“What was in the letter?” Nicolai asks, as they continue walking north, towards the next town. 

     When they get there, they’ll be able to pay a carriage service to take them further, assuming Nicolai has money. He’d mentioned buying tea, so hopefully he can also pay for a carriage, because she had left everything she owned back in Felway - money included - and she is not looking forward to walking all the way to the point where they’ll finally board a boat. 

     She should have been suspicious of that fancy envelope. Who would write to her in a thick, shiny maroon envelope, embossed by golden paint that literally shone with tiny flecks of sparkling micah? Certainly nobody that she had ever known.

     After the tavern was closed and cleaned up, and she’d returned to her quiet room, she finally sat down to open that letter. She hadn’t noticed before, since she’d been busy, but it had a wax seal on it. She didn’t recognize the emblem, but she began to get a bad feeling the moment she saw it. 

     The words read:

     “I, Queen Nola of the Mivragran Kingdom, summon you, Kaeda Meadows, to my palace immediately. This is not a request. I sent my best tracker to find you, in hopes of offering you a proposal, and he never returned - but you know this. I received word that he was murdered at your address. You will answer for this crime against my court. You have fourteen days to arrive in Mivraga. Should you fail to heed this summons, you will be tracked and arrested.”

     The heavy paper was signed by the queen in a beautiful looping script.

     Kaeda’s hands shook as she folded it back into the envelope and set it down.

     What? How did she even find her here? Was someone spying on her for Nola? The thought made her skin crawl. It could be any one of their customers, coming in here to check on her and then reporting to the queen. 

     The peace she’d finally found here was shattered. She needed to think, to come up with a plan, but she was so rattled she couldn’t focus. The best way for her to calm her mind was to push her body to its limits. 

     She didn’t know if Draik would be awake and willing to spar with her so late, but she decided to go knock on his door.

     She replaced her work clothes with black leggings and a soft, sleeveless, white tunic - clothes that would be comfortable to fight in. After lacing up her thin-soled black leather boots, she slipped out the back door of the tavern into the soft light. 

     Most people were asleep at this time, so the town was quiet as she made her way to Draik’s house. She wondered if she was making a mistake by calling on him so late. She didn’t want to be rude or give him the wrong idea, but she also didn’t want to be alone. She didn’t think going for a run would be enough to help her settle down right now. 

     When she reached his modest house, she hesitated for a moment before knocking softly on the door. If he didn’t answer, she’d leave him alone and try going for a run instead. 

     Inhaling a deep breath through her nose, exhaling slowly between pursed lips, she let the sweet smell of the flowers growing near his door soothe her a little as she waited.

     She almost turned around and walked away before the door finally opened, revealing a very disheveled Draik. He looked even better than usual. His silky black hair was unbound, falling around his large shoulders. He was wearing loose pants, low on his hips, revealing every inch of his toned abdominal muscles.

     Not wanting to be in a relationship with him didn’t mean that she couldn’t appreciate how good looking he was. 

     He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Need something, Kae?”

     “Yeah. I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I was hoping we could do some sparring. It’s just that I’m a little keyed up and can’t get to sleep.”

     “Sure,” he yawned, “let me go get dressed. Come on in.”

     She stepped into his front room and sat down on the couch, as he disappeared into his bedroom to get dressed. She sat fidgeting with her own hands until he came back into the room.

     “What’s bothering you?” he asked, tying his hair back.

     “I, um… I’m not really ready to talk about it.” And that was good enough for Draik. He didn’t pressure her to tell him anything. He just led her out the back door to where they always practiced. 

     “You’ll be the first person I talk to once I sort my thoughts out.” she promised. 

     He nodded and moved into position, and she followed his lead. Then, they fought until they were both out of breath and her mind was blissfully calm. He beat her, but she didn’t mind at all.

     As she was leaving, Draik stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “You’re okay?” he asked.

     She could see the genuine concern in his eyes, and she didn’t want to burden him with her problems just then, so she lied. “Yeah. Thank you. I’m okay.”

     On and on, Nicolai and Kaeda keep walking, stopping occasionally to rest and eat. Her story pours out of her along the way. 

     It feels weird to tell him about Draik, and she hopes he isn’t jealous of her old friend.

     “What will we do after we reach Tavedor?” she wonders.

     “I don’t know yet, but we can’t just run forever. That’s no way to live. You must be tired of it.”

     I am, she thinks. She’s so tired of running and looking over her shoulder everywhere she goes. She’s so tired of the people around her getting hurt. She wants to be free to settle down, especially now that she has Nico back. 

     They’re still so young. If they had the freedom to do so, they could do whatever they wanted. They could have a family and live a beautiful life. She wants that. If he wants that too, it’s worth fighting for.