Everything that Hakon felt about Maude warred within him: the irritation at her deception, the betrayal at her abandonment, the respect for her choices, and bitterness for her ability to make the hard decisions he struggled with. He tried to find a way to make her the villain she seemed intent on pretending to be but could not find the reasons to justify them. She was infuriating and relentless, but she had also been thoughtful and caring, especially toward Eydis.
Hakon hung his head in his hands as he leaned over the railing, the cooler air on the water doing nothing for the rise in his emotions. Maude had been right— they were friends, and that was why he felt this all so deeply. And while she had been checking in on Gunnar at the Midnight Palace, Hakon had been drinking himselfinto a stupor every night rather than dealing with how his life was falling apart. He knew that if Herrick had been with him, he would have kicked his ass all the way to the training yard and beat the Hel out of him for acting so foolishly.
Needing to do anything other than wallow, Hakon pulled forth the navigational charts the Elven had brought for their journey. He tracked their position based on the moon's movements before jotting down some numbers with charcoal. At the rate they were sailing, they would arrive in Engate by early morning and— with any luck— to Sigurd's house after nightfall. Their escape would have to be quick, so the Elven crew would have to sail the longboat to Logi and wait for them nearby. The hope was that the city patrols would be centrally focused due to the coronation.
Hakon thought of his brother, the easy smile he had for everyone, and how he could ease most tension by cracking a well-timed joke. He had not been so long apart from his brother before, and he itched to reunite with him. They were the best of friends— they always had been— and now Herrick was suffering. They needed to free him before the damage was irreparable. He needed to save his little brother while there was still enough of him to rescue.
7
Maude crept around the high walls of Logi, theswishandhissof 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 forsomething, 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.
