After the Evening Bells

14

They were married by one of the military officials that evening. It wasn't completely uncommon for soldiers to bring home wives from overseas, and their wedding, in the Imperial Administration Office, was joined by two other couples—both soldiers with local girls. She knew one of the girls—the blacksmith's daughter—and the two exchanged awkward looks of recognition, but no words.

That evening they ate a simple meal of rice and spicy lamb sausage, and afterwards, between lovemaking, she helped him pack the things he would bring back east. All of her own belongings were in the single wicker basket she'd brought to the camp.

"Are you sure you won't tell me what happened?" he said. "Why you're leaving?"

"Because I love you," she said.

He laughed. "One day you will tell me." He was wrong about this.

By now her father and brother must have found the note and would probably be looking for her. Farewell, she'd written, the one word she'd managed to spell by asking the scribe's apprentice, a boy who had had a crush on Kellah since childhood, that morning when she'd ran across him in the market.

She'd thought about leaving no note at all, but concluded doing so would be cruel, too reminiscent of what her mother had done. At least they'd know she was alive. They'd never think to look for her in the Redcloaks' camp. They'd inevitably start with Megah who would lead them to Haman who would be a dead end—although perhaps they could then suspect her reasons for leaving.

The night passed without incident—even though Kellah didn't sleep much—and early the next morning a huge imperial caravan began its day's long journey across the umber plains to Zabiz, where they would board ships east.

Despite living all her life so close to the sea, she had never been aboard a boat or ship and when, a day later, she finally stood aboard The Neza and looked out eastward across the endless blue expanse before her, a great fright took hold of her.

They had good weather for the nine-day journey and the ship's navigator commented that he'd never in all his years experienced such smooth sailing. Still, by the journey's second day Kellah was frequently seasick and could often be seen expelling the contents of her stomach over the ship's railing.

"You don't much like the sea, do you?" Joram said after one such incident.

"My stomach doesn't."