From Darkness Won - Jill Williamson [102]
She reached out for Gren again. Gren? Could you come and help me lace my dress?
Right away, my lady.
Averella caught sight of the ring on the sideboard. She quickly put the chain back around her neck and dropped the ring inside her bodice. It hung between her gown and bindings, creating an awkward lump over her stomach. She reached into her neckline and tucked the ring and chain inside the linen bindings.
“My lady?” A knock followed Gren’s voice.
She jumped and spun around so that her bare back faced away from the door. “Come in.”
Once Averella was properly dressed, she went out to the main room of the cottage and sat at the table across from Noam, who was greasing horse tack. Gren sat beside her. Master Poe remained where he was across the room, leaning against the wall, arms folded.
“Are we ready to depart?” Averella asked.
“Should be, my lady,” Noam said. “We only need to fill all our water jugs.”
“I must warn you,” she said. “My mother said that Darkness will play tricks on our minds, cause us to hallucinate. We must keep up conversation to prevent this.”
“Told you there wasn’t a snake,” Noam said to Gren.
She smirked. “Nor were the horses talking to you.”
Noam shifted his gaze to Averella. “But, my lady, we only have two horses. Will we travel with the cart?”
“I think that is best. That way we will look like a homeless merchant and his household.” Averella looked from face to face. “Master Fox will drive, Master Poe will ride with him on top. Gren and I will sit in the back.”
“What if someone stops us?” Noam asked. “What if they check me for the mark of the stray?”
“Do not fear, Master Fox. If we are truly at war, there are more important things for soldiers to worry about than a missing stray.”
“Will you tell Achan of our plans?” Gren asked.
The room became very silent. “I see no reason to. My mother is aware.”
“He would want to know,” Gren said.
Averella searched for some excuse. Any excuse. “I am not certain I can message the prince.”
Gren shot her a daring look. “You’re not willing to try?”
“Not until my memory returns. And if it does not, well, too much communication would only complicate matters.”
Gren huffed a sigh. “Achan is the best of men.”
“I am sure he is honorable and just and good in every way. But I have no memory of him, Gren, except of our time spent in the Veil. I simply need more time.”
The wagon creaked over the dirt road, south, through Darkness, toward Mahanaim. Gren and Noam sang a song.
Hear the pretty maiden sing,
Hair and ribbons all flowing.
She can take my heart away,
By her side I long to stay.
Averella did not know why, but this song made her uncomfortable. She tried to block out the words by focusing on their destination. If they could get inside Mahanaim…
A sour smell grew. An animal must have died nearby. She covered her nose with her hand and stared into the black surroundings. Mahanaim sat on a maze of stagnant canals, she knew, but it would be days before they reached the city.
Water lapped at the sides of the wagon. How could there be water beside the wagon when she could not hear the horses wading through it?
The wagon jolted underneath her. She gripped the side. A deafening howl penetrated the night. Something rammed the side of the wagon. Water splashed into the wagon bed, drenching Averella in cold, slimy water.
She yelped and drew back from the edge of the wagon. “What is happening, Master Fox?”
But Noam was not there. No one was. In fact, Averella no longer sat in the wagon at all. She lay alone on the bottom of a small animal-skin boat.
The keening howl ripped through the Darkness again. Averella pressed her hands over her ears. The boat rocked, hit something solid. A creature jumped on her.
She screamed and slapped the creature. It was wet and furry and—
“My lady, please! Ah!”
Averella stilled at the sound of Harnu’s voice. Pale torchlight illuminated the wagon. No boat.
Harnu held Averella on his lap, cradling