Chapter 30 Leila
Leila
Exactly seven days passed before the troops began retreating from Trogolia, then another four before their new, lax systems were in place.
Eleven days of Leila waiting in the inn, staring out the window.
Eleven days for Tobias to be in Brontes’s captivity, enduring God knows what, if he was still alive at all.
A lump lodged in Leila’s throat, and She willed Her tears to stay at bay.
Raphael breathed loudly from his spot across the room, reading over his umpteenth scroll of the day.
He, Enzo, and Hylas had taken turns coddling Her in Tobias’s absence, even going so far as to sleep on the floor at Her bedside.
They made unconvincing excuses—Raphael joined Her because Enzo snored far too loudly, while Hylas took to Her side when he was fearful of the dark.
Enzo didn’t bother with lies, simply stating, “I sleep,” before taking root on the floor and dozing off instantly.
Perhaps it was kind of them, but She resented their hovering.
How could She break down if She was never alone?
Knuckles rapped against the door, and Leila sat up straight. Raphael ushered Enzo and Hylas inside, and Leila couldn’t help but hold Her breath as She searched their faces. Please, let there be news. Something. Anything.
“We have passage,” Hylas said.
Leila emptied Her lungs. Finally. They would leave this wretched realm, seek aid in Kovahr, and rescue Her love.
Of course She’d procure an army along the way, but within the past eleven days, that thought had quieted in Her mind.
She’d lost sleep dwelling over Tobias, fighting swell after swell of emotion.
Was he in a cell somewhere awaiting Her rescue, or was his dead body hanging from a crucifix? A shudder ran through Her.
“And Tobias?”
Hylas’s shoulders slumped. “No news since the last herald. We know he’s in Brontes’s custody. That’s all.”
Leila gnawed at Her bottom lip. Nodding, She looked away.
“Many borders are still guarded,” he continued. “But with soldiers relocating to Ethyua, there are opportunities to seize. Some of the more precarious routes are finally unmanned.”
“Precarious?” Raphael said. “You mean deadly?”
“If people are unlikely to travel that path, there’s little need for patrol any longer.”
Hylas stood strong, but the anxiety in his gaze wasn’t lost on Leila. “Where exactly are we going, Hylas?”
“Póziah Rehk,” Enzo grunted. “God’s River.”
Raphael let out a sardonic laugh while Leila’s stomach sank. God’s River, of all routes. Historians claimed it was named such due to its northward flow, but its title was appropriate for far darker reasons. After all, many who dared to travel the river met God soon after.
“It’s the quickest way to Kovahr. It’s also one of the only borders no longer fortified.” Hylas’s words were rushed, lit with nervousness. “People have already begun utilizing the river—smugglers keen to continue their trade, traders desperate for work—”
“Fools eager to die,” Raphael said.
“It is good plan.” Enzo flicked a dismissive wrist. “Just water. Easy peasy.”
Leila’s gut churned. “How do we cross? We’ll need a vessel.”
“Guides are leading people across for a fee,” Hylas said.
“Can we trust these guides?”
“I don’t think we can trust anyone. But what choice do we have?”
Leila set Her jaw. Hylas was right, but that didn’t make the path forward any less dire.
They’d waited days for an exit, and when it finally arrived, it led straight to the grave.
Perhaps She should’ve expected as much. Their entire journey had been one unspeakable danger after the next.
But navigating a river that had more bodies under its surface than stones?
A part of Her wanted to laugh at the idea, dismiss it as madness, but Tobias’s face filled every corner of Her mind.
Her gaze traveled to the two ribbons tied along Her wrist. She would save him. She had to.
“What of the other borders?” Raphael said. “Are there any—?”
“We’ll do it.” Leila turned to Hylas. “Today.”
Raphael spun toward Her. “Leila—”
“This isn’t up for discussion,” She said. “My decision is made. You’re welcome to stay behind. I’ll understand completely, and I will hold you in the highest regard for your many sacrifices and assistance. But I’m going to Kovahr, and I’m going now.”
The room fell silent. Raphael shrank in his seat, discontent alive in his gaze, though he said nothing. His fears were justified, but Tobias was shackled in a cell somewhere, and that more than anything urged Leila to continue.
“So, then . . .” Hylas cleared his throat, glancing from face to face. “To God’s River?”
Leila looked to Raphael, who hesitated for long seconds before nodding. She pressed down the front of Her dress and stood.
“Gather your things. We’re leaving now.”
It had been ages since the cool wind swept Leila’s shoulders, since the grey-blue sky loomed overhead.
She closed the front of Her cloak and pulled the burnt orange shawl tight across Her face.
Even with the decreased patrol, it was dangerous for Her to be walking the streets of Trogolia.
But Tobias lingered in Her mind, an ever-present reminder to push forward.
Hylas and Enzo strode paces ahead, and She trained Her eyes on their staggering height difference, blinding Herself to the world around Her.
Soldiers be damned. She was leaving this realm, and nothing would stop Her.
The tinkle of a bell sounded as Hylas pushed open the shop door.
The space was dismal, its grey-brown walls lined in sharpened steel for labor and fighting.
A metalsmith, perhaps? A tall, robust woman, well-muscled like a laborer, hammered the edge of a scythe at the back of the room.
Her light brown skin was leathery and marked with raised scars, and her brown hair was pulled back into an oily bun sitting in a messy pile on top of her head.
Hylas stopped in front of her, waiting patiently.
The woman didn’t speak for a long while, pounding at the blade’s edge in a steady rhythm. “This isn’t a watering hole.” She didn’t bother to look up from her work. “Make a purchase or leave.”
“You’re Halla?” Hylas said.
“Who’s asking?”
“We were told you navigate God’s River.” Hylas lowered his voice. “We seek passage.”
The next clang of the hammer nearly sent Leila flinching. With a huff, the woman dropped her tool and extended a hand Hylas’s way. “Coin?”
He placed a purse in her palm, and she wasted no time counting the bounty. She eyed the group, lingering on Leila for a moment too long. “Just the four of you?”
“Yes.”
She tied the purse to her belt, scrutinizing the scythe’s blade. “There are no guarantees. Whether all or none of you make it to the other side isn’t my concern.”
Hylas nodded. “We understand.”
Halla grabbed her hammer and began slamming at the scythe again, speaking between swings. “Next party leaves in the morn. We meet by the backdoor at sunrise. A moment later, and we leave without you—”
“We go now,” Leila said.
Halla’s eyes flitted to Hers, and when Leila didn’t yield, she scoffed out a laugh, turning to the men. “She’s funny.”
“You’re closing shop, and we’re leaving,” Leila maintained. “That is our requirement.”
“Listen, you’re not in charge here.”
“We have the coin. We’re absolutely in charge.”
Halla’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to Hylas. “The fuck does this bitch—?”
Leila dropped another purse on the table. “We’re going now.”
The room fell silent. Hylas’s eyes went wide, and though he said nothing, She knew what he was thinking.
That was the last of their coin. Perhaps She was being foolish, but caution was a privilege She couldn’t afford.
She would save Her love and Her realm or die trying—even if it meant sinking to the depths of God’s River.
After a long silence, Halla flagged a man in the back room. “Jacq,” she barked. “Cover for me.” Tying the purse to her belt, she eyed Leila up and down. “Never seen anyone so eager to meet their maker.”
Leila didn’t waver, didn’t shudder in fear.
She’d lost nearly everything already. The odds were stockpiled against Her, and risk had become Her only means of moving forward.
Raphael gave Her a tentative glance, as if begging Her to change Her mind, but She remained resolved.
She followed Halla from the shop, and Hylas, Enzo, and Raphael trailed behind Her.
Leila wasn’t prepared for the cold of the north.
She wasn’t even in the true north, and still Her teeth chattered and fingers went numb.
Hylas and Raphael seemed much more composed at Her side, or perhaps they were suppressing the same torment as She.
Enzo, on the other hand, was perfectly content, for once not sweating beneath his fur pelts.
She could’ve used one of those pelts. He’d likely lend one if She asked, but She dared not show weakness.
Halla let out a grunt before bounding down a muddy hillside and dodging the gnarled branches of leafless trees.
They’d been following her on foot for hours, and though Leila should’ve been thankful for her guidance, She grew more impatient with each step.
Halla had led them somewhere in the backland of Trogolia, where only ice and dying shrubs existed.
When Leila had taken in Her first flecks of sleet, She’d been forced to stifle a gasp.
Halla couldn’t see Her as unworldly or na?ve.
She couldn’t give the woman any excuse to renege on their deal.