Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 12

"Just a little further my queen," Jaida said, pushing aside a clump of pale branches so that Rhiannon could pass.

"Do we have anything left to eat?" Rhiannon asked. 

Jaida looked back at her queen and found she hardly recognized her. She looked gaunt in the twilight. Her once soft thighs and stomach had shrunken considerably. Her hair hung in limp strands down her back, and her robe was in tatters. Thick callouses had formed on her feet from walking barefoot in the brush, though that was better than the bleeding that happened the first few days of walking.

"We ate all of the nuts this morning," Jaida said. "Wait here, I'll go look for something." A few moments later, Jaida returned with some roots. "These are tubers. They'll taste strange, but they'll tide you over until we make camp."

"Thank you," Rhiannon said, crunching on the tubers. She frowned. "How do you know all of this?"

"It was part of my training in Thrael," Jaida said. Her steps were careful, soundless, and she noticed that Rhiannon was doing her best to mimic them.

"Training for what?"

"Well, all women are required to serve three years in the military when they turn fifteen," Jaida explained. "And after that, I was training to be a Commander."

"A Commander?"

"Yes. Most women dedicate their lives to raising their families, but a few sacrifice that to become military experts in order to protect Thrael."

"How brave of you," Rhiannon said.

"Not really," Jaida said. "It was my only escape."

"Escape? How did you become a slave?"

"Why are you so interested in my past all of the sudden?" Jaida asked, laughing nervously. She stopped and bent down to examine some animal tracks.

"I just . . . I realized that I don't know much about Kala and Elysia. I just know they were born slaves in Khepri, and I think maybe Kala mentioned a brother once . . . " 

Jaida stared at Rhiannon. She could hardly recognize her, thin and dirty, with her natural hair and no makeup. Jaida had always thought the theatrics of Kheprian royals were frivolous, but without them, Rhiannon didn't carry herself the same way.

"It's alright, Rhiannon," Jaida said softly.

"They weren't supposed to die," Rhiannon said. A tear splattered on her cheek, and Jaida wiped it away.

"They pledged their life to you," Jaida said. "They were honored to die for you. Nothing would make them happier than to see you now, alive and fighting. They knew the risks, and they stayed with you anyway."

"I thought I had it," Rhiannon said. "And now, I can't even give them the burial they deserve."

"Kheprians burn their bodies, right?" Jaida said. "They probably . . . they probably burned in the fire."

"There were no prayers, no ceremony. Their ashes will never be thrown into the river or the sea."

"The wind will carry them to the water," Jaida assured her.

"The wind," Rhiannon repeated.

"Yes. The wind will carry them home." Rhiannon fell to her knees and howled, and Jaida sank with her, shedding her own tears. "Say the prayers for them now, Rhiannon. They will hear you." 

Rhiannon began speaking in Kheprian, interrupting herself with her own sobs. Jaida didn't understand the words except for the names of their gods, Cei and Cet, but the prayer was soothing. She almost wished Thrael followed some kind of religion for times like this, so that she had something to say, a way to express her grief, a reason to hope that Kala and Elysia were in a safe place and could hear them.

But they were gone. And she was all Rhiannon had left.

"Come, my queen," Jaida said, pulling Rhiannon up. "We must find a good place to camp." 

They continued walking as the light filtering through the thick canopy grew thinner. After some time, Jaida stopped and held a finger to her lips. "Do you hear that?" she asked. "That's the sound of water." 

They had been drinking rainwater, puddles when they were desperate. They hurried forward, pushing through the underbrush. They broke through the branches to a clearing dominated by an enormous tree. A stream wound around the tree and disappeared back into the forest, bubbling up from its roots. Jaida and Rhiannon rushed to the bank of the stream and drank greedily. Jaida sat back, her stomach sloshing, and leaned against a rock while Rhiannon continued to drink. She frowned, studying the tree, its knots and grooves and the branches spreading across the entire clearing, almost protectively.

"Rhiannon," she said. Rhiannon stopped drinking and looked back at her. "Does that tree look like . . . like a woman to you?"

"Like a woman screaming in agony with her arms spread wide?" Rhiannon asked. 

Jaida looked at her strangely. "Nevermind. I think you're just fatigued, my queen. Let's camp here, we'll eat and rest."

Rhiannon nodded. "I would like that. I don't know why, but I feel safe here."

"You really are delirious," Jaida said, shaking her head. "I'll go find some firewood and some food. I'll be back soon." Rhiannon nodded sleepily. When Jaida returned, Rhiannon was nestled at the base of the tree, the thick roots bending around her. Jaida smiled and gently pushed her hair back, and Rhiannon moaned quietly in her sleep. Perhaps we can stay here a little while, Jaida thought, looking up at the tree's thick leaves, and regain our strength.