2
The capital city was hushed, wrapped in the velvet dark just before dawn.
The narrow streets of Valdis Maj glistened with frost, each cobblestone sparkling faintly in the moonlight as Malea walked briskly toward the northern gate.
Her pack was strapped snugly across her back, and Keera nestled on her shoulder, a small puff of warmth and soft breath against her collarbone.
The virkin was still half-asleep, wings tucked tightly against her sides, tail curled gently around Malea’s throat.
The wagons of the Jinn caravan were gathered in a quiet line just inside the gate, resting like great wooden beasts awaiting the sun.
Brightly painted panels, copper lanterns, and small charms swung gently from their sides, clinking faintly in the breeze.
Horses snorted and stamped, their breath steaming in the chill air.
Malea spotted the red-and-gold wagon that bore the crest she was looking for—a stylized flame curled around a silver ring. Lanterns lit the way as the wagons were readied quietly, and people began to stir. Malea headed for the symbol of the family she would be traveling with.
Master Goldman had described the fancy wagon well. It was sturdy, elegant, and well-kept. Smoke curled from the tiny stovepipe at the back, promising warmth within. She went up to the back of the wagon and knocked on the wooden frame around a tiny door.
“Yes?” a sleepy voice called.
“It’s Malea,” she replied in a soft voice, not wanting to disturb the quiet night or blast her business far and wide.
The little door opened, and the eldest daughter, Zhara, poked her head out the wagon door, dark curls tumbling from a hastily wrapped scarf. At twenty-one, she had the poise of a woman well used to the road but smiled easily as she waved Malea closer.
“Come in. Get settled. They’ll be moving off soon. Mama is up for the moment, but she and the others will sleep on the way out of the city, so it’ll be just you, me and Papa awake for leave-taking.”
Malea climbed the short steps and ducked inside, greeted at once by the smells of cinnamon tea and oiled leather. The interior was small but cozy. The wide wagon was built for comfort and long travel. Pillows were already fluffed around a bench that would serve as their sitting area later.
Madam Rasim, a tall woman with a kind face, looked up from tucking a blanket around her youngest daughter. “Welcome, child. We’re nearly ready to leave. Let’s get your gear stowed.”
“Thank you again for taking me with you,” Malea said, setting her pack down and bowing her head with respect.
“You’re Master Goldman’s apprentice,” the woman said, patting Malea’s arm.
“We are close with him, and he vouches for you. That goes a long way with us. You’re under our protection now, sweetie, for the length of our journey.
Besides, it’s good for my girls to have company around their own age.
Too much time on the road and they get bored and troublesome. ”
Zhara rolled her eyes and elbowed her sister, Sali, who was seventeen and leaning against the bunk built into the side of the wagon that was her sleeping place. The youngest, Mira, barely eleven, was already wrapped in a blanket, peeking out with sleepy eyes from the bunk right below that one.
Keera chose that moment to poke her head out from under Malea’s long hair and give a delicate, echoing chirp.
“Oh!” Mira sat up straighter. “A virkin! Is it yours?”
Malea reached up to stroke one finger down Keera’s long neck. “We are friends. Virkin belong to themselves. This is Lady Keera, and she decided she wants to travel northward with me. I hope you don’t mind.”
It was Madam Rasim who answered with shining eyes, admiring the little virkin. “Mind? Never. Virkin are most welcome among the Jinn in general, and in our wagon, especially. Pleased to meet you, Lady Keera. I suspect you’ve deduced already that these are my daughters, Zhara, Sali, and Mira.”
Keera nodded to each of them in turn, by way of greeting.
“Thank you for the welcome. Can any of you hear me?” Keera tried sending her speech to the minds present, but nobody indicated that they heard her. Keera tilted her little head expectantly at Malea. She’d be playing interpreter for the journey, it seemed, but she didn’t mind.
“Lady Keera thanks you for your welcome,” Malea said to the attentive family.
“Oh! You can speak with her?” Sali said, looking both intrigued and excited.
Malea nodded. “I can hear virkin,” she admitted. “And dragons.” She wasn’t sure why she was revealing so much to this family, but it felt right to do so.
“That is a blessing, indeed,” Madam Rasim said, nodding wisely. “Your skills may prove helpful where we are headed.”
“That’s what Master Goldman said when he suggested this trip,” Malea agreed with a small smile.
“Though he also told me to be careful who I told about my abilities.” She cringed, realizing she’d already been indiscreet.
Then again, these people were trusted associates of her Master.
They should be trustworthy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent her off with them.
“He is right, of course. Not everyone out in the wide world will have your best interests at heart. In fact, very few will. You were right to trust us. We needed to know because we will be traveling together and may need your skills to make the way easier at times, but we will not abuse your abilities or kindness in sharing them. You are one of us for the duration of this trip, and we will treat you as part of our family.” The matriarch of the little family nodded firmly, as if that was all that needed to be said on the matter and turned to stow Malea’s pack in a cubby next to one of the empty sleeping nooks built into the opposite wall of the wagon.
Malea realized that the sleeping bunks were balanced out on either side of the wagon.
Two girls would be on each side, and there was a partition that would fold down from the ceiling to turn the front of the long wagon into a separate room.
That was probably for the girls’ parents.
It was cozy, though the close quarters were unlike anything Malea had ever seen before.
“This will be your bunk,” Madam Rasim said, indicating the lower bunk across from Mira’s. “Youngsters and newcomers get the lower bunks so you don’t have far to fall,” she joked, but Malea could see the wisdom in that precaution.
Malea suspected she’d have a hard time getting used to sleeping in such a small space, even with the privacy curtain that could be closed across the length of the cubby. Keera chose to jump off of Malea’s shoulder and settle on the bedding in the cubby.
“I’m going to sleep for a bit,” Keera told her, then moved in a circle until she found a comfortable position and curled up, closing her eyes.
“She’s decided to sleep for a while,” Malea told the others, smiling.
“I expect you’re too excited to sleep, so you can move up front with my husband and Zhara.
Nobody drives alone. Whoever’s driving gets company to chat with and fetch things, and you can help with that as we start off,” Madam Rasim said kindly, ushering Malea forward toward the front.
As they approached another small door at the front of the wagon, a low whistle sounded from outside.
“That’s my husband, Arran,” Madam Rasim said. Zhara had paused to pull on her boots and cloak.
“Button up and follow me,” Zhara said, rising as she wrapped her cloak around her. It wasn’t even close to winter, but it was early in the morning, and there was a chill in the air, so Malea followed suit and moved through the little doorway after her new friend.
There was a little space behind the bench on which the driver would sit, and Malea watched carefully as Zhara climbed nimbly up onto the wide bench. She claimed the spot in the middle and patted the place to her right, indicating that Malea should climb up next to her.
Placing her hands and feet carefully, Malea made her way up to the bench a bit less gracefully than Zhara had. She arrived just in time to see a tall man approach, moving toward the front of the wagon after checking on the horses that were already hitched and waiting patiently.
“That’s my Papa,” Zhara said quietly. There was a hush over the gathered wagons as the first rays of light began glimmering in the east.
The man climbed up onto the wagon and took the seat next to his daughter. He leaned over as he grasped the reins, smiling at Malea in a friendly way.
“I take it you’re Master Goldman’s apprentice?” he asked in a jovial tone that was hushed in deference to the early hour.
“I am Malea, sir. Thank you for your hospitality,” she replied politely, feeling a bit overwhelmed now that the journey was really and truly about to start.
She’d never been away from Valdis Maj before.
She’d never even set foot outside the city gates.
Her heart fluttered, but it didn’t feel like fear. It was…excitement?
Malea had no idea if she truly had the heart of an adventurer, but her response boded well for this trip.
At least, so far. She had no idea what the next weeks would bring, but she knew she would try her hardest and do her best. She would bring no shame to the House of Goldman.
In fact, she wanted to be a credit to her kind Master and do him proud. Only time would tell.
“You are welcome among us, Apprentice Malea,” Zhara’s father said kindly, then a sparkle came into his eye. “Though I suspect your title will change to journeyman the moment we start moving, no?”
Malea gasped at the thought. It hadn’t really hit home until this moment.
“Yes, sir. I suppose so,” she all but whispered, unable to take it in herself. This was really happening. She was about to graduate from apprentice to journeyman. It was a big moment in her life, and adventure called to her out there beyond the gates that were just beginning to open.
All along the line of wagons, men and women jumped into their driver’s seats and took up their reins. Horses stamped, impatient to be off, and a charged atmosphere descended as the long train of wagons readied to move out.
Zhara’s father signaled his horses into motion and slapped the reins just the tiniest bit.
A moment later, the wheels of the wagon began to creak forward.
A lurch, then another, and the caravan began to move.
A long line of slow-moving wagons that were brightly painted, though their colors were muted in the faint light.
Malea caught the first real glimmers of dawn cresting over the city walls.
She looked back at her home as they moved toward the gate, following behind a long line of other wagons.
The towering spires of Valdis Maj stood silhouetted against a sky brushed in pink and silver.
Then, they were at the gate and passing through it. The gatekeeper paid them no mind.
She felt a tingle as she passed beyond into the open countryside, and the wagons began to pick up speed as the horses and their drivers woke up with the new day.
The sun was making its presence known, and little by little, the landscape became clearer.
At one point, the road curved, and Malea craned her neck to get a glimpse of the city, already receding from view.
Behind her, the city faded into the misty dawn.
Before her, the long road stretched northward—through forest and field, and into the unknown.
She placed one hand on the leather belt at her waist, reassuring herself it was still there.
The hidden weight of gold coins pressed against her midsection.
She could hardly believe it. It all seemed like a dream, but this was her new reality.
A mission for her Master and a secret mission given by her former Mistress, who worked for the King, himself.
Malea couldn’t wait to see what happened next.