When Audra walked out, ready to go home, she could not imagine who the horseman her aunt had hired was. He was waiting for her on a skinny, black horse, with four large sacks tied to the chair behind him and an ironic smile on his thin face. Audra rolled her eyes as soon as she saw him and shook her head with a grimace of disgust.

“Good morning, Miss Audra,” Wil said with a wink.

“You? Again?”

“Your aunt offered me a nice pay to help you,” Wil told her. “You are welcome.”

“Why does it have to be you? Is there no other horseman in this neighborhood?”

Wil laughed. “Don’t worry, young Audra, I take my job very seriously.”

“So I cannot get rid of you.” Audra arched both eyebrows.

“Girl, you do bite.” Will made his horse move to a stop beside Audra and stroked its sleek mane. “Let me introduce you to my friend, Perkunas.”

The horse seemed to take it for granted and neighed with its dilated nostrils. His muscles were relaxed, and his ears moved expectantly. She knew those were signs of a relaxed horse.

“So, Perkunas.” She glanced at Wil. “Cute name for a horse.”

“Let’s go. Come on, I’m not going to bite anymore.” He stretched both hands to help Audra mount. She sighed and agreed, grabbed Wil’s hand, and climbed on the horse with a look of displeasure in her eyes. She regretted having to spend the whole trip stuck with Wil and tried to keep her distance.

“Ready?” he asked, then he turned to see her from the corner of his eyes.

“Let’s not waste any more time,” said Audra, and Wil hastened to make the horse trot on the rocky streets, down the ramps for horsemen.

“So you went to visit the sorceress,” Wil said without taking his eyes off the path in front of him.

“I went to her house to fix the drainage, Captain Obvious.”

“Watching the sorceress is a sign that things are not right for you. Is that so?”

“Well, you’ve got to start somewhere.”

“So, Miss Audra... You know what?”

“What?” Audra growled with disinterest.

Wil sighed. “I’m really sorry.”

“Ah? About what?”

“I was an idiot.” His voice indicated sincere regret. “I want you to know that I’m really sorry. I acted like an idiot. Twice. This time I hope I don’t do it anymore.”

Audra sighed. “I hope so too.”

“Fair enough,” Wil said. “Well, how’s the sorceress?”

“She’s fine. Very well.”

“What did she say?”

“She told me not to tell anyone.”

“Seriously? Come on, tell me.” Wil’s obnoxiousness was lethal.

“She gave me a spell to protect me from the people who want to stone me, so that their underwear bursts in flames, and same for the boys who think they can kiss me just because they want to.”

“You’re still angry at me,” Wil said through his teeth.

“Thank you, captain Obvious.”

“Well, as you wish,” he said, shrugging.

Audra looked from one side to another in the city and noticed people pointing and whispering to each other. She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, hiding her face under her hair.

All of a sudden, a cabbage hit her shoulder.

Out of here, you swindler!” A large shopkeeper yelled at her, before throwing a half-rotten cauliflower. Audra dodged; it hit the ground and fell into pieces. She clenched her fists, restraining her anger. She wished the sorceress had actually given her a magical skill, perhaps to make their hair burn, or maybe invoke the stones of the city to swallow annoying citizens.

“Come on.” Wil patted her hand. “Use your magic.”

Audra would have liked to smash his head instead. She whispered in his ear, “Very funny, Wil, now that you’re at work, let’s get out of here. Fast.”

“I also want to get out of here as soon as possible, but there are a lot of people, and…”

A turnip, hard as stone, hit him in the face. He turned bitterly and pouted. “Who did that? Who do you think you are, you idiot!” he shouted at a brown-haired boy who was hiding behind his vegetable stand.

“Now, welcome to my world. Come on, Wil, stop wasting time,” she said, dodging three consecutive carrots.

Suddenly, three guards came out of a brothel, their armor covering them from head to toe, and wielding long, silver spears. They formed a line in front of the horse, blocking their way.

“What the hell?” Wil pulled his horse’s rein, and Perkunas rose on two legs, alarmed.

“They cannot do anything to us.” Audra clung to Wil’s ear. “Can they? Am I wanted? Wil. Tell me. Are they looking for me?”

Wil raised his head toward her. “Well, not that I know of.” He looked forward again. “Is everything all right, gentlemen?”

“Youngling. We have heard some rumors among the people. Some people have started to murmur.”

“What rumors?”

The guard pointed to the cloth sacks around the saddle. “They say you stole that bag.”

“It is not true!” Audra yelled bitterly.

The guards looked at each other as if discussing something important, then glanced at Audra. “Eh, are you the one from the Varunas clan? The one from the play at the central theater?”

Audra lowered her head and took a deep breath. Then she cleared her throat and raised her jaw. “Yes, I am Audra of Varunas. I did not steal this! My aunt gave it to me. She is the brewess in the north wing. Is that clear? If you want to be safe, go and ask.”

“Let’s see, let’s search,” said one of the guards, approaching with a long, silver spear in his hand.

He inspected the wheat bag that hung from the horse’s saddle. He aimed carelessly, pointing the spear at its center and cut it. The grains fell down like a waterfall.

“You, idiot!” Audra quickly dismounted and approached the guard. “Who do you think you are? Do people have no right to live their life? I’m Varunas, yes, but not everything that Siwelzac says is true. Mind your own business! Do you want me to tell King Jogälion how his guards behave? I know you will not like it. I have contacts in the Court of King Jogälion.”

The other two came forward, holding the spears. “Take a step forward, I warn you,” she said as she raised her finger. “I warn you, you will not like it,” she added, but her heart pounded like a war drum.

She took a shaky step back to where Wil was still mounted on the horse, his face pale and his eyes wide.

“Let’s go, Wil,” Audra said. He reached out and helped her onto the horse, while the guards looked on with narrow eyes and murmurs.

“Well done,” whispered Wil, impressed. Audra couldn’t believe what had just happened. She smiled in satisfaction, before glaring again and casting Wil an angry glance.

“Shut up,” she whispered with a stutter. “And let’s get out of here now!”

In an instant, they were galloping through the streets and ramps to the lowest part of the city, barely stopping this time, while the angry crowds complained about the reckless horseman. Audra made sure to keep her head down, pressing it against Wil’s bony back without looking around.

Nothing compared to the relief she felt as soon as they crossed the city walls. She smiled widely and raised her arms to the air.

“At last, we left that blasted city!” Audra closed her eyes as the autumn wind caressed her face. She untied the scarf from her head and let it flutter in the wind. Her heart was filled with joy.

“We did it!” Wil shouted and spurred his horse. The horse started to move faster, causing Audra to lose her balance and fall backward. She reacted in fear and clung tightly to Wil’s body.

“Don’t go so fast, Wil,” she blurted out.

Wil laughed and spurred the horse even more.

“No!” Audra shouted, grabbing him by the neck.

“You don’t like it?” he said, spurring harder. The horse neighed furiously and galloped downhill like a meteor. Audra felt the wind push them back, and she wished she could throw Wil off the horse herself.

“Yeah, Wil! Stop!” She shook him by the shoulders.

The horse galloped like crazy until it finally got tired, and its speed started to drop.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Don’t do that again, Wil,” she sighed.

“Easy, my horse and I know each other well.” Wil stroked the black mane. Audra could already see fields in the distance and the small hill where the castle was built. Her castle stood there, surrounded by dry trees, some of them ash, the drawbridge on the ground and wide open, and what looked like a desert beyond the threshold. Though she still had a castle, Audra felt shame. Wil remained silent and rode to the entrance of the bridge, where they stopped.

“Thank you for taking me, again,” Audra said, gracefully dismounting from the horse. She untied the bag of potatoes, made an effort to hold them in the air, but accidentally dropped them on the ground.

“Careful,” Wil said, dismounting next to her and quickly catching the other two bags in his arms.

“Do you want me to help you carry them inside?” Wil looked at her with a smile.

“Leave them by the door, please.”

He nodded with a wink and carried both bags behind her. Audra sighed and lifted the other bag with all her strength. She dragged it toward the door, her back turned like a frightened cat and holding in the pain.

She stopped right at the entrance, beside the bridge, dropped the bag, and leaned against the wall. Wil came out from behind with a closed-mouth smile.

“Wil, I have to go to greet my brother. I’m sure he’s boiling with anger. But thanks, anyway.”

“There’s no need,” he said and looked at the floor.

Audra waited and prayed to the gods that he wouldn’t ask for another kiss.

“Audra...” he said.

She wanted, with all her heart, to avoid an uncomfortable situation. He did not say anything, just scratched his shoulder-length black hair. Then he laughed timidly. “Sorry, again.” Wil looked at the floor. “Really.”

She sighed. “Don’t worry, Wil.”

“Well,” he said, turning his back on her and walking toward his horse. He mounted it without looking back, and he started to ride down the same path. Audra ran to her brother’s room and opened the door. She walked in and smelled the sweat, not bathing, and saw the piles of dirty laundry piled up in the corner. Kaunas opened his eyes, surprised. His red hair looked like a cuckoo’s nest. Beside him stood a lot of empty bottles and a plate besieged by flies.

“Kaunas. I’m home.”

“Finally.” Kaunas made an effort and raised his torso on the bed, tensing his eyes and gasping in pain. “Good, you do not know how I almost died of hunger for a day and a half.”

“Well, that might help you lose a few pounds.”

“Then you tell me you’ll leave me without eating another minute, and the good Kaunas will die.”

Audra ran to the kitchen, her stomach also roaring, and prepared a stew with everything necessary to make her brother happy: potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and even pieces of dried meat. Then she sat down to eat with Kaunas and ate without saying a word for the first time since the attack.

***

“Good, Audra! So the trip was worth it!” he said and leaned his head against the pillow.

“Yes, it was worth it in the end,” she said, staring at the empty bowl.

“And what were you going to tell me? Let’s see. What did Aunt Talia say?”

Audra told him all about his adventure, omitting the last part: the visit to Tara and the promise between them. How was she going to explain it to him?

After lunch, she went back to her room, closed the door, and pulled the old book from under her bed. She opened it and stared at the marks in the circle, made with all the anger in her heart. It was a testament to her hatred, to her desire for justice. One that would never work.

She had a lot to learn about magic. It frightened her, but her heart urged her to learn about it. Yes, she had made a promise upon her father’s grave, and the only way to do it was that. Fulfill her revenge, just as Tara had called it.

The greatest sorceress in the West.

In addition, she remembered the words of the temple priests.

She lay down on the floor and stared at the thatched roof and wood. Her mind was spinning, and she returned to the subject.

What was the East like? She had heard of a mysterious land, with dark secrets in the forests and mountains, with barbarians who feared nothing and who treated Westerners like animals. The land without control, where there were massacres and a large slave trade of all countries. That sounded scary.

But she also thought of the luxurious dresses of embroidered crimson silk, their fine linens their jewelry; she imagined herself dressed like a princess from those distant empires, remembered the melodiousness of her songs, when people from the East brought those wonderful circuses that visited the country and left days later.

But she had to tell her brother in a way that he understood.

She entered Kaunas’s room, this time, without asking. Kaunas was sitting against the wall, looking through the window, into the field, the forest and the plains. He had already removed the bandages from his head. He had a long, tangled beard, red as a burning firebrand.

“Is something wrong?” Kaunas’s face was pale as if Father had risen from the grave.

“You look good, brother, how do you feel?”

“Well, my neck feels better, at least.” He sighed and winced in pain.

“You should take a bath.” Audra took a small breath, not to smell him.

“Maybe later,” he said.

Audra rolled her eyes. "How's your back?"

"I still cannot move it," Kaunas said with a grunt.

"Are you improving, though? Do you think you'll be able to walk again"

"Don't even mention that," Kaunas said, fear crossing his gaze. That idea also made her shudder.

"I'm sorry," said Audra. She went to the window and flung it open, letting an icy breeze enter like an uninvited guest. Then she sat by the door and looked at her brother. "What do you think? I guess you've had time to think, haven't you?"

"About what?" he asked.

Audra cleared her throat. "Something... important"

"You tell me."

Audra swallowed and looked through the window. "What would you think if I told you...?"

"Did your aunt offer you a job?" he asked worriedly.

Audra swallowed. "I have been offered something...

Audra kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

"A job or what?"

"Something like that," Audra replied.

"What do you mean something like that?" Kaunas growled. "Is it a job or no?"

"Well, it's..."Audra swallowed. "It is, and well-paid... But I'd have to leave the city. I'd... I'd have to leave the kingdom."

Kaunas's eyes opened wide, and his expression morphed to anguish. "The kingdom? Are you out of your mind? One thing is to go to the city every day! I would understand that, but leave the kingdom? Have you gone mad?"

Audra realized the absurdity of it all. Maybe she was selfish, yes, maybe it was inconsiderate. Maybe she wanted to avoid responsibility and get away from him, and she didn't even realize it. And that made it way worse. "Yes, maybe you're right," she said, then looked at Kaunas. "But they promised me they would take care of you."

"Who?"

"Someone," she muttered.

"What? Who promised what? Do not tell me you went to see that fortune teller and believed every word she she said."Audra sighed.

Kaunas gritted his teeth. "Will they pay you well, at least?"

"I hope."

"It does not sound safe at all." kaunas shook his head, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Where do they want you to go?"

"To the East."

"To the East? Is this a joke? Are you playing with me, Audra?" Kaunas grimaced in disgust.

"I am serious, Kaunas, but listen, I believe her, I suppose. As I said, the person who told me is reliable."

"To the East. To the East. This is… inconceivable."

"Yes, but I've heard..."

"Did the fortune teller offer you that... job? Are you really that naive, Audra?"

"Well…"

"And what are you supposed to do? Are you going to be a mercenary? Or slave? Or slave to the mercenaries? Never trust those Easterners. Have you heard of their land? It's full of thieves, of killers, and if you refuse to join their army they kill you and all of your family. They decimate their own soldiers, for the sake of the Gods!"

"Well, Kaunas, what if the pay is good? What if I can assure you that someone is going to protect you? What if, the Gods know, maybe I'll get enough money to pay it all off. I guess you will be able to walk by then. What do you think I should do? Do you think it's a good choice?"

That would hopefully sound convincing. But all she wanted, the only thing that could end their problems was Siwelzac's demise. It didn't matter how much they paid, Siwelzac would always find a way to trap them and extort them.

"Audra, well. I sure hope I can walk by then. I'm not sure, but if they pay as well as you say, maybe..." Kaunas seemed perplexed. He shook his head as if waiting for impending doom. "Well, either way, it's insane. The East? Who goes to the East? Since when do they have work in the East? So…just get more information. If we can make good money, go for it, I guess. I guess. Depends on how much."

But Audra could not be sure. She had to talk to the sorceress and give her an answer. For now. How could she trust her? She had not heard anything bad about her, unless being the King's lover deemed her untrustworthy.

She shut her eyes. But she let trust guide her.

***

A week later, Audra was back on the road with a tight headscarf around her head and dressed in black. She arrived before noon and knocked on Tara's door. She could not say yes to her so quickly, as Kaunas said, there was no gain, no explanation of who was going to take care of her brother.

Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her shoulders. She turned around in surprise and found Talia smiling at her, her dark hair flowing in the air.

"Talia!" Audra said. "Have you seen Mrs. Tara? I have something to tell her!"

"Will you agree to her idea?"

"I have to talk to her. Where is she?"

"Come with me," Talia said, turning and walking toward her own house. She had left the door open. Audra stared at her, confused, and followed her inside.

"So Tara is not here? Where is she?"

"Where she is, I do not know. But she gave me something in case you came."

Audra sighed desperately and sat down at the table.

"I have something for you."

Talia leaned in front of a box on the shelf and took out an envelope, handing it to Audra. It had a red seal like blood and the banner of the kingdom of Ladania: a two-headed eagle holding a bundle of arrows.

"What is this?" Audra looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"It is for you. On behalf of Tara."

"What is it?"

"She told me you should open it as soon as you're alone. It's very important.""Good. Do you know when she returns?"

"I do not think she'll come back for a long time."

"What? Are you going to leave me like this, in the middle of nowhere? She had proposed something to me."

"Did you see the letter? Did you see the seal?" She approached Audra's ear, took the envelope from her hand, and whispered, "This is coming from the king's court."

Audra blinked and felt the colors fade from her face. "What?"

"So, take care of the letter. It is for you, and you only."

Audra nodded. Now what? What was in that letter? She reached for the seal and pulled it slightly.

"Stop there," Talia said. "She said to open it when you're alone. And I must give you something else."

"Well," Audra said, curiosity taking her to the point of madness. "And what else?"

"It's another thing that Tara asked me to do."

"Talia…” Audra got up from the chair. "It's very early. I just wanted to talk to Tara. You know, so she can explain a little more... But you know her more than me. What do you think I should do? Do you think it's a good choice?"

"You can trust her," Talia said, her eyes clear and honest. "I know that for a fact. But you're going to have a very strange adventure. So prepare yourself."

"Do you think that...?"

"You will not get hurt."

"She told me she was going to take care of Kaunas."

"And she will, but that does not mean nothing is going to happen to him. At least, I think it will keep him alive."

Audra swallowed. She shook her head in indignation.

"Alive? Talia! Is there something worse that can happen to him before he dies? Kaunas will not resist anymore. You do not know how he feels now."

"You decide, Audra. She promised you that she would take care of him, whatever it means, she will help you. And thus you will fulfill your purposes."

"Talia, would you trust your nephew? Your niece?"

"Yes," she said with a sigh. "Audra, this is not what you think. It is something much bigger than simple magic. It is not just about hurting people or making them fall in love with people at will. The whole cosmos has to do with it, and all the gods are involved."

"Aunt, I do not get it. What do you mean?"

"It's your decision. I followed the path of Tara myself. It was not easy, but it was worth it. It will not give you what you expect, the way you expect it, because it is not the magic of the earth. It's something that goes beyond."

"But... I do not understand. Do you know when she will return? I think she can explain it to me more clearly."

"She said she was leaving for a long time."

"What? Then, well, you tell me. Talia, this is too much. What does she expect me to do? Or when should I go?"

"I do not know. If I were you, I would do what she tells me. Open the envelope as soon as you're alone, and decide."

"Well." Audra sighed, nodded, and carefully placed the envelope in the bag she was carrying.

"Now wait a moment," Talia said, turning around and running to the pantry. Audra heard the noise of pots and then, Talia appeared, carrying a sack of cloth over her shoulders. She left it on top of the table.

"What is that?" Audra asked.

Audra came over, glanced in, and her mouth watered at the sight of juicy peaches.

"Is this for me?" she asked.

"For you, for Kaunas, and for Lakmé."

"Lakmé?" Audra raised an eyebrow.

Talia took a deep breath, and her green eyes blinked. "On behalf of Tara and you," she said solemnly. "She said this deserved a celebration, but since she was not here, you would take a tribute to the Temple of Lakmé."

"The goddess of fate? If she says so... Where is this temple?"

"On the west gate."

"What does she want me to do?"

"Leave a little fruit and incense."

Audra sighed and looked inside the sack. Seriously? Was she going to give those tasty, juicy peaches to a marble statue?

"She said you must give her the best if you want to do well on the trip."

Audra swallowed, then sighed. "Understood," she said.