Catalin went into the cabin to study the grimoire. Chess kept a worried watch at the stern. Boats were sailing up and down the Rekario, but none of them looked like it carried a squad of soldiers coming at us.

“Stop worrying, no ship can catch up with my baby!” bragged Taiki from the helm.

I looked at the banks. There was no real road along the river, only towpaths. And then forests, and the valley began to look a little too steep for pursuers. We were safe, for now. However, as Mistress Jemos knew where we were, it was only a matter of time before she, or other soldiers, caught up with us.

I came close to Chess, whose black hair blew in the wind.

“They’ll never accept me again,” they whispered when they saw me.

“At this point, it all depends on the outcome of our mission. Either we succeed and we’re all heroes, or we fail and we all fall into disgrace. Let’s assume we’ll save the kingdom, shall we?”

They shook their head. “I ran away from my instructor and fought Brealian soldiers, ma’am. I’m afraid I’m beyond forgiveness.”

I clicked my tongue in disagreement. “You’re seventeen. No one’s beyond redemption at your age!”

Chess glared at me. Their emerald green eyes were red-rimmed. “What if I don’t want to start from scratch once more? Run away from the place I call home, learn another language and try to get people to accept me as I am? I did it once, I thought I’d be fine, and then I lost…” They sniffed. “I’m not going through it again, ma’am.”

“Then I promise I’ll do everything in my power to spare you the ordeal.”

I held out a hand. Chess didn’t know what to do with it, so I patted their shoulder instead. Taiki pretended not to notice us, but I knew he’d been eavesdropping.

Over the rest of the morning, we had snacks, the ones we’d taken from Taiki’s kitchen before leaving, but we didn’t feel hungry. I couldn’t help feeling like soldiers would board us at any given moment.

“And there we go!” announced Taiki when we reached a confluence. He steered the boat portside into the tributary. “This is where I’ll hide for a while. Go ahead and save that dragon for me, will you?”

“Here?” I frowned. This smaller river was no hiding place. But Taiki shrugged.

“I’ll leave you a little further upstream. This is the river Leana. Only a short portion of it is navigable, but that part ends, or begins, if you prefer, in nice little meanders in the middle of a forest. The canopy’s thick enough to hide a smaller boat like mine.”

“Don’t you think the soldiers will find you eventually?”

He winked. “You’re the Great Hero Al, aren’t you? Once you save the Brealian kingdom and the Gold Dragon, I’ll be known as the Tibun boy who helped you.”

“You’re already the Tibun boy helping me.”

“But right now, everyone who thinks the Gold Dragon willingly betrayed the country also believes all of us are traitors. We know better, but please, Al, waste no time. Prove them you’re the hero the prophecy announced.” He glanced sideways at Chess. “And make sure my friend over there gets the career they deserve.”

“I will, I promise.”

We sailed for another hour or so. When the keel touched the riverbed, Taiki anchored his boat as close to the bank as he could. Swift as a cat, he jumped from one tree to another, tying ropes to secure a rudimentary mooring. The rest of us took our bags and prepared to part ways.

Taiki stood on the deck and helped us out of the boat.

“Good luck to you, Great Hero Al. Good luck to you, my friend Chess. And even to you, Zimeon girl!”

Catalin gasped with surprise when he squeezed her, probably a little harder than he should have. She still bowed in respect before following Chess and I through the forest. We’d agreed to go in the general direction of the mountains, where we could find two of our possible destinations, Inabar and Kossi’s lair.

“Sooner or later, we’ll need to know where we’re heading,” sighed Chess.

I ducked to walk under a half-uprooted tree. “I can tell you where to find Kossi by the end of the day, if nothing bad happens to us in the meantime.”

With all we went through over the past few days, I’m not using my daily question now. I might end up needing a miracle.

Catalin gave me a curious look. “How do you expect to know?”

“It’s a special power I have. Not my natural magic, something else, like when I knew where to look for Turoch Garnet’s house. Don’t ask. I can just know things.”

I get answers from an angel who granted me the favor to stay out of trouble, but it doesn’t sound too heroic. Let’s keep it a secret for now.

After walking for what I supposed was a couple of hours, we reached the edge of the forest. We were now on a narrow path between fields that could only hide us from the waist down, unless we decided to crawl, which felt ridiculous. We looked left and right. There was a road some distance to the east. Only a handful of carts, no sign of an angry squad looking for traitors.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Shall we go?”

Chess nodded. “This road leads north. But can we follow it? With King Esthar’s army looking for us, it sounds too dangerous to me. Why don’t we find another route where we can be less noticeable?”

Catalin crossed her arms. “I’m sorry, but the afternoon won’t last forever. We’ll need a place to stay for the night. Why don’t we find a farm or a village? If there’s a Zimeon family, they’ll give us hospitality.”

“Why would they?”

She sighed. “Because you’re my friend, Chess. And Al is my fiancée. You wouldn’t ask this question if you knew Zimeon traditions.”

“All right, all right,” I said, walking between the two with my arms extended on both sides. “Catalin has a point. Let’s follow the road to the first house we find, and ask for hospitality. I have a little money left. I can pay.”

Besides, someone still needs to read the grimoire and learn how to counter the spell, and she’ll do it much better in peace and quiet than in the middle of some damp forest.

Chess sulked like the seventeen-year-old that they were, but they lead the way to the road. We began walking north, eyeing every person we walked by, hoping they may have rat ears so we could ask them for a spare bedroom. The road went between fields, with patches of forest in the distance. It was a nice Spring afternoon, or it would be if we weren’t on the run.

When the sun went down, I began to fear having to spend the night outside.

I did my share of camping when I was younger, but I had a tent and a fire. Chess probably carries a lighter in their bag, and Catalin can summon a fireball. However, I’d hate to just wrap myself in a plaid on the floor, and pray for the weather to remain dry.

“Hello, travelers, do you need a ride?”

I looked up, drawn from my thoughts. The man next to us wasn’t a Zimeon. He was as human as humans got, with small round ears and carrot hair that grayed a little at the temples. He was sitting in a cart full of hay, drawn by two horses.

Chess squinted. “A ride? Where to?”

The man pointed to the horizon. “Lapik, right over there. It’s where I live. You were planning to spend the night there, weren’t you? You’re not getting farther on foot today.”

I looked at his cart. Well, if we run into soldiers by accident, I guess we can hide in the hay. “What do you think, friends?”

Catalin nodded. She looked tired, anyway. Chess, on the other hand, went all around the vehicle, prodding it thoroughly, before accepting the lift.

“My name’s Teo,” the man said. “Come on!”

At a walking pace, the horses were only marginally faster than us, but my legs appreciated the rest. When Catalin coughed, I realized she didn’t do it as often as she used to. Was the fresh air really helping with her health?

The village of Lapik soon appeared on the horizon. No more than a dozen houses gathered around a central building, which probably served as a townhall or as a temple, or probably both. They were all made of stone, similar to some Irish houses I remembered from an old trip. Smoke was only coming out of two chimneys, but the weather was warm enough to explain that. The two that were active were probably used for cooking rather than heating.

“There we are!” said Teo, jumping down from his cart. “Where will you be staying?”

I looked around and saw no inn. Of course. The village is too small for that. “Do you have a barn or something?”

“We can help you unload your hay,” added Catalin with a smile.

He gave her a suspicious look. “I do have a barn, for hay and straw, and sometimes for travelers. Can you pay?”

He offered us a ride, so why is he acting this way now? Oh, well, there’s too much I don’t know about this kingdom. Perhaps the local tradition goes against letting people sleep in your barn for free.

I drew out my purse from my pocket and fished a coin out of it. “Will two trins be enough?”

“That’ll do.” Teo pocketed the money. “Now come on, help me!”

Other villagers came, and with their help, all the hay was soon well aligned inside the barn. Our presence sparked some curiosity. We were asked where we were traveling to, what for… I pretended we were going to the mountain marches to visit Catalin’s sick uncle. Chess was hired for our security.

“Who are you, then?” asked a woman.

“I’m a teacher. I promised I’d teach my friend’s cousins how to read, so now’s the moment.”

Catalin gave me an upset stare.

Sorry, I’m not ready to deal with these villagers’ reaction if I tell them we’re engaged. They’ll ask questions and we’re already attracting too much attention.

Finally, Teo led his horses to the stable and his neighbors went back to their respective lives. The three of us let ourselves fall on the hay. For a moment, we just stared at the planks around, relieved to be able to rest. And then I saw Catalin’s sad face. I owed her an apology.

“I’m sorry I lied about us.”

She sighed. “You’re still uncomfortable with the situation. I understand.”

I propped myself up on an elbow.

“Look, I know I upset you, but I didn’t want everyone to have one more reason to remember us! I’m not ashamed of you, Catalin. You’re brilliant and you deserve more than I give you.”

“If you really thought so, you’d give me more.”

“Catalin…”

She had a bitter smile. “Look, I’m fine. It’s not as if you completely ignored me.” She ran her thumb over the Mera flower dangling from her neck. “You made me see things I could only dream of, and believe it or not, this barn is actually more comfortable than my room in Carastra.”

Chess raised their head. “Really?”

Catalin nodded. “I moved into my own room two years ago, after my sister Danya passed away. Do you remember? I told you about her, back in Carastra.”

“I do. Your third sister who caught pneumonia.”

My heart tightened.

Why am I feeling jealous? Chess knows more about Catalin’s family than I do, but I’m the one who didn’t ask! It’s up to me to change my behavior.

Catalin went on with her usual liveliness, her tail moving with every word. “My first room was horrible. Last winter, I found another place with a nice view of the roofs and a beautiful green wallpaper, but it’s so narrow I can hardly roll over in my sleep!”

Green wallpaper? And she’s sick. And she keeps getting better, now that she no longer sleeps in that room.

Arsenic poisoning. I clenched my fists.

“Sorry to interrupt, but please, if you have any faith left in me, you’ll need to relocate when we go back to Carastra.”

My companions both blinked in disbelief.

“Why?” asked Chess.

“For health reasons. Do you trust me, Catalin?”

She gazed into the hay, wrinkling her brow, thinking.

When this adventure is over, I need a word with the king, or the princess, or whoever can stick their nose into the wallpaper making process.

Suddenly, Catalin’s ears twitched. “Something’s wrong!” she whispered. “People are talking outside and I don’t like the tone of their voices.”

Chess jumped to their feet, went to the door and opened it ajar, very slowly.

“Soldiers!” they said. “They’re talking to the villagers, and someone’s pointing to the barn.”

“Teo?”

“Not him, but what does it change?”

There’s an upcoming crisis, King Esthar needs all his forces in Carastra to take down the dragon, not to mention the risk of Vilo Jozin taking advantage of the situation to try and seize political power. How does he have soldiers to spare for me?

We all grabbed our bags and looked for another exit. There had been one, but it was barred with planks.

“Oh, I hate what I’m about to do…” complained Chess.

They drew their sword and hit the planks, once, twice. The wood was old. On the third time, the blade went through and we were able to kick ourselves a passage. Right on time, though: just as we ran out of the barn and into a poultry yard, the other door burst open.