Terrin kicked open the cabin door and set the baskets full of plant parts on the kitchen table before collapsing into a chair. Elurra dropped her baskets too and flopped down beside him, panting. She wasn’t used to so much exercise, especially over such rough terrain.
“Terrin? Is that you?” Ramer called from the cellar.
“Yes, and we found everything you needed. We should be good for a while on rith root and yebstalk stem.”
Elurra heard footsteps on the ladder, and a minute later, Ramer appeared from the adjoining room with a fistful of damp leaves.
“It’s getting musty down there. I need you to find some dry weed the next time you go out," he said as he tossed the leaves out an open window.
Terrin's shoulders sagged a bit and he avoided Elurra's gaze. Ramer seemed like a hard man to please. Terrin always tried his best to make his father proud, but he never gave any praise to his son.
“I will," Terrin said dejectedly.
“How are you feeling, Snow?” Ramer asked.
“A bit winded," she said breathlessly, “my feet hurt, and I am sore all over.”
Ramer looked her over critically, then slipped off one of her sandals, which wasn't difficult considering the shoes were too big for her. She had a blister on her heel, but her feet appeared to be undamaged.
“You're fine. Some more exercise will do you good. Let's go into town. I have a few things I need from the market, and I want to pick up some ham from Jake Seeders. He promised me a pound and a half in payment for that tonic I made for his wife.”
Elurra and Terrin groaned in unison, but Ramer ignored them and got two water skins ready for the trip. Elurra had other reasons for not wanting to go into town. So far, she’d managed to avoid civilization. Ramer’s little hut was a comfortable distance away from the main roads and towns, and as such, anyone looking for her wouldn’t find her. But she knew she didn’t have a choice, unless she revealed why she didn’t want to leave the hut.
Even though it was hot outside, she insisted on wearing long sleeves to cover her pale skin and a large, floppy hat that hid her hair and shadowed her face. It was the best she could do for a disguise, coupled with the dirt smudged across her face from their trek through the woods.
It was just past noon when they headed out. The walk to Glan’ak was only about a half hour's journey, but it felt four times longer to Elurra. Her feet ached and she wished she had servants to carry her or take her by carriage.
Elurra was immensely relieved when Glan’ak came into view. It was a small village, but it was well-tended. Border villages and towns normally did well because of traders who frequented them, but Glan’ak was not near any large trading routes. Only small trade came through the mountains here. As they got closer, the noise of the market made its way down the path. Foreign smells and sounds graced her senses, and Elurra forgot about her aching feet. Everything interested her.
The houses were much different from the ones in Lur Alava. Smaller villages in the North would dig into the sides of hills to block the wind and then create bricks of ice and compact snow to build the walls up and insulate the inside of the home. Some would use evergreen wood to make support beams to keep them sturdy. Glan’ak was completely different. The houses were made of sod, wood, and stone, and most had low thatched roofs. The further they walked, the more crowded the road became. Finally, they reached the town square, which was filled with carts, animals, people, and vendors. Strong odors dominated the air, some savory and some wretched. She stared in wonder at the entire chaotic scene before her and was too distracted to notice Terrin's hand slipping into hers.
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“Come on, Snow! If you dawdle you might get lost.”
Terrin practically had to yell to be heard over the roar of voices around them. He pulled her to the left, away from the stream of people entering the square. Ramer was a few carts away, talking to a vendor who had a display of various glass containers in numerous shapes and sizes on his cart. The man was wrapping up a dozen small vials and setting them in a basket Ramer brought along. The vendor was chatting idly, and as they approached, Elurra picked up snippets of their conversation.
“I heard there was a change in rule up there. Somehow, the entire Isálte family died, and they have a new queen. It sounds like it was an accident, but the trader I talked to didn't seem to believe it," the vendor told Ramer.
A younger man in his early twenties was resting against the edge of the cart, waiting his turn to purchase some of the jars.
“No, I 'eard that tha new monarch is ah member of tha Isálte family, too,” the other man commented. “Ah older sista to their former King, I thinks.”
Elurra squeezed Terrin's hand subconsciously. She tilted her head down to hide her face.
“Now that can't be right. If she’s older, then why didn’t she get the throne? It's their custom to allow their oldest daughter to claim the throne when she reaches their acceptable age. Strange ones they are, those ice-dwellers. They let their firstborn rule, male or not,” the vendor commented.
“I believe I 'eard she ran away or some nonsense a long time ago, and when she ‘eard ‘er brother was dead, she came back. She musta fled when tha Demons started comin' and killin' people outta tha blue. Didn't tha Demons kill both tha king's parents?”
“Yeah, that was a scary time to be in the North. Didn't the king and queen have a daughter? Is she dead as well?” Ramer asked, joining the conversation for the first time.
The younger man scratched his bearded chin and looked at the vendor.
“I have no idea. Do ya know, Holm?”
The vendor shrugged his shoulders.
“I reckon so. I did hear they were all dead. I guess that means the lassie too,” Holm speculated.
Terrin yelped and pulled away from Elurra's grasp. Everyone's attention turned to the two children.
“Don't squeeze my fingers so hard, Snow! You might break them!”
“Sorry," she muttered sheepishly, acutely aware of the three men's stares.
“Who do we have here, Ramer?” Holm asked, giving Elurra a once over.
The younger man raised an eyebrow.
“I neva knew Terrin had ah sista. I thought Elain died before havin' any more kids.” Holm shot him a sharp glance at the mention of Ramer's wife. They were all silent for a while, the tension tangible in the air. The young man shifted his feet uncomfortably.
Finally, Ramer said, “She isn't mine. Terrin found her battered and bruised on the road from Dorin. She doesn't like to talk much, but I think she was a runaway from an abusive home. I took her in. I could always use some more help around the house.”
The two men dropped the subject, and Ramer said his goodbyes before heading off to a different vendor. Elurra trailed behind Terrin, making sure to keep her eyes on the ground and her hat brim low. She was relieved the men had stopped talking about her, but she was afraid anyone who saw her would know who she was.
What if Nitiri has people here looking for me? she wondered. News that Ramer had a little girl staying with him would spread, and if her aunt heard, she would …
“Snow, keep up!” Terrin urged, grabbing her arm once again. She followed him grudgingly, hoping not to hear more rumors about Lur Alava. Thankfully, no one else mentioned the new monarch in the Land of Snow, but Elurra found it hard to sleep that night. She was afraid someone would eventually put two and two together.
When she finally did fall asleep, dark images of death, Demons, and blood assaulted her. She wept and wept, but no matter how much she begged Nitiri to stop, her parents’ deaths kept replaying before her.