She was leaving. She was truly leaving.
Maxi raised her head slightly to glance at Idsilla, whose face was hidden beneath a hood drawn down to her nose. She could tell from Idsilla’s white-knuckled grip on her knees that the young noblewoman’s nervousness matched her own.
Although Maxi wanted to reassure Idsilla, she was afraidthat doing so would attract attention. Her eyes swept over the faces of the women huddled inside the rattling wagon.
Though their hoods concealed their faces, Maxi could tell that most of them were young. They all looked tense, their bodies rigid as they bumped against one another like marbles in a sack whenever the wagon lurched.
Leaning further into the wall, Maxi looked out the window. Dozens of loaded wagons rolled out of the towering city gates in an orderly formation.
“How many days does it take to reach Serbin Castle?” Idsilla suddenly asked.
Though her voice was low, the wagon was so quiet that she managed to draw everyone’s attention. Maxi stiffened.
Selina, however, remained calm. “About seven to ten days.”
Idsilla fidgeted in her seat. “It did not look so far on the map….”
“It takes more time with such a large party traveling by wagon,” Selina replied.
They fell into silence once more. Only the rhythmic sounds of the horses’ hooves hitting the ground, the rattling of wheels, and the occasional clanking of armor could be heard.
Maxi did not know how long she remained frozen in that state of extreme anxiety, but the faint light of morning soon seeped in through the window. The columns of wagons came to a stop in an open field outside the city gates.
“We only just left. Why are we stopping?” Idsilla murmured.
It was clear that she was worried the march had stopped because their presence had been discovered.
“We are waiting for the knights from House Aren to join us,” Selina whispered reassuringly. “They say Duke Aren himself will take command of the party. We are carrying many provisions, so they are taking every precaution possible.”
At her words, Idsilla and the rest of the women in the wagon let out a sigh of relief. Maxi, however, went as white as a ghost. If what Selina said was true, then she would have to spend the next seven to ten days evading the duke until they reached Serbin Castle.
Maxi bit her lip. Though she wished to reveal this fact to Idsilla and Selina so they could deliberate on a plan, she dared not open her mouth for fear that one of the women might recognize her. Her speech impediment could easily give away her identity.
Maxi was so cautious that she did not utter a single word until the sun was high over their heads. When they stopped in an overgrown field for a late lunch, the female clerics stepped out of the wagon to hand out the food. Since they were no longer the noblewomen of the group, Maxi and Idsilla were obliged to help.
They first distributed bread, cheese, and wine to the knights before passing some to the clerics. Next were the soldiers. It was only after all the men had received their rations that the women were able to gather on the riverbank to eat their meal.
Beads of sweat formed on Maxi’s nose as she busily moved about under the harsh sun. The insides of her robes felt like a sauna. Despite being flushed from the heat, throwing back her hood was not an option.
Idsilla, Selina, and Maxi crouched off to one side to eattheir rations. The hard barley bread chafed the inside of Maxi’s mouth as she tried her best to chew throughit.
The knights from the House of Aren were stationed at the front and rear of the long procession. With her eyes downcast, Maxi shifted uncomfortably as she forced down her food. If she continued to be careful, it was unlikely that she would ever encounter them.
Idsilla finished her meal first. After washing her hands in the river, she began complaining about the journey. “We are moving too slowly. If the people at the monastery find out we’re missing sooner than we anticipated, they might come after us. They will likely catch up if we keep moving at this speed.”
“D-Didn’t you say…you made arrangements?” Maxi asked in a barely audible whisper as she glanced about their surroundings. They were far away enough that it was doubtful anyone could overhear, but Maxi was still cautious.
“I did, but as you know, plans can go astray,” Idsilla said.
“What did you do exactly?” Selina asked through clenched teeth.
Idsilla shrugged. “I paid a few people to make it look as though we were returning to my home. I asked them to make it seem like we left in a carriage along with the other women at dawn.”
Selina snorted incredulously. “You cannot truly believe that you could fool the basilica with such a lousy scheme. They will see through it immediately.”
“If this were before the war, then they certainly would. But at present, the basilica is far too preoccupied with other things to pay us any mind,” Idsilla retorted. “If women whoshare our build and stature were to draw a veil over their faces and show the clerics our identifications, they wouldn’t suspect a thing. I even hired a coachman for the job.”
Selina groaned. “Does Lady Alyssa know?”
