Farryn

Chapter 5 Part 3

The train was pretty crowded, but Farryn found a seat in the back for her and Luli. Claud set to chatting with a man at the front, and she massaged her temple as she plotted her escape plan. The next station would be a lot more crowded. She'd try to get lost in the crowd and then pay the rest of her money to get to Sernaxa as fast as possible. She'd find Liviana and the pair would go to where Claud could never find them.

The train doors closed as the last of the boarders found their seats. Farryn prayed no one would sit opposite her and Luli, but someone did, a tall woman wearing dark green, with polished brown boots. Farryn admired them as the woman sat down.

"Oh my! Fancy seeing you here."

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up. A familiar face smiled at her. "I never did get your name, Miss. And neither did the Constable." The Captain from the ship so many weeks ago was sitting opposite her. Farryn forced her mouth closed, searched the train for any other seat. Every seat was full, and they were already moving. "I-" her throat was suddenly dry. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are," she said.

"Oh, don't lie." The Captain tutted. "I always remember a face." her slimy smile widened as she regarded Luli. "And who's this?"

Farryn gripped Luli's hand and pulled her away. "Leave us be," she said, her fear apparent in her voice. She had to get out of here, and now.

"Luli, do you need to pee?" she asked. Luli shook her head but Farryn was already standing up. But the Captain extended a leg, blocking her path. "Why don't you sit here with me a while longer?" she asked. "If you move I'll have to alert one of the attendants that a criminal is on board."

"I am not a criminal," Farryn said. "You seem to have blood on your hands." the Captain replied. She was still smiling. "How about you have a seat and let's talk?"

Reluctantly, Farryn sat down. She wiped her palms on her skirt. Her excuse. What was her excuse?

"You left the Constable's office before he had a chance to speak with you." the Captain said. "That isn't the behaviour of an innocent woman, is it?" "I was trying to reach my family as quickly as possible." Farryn lied. "That's why my niece here is with me. We've split, to hide from-" "I thought you didn't know who I was?"

Never backtrack on a lie. Farryn could feel sweat trickling down her back. "It took me a moment to remember you," she said. "I'm sorry if I made a negative impression. I-"

"I think you're a liar." the Captain said. "And I think I'm going to report you." She got up, skirts swishing. Farryn rose too. "Luli, we have to go," she said, panicked. She saw Claud notice her from down the aisle and get up, but she needed to get away from him too.

Jump. She went to the back of the train, and sure enough, there was a bathroom. She hurried into it and then shut the door behind her and Luli. It was a tiny room, with one toilet, a faucet, and a window.

She unlatched the window and a plume of smoke came billowing in. Luli started coughing as footsteps started pounding down the aisle getting closer. Farryn stuck her head out the window. They weren't going too fast yet. The worst thing was the smoke, but they'd have to deal with it.

There was a curt knock at the door. "Madame?" Farryn grabbed Luli and held her flush to her chest. "Luli, close your eyes." She heaved herself up, one foot on the sill. "And hold your breath."

There was another knock and Farryn pushed off the sill, launching herself as far from the train as possible.

She went hurtling for the ground, praying that she'd launched them far enough to land on the grassy pastures and not get trampled by the train. Farryn felt her head slam into a soft tuft, but she didn't tuck in time, and she felt her ankle touch the track. It stung, and she pulled it away before it could get crushed.

The train thundered by, and she lay there for a moment, blood rushing through her head so fast she couldn't hear. Her mouth tasted like metal.

"Luli. Are you alright?" Luli was climbing out of her arms, and she let her. Everything hurt. "Don't do that again!" Luli yelled, grabbing a handful of grass. "Ever ever again! That's rude." It took everything for Farryn not to laugh, but she nodded solemnly. "Never ever again. I'm sorry. We seem to be making a habit out of making dangerous jumps, aren't we?"

It would take a while for the train to stop- if they decided to- and they likely wouldn't. She'd successfully lost Claud, at least for the time being. She'd have to reroute to make sure they didn't bump into any law enforcement, or the Captain. No going to Hasin, then. It would take her longer to reach Liviana, but that was fine.

She tried to sit up and immediately regretted the decision because of the pain that went coursing through her back. "Let's lie here for a while," she said to Luli, wincing. The little girl had the handfuls of grass laid out in neat little rows, and she was trying to weave two together. "Do you want me to help you?" Farryn asked. Luli nodded.

She grabbed a few and began to braid them. "Like this, see?" They braided little grass bracelets together until their hands were stained green and they had a little pile of them, and then Luli complained that she was hungry and Farryn finally got up.

She was pretty much alright, minus the nasty burn on her ankle and the ache in her back from where she'd hit the ground. Thankfully she could see a small town in the distance, so they walked there together.

It seemed to be market day, and even though it was a fairly small one there was still a sizeable crowd to get lost in. Farryn bought them beef and carrot-filled dumplings.

"Is there anyone I can hire for a long journey?" she asked the woman at the stall. She shrugged, shovelling dumplings into a bag for a bunch of handsy children. "Not around these parts. Try Isev."

Farryn froze. "We're near... we're near Isev?" "Don't worry, it's safe nowadays." She smiled, but Farryn couldn't breathe. Knowing she was so close was just...

"T-thank you," she said, gulping. She led Luli away from the stall and tried to keep herself from shaking. What is wrong with you, Farryn? She was unravelling. She couldn't lose it every time something like this happened. Messing up her lies on the train, going rigid at the mere thought of Isev... I wonder if any of the ashes came this way. She bit down on her lip to stop her mind from spiralling.

"Farryn," Luli said suddenly. "Yes, Luli?" the girl was still wearing some of the bracelets she'd made. "Are you alright?" she asked, worried that she needed something.

Luli nodded, and rested her head on Farryn. "Thank you," she said, contentedly. "Thank you for what?" Farryn asked, confused. She hadn't done anything that deserved thanks. Lately, she'd been wondering if leaving Luli on the train that day would have been the better option for her. She was mean to her, and she put her in dangerous situations.

"Thank you for being nice to me," Luli said simply. Farryn blinked away tears, and reached up to rub them away as usual... but she stopped halfway. "You're welcome. And thank you for being nice to me too, Luli," she said as the tears began to flow. I deserve to cry for once. She thought, sitting there with Luli in the heat of the sun. Just for a minute. Then I'll go back to being strong again.