Fortissima Page 4

  I can feel Tui’s quizzical look on my back as I run away.

  Chapter 3

  I run back inside and bound up the stairs. My hand shakes as I fiddle with the key to unlock the door to my room. Once inside I lean with my back against the door to keep myself from falling over. I focus on taking steady, even breaths. My eyes settle on my knife, lying in its leather sheath where I left it on my bed.

  My head is spinning and I’m trying to process what Tui told me.

  The girl they are after is me.

  They know about me.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen.

  How could they know? Miss Lilith assured me years ago that there was only the midwife and herself at my birth, and all were sworn to secrecy. Did the midwife confess? How did they get her to tell? I shudder.

  I’m not in any immediate danger, I tell myself. Not yet, anyway.

  I lock the door, undress, and climb under the bedcovers. I place my knife under my pillow.

  I know I should sleep. We have a long day ahead tomorrow. But it’s impossible to stop my reeling thoughts. I try to comfort myself. They’ll never find me, way out in Baldachin. That was why Miss Lilith took me there, sixteen years ago. To hide in the trees, a thousand miles from death. Ever since I first found out the truth about my past, I’ve been led to believe that I’ll be safe, always. Now, I know for certain that’s not true at all.

  What else do they know? Do they know about Miss Lilith? What else has the King been told? I know he’ll never take the chance that his son won’t rule. I am in mortal danger now. And I have no idea what to do about it.

  Somehow, I fall asleep. But it’s a sleep of nightmares in a long, black night.

  It’s a relief when daylight finally shows through the window. I stuff my things in my pack and head downstairs for breakfast. Tui is half done with his enormous bowl of porridge. I throw my pack on the floor and sit down.

  “Well, you’re up and raring to go,” he says.

  “Tui, I was thinking …” I pause as the innkeeper’s wife sets a bowl of porridge down in front of me. A pat of real butter on top, a melting pile of brown sugar, and a handful of blueberries. My stomach wants none of it. I thank Mrs. Murphy as she leaves to go back to the kitchen. I stir the contents of my bowl and continue. “I was thinking that we may as well go all the way back to Baldachin today. Daylight is long, and it won’t be as hot as on the way here—it’s a bit cloudy.”

  Tui takes another mouthful of porridge, considering this. “You may be right. It kind of feels like it’s going to rain, too. I’ve done the trip in one day a bunch of times. The horses are in good shape. They can do it.” His eyes drop to my spoon, still stirring.

  I take a spoonful.

  “All we need to do is pick up our goods. We can get the horses ready and pack them as we go,” I say.

  “I’ll meet you out back in half an hour. Then we’ll head out.”

  “It’s a plan.” I try to sound cheerful and take another spoonful of porridge. It nearly makes me choke.

  Tui heads upstairs to get his things. I leave my uneaten porridge on the table and go to the front counter to pay for our rooms. Mr. Murphy gives a grunt of thanks as I place a few coins in his hand.

  Out behind the inn, I find Tui readying Pearl and Pango. I give him a hand getting the horses saddled up and we are soon riding down Greenhollow’s main street. We stop to collect our purchases, packing them on our horses. We’ve got sacks of sugar and flour; oils, nails, thread. Just about everyone throws in something extra: a bar of lavender soap for Mum, a packet of chocolate for me, some gourd seeds for Miss Lilith.

  Our last stop is at Mrs. Willow’s bakery. We tie the horses up to the post out front and head inside. It’s warm and smells of cinnamon and vanilla.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Willow!” Tui calls.

  “Hello you two!” she hollers from the back. “Hang on, I’ll be right out. Grab what you want from the rack.”

  Tui and I each select a loaf of bread. A minute later, Mrs. Willow emerges, holding bulging paper bags out for each of us. We can see the insides smeared berry red through the paper. “Here are the scones I promised you, hot from the oven. It’s a new recipe. You’ll have to let me know what you think of them when you come to Greenhollow next.”

  My heart jumps in my chest, and I stare at her, stock-still. I’ve been trying not to think about the danger I’m in, but that one statement jerks me back to reality.

  I won’t be returning to Greenhollow.

  Tui notices my slight hesitation. I can feel him looking at me, questioningly. I will myself to act normal. But I can’t speak. I just stare at the bag in Mrs. Willow’s hand.

  Tui flashes her one of his huge grins. “We sure will. But if they taste as good as they smell, well, I’m sure they’re amazing.” He takes his bag, reaches inside, and grabs a piece to pop in his mouth. “Yep, we’ll be back for more as soon as we can.”

  Mrs. Willow hands the bag of warm scones to me. I bring myself to smile and thank her for the treat. Outside, we untie the horses and mount them.

  “Be safe!” Mrs. Willow calls out as she waves from the doorway.

  “We will!” Tui and I respond in unison, giving our horses the signal to head out.

  It’s still early in the day, midmorning. Tui and I keep our horses moving at a good pace to reach Baldachin before dark.

  The ride gives me plenty of time to think, which is not what I’m in the mood for. I’d rather forget about the whole matter altogether. I can’t, of course. Then a hopeful thought occurs to me: maybe what Tui overheard wasn’t right at all. Maybe he just misunderstood. Perhaps I’m the one who’s confused. I had drunk a whole glass of beer, after all, and was tired and woozy from that and all the dancing.

  But Tui’s words repeat in my head over and over, clear as a bell: The Queen had a baby. The girl survived. She’ll be killed if they catch her.

  I’ll be killed if they catch me.

  Panic rises up, again. I grow ever more anxious to get back to Baldachin, the only place I can imagine that is safe. For now.

  I focus on the path ahead, knowing that each step Pearl makes is one more closer to home.

  I can only distract my mind for so long, however. By the time we’ve made it up the hill to where we camped two days ago, my hands are shaking so badly that I can barely hang onto Pearl’s reins. My chest is tight and I have to concentrate to breathe. I’m terrified. I have no idea what to do. Who do I tell? Will I need to leave Baldachin? Where on earth would I go?

  Suddenly, I can’t go on. We’ve reached a small meadow. I stop, dismount, and simply collapse onto the grass. I hear Tui behind me, asking me what’s wrong, but his voice is muffled, like he’s yelling into a pillow.

  The tears come, hot and unwelcome.

  I hate crying. I never do it, but this time I can’t stop. My whole body shudders as my fear is finally revealed. I sense Tui sitting beside me in the grass. He doesn’t say anything, or touch me. He just waits as my sobbing slows. Eventually I roll over onto my back and look at Tui, sitting quietly next to me.

  “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Another minute passes. I emit a deep, shuddering sigh.

  “Oh, Tui, I wish I could. I don’t even know where to begin.” I look at his face. His brown eyes are huge, filled with concern. His black hair is sticking up all over, messed up from the pace of our ride. My heart feels swollen with affection for my friend, and cracked at the same time. I can’t lie to him. I know exactly where to begin. The question really is, what should I tell him, if anything at all? I’m certain I can trust him, but the knowledge could put him in danger. Deadly danger.

  But I’ve always confided in him. Tui knows everything about me. Well, except this one thing. But clearly the time has come for him to know. He’d never stop trying to get it out of me, anyhow.

  “You remember how I’m adopted, right, Tui? But I made you promise not to talk about it. Mum and Papa like to keep quiet about it.”
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  “Yes, I remember that morning when you told me. We were sitting up at the top of Mama Bodhi, just after the sunrise. We were thirteen I think? I was teasing you about looking nothing like your parents, with your black hair. Your mum and papa are so fair, I joked that maybe the stork actually did drop you off in Baldachin. I’ll never forget the look on your face. Especially since it’s kind of how you look now.”

  I feel his gaze on my face, but I can’t look at him. I am staring up at the sky. A fluffy white cloud changes shape several times before I can think what to say next.

  “There’s more to it, Tui,” I finally blurt out.

  “I know. I mean, I don’t know what, exactly, but I always figured you’d tell me when the time came.”

  I can’t hold the truth back any longer. “That girl they are hunting? The one you overheard those people talking about at the festival last night? I think the girl they are looking for is me.”

  “What do you mean, Raven? Do you think that just because your parents adopted you, people will think you’re on the run?” He chuckles at the absurdity.

  “No, I think that because I was born in the Bastion to my mother, Queen Araroa, that … that they are trying to find me.” I look straight into his face. “I am the girl they are hunting. Tui, they’ll kill me if they find me.” I can barely whisper those last words. Another tear drips from my eye and my bottom lip trembles.

  All the humor drains out of Tui face and he’s completely still. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him speechless.

  If I’d said this to any other human on earth, they would have laughed and told me what a fanciful imagination I had. But Tui knows I’d never joke like this. He takes my hand closest to him and cradles it in both of his.

  “Raven. Araroa.” Tui lays a kiss on the back of my hand. “Of course you are.”

  “I’m terrified, Tui. I have no idea what’s coming next.”

  He lowers my hand, but keeps it within his in his lap. “I don’t, either. I promise to protect you, though. Just like Miss Lilith has done, and your mum and papa. And your mother, the Queen.”

  Oh god, the Queen. I wonder what’s happened to her. They must know she gave birth in secret and conspired for the baby to escape. She must be in grave danger herself. But I can’t think about that now. I just need to get myself home.

  “Thank you, Tui,” I say, managing a small smile. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from me. It’s such a relief not to carry this burden by myself.

  As if reading my mind, Tui says, “You are not alone in this, Raven. While there are those who are out to do you harm, there are far more who want to keep you safe. Speaking of which, we should probably get moving again. I bet you want to get home as badly as I do.”

  I nod, standing up and brushing off bits of grass and leaves with my free hand. I pull him up and we re-mount the horses.

  We ride as fast as we can back to Baldachin, pushing Pearl and Pango to their limits. Their coats shimmer with sweat and they breathe hard. They don’t hold back, sensing the urgency. Tui and I ride in silence, but I can sense that he’s bursting with questions.

  After several hours we meet up with the river again and stop to let the horses rest and drink. I realize I’m exhausted, thirsty, and starving. Kneeling along the river, I splash fresh cold water on my face and take several big gulps out of my cupped hands. I sit back on the bank, Tui beside me. He hands me an apple and a hunk of bread.

  Tui looks up at the sky, calculating. “It’s barely mid-afternoon, but I think it will be dark when we get back to Baldachin, Raven. We’ve got six more hours to go.”

  “Hopefully the moon will be up before dark. That will light the trail a bit. Pearl and Pango know the way, anyhow.”

  “They do,” Tui agrees. “It’s like they’ve done this trip hundreds of times.”

  “Pearl is a good horse.” I look over at her munching on soft green grass and am amazed at her stamina. She seems to have fully recovered from our hard riding.

  Tui and I eat half the loaf of bread. We each take another long, cool drink of water then mount the horses again for another few hours of riding.

  The sun is just about to dip behind the hills to the west, and we only have an hour or two left to go. But I’m starving again. “Do you want to stop for a bit to eat, Tui? Or should we keep on?”

  “May as well stop. The horses could use a break. We’ve got at least an hour before it gets really dark. But we’re nearly there.”

  As we’re finishing up the rest of the bread and some chunks of dried fish, I hear something in the distance.

  “What’s that?” I whisper.

  We don’t move a muscle, listening. The noise is coming from ahead—from toward Baldachin.

  “It’s riders. I can hear horses,” Tui says. We both wait, listening to the sound get closer.

  The riders soon come into view along the river trail. There are four of them, three men and a woman. I don’t recognize them.

  They stop their horses when they see Tui and me sitting next to the river.

  “Hello there!” one of the men calls.

  “Hi! How’s it going?” I ask.

  “Well. We’re doing well,” he answers. “And yourselves?”

  “Great, we’re almost home!” I reply.

  “Baldachin?” he asks.

  “Yes, we’re just returning from Greenhollow. I’m Raven. This is Tui.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Raven, Tui. We’ve just come from your treevillage. Very nice place. You’re familiar with this trail, then?” he asks.

  “Oh, sure am,” I reply. “Been this way many times.”

  “Great. Is there a place to camp up ahead?”

  Tui jumps in. “There is—about an hour’s ride farther on. There’s a nice clear spot in the trees to make camp. A fire pit and everything. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thank you kindly, young man. That’s a great help. It’ll be dark soon.”

  The man gives his horse’s reins a tug, tearing his mouth from the grass he’s been happily munching on. “Good evening to you both. Have a good ride home.”

  “Have a good night, sir. And you all,” I say. I notice his companions look antsy, ready to keep on. They don’t say anything as they depart. The woman only touches the brim of her hat, and gives me a slight smile. Then they are off, rapidly picking up their pace down the trail.

  “We should go too, Raven. It’s getting dark.”

  The sun has dropped behind the hills, now highlighted by the orange-pink glow of its setting. We take one more drink of water, then head out again toward Baldachin.

  We’re riding side by side, slower than before. I feel Tui looking at me. Intently.

  “What?” I ask. Clearly he has something on his mind.

  “Have you ever seen those people before?” he asks.

  “Nope. They can’t be from around here, if they’re not familiar with this way,” I reply. “They seemed nice enough. I wonder what they were doing in Baldachin, though.”

  “Just passing through, sounds like,” Tui says. “I’ve never seen them before, either. Baldachin doesn’t get a whole lot of strangers visiting. It’s kind of out of the way.”

  He’s right. In order to reach Baldachin from the next village south, Alderwood, you have to pass over the mountain range into the valley that we’re riding through now. It’s much easier to go around the east side of the range and straight on to Greenhollow.

  A few minutes pass before either of us says anything further. I sense that Tui is thinking hard.

  “Raven …” He pauses.

  “Yeah?”

  “I wonder … I wonder if maybe you should be more careful from now on. You know, about who you talk to, or at least what you say to them. Especially if it’s someone you don’t know. It could be, well … dangerous.”

  I feel my ears turning red and irritation growing deep in my belly.

  “I’m a pretty good judge of character, you know,” I snap back.

  “Y
es, you are,” he agrees.

  “And I could tell those people were fine, they just probably haven’t been this way before. I expect they go the eastern route normally. Maybe they wanted a more scenic route today.” I stare straight ahead, fuming. How dare he criticize me, just for being friendly. “Besides, if I hadn’t been helpful, wouldn’t they be more likely to suspect something?” I realize it’s a weak defense, but I can’t help myself.

  I feel Tui’s eyes burning into my face but try to ignore it.

  “Yes, probably. But maybe not. Raven, everything’s changed. You—we—can’t be sure of anything, anymore.”

  I know that Tui is right. Everything has changed. As much as I want to believe that safety lies just ahead in Baldachin, I know it’s unlikely that any place is safe for me now. I don’t know anything about who is looking for me. Or where they are now. Realizing that it could have been those riders makes me even angrier—at myself, for thinking they were okay. Luckily they were, this time.

  I don’t speak again, until we can see the dim lights up in the trees ahead. The lights of Baldachin.

  “I’ll be careful, from now on,” I finally say to Tui. I realize there’s no point in being mad at him for stating what should have been obvious to me.

  “I know you will. I have a feeling you’ll get lots of practice.” He says that in a joking tone, trying to get me to laugh.

  But it doesn’t work. I have a feeling those are the truest words he’s ever said.

  Chapter 4

  Our families are so overjoyed to see us home safe they don’t notice anything is wrong. I do my best to hide my gnawing fear of what’s to come and my knowledge that my secret is safe no more.

  Mum and Papa swing down to greet us as we unload the horses. Neighbors come to help distribute our packages around, and then Tui takes care of putting Pearl and Pango to stable, telling me to head on up.