I rose gingerly, my eyes going to the rope where the soldier hung. A bright blue light filled the air, and then a woman appeared, her shy eyes peering around the tree. I stepped back as she glided into view. She had brown skin, a soft honey color, like the hides of the elk that roamed the Beluar Woods. Wavy black hair fringed her round face, short, just dusting her shoulders, but it was wild and tangled. Dark blue swirls created an intricate pattern on her arms and legs. Her dress was a blend of bright colors woven together—rich greens, golds, blues, and even a hint of red. The dress left her shoulders bare, and it was ripped down the front, forcing her to hold it together with one hand to keep her breasts from spilling out. Blood dripped down one of her legs and I wondered if the soldiers had tried and perhaps succeeded in defiling her. A rage rose in me and I wanted to slay them all over again.
I glanced to Romulus for guidance. The woman called Takari walked up to him and placed her free hand on his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. When she turned to me, tears brimmed in her soft eyes. “And you.” She reached out a hand to cup my cheek. I almost pulled back at the unexpected gesture. “Thank you.”
I nodded, unsure what else to say.
“Follow me,” Romulus said to Takari. “We can take you home.”
Takari shook her head, which caused a tear to fall down her cheek. Its journey was cut short, and she brushed it away, the blue swirls on her arm moving back and forth. I studied it, curious about the shimmer that lay just beneath her skin. “You don’t know,” she breathed, touching Romulus’s arm in a way that made me feel a bite of anger. “There is no home.”
If Romulus was swayed by her touch, his face gave away nothing. He gave a short nod. “Then come with us until you decide what to do.”
Chapter Seventeen
The cool windsof spring drifted as the three of us traveled alongside the river. Romulus eyed me with what I hoped was a new respect since he’d seen the way I fought. Our new companion, Takari, was quiet and kept to herself. After the battle we had rushed back to the shore, where she scrubbed the blood off and covered herself in Romulus’s cloak. She insisted she wasn’t hurt and we should put as much distance as possible between us and the fallen soldiers. Romulus had frowned but he led the way without another word.
My mind was full of questions. Who were the soldiers? Where did they come from? Why did they attack Takari? It ate at me, not knowing the answer to those questions, but Romulus pushed ahead as usual and I felt embarrassed asking in front of Takari. She kept her head down and walked quickly. At night, she curled up under the cloak and remained silent while I exchanged silent glances with Romulus. He hunted and fed the fire, often glancing into the darkness of the woods, but we saw no trolls.
After three days, Takari emerged from her self-induced silence. “My grieving period is over,” she announced in a feather-soft tone. Her voice reminded me of sweet music drifting through the air on a day of celebration.
Romulus bowed to her. “You may have more time if you need it.”
Takari tilted her head at him and waved a hand to brush away his words. “I give you thanks, but it is unnecessary. These are dark times and I need to put aside my feelings for now.”
I kicked the ashes of the fire and covered them with long grasses, as Romulus did every morning. I watched the interaction with Romulus and Takari out of lidded eyes. A flush heated my cheeks as strange emotions twisted through me. Why was he so kind to her? He’d bowed, actually bowed like she were royalty, while he treated me…well… I let the thought drift away.
“Have you decided where you will go?” Romulus asked Takari as he fastened his sword on his back. He began to walk alongside the river without waiting for an answer.
Takari followed in his wake, leaving me to lag behind, feeling slightly ill. Crickets chirped in the bulrushes and I listened to the deep-throated bellows of frogs. Tiny spaces in the water made me wary of fairies but there was nothing but wildlife in that desolate area.
“Not yet,” Takari replied, head bent, shoulders hunched as she walked. “Where are the two of you going?”
The question gave me pause. I wanted to answer honestly, but I was unsure if Takari was to be trusted. She appeared harmless, huddled in the cloak, broken from what had happened in the forest. Her words,there is no home, rang hollow, as through something beyond the four soldiers had happened. But she did not seem to want to speak of it.
“I am seeking my mother.” The words spilled from my lips like water. Speaking the truth felt good and right.
Takari paused and tilted her body back, waiting for me to fall in step with her. Her soft eyes were eager with curiosity. “Your mother. How were you separated?”
I dropped eye contact and my hands went sweaty. “I’ve never known her. We were separated when I was born.”
Takari’s hand touched my elbow and when I looked up, sympathy masked her eyes. “That is a deep pain one should never know—the separation of mother and child. There must have been a reason. She had to be very brave to leave you.”
Warmth filled me and the slight feelings of jealousy and anger I had toward Takari melted away.
“Have you been traveling long?” Takari asked. “Do you know where she went? How will you find her?”
“The gods gave me a vision,” I explained. “As long as I follow the path they revealed to me, I hope to find her at the end.”
“And be reunited.” Takari smiled at me although tears shone in her eyes. “It will be a beautiful reunion. And you say the gods gave you a vision? You must have been on sacred land indeed.”
“Aye, the Beluar Woods.” My chest felt light and words continued to spill from my lips.
“I know that land, where the centaurs live in community with nature and in respect for the old gods and goddesses.” Takari squeezed my arm and let go, yet she continued to walk so close to me our arms brushed at each step. “You are blessed to have walked among them. I have long desired to visit their land. There are few sacred places in Labraid—the holy places where the veil between this land and the land of the gods is thin, and we may communicate with them. They are guarded, as they should be, but it makes it difficult for those who believe in the old gods, the true worshippers, to access them. You have been given a great gift.”
“I haven’t thought about it that way.” I considered her words, surprised at how happy I was to have a conversation with a friend. “My upbringing was different—”
“How so?”
“I lived with the centaurs. I was the only human there, but they raised me as one of their own.”
