We journeyed by foot.
The whole village came along; it just uprooted, packed up and started hiking towards the capital city. It gave me an immense sense of self-importance at the very least, but didn't exactly do much to allay my fears that I would be killed when we got there. Why come along if not for a show?
I had no idea how far away the capital was and no one seemed willing to tell me anything—or speak to me at all, for that matter. The walk felt endless: the Sephans never needed to stop for breaks. We hiked relentlessly, trudging through the unchanging, tree filled landscape.
I was surrounded on all sides by green, gloom and shade. It was suffocating. Depressing. Every now and again I caught a brief glimpse of the sun through the branches above me, only for it to quickly vanish again beneath a thicker section of the wood, almost as though the Realm was toying with me.
The only warmth came from the campfire they would light in the evening, which I was always kept away from. Instead, they would bind me by my hands to a tree, out of the reach of the fire's heat. A small part of me was happier that way though; looking at the flames reminded me of Cinaer and the spark in his eyes as he would run flames up and down my arms in slow, endless torture.
I wondered what he was doing now, where he was looking for me. He had probably told my grandfather that I was the traitor; they would be scouring the Helian Realm for me. Unless they had caught Vincent... If they had convinced Vincent to talk, they could be on their way here even now.
Which would be worse? Being a Sephan captive or having the Helians catch up with me? I thought of my people—their fierce loyalty, their tempers, the flames, the Control—and shuddered. The Sephans, with their wild uncouthness, were definitely the safer option.
As we walked, I was relieved—once again—that I had undergone so much conditioning training back in the Helian Realm, else my steps would have faltered far more than they did. As it was, I was often shunted from behind if I slowed more than the Sephans deemed satisfactory.
The journey was as boring as it was endless. We passed other habitations, where Sephans would always be chopping wood, harvesting plants and berries or collecting flowers. They all gave me the same, suspicious stare, taking in my hair, my skin tone and finally my bound wrists. Then, more often than not, they would smile. They welcomed my Sephans warmly, sharing food and stories while huddled close to campfires and the warmth I was always denied.
The Sephans seemed excited about something. Perhaps it was my capture and the prospect of a public execution. Yet, for all their excitement, they barely glanced my way. Instead, many clutched brightly coloured badges and talked endlessly about something called a Tristan in their thick, almost incomprehensible, accents. Perhaps this was some kind of weapon that they were going to use to kill me. Then again, given the Sephans' simplicity, it could be a new flower or herb.
Many of the campsites—for they were closer to that than villages—uprooted as we came through, continuing on towards the capital with us.
After days of endless walking we finally reached our goal.
"The city in the clouds!" the Sephan beside me announced proudly in his thick accent, gesturing to the clearing we had just entered.
It wouldn't have passed for a hamlet by Helian standards, let alone a capital city.
We were facing a more or less empty clearing, covered in thick, green grass. In its centre was the largest tree I had ever seen. It defied belief and couldn't have grown naturally; it had a trunk thick enough to fit at least five hundred Sephans inside, which appeared to be the point of it, since there was a set of double doors at the front.
There were many more trees surrounding the clearing, pressing in from all sides, their branches stretching out towards the hollow tree. In them were the houses. Not the small, threadbare shacks that had passed for houses in the first camp I had come across, but actual log cabins, with windows, doors and even chimneys. Thick rope ladders hung from many of the trees, leading back down to solid ground, although I had seen enough of the Sephans on my trip to the capital to know that many of them would be able to climb the trees themselves.
The houses extended out all around me, and I wondered if we had been walking through the city for hours without me noticing. I had given up on looking skyward for brief glimpses of the sun days ago.
Sephans crossed the clearing in groups, all looking as dishevelled as my captors. Most paid no attention to us; as though mass groups of Sephans arriving was a common occurrence in the capital. Only a few paused to stare curiously at the captive girl they were parading before them.
As well as houses, the trees were filled with colourful banners, with pictures of people on them and slogans: 'Saylor the Sublime', ' Daring Declan'.
"What's going on?" I asked the Sephan next to me.
He looked at me and I braced myself for the shove I was likely to get for speaking. To my surprise, he smiled. "The election. Not something I'd expect a Helian tyrant like you to understand."
Oh. An election. That explained a lot, particularly why everyone had been so keen to come along to the capital with us. They weren't coming to witness my death. That made me feel a little relieved.
The relief vanished when the green haired, wild woman landed in front of me.
Erica
"Helian." She hissed the word. "I'm going to enjoy killing you."
I fought to stifle a laugh. What was she going to do? The most menacing power she had was her earthquakes and she could hardly use them in the middle of the capital; she would destroy the whole thing! She could get a nearby bird to come and sing to me maybe, or grow me a bunch of flowers. I wasn't too concerned.
Then her hand went to her belt and she pulled out a knife, which she pointed straight at my chest.
That got my pulse racing. My eyes widened in panic as my fingers twitched, uselessly, in anticipation of an attack. I was powerless, bound and held still by the Sephans beside me. I was as good as dead.
She lunged, thrusting the dagger towards me.
I shut my eyes.
And felt nothing.
Cautiously, I opened them again: Erica was standing less than a metre away, staring in shock at her hand, which was now empty.
"How on earth..."
She looked to the left and I followed her gaze; an arrow had pierced a nearby tree, the wooden handle of the knife stuck fast in its shaft. The sharp blade hung uselessly, shimmering in the dappled sunlight.
The arrow was fletched with an inky black feather, with vibrant streaks of green running through it. Erica's face coloured at the sight of it.
There was a laugh from the right and we turned in unison.
"Now, now, Erica. That's no way to greet a guest! No wonder you made such a shambles of your last mission abroad."
The speaker was tall and wiry, with a shock of bright green hair on the top of his head and darker, mint coloured eyes. He held a bow in his left hand, a second arrow in his right.
Despite his slight build, he stood like a warrior, brave and firm, and he met Erica's gaze without a hint of fear. He wore the same homemade clothes as the other Sephans, in the earthy colours of the forest. On him, they looked more like a uniform than a necessity, right down to the fur trimmed boots he wore on his feet.
"Tristan!" Erica spat, her face red with fury. She looked even less attractive than normal, I was pleased to notice.
So the Tristan everyone was talking about was another Sephan, not a weapon or a flower or herb. The Tristan was a he. A boy maybe a couple of years older than myself.
A crowd was beginning to form now, closing the three of us into a circle. Erica was furious.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"Why, stopping you from breaking the law, of course." He smiled and a few members of the crowd tittered.
"I mean, really," he continued, clearly enjoying the attention. "You can't go around killing anyone you feel like in the middle of the city. Even if they are a Helian." He looked at me for the first time, his eyes keen with interest.
"She attacked us and then had the audacity to come here as a spy! I was issuing the correct punishment."
"On who's authority?"
Erica stood up a little straighter. "My own, as President of the Sephan Realm."
"Ah, but you're not President any more, are you? You're a lowly presidential candidate, same as me. How would you feel if I started dishing out my own punishments?"
Erica looked stumped. I had to fight back a smile. "The Helian is an exception. She's dangerous. She needs to be dealt with immediately."
Tristan glanced my way again. "She seems adequately restrained to me, for the time being—enough for a meeting of the candidates to be called, anyhow. We can decide what to do with her as a group."
I thought that Erica was going to protest again, but Tristan spoke up before she had the chance. "You can't make these sorts of decisions Erica; you're not in charge."
"For now," she replied fiercely.
"Well for now we should call a meeting of the presidential candidates, so we can decide what should be done. Gather every one up and meet me in the hall."
With a nod to my captors, he took me roughly by the arm and led me through the clearing, towards the hollow tree.
{If you have time, please, please check out my new short story, Mirrored Snow, which is a gender-reversal retelling of Snow White. Thank you!}