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“Oh,” was Magda’s only reply. She had a look of surprise on her face, and her gaze grew distant as she thought.

“You don’t need to worry about him,” I urged. “I trust him, and you can too.”

She pursed her lips. “It’s hard for me to trust people,” she answered quietly. “Especially men.”

“Why?” Maybe the answer was obvious, with women always being taught to be wary of men. But I asked anyway.

She shook her head. “Nadia and I are actually originally from Chatus. Our…our father, he was a drunk. He used to beat my mother and me, most nights. When Nadia was born, his drinking only worsened, and so did his beatings. My mother took me and Nadia and ran. That’s when she found the village, and they took us in. She died a year later of illness, and I was left to raise Nadia. Even though we were safe, it took me a long time to open up to thevillagers.

“And then I met Gabriel.” She smiled, her eyes brightening. “He showed me how to love. How to trust. But even after all this time, men…intimidate me. All but him. We’re getting married in a year. If…if he’s still alive.” She sniffled, and my heart ached for her. He must have been in the group they separated from when the bandits attacked. I prayed to the gods for her that he survived.

“I’m so sorry that all that happened to you,” I said. “You were just a child. And your father sounds like a bad man. But Elias is not. I promise.”

She gave a half smile. “I believe you.”

We kept walking for another hour or two, Elias’s patience likely growing thinner and thinner with every invasive question from Nadia. She did give up pestering him eventually, and started chatting with me instead. It was when we finally decided to stop and make camp for the night that she asked the question I was hoping to avoid. “Where are you from, Aura?” she pondered gleefully.

I set my pack down and began laying out my blanket while trying to think of a response. I peered over to Magda who was eyeing me curiously, clearly also waiting for my answer. “Rimor,” I finally answered truthfully, unable to think of a better lie. Elias subtly glanced at me while he set up his own blanket.

“Oh, I’ve never been there!” Nadia squealed. “What’s it like?”

I smiled and happily spoke of my beautiful kingdom without sparing any detail. The stone streets that bustled with busy workers every day was a sight to behold. The vast farmlands that existed outside the city limits provided bountiful food and harvest year-round. The intricate stonework done on each and every building, even the small homes, was like a deeply talented artist sculpted each home with their bare hands. Lastly, the way Rimor Castle looked when it was lit up at night, which was breathtakingly stunning. Isuddenly started to feel a little homesick, but I was glad that Nadia didn’t press further about why we were so far from my home or where we were headed, although I assumed Magda would ask eventually.

“Wow,” Nadia replied when I was finished. “It sounds beautiful.”

“It is,” I smiled back. “Maybe someday I can show you around.”

Nadia’s eyes grew wide. “Yes please!” she squealed again. And without another second, she changed the subject immediately, her brain moving a thousand miles a minute. “How’d you know how to save me from the poisonous berries? Did you learn that in Rimor?” she asked.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her spontaneous questions. I was now very certain that they drove Elias crazy. “I have a book on plants,” I answered, then pulled it out of my pack to show her.

“Neat!” she smiled. We opened it together, Nadia asking questions about every single plant even though all the information was right there on the page. “What’s this one?” she said, pointing to a flower with long rows of purple pedals that cascaded down a tall stem.

“Wolfsbane,” I answered, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Elias’s head shoot in our direction.

“It’s pretty,” she said.

“It’s also very poisonous,” I answered. “Just because something looks tasty or pretty doesn’t mean you should eat or touch it,” I reminded her.

“I know, I know,” she sighed. “What happens if you eat this one?”

“Let’s see.” I ran my finger down the page. “Nausea, vomiting, dizziness,” I read aloud. “And here, it says it’s extremely dangerous for… oh,” I stopped.

“Dangerous for what?”

“I’m not sure, the writing is smudged. This is a very old book.”

She frowned. “Well I promise I won’t eat it,” she said with a triumphant nod, and I laughed.

A moment later, Magda came and urged her sister to start getting ready for the night. I slept deeply until Elias woke me so I could take watch. I didn’t mind at all, watching over my new friends as they slept peacefully.

The next two days passed uneventfully. I was thrilled to know that we did not need to cross Rebellia River again to get to Chatus. Neither Magda nor Nadia pressed us further about why we were in the middle of the deep forest when we found them. I had the feeling Magda knew we kept our secrets for good reason.

“It’s not much further,” Elias called back to the three of us as we stopped to fill our canteens in a stream. “Maybe an hour out.”

“We made good time then,” Magda said enthusiastically. Elias only nodded.

I finished filling my canteen and walked up to Elias while the sisters continued chatting by the stream. “I want to run something by you,” I said as I approached him.