“Kael, I’m sorry.”
His shoulders stiffened and he spoke to Joss, ignoring me. “I bet that tomorrow morning, we will lose more students. And it won’t be because they were taken in the night.”
~~~
Kael was right. The next morning, there were fewer students at breakfast. News had traveled fast and concerned parents arrived that morning with carriages to take their sons and daughters home. Letters arrived by messenger, pigeon, and even an eagle, demanding that the Denai students who lived farther away be escorted home.
Kambel was at his wit’s end. Without Lorna and Pax, he had no choice but to release the students. Queen Lilyana had organized a guarded caravan to leave in three days to escort the others home. She had seemed truly disheartened, and I couldn’t help but feel responsible. Over half of the Citadel’s students were leaving with the caravan.
I was going with them.
Queen Lilyana was angry at the change in attitude and the loss of students. Her presence at the school was becoming routine, so she stepped in and helped handle the dismissal. Physically, she was tensed and a bit high strung.
I approached her quietly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Haven’t you done enough helping?” she snapped. “Go with the caravan for protection and go home. Please.”
I was heartbroken. I was going home a failure. I hadn’t found Joss’s sister. I hadn’t found the Raven, and Mona had escaped.
On our day of departure, I found myself at the back of the caravan on Faraway with my packs. Garit had been commissioned to lead the caravan, and Kael was hired on as an extra guard. Joss chose to come with me, to see me home back to my clan. I had a feeling he wanted to talk to my father and try and get him to reconsider the agreement concerning Kael and me. Hemi was excited about returning home, but saddened that he wouldn’t get to say goodbye to Fanny. I knew how much he liked the copper-haired Fanny, but I also knew how much my family despised outsiders.
The rear of the caravan was the dustiest and dirtiest place to ride. I was literally eating the dust kicked up by the horses. But I chose to ride rear because I could ride in silence. Behind me, four guards rode. If I slowed my pace at all, they would kick their horses and force me to speed up.
Travelling was simple for me because I didn’t have anything that I needed brought home.
Syrani, on the other hand, had two wagons filled with cargo. Even all the way at the back, I could hear her shrill voice yelling at the wagon driver to be careful and go around the pothole. I grimaced, feeling bad for the man. When I realized it was Donn, I was both surprised and excited he’d been assigned to come as well.
For four days we traveled, and for four days I barely saw or spoke with Kael. We made it to the home of Pan and dropped him off with his welcoming but anxious family. It was bittersweet to watch his mother and father worry over him. We got back on the road headed west, toward young Brecken’s home.
Later that evening, the wagons were pulled into a circle, just like every other night. Donn went to work with a few of his kitchen staff to prepare the evening meal around the central fire. Other smaller fires were started closer to each of the wagons. There were a total of ten wagons, fifteen students, not including Joss and me, six servants and twenty guards. We were quite a large group to feed on the road, but Donn and his team put out a wonderful spread.
It was a warm meal of soup and fresh pheasant shot down by a guard earlier that morning. Donn even brought a barrel of cider and warmed it up for us on the chilly night. At first it was quiet as everyone was eating, but soon it became louder as trepidation dropped and a sense of security set in. To most of the Denai students, this felt like an adventure. Someone started to sing, and then others joined in. Soon even Donn was bellowing a song about lost love in his deep baritone.
I didn’t join in the festivities. I couldn’t. I was too busy thinking of what I was going to tell my father. A shadow fell over my shoulder and Hemi lumbered down to sit by me, placing his large axe by his right knee. I turned and studied him, realizing I hadn’t given him much thought lately. I’d been buried in my own problems. He had come bearing two cups of cider and handed one to me. He took a long drink and licked his lips and sighed.