Chapter 12

We stood underneath the thick canopy on the other side of the riverbank, watching the flames light up the sky.

“Will they come after us?”, Uruk asked.

“They don’t know we’ve crossed the river, and they don’t have enough soldiers to look for us”, Karim said.

He helped Selene sit down next to me and sighed.

“We don’t have any other choice but to stay here until Selene has recovered”, he continued. “We’ve done what we could. The rest is in Goddess's hands.”

Uruk gently placed Aki on the ground and covered her with blankets. I stared at Selene, leaning heavy into me with her cheek resting on my shoulders.

“What happened to her? Is she okay?”

“She spent too much when she used her spell to protect us from the flames”, Uruk said, and sat down next to Aki.

“Will she…?”

A pang of fear shot through me.

“She will regain her strength, don’t worry”, Karim reassured me.

I took a blanket and wrapped it around us, hoping it would keep her warm. She murmured something and leaned closer. Karim reached out a hand to me, placing the other on Uruk, and recited,

Soft like a feather,

hard like a steel,

shine like a star

in the starry sky.

I dispel the darkness

and bring the light.

I don’t regret

walking this path.

We went silent, and I watched the sky blaze in the darkness when Uruk declared,

“Let’s get some rest, if we can.”

I lied down next to Selene, wrapping the blanket closer around us, too tired to think about how awkward it was to have her so close.

I woke up when the morning light pierced through the canopy. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air, but I could no longer hear the crackling of the fire on the other side of the river. Selene was still asleep, her head resting on my shoulder. I was glad she wasn’t awake. It was weird enough to have someone lying next to me, but… I sighed. It was also somehow comforting. I didn’t have the heart to wake her up, so I forced myself to look around, trying to focus on something else.

Karim sat on a fallen tree trunk, his eyes closed, murmuring what must be the Goddess’s prayer to himself. Uruk was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t want to disturb Karim, so I stayed in bed, or at least that’s how I justified staying close to Selene for a bit longer.

Moments later, Uruk came out from the trees, carrying his axe in his hands.

“I don’t think they’ve crossed the river”, he said.

Karim got up and took a map from his bag. Realising that they would make a plan, I carefully disengaged from Selene and joined them.

So this is how the world looked, I thought, as I looked at the map. Karim laid a finger on it.

“We are here. If we follow this road, we will reach Akka by the evening.”

“Do you trust their King?” Uruk asked.

Karim went silent for a moment before answering,

“He may be a thief, but he is no traitor. His banners flung between those who defended Tarnis.”

“So he saw what happened to those who resisted the Imperium”, Selene said.

I flinched in surprise. She stood next to us, wrapped in the blanket. She must have got up without me noticing.

“We need to be careful”, she continued. “His land is the first to fall if the Imperium makes a move”

“Isn’t there any other place we can go to?”, I asked, looking at the map.

“There is, but Aki doesn’t have much time and Akka is the closest”, Karim said quietly, glancing at her lying on the ground.

He rolled up the map, and I looked at Selene. She seemed tired, swaying where she stood. She caught my gaze and tried to smile.

“Thank you for keeping me warm.”

I only nodded, forcing myself to push away the images of her lying close to me that suddenly popped into my head. I turned and went to pack, trying to keep myself busy with something else than thinking about the night.

We shared what little food we had left, and when the sun was high in the sky, we set out again. Soon, we found a path and, after some time, it merged into a road. According to Uruk, it would take us to Akka.

Karim had told me I would pretend to be a wild barbarian to the people of Akka, hired by the group to guide them through the desert we’d passed. They didn’t want me to play the part of the Goddess yet. According to Uruk, it would be too risky, especially since they weren't sure how loyal the King of Akka was, and considering how close this land lay to the Imperium.

I was happy to hear that I didn’t need to be a hero yet, and it meant that no one would be suspicious if I said something weird. Uruk had lent me his spare tunic, and after cutting it to fit, I definitely looked like a barbarian. So, my first job was easy, or at least I had hoped so.

Suddenly, we could hear commotion on the road in front of us.

“Take cover”, Uruk warned.

We ran for the trees by the side of the road and hid ourselves just in time. A group of soldiers on horseback passed by on the road. They seemed relaxed, looking straight ahead and not paying attention to their surroundings. Karim left our hiding place and stepped onto the road.

“Soldiers of Akka. May the goddess bless your path. We seek shelter and the right to pass through your kingdom.”

They halted and looked at him. Uruk and Selene must have taken it as a good sign because they also stepped out onto the road, and I followed. One of the soldiers, I assumed their leader, rode forward and stopped his horse in front of us, giving each of us a good look before he spoke.

“Welcome to our land, Defenders of Tarnis”

He mounted his horse and bowed. When he lifted his head, he smiled, but I could see he was worried.

“May Goddess bless you”

He embraced Uruk, and I could hear him whispering in his ear.

“Akka may not be as you remember it. Be careful.”