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Valda nodded before unsheathing the Heaven Sword from the scabbard. “I have all the protection we need right here.” She waved the sword, and Maris took a step back to avoid getting hurt.

“My Queen, I know you are more than capable of killing anyone who dares to come close to us, but really. We should keep them all here with us.”

“I don’t trust any of the guards in my castle. Be content we have at least two.”

“My Queen, we have set the horses with provisions,” a guard said before turning to Maris. “We will take our leave as soon as we get the order.”

Maris opened her mouth to protest, but Valda was faster.

“Off you go,” Valda instructed, searching for Maris with her hand.

Valda bumped her hand with her shoulder and Maris quickly leaned to grab it. “Are you certain this is what you want?”

“Trust me,” Valda muttered.

Maris closed her eyes and nodded, squeezing the older woman’s hands, and settling her eyes on the horses. “Up we go then,” she said, pulling Valda to touch the saddle’s horn. Valda pulled herself up with delicate ease and settled on the horse’s back—bags of provisions secured to their saddlebags.

Maris settled on her horse before grabbing the reins and turning towards the uneven road. The two guards in front exchanged positions with the ones leaving.

“Even this way it might be a hard ride. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“More than anything,” Valda said before clicking her tongue and nudging her heels into the horse’s sides. “If we get started now, we might make it before it gets dark. We do not want to stay out during the night. It will get too cold, and we do not have the cover of the carriage to keep us warm.”

Maris moved closer to Valda’s horse, grabbed one of the reins, and tied it to the cantle of her saddle. “We should hurry up then.” Maris turned to the guards inside the carriage and nodded her head before saying, “The queen will send word of our safe arrival. You must not worry.”

“We will wait for word from both of you. Safe journey,” the carriage driver said with a slight bow of his head.

Valda saluted them before the soft echo of hooves receded behind them. “We must make haste.”

Maris nodded, and clicked her tongue, pressing her heels to the sides of her horse. They departed, following the damaged road to New Agenor.

***

The road to New Agenor was insufferable, and Maris couldn’t hide her annoyance. Each time Valda spoke to her, she would answer tersely, not in the mood for conversation or to be playful with anyone, especially not Valda.

When they arrived during the evening, the idea Maris had in her mind was banished. The whole place looked more like an abandoned settlement than an actual village.

Maris was beyond disgusted.

The entrance to the settlement was badly adorned with a wooden board with the words “New Agenor” drawn with blue paint. This was just pathetic. Her upper lip twitched with unfathomable rage.

A boy, no older than fifteen stood at the settlement’s entrance, holding a wooden spear with three spikes at the end. His tired eyes turned to Valda and Maris as they approached.

Anxiety crept onto his face when he realized that the woman behind her was none other than the queen. “Greetings!” Maris said, trying her hardest to sound as calm and collected as possible.

The young boy swallowed hard and ran back into the settlement, where Maris lost sight of him. The settlement had many houses spread around a large plaza. On the east side, a small tuft of trees encircled what appeared to be the artificial bodies of water that Valda had mentioned. From astride her horse, Maris could only see the trees that contrasted so dramatically with the dry and sandy surroundings.

The houses, all made of different woods, were of various sizes. On the north and south side of the plaza, there were two large two-story houses. The young boy had found refuge in the one on the south, whose windows were illuminated. Unlike the one in the north.

Maris sighed, her breath clouding before her as the temperature dropped dramatically. Thankfully they had made it. As Maris turned to tell Valda the news, she saw the door of the south house open. The boy came out with a woman behind him. Her hair was the same shade of aqua, and her face suggested that she didn’t have many friends.Maris recognized her right away. It was the woman from the audience.

Maris swallowed as she took her in once more. At closer inspection, she didn’t look tall, her body was plump and strong. Her hair was short, buzz cut on the sides. Her deep frown made her look menacing.

She wore a black sleeveless tunic and dark skin-tight slacks that clung to her strong thighs. She was barefoot, and her arms were covered with faint traces of ink.

“Maris?” Valda’s voice pulled her away from the scrutiny.

“They are coming our way,” Maris replied.