The Witch Woman's Prophecy

38 | Escape |

We rode without pause until the late morning sun glared down at us and the heat made it impossible to travel any further. We were tired to the centres of our bones when we dismounted and led the camels to cool them down. They must have been exhausted from running for so long; they bellowed at us and snapped at us with their yellow teeth.

After we had drunk from our water skins and eaten a sparse breakfast, we flung ourselves down in the shade of a hastily pitched shelter and tried to sleep. I thought of Umae and the care with which she prepared the fruit, sweet pastries and tea we would have enjoyed if we had still been in Grohal's house.

'What happened in Polemmy after Umae brought me out?' I asked to take my mind off my unhappy stomach.

'Prindah told the Council you should be taken by the guards and kept confined until you could tell him in front of the council how you were going to repay him and the injured guards. He said that if you weren't held then you would run away,' Naamiya said looking straight at me.

Prindah was correct, I had run away. I bit down on a laugh, knowing that I might not be able to stop myself if I started.

'There were people outside the Council Hall shouting to the crowd, telling them that you had come to burn down the city with Before Time relics. They were all yelling the same thing, as though they'd been told what to say,' Naamiya continued.

Had Prindah paid people to stir up the crowd? It wasn't hard to for me to believe since he had tried to trap me in the storeroom in the Council Hall. Maybe he had been behind the dead archer's attempt to put an arrow into me and the attempt to drown me in the pool too.

'The crowd was held back by the vorhisti until the guards broke it up and sent the people to their homes,' Soni continued the story. 'Then the guards came to my father's house to take you into safekeeping but nobody knew where you were. I hadn't told anyone where we were planning to go, because I didn't have time to go to the Head Ustel. I expect the guards still think that you are hiding somewhere in the city.'

'This guard doesn't!' said Naamiya.

I laughed, grateful for the joke to ease our tension but Soni was silent for a breath or two.

'The guards searched our home. My father was furious at their intrusion, but they told him they couldn't guarantee his safety if they didn't check inside for you,' said Soni, still looking at the sand as though she found it of great interest. 'Jalada was terrified and Farlan screamed and tried to hit them.'

My happy mood fled from me and I was filled with shame that I had caused so much distress the family who had taken me in and been so kind to me. I wished that I could tell Grohal and Jalada how much their hospitality had meant to me and that I never intended for any of this to happen. I would probably never get the chance now.

Umae had saved my life by getting me out when she did. What the crowd would have done to me if they'd caught me was too unpleasant to think about. Would I ever be able to thank her?

'We must sleep now and start moving as soon as the day begins to cool,' said Naamiya. 'When people realise we are missing, we will be followed by the guards. We can't wait for them to catch us. We have to move faster than they do.'

We settled in the shade and at last weariness forced me down into sleep.

***

When I was roused by Soni's prodding I felt as though I had not rested at all. My eyes were crusted and sticky and my body felt as though it had been pounded like dough. She looked at the map while we readied ourselves to leave and I could tell that her face wore a frown.