Leslie Moore - Griffin's Daughter

Jelena and Magnes walked all night, with only the stars and a tiny sliver of moon to light their way. They passed through rustling fields of growing wheat and orchards awash in blossoms, always heading northwest. Magnes had chosen as their goal the only spot in the Janica River where he knew that the water was shallow enough to cross. To reach the fords, they would have to traverse a small but dense patch of woodland that lay at the northernmost edge of Amsaran territory. Across the river, which marked the boundary of the Empire, lay elven lands.

At dawn, they reached the edge of the forest and decided to stop and rest a few yards into the trees. Magnes went off to forage while Jelena set up their meager camp. It was dark and chilly beneath the thick canopy of oak, beech, and chestnut. The trees themselves were large-boled and hoary, a testament to their great age. This stand was but a remnant of a once vast forest that had covered much of Amsara back in ancient times. With the coming of people, the mighty trees had fallen to the cold iron of the axe blade as the land was cleared for fields and pastures. Somehow, this small patch had survived, most likely due to its closeness to elven territory.

Jelena tried to fight her growing unease by busying herself about the camp. Despite the dim light, she could see well enough to collect a supply of sticks and dry debris, and with flint and steel, soon had a small fire burning. Next, she cleared away the litter of last year’s withered leaves and acorns to make a relatively smooth spot on which to spread out the bedrolls. The fire cheered her a little, as did the sunrise, which put to flight some of the darker, more sinister shadows.

Even so, the trees seemed to possess a kind of slow and alien awareness, like strange old men huddled together, whispering secrets over her head. She sat cross-legged on the ground close to the little fire, pulled her blanket over her shoulders, and settled down to await Magnes’s return.

The snap of a breaking twig startled Jelena up out of a light doze. She had not realized that she had been asleep until that instant, and a thrill of alarm shot through her. She jumped to her feet and snatched her long knife from the sheath at her waist.

“ Easy! It’s only me.”

At the sound of Magnes’s voice, Jelena’s fear evaporated, and all of the nervous energy tensing her muscles drained away, leaving relief in its wake. “You scared me half to death!” she exclaimed. “I must have dozed off.” She re-sheathed the knife and came forward to see what Magnes had foraged.

“ It’s these damned trees. They’ve got me jumpy, too,” Magnes said sympathetically. He hunkered down by the fire and laid out his harvest. “It’s been a little dry this spring, but there’s still quite a lot of stuff growing. I’ve got some leeks and cleavers, and a few spring beauty roots. We’ll have a nice salad.” He held up each plant as he named it. “And now, I’ve saved the best for last!” With a crow of triumph, he dumped a handful of tiny, brilliant red wild strawberries into Jelena’s lap. She clapped with delight. With the fruit of Magnes’s foraging to supplement the rations they had brought with them out of Amsara, it should be several days before they would be forced to hunt.

“ Cook should be noticing I’m missing right about now,” Jelena said around a mouthful of bread and cheese. “I think I can hear her yelling.”

Magnes laughed.

“ When do you think your father will send his guards out to look for us?” she asked, unable to disguise the worry in her voice.

Magnes’s face clouded over. “My father won’t realize something’s wrong until I don’t show up with the morning report,” he replied. “Once he finds out that I’m not in my chambers and that no one has seen me, then he’ll start to worry.”

“ And Cook’ll send someone up to tell him I’m gone, and…oh, no!” Jelena exclaimed suddenly. Sick fear twisted her gut. “Magnes, what have I done… Claudia! ” Jelena sprang to her feet. She wanted to turn and run and not stop until she had made it all the way back to Amsara.

“ What about Claudia?” Magnes scrambled up and grasped his cousin’s shoulders. He seemed to sense that she teetered on the edge of panic and wanted to steady her before she fell off.

Jelena looked up into his face, her eyes full of tears and terror. “Your father will want to question Claudia about my disappearance. Magnes, she’ll be forced into a position where she’ll have to lie to protect me, or else tell him where I’ve gone, and she won’t do that! She’ll lie, and she’ll be so nervous that your father will know she’s lying, and he’ll punish her. I can’t let that happen. I have to go back.”

Magnes shook his head and tightened his grip on her shoulders. “My father may be hard, but he’s not a monster, Cousin. He knows how much Claudia loves you, and he understands the need of a parent to protect a child. He’ll certainly be angry with her, but he won’t hurt Claudia. You don’t have to go back.”

Slowly, Jelena relaxed. She wiped her eyes and sat back down next to the fire. For a time, she said nothing. Overwhelmed by the enormity of what she had done, she was afraid to think too hard on the consequences. Magnes threw another handful of sticks onto the fire, and Jelena stared into the leaping flames, seeing in her mind’s eye her foster mother bowed before Duke Teodorus, trembling in the face of his wrath. The image pierced her heart, but she knew, deep down, that Magnes was right. The duke was a hard man, but he had always treated his servants fairly. Claudia would suffer because of her, but not at the hands of her master.

What’s done is done. I can’t go back, only forward. I’m sorry, Heartmother.

Magnes coughed to get her attention. She looked at him, and he held out a strawberry, which she took with a smile and ate. The sun hung well above the horizon now, and the air was growing steadily warmer, heralding another fine spring day. The forest had gradually come to life around them as the sun rose, and the dense canopy above them trilled with birdsong. The ancient trees, which had seemed so mysterious and frightening in the darkness of the predawn, now looked almost friendly. They finished off their small meal and followed it up with sips from their water bottles.

“ You’d better try to get some sleep if you can,” Magnes said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “I’ll take the first watch.”

“ Shouldn’t we keep moving?” Jelena asked. Despite the weariness she felt after walking all night, she was willing to go on if it meant staying that much further ahead of any pursuit.

“ We have a little time,” Magnes replied confidently. “Remember, first they’ll search the castle. That’ll take awhile. After my father realizes that we’re not there, it will take time to organize a search party, and they won’t pick up our trail right away. All of this presupposes that my father figures out fairly quickly that your disappearance and mine coincide.” Jelena nodded. “So, it’ll be hours before any search actually gets underway. Don’t worry. I won’t let you sleep too long.”

Jelena pulled the leather cap from her head and raked her fingers through her cropped curls. She then arranged her pack to serve as a pillow and lay down on the hard ground. The blankets of her bedroll offered scant padding, and despite her best efforts to clear the area beforehand, many acorns and small rocks remained. Fatigue was enough to overcome discomfort, however, and very quickly, Jelena dropped off to sleep.

The sound of her name spoken in her ear woke her. She opened her eyes to see Magnes’s face hovering close to hers. His expression was grim.