Page 15

Maude crept around the high walls of Logi, the swish and hiss of the sand beneath her boots deafening in the silent desert.

They traveled at a breakneck pace once they reached Engate, stopping at The Cask and Crow Inn quickly to say hurried hellos to Thora and gather supplies from the generous woman who ran the local tavern.

Thora had grasped Maude's cheeks before they left and peered deep into her eyes, looking for something , but Maude did not know what.

Seemingly satisfied at what she saw, she released her and said, "Yer on the right track, dear. Bring our boy home."

The inn had been surprisingly empty, the usually full tables bare and dusty. A large trunk had been by the stairs, and a smaller pack had been laid on top. Thora was dressed in a traveling cloak, the sturdy kind built for cold nights.

When Maude asked if she was going somewhere, Thora only had a twinkle in her eye when she said, "To a better fate, my dear."

By the time they exited the tavern, a small group of residents had gathered in the shadows of the building.

They were all dressed in traveling cloaks similar to Thora's, their small packs bulging with their belongings.

It seemed the innkeeper would be bringing along some of those who wished to escape the Kingdom of Flame.

A flash of blonde caught Maude's eye as her group turned north toward Logi, forcing her to slow.

In the back of the group a woman with a small bundle wrapped around her chest was crouching in front of a young boy who was still trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes as she adjusted the cloak on his shoulders .

Her breath stilled in her chest as the sun crested over the top of the buildings, the light of the new day shining in the face of the youngling who looked so like her friend that was lost to the gods.

Eydis . Her brothers were safe and well all in the name of their family's sacrifice.

And now they were on their way to a better fate, as Thora had said.

A delicate breeze wove through the small town, caressing Maude's tear stained cheek before wrapping around the group of travelers.

The young boy looked up to the sky as the wind swirled around him rapidly, making his blonde curls lift slightly as he let out a burst of laughter as light as the wind chimes that blew in the windows of the homes in Logi.

The warmth of Eydis's presence evaporated when the family moved with the rest of the group behind the tavern as they followed Thora to that brighter future leaving Maude standing on the threshold of her grief as it churned in her gut, transforming into something new that sparked a fire in her soul.

That fire never left her as they departed Engate.

Once they had taken off on foot toward Logi, their group had been silent.

Tense.The dry heat and towering sand dunes was welcoming to Maude, her stride adjusting to the soft, uneven surface they trekked across.

By the time the desert air had cooled with the setting sun, they had reached the southern gate— the wall that Maude had carried Herrick down when he had been injured before dragging him through the desert.

She didn't understand why she had been helping him at the time, but Maude told herself it was her fate that urged her closer to him. Even if she knew that was a lie.

"This should be the darkest spot to climb over," Liv said when Maude had reached the red stone that stood between her and Logi. "We'll be able to see the guards from the top of the wall before we climb down."

"We should split up," Bryn suggested.

Before she could finish speaking, they all loudly whispered, "No."

Bryn put her hands up in surrender at the vehement response. "Fine."

"I'll go first," Maude said, moving up to the wall before a hand stopped her.

"No, it should be me," Liv offered when Hakon went to argue. "You're both too important to go first. "

"Don't be ridiculous," Maude argued, pushing Liv's hands off her and moving toward the wall.

"I should go; he's my brother," Hakon said, pushing past both women.

"You're the Heir of Rivers. Get back," Maude said, pulling on the back of his tunic before he could get too far.

"Or you could all just follow me already. The guards just passed this part of the wall, and we have about a forty second window," Bryn called out quietly from the top of the wall.

Maude looked up at her sister, shock rolling through her, followed by amusement at how fast she had gotten up to the top. Liv whistled, the sound low and impressed as Hakon began to climb. Soon, they were all over the wall and hugging the shadows of the tight alleys.

Logi.The city and slums where Maude had found her freedom all those years ago.

The red dirt-packed earth below her felt familiar, like stepping into terrain she could navigate with her eyes closed.

The roasting of meat from the food carts in the main alleys drifted toward her, the smell comforting.

As they snuck past the busy evening markets that were interspersed between the narrowly packing buildings, Maude felt a sense of peace wash over her.

These were her people, her friends amongst strangers. She was just like everyone else when she had been living here. She cherished those memories more than most of her childhood.

Bryn scouted ahead a few streets before reporting back where the guards would go so they could sneak past.

"You're awfully familiar with these routes," Hakon said as he just narrowly missed being found by the next patrol.

"I created these patrols," Bryn huffed as she caught her breath. They were almost to Sigurd's house. Hopefully the man would let them in, unexpected as their arrival was. "Whoever replaced me was obviously too lazy to redraw their paths. We got lucky. "

"The gods are with us tonight," Liv whispered, her words heavy in the darkness they hid in.

Maude ignored the shiver down her back, the way the words seemed to ring true in the night.

"Come on," Bryn said, her voice shaking slightly.

On and on, they ran, winding between shadows and hugging the walls of the alleys, until the buildings leading up to The Broken Bones Pub appeared.

Maude had just quickened her step in her haste to get to Sigurd's house when Bryn clamped an arm around her chest and quickly covered her mouth before she could make a sound.

A moment later, it became clear why.

"Any fugitives found being harbored in your home will be subject to trial before the High King, ending with execution," a soldier recounted. "If you are hiding any illegal vitki in your home, you will be subject to the same punishment. You have no say in this mandatory search. Step aside."

"No, this is still my home, and you have no proof I am doing anything illegal," Sigurd said, his voice harder than Maude had ever heard.

The sound of a struggle skated into the alley they hid in before the door slammed into the wall with a loud bang . Through the thin walls surrounding Sigurd's house, they could hear soldiers combing through the living space.

Liv silently crept toward the back gate that hid the private oasis from public view, the watering hole a protected secret amongst the poorest of citizens living in Logi.

Maude followed to see what Liv was doing but quickly realized her plan when the oasis shuttered before her very eyes, the thick galder of Liv's glamour transferring from her body to the clearing.

The bright green shrubbery and the trickling water of the secret paradise quickly turned to ash and dust, the space holding nothing interesting to the naked eye.

If Maude looked close enough, she could see the pulsing galder belonging to Liv in the air around them like it was a living, breathing entity. Until now, she had never seen Liv use any galder and was thoroughly impressed with her ability.

After what felt like an eternity, the soldiers left Sigurd's house, presumably in shambles.

Liv dropped her glamour, the galder dissipating into thin wisps, revealing the oasis in all its glory once more.

Hakon helped Liv stand as Bryn and Maude moved through the back gate toward Sigurd's house.

Before her sister could take another step closer to the sanctuary that Sigurd could provide, a curved blade of a small axe butted up against Bryn's throat from the shadows.

Maude withdrew her own axe before anyone else could intervene and held it up to Sigurd's own exposed throat.

"Sigurd, my old friend," Maude purred, the point of her dagger pressing into the man's abdomen and forcing him to go rigid. "If you don't take that blade off my sister's neck, I'll be forced to gut you in your own home. The gods look down on that, and I could really use their favor right now."

Sigurd's ice-blue eyes swung wildly between Bryn and Maude, the former holding her hands up to show she was unarmed.

He looked the same as the last time she saw him: neatly braided silver blonde hair and thick beard.

Black paint was smudged around his eyes, the same way he wore it when he was planning to open the fighting pits up, but lingering in his gaze was an exhaustion that hadn't been there a few weeks ago.

"Sisters, eh? I should've known," Sigurd said, not lowering his blade. "Did you know that your sister was not just a Flame Soldier but the Lieutenant General?"

"Not anymore," Bryn said through her teeth, never taking her hazel eyes off Sigurd's blade. "A lot has changed."

There was a beat of silence before Sigurd lowered his axe. Maude slowly lowered her blades but kept them loosely in her hands.

"So it seems," he said before looking over Bryn's shoulder at Hakon and Liv. "Better come inside, don't want the Elven to be spotted."

Liv's hands flew to her ears, the delicately pointed tips flaring a deep maroon before Liv snapped her glamour back into place. They all hastily entered Sigurd's home and spread out in the living space, the open flooring beneficial as tension continued to rise.