After the letter was finished, and Lenna successfully raided her jewelry drawer for the biggest and most expensive pieces she owned, she lay down, her mind buzzing. Her headache had subsided. As if it sensed she was too busy to be down for the count right now. She hoped it stayed away.
Tossing and turning, Lenna pondered over the conversations from the captains’ dinner. One of them made mention of a ship from a rival trading company leaving tomorrow for Bardon, and Lenna prayed Orla and Marlo would be able to secure passage easily on a boat that had no connections to the monster she married.
Chapter six
Lenna
Lennacrackedopenhereyes, staring down at the hooded figure treading slowly through the woods. The colors of the dream distorted, throwing the world into soft hues of black and white. As the figure moved through the trees, a pale hand extended from beneath the black cloak, gripping a branch and ducking under it wearing…wearing Lenna’s own wedding band. With a jolt, Lenna realized she was staring at the top of her own head, out of her body and above the ground, as if she stood amongst the treetops. Lenna watched herself pick carefully through the woods, going deeper and deeper into the foliage. Lenna kept pace, not letting the dream Lenna out of sight.
A cluster of thick branches came into view, and she lost sight of the figure below. As she pushed through, a rustle of wings sounded behind her. But as if she had no control over what her eyes saw, or where her eyes went, the branches parted, and she found herself peering over a large tree limb.
A shudder of anticipation ran through her bones when the cloaked Lenna came back into view…standing over a…over a…a swirl of grey and white smoke that stretched out between two trees, twirling faster and faster. The Lenna below glided forward, as if in a trance.
There was no fog, no mist anywhere else on the forest floor… Only the wisps in front of the Lenna below curling, fighting, darting between its other colors, knitting tighter and tighter into a ball that begun glowing pure white and growing–longer, taller, brighter.
It pulsed, throwing shadows against the forest floor, as if inviting the dream Lenna into its depths. The light grew to her silhouette, causing the outlines of trees surrounding it to be thrown into darkness. Onlyone glimmer of light was left...behind the hooded Lenna. The brightness morphed into two unfurling wings… Wings that grew larger and larger as Lenna’s disembodied sight came closer and closer…
Alowknockather bedroom door startled Lenna awake. Her eyes darted to the curtains, where the first tendrils of morning peeked over the horizon, to the door, still locked from the night before. As Lenna’s eyes adjusted to the dimness of dawn, the low knock came again. Lenna rolled out of bed, quickly throwing a robe over her undergarments, and unlocked the door.
Marlo and Orla stood awkwardly holding small burlap packs, huddled together in the threshold. Both wore dark brown pants–Orla’s were baggy, the waist cinched tight with a thick leather belt–black, long-sleeve, cotton shirts, and heavy maroon coats with a hood that would make it much easier to achieve the necessary anonymity needed to slip out of the Manor undetected. Lenna bet the clothes dwarfing Orla were a spare set from Marlo, since the female servants exclusively wore bland shift dresses in Doortan Manor.
Marlo’s eyes shone as he gave Lenna a hesitant smile. Orla ducked her head in a polite bow, her dark hair slicked down and back into two braids. Lenna moved aside, ushering them both into her bedroom.
“The horses will be ready in ten minutes,” Marlo started, speaking low, “Orla got some bread, cheese, and dried fruit from the kitchens for us to eat on the ship, so I think we have everything we need.” The packs on both their shoulders were small. Lenna winced at the thought that alltheir worldly possessions fit into two little bags.
“Here is the letter for Lady Diana,” Lenna whispered, handing the rolled-up note to Orla who gripped it tight and packed it reverently in her bag–the one thing that would bring her freedom. “And here,” Lenna moved to the dresser where she stuffed the jewelry into two thick wool socks, tied tight with ribbons, “are your jewels. This sock,” she explained, hefting one grey sock in her hand slightly above the other, “has a bunch of loose stones in it. Use this once you get to Bardon. They should fetch a nice price. Change them all out for gold little by little so no one thinks you stole them. If anyone asks, tell them they were your inheritance.”
She handed the heavy sock to Marlo, still holding the smaller sock in her hand. Offering the smaller to Orla, Lenna murmured, “Thissock holds jewelry and gold coins. Use these if you need to bribe sailors for any supplies or food before you land.” She had given the larger to Marlo to better protect their monetary supply. Orla was tiny and bruised, and Lenna hated the thought of someone trying to rob her of the jewels as they traveled thinking Orla would be an easy target. Marlo would hold his own. She noted the thin dagger strapped to his waist, and knew she made the right choice, though how he got the weapon was beyond her.
Marlo and Orla shuffled their bags open, pushing their socks to the bottom. Once secured, Orla hefted her bag higher on her shoulder with a fierce expression.
“Thank you,” Orla said tightly–as if waiting for Lenna to take it all back, to rip away this shot at salvation for her. “Thank you for helping us.”
Lenna waved her hand. “I would do it for anyone.”
And she meant it.
Selecting a hooded, midnight blue cloak for herself, Lenna pulled on riding breeches and a loose cotton top tomimic the dark color palette Orla and Marlo wore, stuffing her feet into the boots Olivera had thankfully not yet taken to get shined. She felt like she was flying by whim alone, the recklessness of this plan making her heart thrum and her legs shaky.
The halls were silent as they hustled to the stables, taking the longer route through the main hall to avoid passing Leon’s study and the servants’ quarters. A few maids were already preparing for the day, but no one looked twice at the three hooded figures as they opened one of the ornamental front doors and stepped outside, down the steps, and towards the stables, crunching the small white pebbles under their feet as they walked.
Marlo slipped his hood off as they spied two horses saddled and ready to go, and the last getting the harness attached by a young stable hand. Orla kept her hood up as instructed by Lenna. She didn’t want word getting back to Leon that Orla was with her, nor any follow up questions to that statement.
“Thank you,” Lenna said, keeping her voice light, as if this was another day where nothing was amiss. “We’ll be back before dinner service.”
The stable hand gave the reins over to Lenna with a bow as she hoisted herself up into the saddle. Orla and Marlo followed suit. Marlo gave the stable hand a broad grin as he situated himself in his seat. Orla stayed quiet as she clumsily mounted a white gelding and gripped the reins stiffly, visually uncomfortable.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of–this beastie is a very sweet and gentle ride. He won’t let you fall,” Marlo assured her, seemingly noticing the same thing.
“I’ve never been on a horse before,” Orla muttered quietly, knuckles paling with her vicegrip on the reins.
Lenna reached over, squeezing her shoulder. “It’s okay to be afraid, but we will not let anything hurt you. Hold your head high, and remember–this is the beginning of the rest of your life.”
With that, Orla took a deep, shuddering breath, and sat up straighter, rolling her shoulders back, and looking determinedly out to the gate the stable hand left open for them.
As they casually trotted onto the dirt road beyond the Manor, as nonchalant as they could manage, Lenna glanced back towards the house only once to be sure they weren’t drawing the attention of anyone around, seeing Marlo also twist in his seat to watch the Estate fade in the distance. Lenna noticed Orla didn’t spare a look back. Focused determination played across her face and Orla stared forward, a bit stiff-backed, as she left her old life behind.
The ride into town was blissfully uneventful. Lenna led the way, with Orla behind her, Marlo bringing up the rear. The silence only broken by the occasional advice Lenna threw out as she thought of it.
