Chapter 38

Aicha

The path just went on and on and on. I had been out for weeks by now, and there was still no end in sight. It hadn’t been as simple as I’d thought to be out. Finding food was kind of difficult, and it turned out I hadn’t taken as much money as I’d expected, and now it was all spent.

It wasn’t as if I had thought it would be easy, and I really was willing to sacrifice myself for the cause, but I hadn’t anticipated just how difficult it would be. And of course, I still hadn’t found Sara. I wondered how long it would take. My parents must be really worried by now.

I had tried to use my tracking magic to detect her, of course, but the results were… confusing at best. Most of the time, it just led me into the wild, and then I lost track. It made sense, though. She didn’t want to be found, after all.

I sat down by the side of the road to drink some water. At least I had left the valley, as I’d always wanted, and I had seen things I had always dreamed of. But even that had been disappointing. They kind of almost looked like home.

Had it been a mistake to set off on this mission? That thought had gone through my mind countless times in the last days, but I tried to shake it off. I couldn’t go back. Sara needed to know what we had learned. I only wished that I wasn’t alone and that my friends had come with me. But in the end, if they had, I wouldn’t be able to brag about meeting Sara when I came back.

I glanced in both directions before I forced myself to keep walking. The Queen's soldiers often passed this road, I had noticed, and the local people hadn’t been as friendly as I expected, so I had to be on the lookout for them too. I kind of understood that, though. After all, my people had fought with our neighbours in the valley before the Queen had conquered us, so it only made sense that it was the same in other places. At least no one had tried to kill me yet, but just in case they would try, I avoided the villages in the day and only made camp in the woods by night.

Although camping out wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be, either, and it didn’t resemble sleeping outdoors with my friends at all. Then, we had spent the nights in our hideout, sleeping around the fireplace after drinking cider and planning how to overthrow the Queen. But now, sleeping in the wilderness day after day turned out to be really tough, and I missed my bed. I should have finished this quest a long time ago and been on my way home by now.

The sun was setting, and I decided to make camp. I had found a stream earlier that day that I’d followed, and that was lucky, because like that, I would have fresh water when I woke up. I had barely put my bag on the ground when the trees suddenly rustled, and I froze. Had someone followed me after all? I stared around me, trying to find a hiding place, but it was too late. A man stepped out from the trees and… My heart froze. It was my uncle Jale.

Why had he tracked me down? I stared at him, my head spinning with all the possible reasons why he had come. Had my parents asked him to find me and bring me home? Or… I froze. Was he under the Queen’s orders, sent to bring me to justice, where I would be tried as a traitor?

He frowned when he saw me.

“So I found you. What are you doing here, stupid girl?”

I tried to come up with an answer, but all I could do was mumbling,

“I-I’m t-travelling…”

I didn’t dare to meet his eyes in case he would spot that I was lying. He sat down on a wooden log, still looking at me, waiting for an answer. Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind and I said,

“I'm travelling to gain more experience, Uncle. I want to be like you. You are the best tracker in the valley, and you've travelled a lot, so that’s probably why you are so good. When I grow up, I want to be like you and… and have work that pays well”, I added, remembering how much he always spoke about money.

He rolled his eyes.

“If you were my daughter, I would keep you in chains for your own good”

He didn’t try to get up to catch me, though, so I dared to sit down opposite him.

“So…. W-what are you doing here?”

He took an apple from his backpack and started eating.

“The Queen has given me another job, a well-paid one”, he said between bites. “I was on my way when I saw your tracks all over the place”

I quietly exhaled. So no one had sent him for me. I settled down and glanced at him. If he was out on a mission for the Queen, he might know things… I had to be careful, though. He definitely couldn’t find out the real reason why I was out. But it was worth the risk. Plus, I knew his weak spot.

“Well paid? Of course, you are the best tracker there is. I wish I could get work like that, but I am not as good as you”

He laughed.

“The Queen is getting paranoid. She gave me a handful of gold just to carry a message to Unicorn Land, so there may be some hope even for you.”

“A handful of gold… Just for carrying a message?”

“She trusts me. Prove yourself and she will reward you.”

He patted his belly.

“Listen, Aicha. Next year, I will take you with me. You will be paid well for your service, too. The Queen is generous.”

I shivered. Working for the Queen, and being a traitor to my own people. Not a chance. But of course, I didn’t say that.

“Thank you, Uncle, I’ve always dreamed of being like you…”

He grinned at the compliment, so I dared to continue,

“It must be a really important message that you’re carrying…”

He gave me a look.

“It is. Not that I would tell you, she would skin me alive for it.”

He smirked.

“But the stupid horse will get what she deserves.”

He sighed and pulled a flask of cider from his bag.

“You know, after everything I’ve done to track her down…”

He took a swig, and I braced myself for the kind of rant that my uncle was known for. It was worth it, though. He had already given me enough information. Sara must be on her way to the Unicorns, and she’d fall into the Queen's trap. I needed to warn her before it was too late…