"What's going on? Who are you?" Zia demanded as she followed him out of the confines of her cell, Heath close behind her.
"I told you- I'm getting you out of here," he replied. He made his way across the deserted camp. Everyone must have been at the celebrations enjoying the giant human pyramid- whatever that was for.
"But why?" she pressed. She followed the man called Borton closely, watching him intently.
Soon they were at Ike and Jay's cell. The man reached for the keys strapped to his belt and unlocked the door with a creeeeaaaaak!
"What's going on?" Ike slowly came out of the shadows and into the moonlight.
"You're leaving this place and going to warn your King about the oncoming attack," the guard said.
"What?" Jay stepped forward, nudging Ike out of his way so he could jump down from the cell. He narrowed his eyes at Borton. "Who are you?"
"We don't have time for questions," he said. "You need to go now."
"Aren't you coming with us? You'll be punished for letting us go. They'll know it was your shift to guard us." Zia was surprised that the voice that spoke was her own. She was concerned for the man's safety, but she'd be lying to herself if she denied that she wanted to know how this man knew her and why he was helping them more than she was concerned for his well-being.
"No, I'm not going with you," Borton said. "Besides, it's not my shift. The guard record shows that it was Gerry's shift right about now. He's at the celebrations at the moment and has the worst head for strong drinks. He won't remember a thing about tonight. I'll be in the clear. Now you need to go." He guided them along past the camp and down the Pass for a little ways. Zia estimated that they had traveled a quarter of a mile when he said, "This is where I leave you."
"Wait." Zia refused to move until she got some answers. "Who are you?"
"You need to go-"
"Who are you?" she repeated.
"I'm no one of consequence," he said. "Now you must go."
"There's no use in trying to get her to leave, without answering her questions," Heath told him. "She has a will of iron."
Borton sighed, frustrated. "Fine. My name is William Borton. Now go!"
Zia ignored his last remark. "How do you know my name?"
"You're wasting-"
"How. Do. You. Know. My. Name?" she said. Her voice was low and dangerous. If she were an animal it would have sounded like a growl.
"It's too long of a story," Borton said. He looked around, as if worried they might get caught. "Listen, I promise that as soon as this war is over I will find you and explain everything, but only if you leave now. Will that suffice?" He looked Zia deeply in the eyes and she stared back. His eyes were the perfect shade of aquamarine and they seemed to push and pull like the ocean. The effect made Zia dizzy.
"Please, Zia, you have to go now," Borton said. He grabbed her arms. "I promise I will find you again. I promise. Love is the key. Remember that. Now please, go."
She should have said no. She should have crossed her arms and refused to move until she got the answers she was looking for. But something about Borton's hypnotic gaze made her nod.
Borton sighed in relief and let her go. "Now get out of here," he said nudging her to where her friends were waiting. "Run, and don't stop until you get out of the Pass. It ends about twenty miles from here." He reached for his hip and brought a satchel up over his head and threw it to Jay. "There's enough supplies to last you for two days. Now go! Love is the key!"
And with that William Borton ran back to the Skilaen camp. Zia watched him go, too many questions rushing through her head and no answers any of them.
"Zia, come on!" Jay grabbed her wrist and tugged her along as he began to sprint down the pass, pulling her along with him. She stole one last glance behind her, but Borton was gone.
Zia ran.
Hard.
She ran faster and longer than she ever had in her life, adrenaline pumping through her veins like extra energy, making her strides longer, her breathing more smooth, and the pumping of her arms at her sides much faster.
But she knew it wouldn't last forever. She could feel her muscles tiring, her breathing becoming more labored, her feet pounding painfully against the Pass floor. The wind whipped her hair into her face. She threw it back and kept on running.
She didn't want to stop, but she knew she would have to sooner or later. She wished she could just keep running forever and ever, get as far away from the nightmare that was behind her. Daxter was still alive, and Zia knew he would be coming for her, and the thought made her shudder.
As she ran she thought of the last words Borton had spoken to her. Love is the key. What did that mean? Would it help her find him after the war? Was it some kind of passcode that would somehow help her later on?
Heath was racing beside her, his face red and his breathing heavy. Sweat poured down his face in the rising sunlight. Ike and Jay were running along behind them, keeping pace nicely, though Zia could hear their struggled breathing.
"Rest!" Jay called, and she slowly came to a stop. Zia doubled over for a moment, supporting herself on her knees. Then she straightened up and put her hands on top of her head. Her throat was dry as a cat's tongue, and her chest was heaving up and down like a rider on a cantering horse.
"How... far... have... we... run... so... far?" Ike panted.
"About nine... miles," Jay answered, just as breathless.
Zia groaned. That meant eleven miles left. It already felt like she had run around the world a few times. She really didn't want to run anymore. But then she remembered Borton's promise of answers and her resolve amplified. They must get to the King to warn him about the oncoming threat.
"Are you sure it hasn't been any more than that?" Ike asked.
Zia looked at her brother for the first time since Borton had released them. The sun had come up and she could see his tousled hair, the deep, purple bags under his eyes, and his eyes themselves were tinted red. Had he been...? No. Zia refused to believe it. In all the years that she had known Ike she had only seen him cry once on his mother's birthday anniversary. But...
A weed of doubt wiggled in Zia's head. What if he had been crying? It wasn't because of Elaina, was it? Zia considered the idea, and if she ever found it to be true, she would personally see that Elaina got a good slap in the face.
Jay shrugged. "Do I look like a map to you?"
"You are looking a little pale," Heath said, still breathing heavily. "You look like paper."
"Is there any water?" Zia asked Jay, who still had the supplies Borton had given them.
Jay reached for the bag at his hip and dug through until he pulled out a full water skin and handed it over to Zia. She uncapped it, gave him a nod of thanks, and desperately took a drink. The water was warm from being in the satchel, but it still felt great. She took another small sip before handing it off to Heath.
"Five minutes' rest," Jay told them. "Then we need to keep going."
"Why?" Ike said angrily. "Why bother? Even if we do get to the King in time, there's no way he'll be able to do anything about it. The whole reason we came on the quest in the first place is because the kingdom can't withstand an attack from the Pass, and that was with an army half the size of that one." He pointed down the Pass to the direction they had been running from all night.
Zia was shocked at his outburst. This was so unlike Ike- to be angry and irritable. To be so... she didn't know the word for it. His shoulders were sagged and his eyes had a look of... hopelessness in them.
"That may be so," Jay agreed, "but if His Majesty knows about the oncoming threat, at least we can try to plan a counter attack. Perhaps the Trodaithe-"
"Even with the Trodaithe's special training, they'll be far outnumbered," Ike pointed out. "They'll never survive."
"Nonetheless," Jay said, "if we don't warn the King then thousands more innocent people will die."
Ike shook his head. "It's hopeless- impossible. We're all going to die anyway, so why keep going?"
Zia clenched her fists tight, her anger firing up. "It's never hopeless. Never. So what if we die? We all die eventually. If we don't do this, then hundreds more people will die than if we do, so I say it's worth it."
"Exactly, we all die eventually, so what's the point in putting it off a little longer?"
Zia could only stare that the young man in front of her. This was not the Ike she knew. This Ike was solemn, gloomy, and irritable. The Ike she knew was happy, goofy, and energetic. What happened to him?
"Look," she said as gently as she could, but between her bubbling anger and sharp breath it didn't sound very compassionate. "I'm sorry you're hurting. I'm sorry you feel betrayed. I'm sorry that Elaina wasn't who she said she was. But you need to get over it. There are innocent people who are in danger who are going to die, and you just want to sit here and let it happen? No. It's never hopeless. You're right, though- we do all die eventually. But we keep fighting anyway. We fight every day to live our lives the way we want. We fight so that we can wake to see another dawn. We fight so that we can create a better world for ourselves and those around us. We fight because we don't give up hope that we can make things better. So stay here if you want, Ike. Stay here and wait for the Skilaen army to catch up with you and put you out of your misery. But I'm going to keep fighting. I'm not going to give up hope like you have, and I'm not going to let dread rule my life. But while you wait for your end, think of the hundreds of innocent lives that will be lost- men, women, and children who will die-if you don't get over your self-pity and your selfishness."
Ike looked awestruck. His eyes were wide and his jaw slack. Zia had just given him the biggest lecture of his life, and his shocked face showed it. But he also looked a little bit guilty, like a dog with its tail between its legs- ashamed, embarrassed.
Not waiting for anyone to say something, Zia turned around and started to run again, not caring how far ahead of the group she got. She used her anger to give her an energy boost, driving ahead, getting as far away as possible from the staring eyes behind her.
"Finally," Jay panted.
The world seemed so big now that Zia was out of the Pass. She could see further than she'd been able to for weeks. She'd forgotten how tall and green the pine trees were and how lush the rolling hills were, even in winter. She'd forgotten how great the gentle breeze felt as opposed to the hard, whistling wind in the Pass. The air felt cleaner, fresher, and Zia gulped it down like she hadn't breathed in a month.
"We're out," Heath said, his voice obviously portraying his relief.
"How far to the capital?" Zia asked Jay.
"About two-and-a-half days," he answered. "Depending on when the Skilaen army notices we've escaped and how fast they can travel with their numbers, we're about three days ahead of them. We should have plenty of time to get there and warn the King before the attack comes."
"What are we waiting for, then?" Heath said. "Let's shake a leg."
"We should rest, Heath," Jay told him. "As much as I want to get to the capital, we need to nourish ourselves. We've been underfed and we've really exerted our bodies. If we are going to fight the oncoming attack, we need to be at full strength."
"As great as that sounds, Jay, there's not really anywhere nearby where we can do that," Zia reminded him. "We have just enough food and supplies to get us to the capital, and it's getting too cold to truly sleep."
Jay opened his mouth to reply, but shut it. He did it again, and again. He looked like he was having an inner war, trying to decide whether or not so say something. Finally he said, "How do you feel about taking another run?"
Zia narrowed her eyes. "How far?"
About five miles later Zia stood next to Heath and Ike on the front porch of a small cabin with a small barren garden as Jay knocked on the door. The garden had been overtaken by weeds and was in desperate need of a plowing. There was a small tool shed made of rotting wood and rusting nails on the side of the cottage and Zia could have sworn she saw a rat dart inside. So far she wasn't sure how she was feeling about this rest stop.
Jay knocked on the door once more and Zia heard shuffling inside. "Just a moment!"
The door swung open and Zia did a double take. Zia wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she certainly wasn't expecting an old woman so small she only came up to Zia's shoulder. Jay had been tight-lipped through the last of their journey, refusing to share where they were going. Zia had suspected he was leading them to a secret cave or something of the like- not to a small old lady's house.
"Can I help you?" the old woman croaked. Her long white hair was piled on top of her head in a bum, except for a few stubborn wispy parts that stuck up at odd angles. Her eyes were dark brown and, was is Zia's imagination, or was there a... fog over her eyes, like clouds blurring the woman's vision?
"Mother," Jay said. "It's me."
Mother?
The woman squinted at Jay like she couldn't quite make out his face. Then he apparently came into focus, because a light shone in the woman's dark brown eyes and a big, gummy smile spread over her lips. "Jayson!" She spread her arms wide and enveloped her son in a hug so tight Zia was worried the old woman's arms might shatter. "How wonderful to see you! It's been so long," she said when she finally pulled back. She held her son at arm's length and looked him up and down. Tears of joy brimmed her eyes.
"I know, Mother," Jay- or Jayson, as Zia now knew him- said. "I am sorry. I've been away on an assignment from the King."
Jay gestured to Zia, Heath, and Ike behind him and the old woman seemed to notice them for the first time. Her eyes landed on Zia and she gasped. "You've never brought anyone else with you before! This must be your lovely wife!"
Zia reeled back. "His what?"
Jay seemed at a loss for words, because the only thing he said was, "Uh..."
The old woman laughed, a high pitched, beautiful sound. "Oh, Jayson, why didn't you tell me? And these must be my grandsons!" She embraced a confused Ike and a terrified Heath in a hug. They both squirmed, trying to get away, but the woman was much stronger than she looked.
"Uh, Pop?" Heath said sarcastically, looking between the old woman and Jay. "Can we get an explanation here?" He gestured to Jay's mother, clinging on to him tightly. She was so small she only came up to the bottom of Heath's rib cage, and the woman hugged him tightly as she rubbed her check on his stomach like a cat. Zia couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous sight, and she hid her smile behind her hand.
Before Jay could answer, the old woman released the two boys, turned to Jay and said, "You never told me you were married! Let alone had two striking boys." She reached up and pinched Ike's cheek between two bony fingers, and Zia had to hide another laugh.
"They-"
"But of course, it was probably a small, private ceremony," she said to herself. "But still, you would think the mother of the groom would be invited."
"Oh, no, Mrs. Holden," Zia said. "We're not-"
"Oh, please, dear, no need for 'Mrs. Holden'. It makes me feel so old! You may call me Jodie, my dear."
"Well, Jodie, you see, Jay and I aren't-"
"Oh, how rude of me!" Jodie interrupted again. "Here I am, complaining about not being invited to my son's wedding when you're all so tired from your long journey here. Come in, come in!"
Jodie herded them inside, closing the door behind them.
The house was small. There was a lumpy sofa in front of the cold fireplace and two curtained-off rooms next to the small cooking area. It was small, but it was tidy. The mantel was decorated with a few odd things, such as part of an old silver goblet and a small wooden sword, which Zia assumed was Jay's. Everything was dusted and in a neat, orderly fashion.
"Make yourselves as home," Jodie said, gesturing to the sofa. "I was just making bread. It will be done in just a moment." Jodie led them over to the sofa and sat them all down. "Jasyon, tell me about your sons and lovely wife!"
"I'm not-" Zia tried to say, but Jodie cut her off.
"I don't know how you could have been married and have these two wonderful grandchildren of mine since that last time I saw you, Jayson. I could have sworn you visited just last month. Oh! I better go check on the bread!" She quickly rose to her feet and scurried off into the kitchen.
Zia immediately turned on Jay. "Wife?"
"Grandchildren?" Heath asked.
Ike snorted in the corner, trying not to look too amused. Zia glared daggers at him.
Jay held up his hands in a sign of peace. "I know, and I'm sorry. She had a stroke a few years ago and now her mind doesn't work the same way. She gets worse each time I come, which is why I don't bring anyone when I visit her. I tried to move her to the capital or even closer to it, but this was the house she grew up in, and she insists on staying."
Zia felt all the anger leave her. She knew Jay had lost his father at a young age. His mother was all he had left of his family. It must be hard to watch her mind slowly slip away, unable to do anything to stop it. "Is that why she has that... foggy look in her eyes."
Jay nodded, not looking at her.
"What are we supposed to do?" Heath said. "Pretend we're actually a family? I know for a fact you're not my father, and I'm older than Zia by seven months."
Jay shrugged. "I am not certain. Like I said, I don't bring people along when I visit her."
"Let her believe it, then." Zia was surprised to see that it was Ike who had spoken. It was the first time he had said anything since she snapped at him. "What's the harm in it?" he continued at the looks everyone was giving him. "You two aren't really married, and Heath and I aren't really brothers, so what does it matter?"
Jay shrugged. "I don't see any harm in playing along. If the rest of you are okay with it?"
Zia hesitated. In her head she knew that it was just playing along, but in her gut she couldn't help but retch. She fought back and forth with herself for a while before she reluctantly agreed. Heath was a little harder to sway.
"No. Absolutely not," he said. He folded his arm across his chest like it settled the matter.
"Come on, Heath," Ike said. "Just imagine- we could be brothers!"
"Why on earth would I want that?" he teased.
Ike looked offended. "Because I'm interesting!"
"Looks aren't everything," Zia said, and was relieved when Ike smiled at her joke. They had been more than a little tense since Zia had told him off, and she was glad to see that things were returning to normal.
She turned to Heath. "Come on, stop being so stubborn. We're just pretending. It's not like we are magically going to become an actual family."
It took a few more moments of pleading (mostly from Jay), threatening (mostly from Zia), and reasoning (mostly from Ike) to finally get him to agree, and not a moment too soon.
Jodie entered the room with a tray of warm, sliced bread. She offered each of them a slice. Ike smiled as the tray passed in front of him. He look a slice and said, "Thank you, Grams."
Jodie smiled and patted Ike's cheek. "You're very welcome, young man." She sat down next to Zia and grabbed her hand in her bony ones. "It's so wonderful to meet all of you at last!" She gasped, and Zia was worried Jodie was having a heart attack or something. But her worry retreated when Jodie said, "I just realized- I don't even know your names!"
Zia sighed in relief, glad that nothing was wrong. She gave Jodie her best smile and tried to act like a girl who was meeting her mother-in-law for the first time, but she was worried it looked more like a grimace. "My name is Zia."
"That's a lovely name!" Jodie said, giving Zia's hand a gentle squeeze. "Is it foreign?"
"I'm not sure," Zia admitted.
Jodie looked confused, but didn't press. "About what about you two handsome boys?" she asked Heath and Ike. "What are your names?"
Ike smiled his goofy grin. "My name is Ike, Grams. And that's Heath."
"What wonderful names you all have!" Jodie said, clasping her hands to her heart. "You know, Jayson was named after his great-great-great-grandfather. He was a simple man- a farmer..."
Zia thought the talking would never end. Jodie went on and on about how Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Jayson ran the mill on the shores of the Sweetwater River, and about the day he ran into sea raiders that had come up from the ocean that the river fed to. Zia could hardly pay attention, but she acted like she was deeply attentive to every word, laughing when Jodie laughed, smiling when Jodie smiled, trying to look sympathetic when Jodie looked sad. The story went on for so long Zia began to wonder if it would ever end. One thing Zia did notice, however, was that the fog over Jodie's eyes lessened the longer she talked.
"Mother," Jay said once Jodie finished telling a story about how her grandfather discovered the den of a sleeping bear, "we are here because we need a place to stay tonight, and maybe even a few supplies for our journey back to the capital."
"Oh, can't you stay?"Jodie asked. "For a few days at least?"
Zia's heart felt for the old woman. Being all alone in a small cottage hidden away in the woods couldn't be easy, and now that she finally did have someone to talk to they had to leave as soon as possible.
"I wish we could, Mother," Jay said earnestly. "But we need to report to His Majesty as soon as possible."
Jodie's head dropped. "Oh, alright. But you will come to visit soon, won't you? All of you?"
"Of course, Grams," Ike said, patting her arm. "We would never stay away for too long."
That put the smile back on Jodie's face. "Very well. I suppose I can allow you to leave." She smiled to let them know she was joking, but Zia couldn't help but think of when she was younger, being kept prisoner in her house. Daxtor's house, she corrected herself. It was never her home. Where she was now, a place full of love and family and peace- this was a home.
Zia forced herself to smile. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Jodie."
"Not at all, my dear," she said. "Anything for family."
"Your mother is very nice," Zia told Jay that night after she had sent "the children" to bed. Heath and Ike were sleeping on the floor in front of the roaring fire, snoring softly.
Jay nodded, a sad smile on his lips. "She is. Always has been."
"Do you think she'll be safe here?" Zia asked. "This place isn't far from the entrance to the Pass, and when the army comes through, they might find it and try to harm her."
Jay shook his head. "This place is impossible to find without a map, or if you've been here before and paid close attention to where you were going. It's completely hidden by trees from every angle except for straight up, and even then you can only see the thatching on the roof." He sounded so confident, Zia believed him.
Zia laid back on a thin blanket Jodie had loaned her by the fire, which was now roaring with waves of heat. She shuddered with delight and the warmth, letting it fall over her like a thick quilt.
The house fell silent for a while, but it was broken when Jay whispered softly, "Did you mean what you said back in the Westfell Pass? About hope?"
"Every word," she replied firmly.
"You never cease to amaze me," he said. "If I were in your place I'd be feeling angry and hopeless. I can't imagine how it must feel seeing Daxtor after all these years- and in a position of power among our enemies, no less."
"Oh, I'm angry," she assured him.
"Then how do you remain so calm?"
She closed her eyes and pulled her blanket tighter around her. "I'm saving that anger for when I plunge a sword into Daxtor's heart."