Eldric chuckled. “Good luck with that! The capital is all the way across the country. It would take you several months to get there on foot.”
When Alissa’s eyes widened, he quickly realized his mistake. He loosened the reins and gave the horse a sharp nudge with his heels, urging the horse to move before he could regret letting his mouth run loose again. If he wanted to escape them and enjoy the peace of solitude, that was the moment to leave and never look back.
The horse broke into a gallop, still finding its rhythm. But before it could reach a pace too fast for human legs to keep up with, Alissa shouted, “Waaaait!”
She jumped onto the back of the carriage, her arms barely reaching the edge. In the end, she found herself hanging from the wooden structure, fingers gripping tightly to hold her weight as Eldric drove the carriage away.
“What are you doing, woman, damn it!” he yelled back at her.
“Take us to the capital!” Her voice was muffled under the heavy wind that brushed past her as the horse gained speed.
“That was not our deal. I already brought you to the canyons! Let me go!”
Alissa could not afford to waste months traveling to the capital on foot. Her time out of Bryniard was limited; in less than six months, her daughter would start presenting the first symptoms of her illness.
Driven by desperation, she shouted, “I can pay you!”
Only then did Eldric stop the carriage. “You have my attention.” His eyes, once filled with panic at seeing the woman dangle from the moving carriage, now sparkled with intrigue.
“I come from a very wealthy family, you see? I can pay you fifty silver coins if you take Freyah and me to Golheim.” Stillseeing the reluctance on his face, she added, “Don’t see it as a deal, see it as a favor, if you will.” Her smile widened.
The last words of the older twin echoed in his mind: “Think well on what your answer will be on the next favor you are asked. It might change your world as you know it.”The man must have been referring to the money Alissa was offering, a life-changing sum that could support Eldric’s mother for years. That would require a slight detour from his final destination, and the shipment’s delivery could be delayed. If he was about to endure the unpleasant company of this annoying, stubborn woman, he might as well earn something from it. It was only sensible.
He sighed, nodding in agreement. Alissa hopped on the front of the horse-drawn cart by his side. She stood up to wave at her friend, who was still standing far back in front of the cave, hands on her hips. When Alissa signaled her to join them, Freyah rushed forward, leaping with excitement.
Eldric did not know it then, but he would never see this sum of money in his life. Alissa could barely afford to feed her child, let alone gather a sum enough to transform all of Bryniard’s constructions into luxurious palaces. She was not proud of lying, but if she wanted this to work, she would need to tackle her problems one step at a time. As long as she kept her purpose in mind and had the means to pursue it, she could deal with the rest later.
Chapter 10
For Heldraine’s Sake!
172 DAYS UNTIL DHALIA’S DEATH DATE.
Eldric tried to let go, but something was gnawing at him since the day he had left the canyons with Alissa and Freyah beside him. In his line of work, Eldric had been everywhere in this country; he knew it like the back of his hand, and still, their accents were unlike any he had ever heard. It baffled him that they had never heard of Golheim before. They did not know anything about the canyons or the twins, who were, in fact, very common characters in children’s horror stories. They didn’t even know what blue cheese was, for Heldraine’s sake!
It was strange to him how ignorant Alissa and Freyah could be of their customs. He understood that in some parts of the kingdom, women did not have easy access to education, but he had never encountered anyone who would fit their level of naivety.
While they rested for the night, sitting on the grass together, he watched them talk about how great the weather had been when he decided it was time to put his mind to rest and let go of these questions eating at him.
“You never told me where you two are from,” he said, his thumb patting his lower lip.
They surveyed him, their eyebrows creased. Alissa’s mouth opened slightly as Freyah tilted her head to one side. “We’re from Bryniard,” she said naturally, as if it was not world-shattering news.
“Bryniard?” Eldric blinked, then widened his eyes like he had seen a ghost.
“Why are you so surprised? We were literally inside the barrels you broughtfromBryniard!”
“Well, yes, but I assumed you had climbed up at some pointafterthe wall, notbefore!” He stood up, the information clearly too overwhelming for him to remain seated.
“How would we have done that if you hadn’t stopped the carriage any time sooner?” Alissa asked with a half-smile, amused by the man’s state of petrifying shock.
“How would I know?” His voice turned squeaky when he spoke. He glanced at Freyah, his eyes landing on her pink eyepatch and the scar that cut through the left side of her face. “Was that…” He trailed off, averting his gaze. “…the work of one of the beasts?”
“It was a wild boar,” she answered, confused by the sudden change of subject.
“What about the beasts?” he insisted.
Freyah pursed her lips. “What are you talking about?”