are you talking about?" I tried tugging my hand from her grasp but she tightened her bruising grip, yanking me down so that she could whisper in my ear.

"Do you need help?" Her wide eyes darted back and forth like she was afraid someone would overhear her.

"No, I'm alright." I stammered, then with a little more confidence, "Now if you don't mind, I would like to get some rest."

I jerked free, crossing my arms over my chest and waited for her to leave. She scanned me from head to toe but said nothing else and left, leaving me alone and unsettled. Kicking my shoes off, I curled up under the thin quilt and stared out the window, but not even the stars could calm my nerves.

A/N 

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