Fortissima Page 5

  When I reach the top, Miss Lilith is there, beaming proudly. “It’s so good to have you back, Raven!” We hug each other tight.

  She has a big pot of stew ready, and soon Mum, Papa, Tui, his parents, Miss Lilith and I are talking late into the night, cozy in her little treehome. They want to hear all the latest news from Greenhollow, so we tell them.

  Except for the one thing. That, I will have to tell Miss Lilith when we are alone. She will know what to do. I hope.

  I’m relieved to finally fall into my bed, but now I’m lying awake, unable to sleep. I stare at my familiar treehome ceiling. My stomach lurches again as reality hits me over and over.

  I wonder how many more nights I’ll have here. Suddenly home doesn’t feel safe at all—for me, or for any of my loved ones, as long as I’m here. But the last thing I want to do is leave, ever again.

  I’m awake long before sunrise. I lie in the dark for a while, but eventually I get up and make my way to Mama Bodhi. I take my time walking to where her enormous trunk reaches to the heavens, across the familiar swingways and platforms. This morning, each step feels different.

  As I pass Tui’s treehome, I pause. Should I wake him? I can hear his deep snore from the back of the house, like I’m standing right next to his bed. I think I’ll let him sleep. I’ll go alone this time.

  A few minutes later I’m resting at the top of Mama’s branches. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched the dawn from here. The sky is black. The moon has already set and the stars are hiding behind thick clouds. I sit and wait. Very slowly, the clouds turn the palest shade of pink. I watch as the sun finds an opening to the east and paints the sky a deep, viscous red.

  If I believed in omens, I might be concerned by that. But I don’t.

  I sit there for a few more minutes. Nothing comes to me. My mind is blank. I try to imagine what’s going to happen next, but I can’t. The future seems absolutely empty.

  Eventually I realize I’m starving, so I make my way back home for breakfast.

  On my way past Tui’s house, he darts from the doorway, grabbing my arm. I jump, still in a sort of daze.

  “Raven!” he hisses in my ear. “Where have you been?” His voice is chastising.

  I feel a growing irritation bubbling up. “Just at Mama Bodhi. I … I don’t have many mornings left like this. Why, were you worried?”

  “Worried? Of course! We need to be careful. We need a plan. What are we going to do?”

  My mind hangs on that word he keeps repeating—we—and the irritation at his overwhelming concern dissolves. I remember I am not alone in all this.

  “Let’s meet with Miss Lilith tonight. Late, after Mum and Papa are asleep. I’ll tell her today. Okay?” I say.

  He nods and finally releases my arm. “See you then.” He disappears back inside. Through the window I watch him sit down at the table where he’s been eating breakfast with his parents.

  I continue on to Miss Lilith’s. I poke my head in and look around.

  “Raven! Come in!” She waves me in, setting a pot of tea and a plate of scones on her little round table. I go inside and sit down. While we eat together I try to act as normal as I can. But I know Miss Lilith. I can see that telling glint in her eye. She knows something is up, that there's something I’m not saying. I decide to fill her in, just a little bit.

  “There was a situation in Greenhollow,” I say, looking down at my teacup.

  “What’s going on?”

  I look up into her concerned eyes boring into mine. “I don’t want to say anything right now. Can Tui and I meet with you tonight? Late?”

  Miss Lilith nods her head. “Yes, I’ll be awake.” She doesn’t press for anything further.

  I go to bed early, telling Mum and Papa I’m still exhausted from our trip. When they put the candles out I sneak over to Tui’s treehome. The rest of the village is dark as we walk over to Miss Lilith’s.

  I quietly open her door. It’s very dark inside, with only a small fire burning. As Tui closes the door behind us I see Miss Lilith sitting at the table. But she’s not alone: Mum and Papa are there too.

  I’m startled by this, but relief quickly floods through me. Of course they need to help with this. They’ve been protecting me all these years, after all. The thing is, I want to protect them. If the King finds out what they’ve done … I shudder. I can’t think about that right now.

  “Come and sit down. Tell us what’s happened.” Miss Lilith pats the stool next to her.

  When I’m seated I begin. I tell them everything: about the anniversary party we attended. How Tui overhead some people talking. About the King’s officers over in Goodacre looking for a girl rumored to have been born to the Queen sixteen years ago. A girl that got away.

  I don’t tell them about the riders we encountered on the way back to Baldachin. About how stupid I was, telling them practically my whole life story.

  When I’m done, Miss Lilith gets up and starts pacing, hands on her hips. She lets out a huge sigh. “I simply can’t believe this. This wasn’t supposed to happen. How on earth did this get out after all these years? Who could have told? It’s got to be that midwife; I just know it. I told Seraphine I didn’t trust her, but she insisted she was worthy. The woman was ancient back then. Surely she must be dead now.”

  Everyone else in the room must be thinking the same thing: Of course she is dead. Now.

  Miss Lilith sits back down and puts her head in her hands. None of us says anything for a long time. There is only the soft sound of the clock ticking over the hearth.

  Mum finally speaks up. “Raven is no longer safe here, in Baldachin.” Her voice is resigned, as if this is something she’d always expected to have to say.

  I realize I’ve known this since that night in Greenhollow.

  We all nod in agreement. No matter how much I want to believe that our little treevillage will provide safe harbor for me, as it always has, I know that’s no longer true.

  Miss Lilith looks up. “No, she’s most definitely not. But I don’t know where she would be safe. If King Araroa truly knows about Raven, he’ll send Hunters to search every square inch of Nadir. She’s a threat to his son’s throne, and he’ll never stand for her to be alive.”

  More silence.

  More ticking.

  “We could take Raven into the Western Mountains,” Mum says. “Hide out there. Araroa’s got to give up the search eventually.”

  Miss Lilith puts her chin in her hand, considering this. Then she shakes her head. “But he won’t. He’ll not stop searching until he’s certain she’s … she’s dead.” Her voice cracks and she covers her mouth with both hands. Tears well up in her eyes.

  Papa speaks up. “What about Nuimana? It’s a sovereign country, and King Araroa has no jurisdiction there. It would be an incredibly difficult journey; it’s thousands of miles away. But Raven would be safe there. I could take her.”

  “That’s across the sea,” Tui says. He’s standing over by the wood stove, warming his hands. “And the only way to reach the port is right through the Bastion itself.”

  “Yes, true, true …” Papa sighs. “We’d have to leave immediately. Winter is only months away. Waiting any longer would mean the mountains would be impassable.”

  “But if you wait until spring to leave …” Miss Lilith hesitates.

  “That could be too late.” Papa speaks the words Miss Lilith cannot.

  I stand up and look around at everyone. “I’ll go by myself. There’s no need to put any of you in more danger than you already are. You’ve done enough for me. I can’t ask you to do anything more.”

  Mum, Papa, and Tui are looking at me with shocked faces. But Miss Lilith is smiling at me. Proud.

  “Not by yourself. I’ll go,” Tui says. “We know we can travel together. We’ll be able to move quickly on the horses. It will only take a day or two to prepare and we can be off.”

  Mum’s face is grim. “Do you think you can reach Nuimana by winter? And what about t
he Bastion? How will you get through without anyone noticing?”

  “The Bastion is huge. We’ll blend in,” Tui says confidently. Mum’s mouth stays in its straight line. She doesn’t look reassured by any of this.

  “I can’t let you go by yourselves, Raven,” Papa says. “It’s too dangerous. How will you find your way? You only just got back from your first trip to Greenhollow. You and Tui will have to travel for thousands of miles. It would be so easy to lose your way, end up in the wrong camp. I just can’t allow it.”

  “Papa, you need to stay here with Mum. You need to keep her safe. If word gets out that Baldachin is where I’ve been hidden all these years, well, I don’t know what will happen. But I know it would probably be bad if you weren’t here.”

  Papa nods and sighs. “That’s true.”

  “Your papa’s right,” Tui says. “We need a tracker. Someone who can read the maps and help us find our way. Someone who knows how to navigate the passes. Quickly. We need to move fast to make it before winter.”

  “Catriona,” we both say in unison.

  Catriona’s family are trackers. They have been for generations. They are always leaving their kids out in the woods, on purpose, and they have to find their way home by the position of the sun, the breeze, tiny details that only they would notice. Not just anyone can learn how to be a tracker. That special sixth sense of direction is something you have to be born with. Our friend Catriona is one of the best.

  “But what should we tell Catriona—if anything? How would we convince her to come along? Can we trust her?” My questions, spoken aloud, receive no response. Just nods around the room.

  Tui’s pacing, thinking. He stops. “We have no way of knowing for sure,” he says, “but it’s a chance we’re going to have to take. There’s no way for us to get all the way out there without her. She only needs to help get us as far as the Bastion. The port is just beyond that, and we can get you on a ship there. Besides, Catriona’s family is no fan of the King. If she does find out what’s going on, that is.”

  “We’ll talk to her in the morning. Tell her the plan and see if she’s willing to help,” I say.

  “In the meantime, we’d better get some sleep. There are many sleepless nights ahead for all of us,” Mum says.

  I don’t think any of us are tired, though. My nerves are humming. Each one on alert.

  The next morning right after dawn, we’re back at Miss Lilith’s, bleary-eyed and yawning. It’s barely light outside. Tui is there, along with Papa and Mum. Miss Lilith has just finished brewing a pot of strong coffee, and for the first time in my life I think it tastes delicious. None of us says much until we’re well into our second cups.

  Just as I was falling asleep last night, something occurred to me. It’s the first thing I bring up. “How are we going to pay for the trip? We’re going to need another horse for Catriona. Food, inns, it’s going to cost a fortune. We trade nearly everything. There’s only a little actual money in our coffer.”

  Miss Lilith pats my arm. “Raven, you have all the money you could ever need. Always will. Your birth mother made sure of it. There’s more than enough to get you to where you need to go.”

  For some reason, this news doesn’t surprise me. I tell her I’m very relieved. At least one tiny matter is clear in all this.

  A few minutes later there's a quiet knock on the door.

  “Come in!” calls Miss Lilith, and Catriona bounds in on her long legs, curls bouncing.

  She sits down and politely declines the coffee Miss Lilith offers. Picking up the last of the fresh muffins, she says, “What’s this all about? Tui stopped by this morning, said to meet here. Something about a trip?”

  Catriona doesn’t beat around the bush, ever. She doesn’t tolerate when other people do either. So Miss Lilith gets right to the point.

  “Tui and Raven need to get to the Bastion. We’re looking for someone who can help guide them. A tracker. They need to leave as soon as possible to get there before winter. You know how far it is. It’s pushing it for them to leave this late in the year as it is. They need to move fast.”

  “Are they taking the horses?” Catriona asks.

  “Yes. There will be a third horse for you, if you decide to help them.”

  “Why do they need to go?”

  I reply this time. “My grandmother is there. She needs my help.” My look tells her this is all she needs to know right now.

  She nods. “Very well. When do you leave?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Catriona contemplates this. I watch her face; she’s trying to hold back a small smile, but her eyes sparkle. She’s clearly invigorated at the prospect of a long journey.

  Finally, she lets her face explode into a grin. “I’ll do it. I’ll be ready to leave in the morning.”

  “Very good,” Miss Lilith says. “You can ride with Tui and Raven to Alderwood where you’ll be able to procure a third horse. Then you should have no trouble making good time to the main pass.”

  Catriona stands to leave, then asks a final question. “Will there be danger?”

  “It is likely,” Miss Lilith answers.

  “Good. Nothing worse than a boring journey.” She departs, grinning.

  It doesn’t take me long to pack. We need to travel light, so as not to weary the horses. Mum makes sure I include plenty of warm clothes and my leather boots. It’s been getting colder every day as autumn approaches.

  Later, I ask Miss Lilith what we’re going to tell the other treevillagers. She tells me she’ll think of a story; that we should probably keep this quiet, for now. We don’t want to raise any suspicions until we’re far enough away. It’s pretty rare for someone from Baldachin to travel to the Bastion. She probably won’t mention that part.

  “But don’t you worry, Raven,” she reassures me. “I’ve concocted tales before.”

  That night I sit down to my last dinner with Mum and Papa for a very long time. I eat slowly, not hungry at all. This still doesn’t seem real. I can’t believe I’m going to leave my home, forever. And I’ll have no idea what’s happening back here; if Mum and Papa and Miss Lilith are okay.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Mum says. I look up to find her staring at me, warmly.

  “I just … I have no idea what’s going to happen after I leave here. What is Nuimana like? Will they welcome me there? Am I going to have to stay there forever? Will I see you both again? Nothing seems certain at all anymore. Nothing,” I say. The tears well up again.

  Papa places a large, rugged hand on mine. “Nuimana used to be part of the Kingdom of Nadir. They declared their independence hundreds of years ago. I promise you, they’ll be very welcoming. You just—” He pauses.

  “I just have to get there,” I finish.

  “Yes. It won’t be easy. I feel better knowing Tui and Catriona will be with you.” He stops. I can tell he’s thinking about something. “The King might have Hunters all around Nadir by now. Or maybe he just sent out a small group to ask questions. We don’t know. You’re going to have to keep your ears and eyes wide open. And stay low.”

  “I will. But I’m more worried about you two. And Baldachin. Suppose they find out this is where I’ve been all these years? The King isn’t likely to show you mercy. I won’t be here. I won’t be able to help!” I wipe the tears that have begun to fall with the back of my hand.

  “We’ll be fine, Raven,” Mum says, comfortingly. “The most important thing to us is that you are safe. We’ll try to find out more when you’re gone. If we have to leave, we will. But Miss Lilith and Queen Seraphine are the only people besides your Papa and I who know where you’ve been all these years.”

  I can only hope this is still true. “I don’t think any of us will be completely safe, ever again,” I mutter.

  She sighs. “I know that.”

  We’re quiet all that evening. Mum plays her wood flute, but we don’t dance. Her tunes are haunting and mellow. I close my eyes and try to memorize the notes so I can play them
in my head on the journey.

  We’re up long before dawn. After a quick breakfast, I grab my pack and my knife and swing down to the ground. Tui is at the stable getting the horses ready. When they’re all saddled up, we lead them to the river for a drink.

  Mum, Papa, Miss Lilith, and Tui’s parents join us. It’s time to say goodbye. Tui’s told his parents that he and Catriona are helping me get to the Bastion as my grandfather just died and I need to help my grandmother. I’m not sure they believe it, but they’re happy for Tui to help.

  Tui and Catriona will turn back after we reach the port, leaving me to make the last leg of the journey alone. Even so, Tui won’t be back in Baldachin until springtime, nearly a year from now. I can tell all our families are terribly worried, but trying to stay strong. Mum’s eyes are red.

  Nobody has much to say. It all feels inevitable now. We hug and say I love you, travel safe, good luck. Miss Lilith, Mum, and Papa act like this is just a normal trip; we all know it’s anything but.

  Papa hands me a heavy silk drawstring bag. I peek inside and see a huge pile of golden coins. This must be the money Miss Lilith was talking about before. It looks like a small fortune! I try not to act surprised, and casually stow it in my pack.

  “Do you still have your necklace?” Papa asks.

  I reach into my blouse and pull out the obsidian pendant. It glitters, warm in my hand. “I haven’t taken it off since the day you gave it to me.”

  He smiles. “Good. Keep it close.”

  “I will, Papa.”

  Catriona appears from out of the darkness. She’s wearing her leather tracking clothes and a huge grin. “Ya’ll ready to go?” she asks eagerly.

  “Yep, it’s time.” I mount Pearl, and Catriona climbs on behind me. Tui mounts Pango. There’s nothing left to do; it’s time to go.

  I reach down to give Miss Lilith one more hug. She whispers in my ear: “Only trust yourself,” then stands back and smiles. “You can do this,” she says, so everyone can hear.