Page 14 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

I suddenly feel like a spoiled, ungrateful brat, realizing how much sacrifice was involved in my godparent's decision to care for me.What if my leaving is a slap in the face to them?I swallow down my uncertainty, opting to lean on my own conviction.“How long did it take to get through?”

“Maybe twenty-four hours?” He looks up at the sky.“But we had two small children with us, and as many personal belongings as we could carry. It should probably only take you half that time if you don’t stop much to rest.”

I nod silently, thinking through the timing of Killian andBriar’s journey back. If we all camp together for the night once we’re through to the other side, then they can head back to Staghorn the following morning, and I’ll carry on into the Eastlands alone.

The sun is starting to set, so we all head inside to eat supper. I can tell my mother is not happy with my decision to leave, but she doesn’t voice her concerns, knowing that it won’t change my mind. We eat together in uncomfortable silence, none of us knowing what to talk about in light of everything that’s transpired in the last few days. I excuse myself as soon as I finish eating, wanting to get some rest and escape the suffocatingly awkward silence that is the dinner table.

I lie down in bed, listening to the familiar sounds of the forest surrounding our house; it should be soothing, but my brain is simply too preoccupied with my upcoming journey to do anything more than rest fitfully. I get maybe an hour or two of sleep during the whole night, and I’m up before the sun even starts to creep over the horizon.

I don my toughest pair of leather pants, a plain cotton tunic, and my worn but comfortable boots, plus my riding cloak. I have no idea what the weather will be like in the mountains or in the Eastlands, but Fall is rapidly approaching, so it won’t hurt to have it. I run my fingers along the painted sunflowers on my wardrobe with fondness, saying goodbye to my room.

I head to the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat, not expecting anyone else to be awake, but both my godparents and Killian are sitting at the kitchen table. They all stand upon my entry, the emotion in the room thick enough to choke on.

“Here,” my godfather says, handing me a small pouch.“It’snot much, but it should help you find accommodations somewhere, or a horse.” I open the bag to find about twenty silver pieces and immediately try to hand it back to him.

“I can’t take this.” I shake my head.

“You can, and you will.” He closes my hand around the coin purse.“You can’t do what you need to do if you’re hungry or freezing.”

Well, I can’t argue with that.

My godmother steps forward and pulls me into a hug with more force than I would’ve thought her capable of, squeezing me tightly.“I love you, Aurelia. You will always be my daughter.”

“I love you too.” Countless emotions bombard me as tears well in my eyes. I may not ever be able to thank them for all that they’ve done for me, but maybe my actions will change enough that they’ll finally be able to return home to the Westlands.“I’ll send for you, someday. When it’s safe.”

I turn to my godfather, throwing my arms around his middle. Unable to think about the possibility of never seeing them again, I make a silent vow to do everything I can to repay them for their sacrifice.

A knock at the door signals Briar’s arrival, and I look to Killian. He swallows nervously, nods, and turns to our parents to say his own goodbyes. I grab my knapsack and weapons from the floor and head outside to meet Briar. I quickly say goodbye to Freya at the fence line, shedding a tear for her, for Staghorn Forest, for all that could’ve been if I chose to stay. With my brother and my best friend in tow, I walk toward the Nevoa mountains, leaving my home behind.

Chapter Seven

We walk in silence, as steps turn to miles and minutes turn to hours. I estimate it will take us all day to get to the foot of the mountains, and we’ll camp there tonight before rising early to head through the Pass. We stop multiple times to eat and rest, but by the time the sun is setting, the Nevoa mountains are visible, probably only a quarter mile away. We’ve all grown up in this forest, but none of us have been this far from town before, and we’re all a little on edge.

I gather firewood while Briar and Killian set up their tents, an accommodation I won’t have after they head back home. Once the tents are set up, Killian and I gather larger stones for a makeshift fire pit while Briar goes to search for some water. I can hear the faint trickle of a stream somewhere nearby, but I can’t see it. But being this close to a water source will mean that animals will be around, perhaps even more predatory ones, like wolves or bears.

“We should probably take turns keeping watch tonight.” I strike a stone against some flint in an attempt to get a spark for the fire.

“Good idea,” Killian says, bringing me some dry moss for kindling. I finally get a spark to land on the moss, and I lean in to blow softly on the tiny flame. The moss catches and I stick it underneath the small bundle of sticks and continue to breathe on it until I’m confident the flames won’t be smothered. I add a few more sticks to the fire, then two good-sized logs after a minute.

The crunch of pine needles signals Briar’s return, carrying our now-full canteens. She passes them off to me and Killian before taking a seat next to me on the ground in front of the small fire. I reach into my bag for my remaining apple and hunk of cheese and eat ferociously, not having realized how hungry I am. Killian and Briar do the same with their respective food before I lay out my plan for tomorrow.

“I’ll take the first watch, then Killian can take the second, and you the third,” I say, looking towards my best friend.“How long do you need to do the protection spells, B?”

“It won’t take long to do them, but they won’t last more than half a day, I don’t think,” Briar answers.“I can already tell that being this far from the rest of my coven is taking its toll.”

I nod.“We’ll do them first thing in the morning then.”

“Sounds good,” Killian says, warming his hands by the fire.“I’ve been thinking…”

“Yeah? Must take a lot out of you,” Briar teases.

“Ha. Ha.” He laughs sarcastically.“I’ve been thinking about what Ma said about Selena having spies everywhere.”

“What about it?” I ask, my stomach hollowing out at the mention of my aunt.

“I think you should use a fake name once you’re on the other side of the mountains. At least until you get a better idea of how things work over there.”

“That’s actually really smart, Kil.” I toss a stick into the flames, annoyed I hadn’t thought of the idea myself.

---