After happening upon a river too wide to cross, three days after leaving Redstone, the map none of them really understood came in handy. Had they not had it, they would have travelled several hours in the wrong direction – if not days – before realising their mistake.

The river, from their perspective, cut the land diagonally from north-east to south-west. T’nagyan’s capital K’Tlya was to the north-east, so following the river in that direction seemed reasonable. But upon closer inspection of the map, it was clear the river, when reaching the border, turned south and got even wider. On top of that, just a few days' travel east showed a walled town along the river – there would be bridges, they were sure, but also people.

West, on the other hand, despite taking them back south for a bit, ended in a lake small enough to walk around with only a day's travel.

With the river floating camly to their right, Ellanor and Tara walked parallel to the water just within the treeline. The air was fresh after the storm, the lingering cold being burned away by the now sunny sky. Birds chirped, and had it not been for the whole ‘being on the run’ Ellanor might have stopped to soak in the first real heat of the dawning spring. From time to time Tara poked her in the back, a signal for her to pick up the pace.

Although Ellanor knew this was the fastest way to get around the river, seeing the needle on her compass point over her shoulder felt like backtracking. She supposed if either of them had known how to read a map, or bothered to ask Jane to teach them, they could have avoided this detour from the get go. So when they finally got to the lake, her mood instantly increased.

The lake was a pretty green colour, like the olives that grew in the warmer climates of Casanve and Artárlan, and the calm surface reflected the forest around them near perfectly. The west edge of the water was pushed up against a cliff wall, with a narrow lip of rocky shore for Ellanor and Tara to trek across. Far off on the other side of the lake lay a small wooden pier with a rowboat floating beside it. One could assume there was a cottage somewhere close by, maybe even a village, but there was no reason for them to go exploring.

They had just reached the trees on the other side of the lake when a shadow passed over the water – a shadow too big to be a bird. Ellanor pulled Tara in behind the tangle of a couple of big pines and hunkered down in the undergrowth. Another shadow soared over the lake, and this time Ellanor caught a glimpse of the object casting it.

Black leather armour matched with equally black wings – a Legionnaire, presumably one of Yvet’s. A third one could be spotted flying above the trees further away. The three of them were all heading north.

Ellanor could feel her heart sink, her hands begin to shake as her mind jumped to conclusions on what this could only mean. She swallowed the panic and motioned to Tara to stay down and be quiet. The human nodded her response, her eyes filled with worry.

Creeping out from behind their temporary place of hiding, Ellanor kept one eye on the sky and her ears straining against the natural sounds of the forest. She knew she would not be able to hear a Legionnaire sneak up on her – the warriors were bred for stealth and violence – but what else were she supposed to do? She followed the cliff face, making sure to keep beneath the cover of the trees at all times. There must be a place the two of them could hide, some place where their scent could be masked, somewhere– 

Ellanor almost choked on the relief as the rock wall beside her revealed an opening. She had almost missed it, hiding behind a large bush and two firs. No more than a crack in the wall, but as she looked closer she could see it was big enough for her and Tara to squeeze through. She turned around and rushed back.

Even though she had only been gone for a few minutes, the worry in her chest eased when she found Tara still crouching where Ellanor had left her. It was clear Tara had been equally worried, and – if Ellanor knew her right – only moments away from going after her. She quietly stood and together they headed for the crack in the cliff.

It was a tight squeeze even after removing their packs, but after the first few meters the passage widened into a tunnel that disappeared behind a bend. The air was damper in the cave, and much colder, smelling of moss and animal. A few scattered bones littered the floor and Ellanor prayed the cave’s inhabitant was not home, or maybe did not mind them being there.

From outside the opening had seemed almost invisible, but with the light shining in the cave felt incredibly exposed. They retreated further into the tunnel, stopping just short of the bend where a looming darkness awaited.

Tara untied and spread out her bedroll on the smooth cave floor, batting away a few loose rocks and what looked to be the ribs of a hare. Ellanor suppressed a shiver and began looting through her pack for something to eat – they might as well use this time to get some rest. If the Legionnaires happen to stumble upon their cave, there is nowhere for them to go anyway.

She pulled out an apple, some dried meat, and some bread, and tossed them over to Tara now sitting on the bedroll. The human took the apple, twisted it in half and handed one part to Ellanor as she plopped down beside.

“Impressive.”

“We should not talk,” Tara mumbled, but she smiled at Ellanor and whispered nonetheless, “There are many things I can do that would impress you. I’ve got strong hands.”

Ellanor barely managed to not choke on her apple. “Tara,” she whispered. Had there been any light in the cave, or had Tara had the sensitive eyes of an avvir, she would have seen Ellanor’s face turn a deep red. “You cannot just say things like that.”

Tara chuckled. “We are on the run from six of Avvyr’s elite soldiers, three of which are gnawing at our heels. I think I am entitled to say what I want.” She leaned in and kissed Ellanor on the lips. “Besides,” she mumbled, “there is no one else around.”

The snapping of a twig sounded from outside, and the two of them stiffened and stopped breathing. Ellanor again strained to hear, listening intensely to the sounds bouncing into the cave. Something was indeed moving outside, walking silently. Ellanor risked movement and craned her neck to better see out the opening.

A deer stood chewing on a branch, keeping a watchful eye on its surroundings. Beyond it a few members of its herd were walking along, heads bent to the ground. Ellanor relaxed back against the cave wall, waving her hand at Tara.

“It’s just a deer,” she whispered. “If there were any people nearby they would be spooked.”

Tara too relaxed, but Ellanor could sense she was still anxious. The cave must be incredibly dark to her, Ellanor thought passively.

“We could stay here for the night,” Tara whispered after a while. “Continue tomorrow.”

It was not such a bad idea, but something about the cave – possibly the bones or the smell of animals and rot – made her uneasy. It was empty now, but who knew what would come back home once darkness fell? Ellanor had no desire to find out.

“No, we should continue. The more ground we can cover, the better. Plus the Legionnaires have covered this area for now – with some luck they will not be back for a while.”

Tara nodded in the darkness. “There were only three of them?”

“Yes.”

She was quiet for a bit. “You think the other three went after Jane and Lukas? That they split up?”

Ellanor pulled up her legs and rested her chin against her knees. “Possibly. Probably.”

They did not speak any more after that, Ellanor lost in reverie, barely aware of Tara slowly falling asleep, her head lolling to rest on Ellanor’s shoulder.

Roused from her pondering by a sudden feeling of dread, Ellanor nudged Tara awake and began packing up their few things. The human blinked away the sleep from her eyes, getting to her feet with a soft groan. Ellanor knew the sound, knew all too well the feeling in her own stiff limbs as she hefted the pack onto a shoulder.

Outside the sun was still up, but hiding behind the top of the cliff. The shadow cast made the air chilly, causing Ellanor to wrap her cloak tighter around herself. Behind her she heard Tara do the same.

At first Ellanor walked with caution – eyes flashing to the sky at regular intervals, her body stiffening at every sound – but after an hour without any sign of life beyond some forest animals, she relaxed. Some small part of her was bouncing with excitement at the back of her head –  they were finally heading north again! Their detour to get around the river, as well as their almost-runin with the Legionnaires, had only cost them half a day of progress. On top of that, they had gotten some well needed rest, in spite of the hiding for their lives. What could have been two disasters turned out in their favour.

The sun was setting when they happened upon an old barn at the edge of a large field. Once, Ellanor guessed, crops had most likely been farmed here, but now the sprawling land was more an overgrown tangle of weeds.

They edged around the field, getting closer to the barn to get a better look. It seemed abandoned, the red paint almost black with age and chipping away in places. When they rounded the corner Ellanr could see the whole structure was tilting at an awkward angle. Through a crack in the wall she spotted the floor was covered in the same weeds as outside.

Yes, this place was definitely abandoned. For at least a century.

“Come on,” Ellanor said. “We can stay here tonight.”

Tara looked sceptical as they walked across the short stretch of open field between the forest and the barn. “It looks about to collapse…”

“It survived the storm.”

“Right…” Tara replied without conviction. Still, she did not protest further.

The inside of the barn was less weathered than the outside, but not by much. Old tools, a rundown plow, as well as a wheeled wagon stood along the short wall of the space, the other side holding what seemed to be a pile of rubble. Above them a loft divided the space in two.

“Cozy,” Tara mumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ellanor scoffed. “Since when did you get so picky?” She walked up to the edge of the loft, where a once useful ladder was now no more than a heap of rotting wood on the grassy floor.

“I did grow up in the same estate as you did, you know,” Tara said. “I might have been a mere servant, but I took a liking to finer things.”

Ellanor raised an eyebrow. “Was that why you stuffed your pockets full with Redstone’s jewelry before we left? A ‘liking to finer things’?” She giggled as Tara glared at her. “Come on, help me get up there.”

Tara dropped her pack to the floor, interlocked her fingers and half-crouched beside the once-ladder. Ellanor carefully put her booted foot in the cradle of Tara’s hands and put her own hands to the other woman’s shoulders.

“Okay,” said Ellanor. “One, two, thee–”

Tara pulled up as Ellanor user her free foot to push of the ground. She rushed up toward the lip of the loft and got a grip on the wood. It felt soft and splintered a bit beneath her fingers, but held. With all her strength, and Tara helping from below, Ellanor heaved herself up onto the loft. She pivoted around and reached down toward Tara.

“Give me the packs.”

Tara tossed the packs up one at a time, so that they came within reach of Ellanor’s outstretched hand. Then came the task of getting Tara up.

Ellanor lay flat on her stomach, both arms out over the edge. Tara looked sceptical – or maybe she’d never stopped looking sceptical in the first place.

“I could go and look for something to stand on,” she suggested. “Or maybe some rope…”

“Oh, come on. I am not that weak. Neither are you.”

Tara rolled her eyes, bent her knees and jumped. Ellanor grabbed onto her wrists, Tara doing the same to Ellanor and dangled there a meter above the ground. 

Ellanor grunted. “Care to climb up now?” she said through gritted teeth. The edge of the loft was painfully digging into her armpits and chest.

“Not so strong, now, eh?”

“Shut up and climb!”

Tara snickered as she pulled herself up and got a grip on the loft. She let go of Ellanor and heaved herself over the edge, rolling over on her back and panted. Ellanor would have felt bad for her, had it not been for the pain blooming across her chest.

“You are heavier than you look.”

Tara snorted and sat up. “I’ve got thick bones.” She surveyed the loft, wrinkling her nose in an adorable way. Ellanor had gotten much better at reading her handmaid over the past few days. Or maybe Tara just did not try to hide her thoughts as much anymore. Either way, Ellanor enjoyed it.

The loft was mostly empty, except for a few unmarked crates and a pile of rotting hay. The smell was less than pleasant, but not unbearable. It would do for the night.

They rolled out their sleeping bags, lay down under the patchy roof, and for the first time since they left Redstone Ellanor slept a full night.