Chapter 36
The road to Avanid was a winding ribbon of dust and stone, carved through hills that rolled endlessly in all directions.
It was day five of their journey, and the horses were moving at a steady walk.
Aisha’s thighs ached, her shoulders were tight, and her hands were raw where the reins had rubbed her skin.
Even Mira, who had grown accustomed to the saddlebag contraption they had made, twitched with restlessness.
‘How much further to the border?’ Aisha asked Rafiq.
It was clear from his expression that he was sick of the question. ‘One hour less than the last time you asked.’
Maryam rode her horse up beside Aisha’s, adjusting her scarf to cover her wind-chapped lips. ‘Do you need a rest, Your Majesty?’
What she needed was for the journey to be over. ‘I’m fine to keep going.’ She fixed her cloak, blinking grit from her lashes.
When the sun began its descent, turning the sky to bronze, hunger kicked in. They hadn’t eaten anything but a handful of almonds all day.
Finally, Rafiq turned in the saddle. ‘We’ll make camp at the next clearing.’
Aisha almost wept with relief when he said that.
They rode for another fifteen minutes before Rafiq guided them off the road into a sheltered hollow surrounded by boulders and scrubby trees. It provided enough cover for them to get a good night’s sleep, though Aisha suspected she would sleep through a storm in her current state.
Rafiq dismounted and unslung his saddlebag, dropping it on the ground before wandering off to fetch kindling for the fire.
When Aisha slid down from her horse, her legs buckled beneath her. Luckily, she was still holding the saddle. When Maryam dismounted, she crumpled straight to the ground.
‘Are you all right?’ Aisha asked.
Maryam laughed, but it sounded tired. ‘I am afraid I will be useless to you until the feeling returns to my legs.’
‘We’re really not built for this life,’ Aisha said, holding back a smile.
‘Give me a comfortable castle any day.’
Aisha took Mira out of the saddlebag, then hobbled over to help Maryam to her feet. Moving slowly, they secured the horses, unsaddled them, then walked clumsy laps of the clearing, willing blood flow to return to the deprived parts of their bodies.
Rafiq returned and built a fire, the timing perfect, because as the sun dropped, so did the temperature. The women sat closer to the flames, eating the last of their cheese with their nuts.
‘I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat nuts again,’ Aisha told Maryam.
Rafiq fed and watered the horses, seemingly unfazed by the cold.
Seeing that Maryam was shivering, Aisha moved closer to her, spreading her blanket across both their legs.
‘Thank you,’ Maryam said quietly.
Mira was done with her adventuring and padded over to curl up between them. They sat in silence, watching the flames.
‘I would kill for some tea,’ Maryam said after a long silence.
Aisha shook her head. ‘I bet you would.’
Realising what she had said, Maryam sighed. ‘I should think before speaking.’
Aisha didn’t respond.
‘I cannot recall if I have said this enough times,’ Maryam said, ‘but I am sorry.’
‘For drugging me or spying on me?’
Maryam swallowed. ‘Both.’
Aisha wriggled her feet in front of the fire. ‘Once we separate, they should hopefully leave you alone. You’ll be of no value to the Emperor or his spies then.’
The worried expression remained. ‘Until the next time they need a covenweaver. They know what I am, so I will never be free of them’
Aisha stared hard at the flames. ‘Do you know one of the hardest parts about all this?’
Maryam looked at her.
‘It confirms what we’ve all long suspected. It’s not about eradicating covenweavers—it’s about controlling them. We’re quite useful under the right circumstances.’
‘And when we are not, then they eradicate us.’
The wind whistled through the rocks above them.
‘If you had come to me with the truth, I would have kept your secret,’ Aisha said.
Maryam nodded gently. ‘That was not a risk I could take before.’
‘Before?’ Aisha turned her head.
‘Before I knew I could truly trust you.’
‘You mean, when I learned your secret?’
Maryam’s brow furrowed. ‘No.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘When you found out about Zahvik and still chose to protect my family—even when you were drowning in my betrayal.’
In the firelight, Maryam looked older than her twenty-eight years.
‘There was no point in anyone else getting hurt,’ Aisha said.
Maryam stroked Mira’s coat. ‘You could have pinned King Hamza’s death on me. King Tariq would have believed you.’
Aisha nodded. ‘Except you didn’t do it.’
‘And neither did you.’
Aisha looked back at the fire. ‘We should get some sleep.’ She lay down, facing away from Maryam. She really had no right being angry at Maryam for what she did to keep her family safe.
What a hypocrite Aisha was. Look at what she had done to Tariq in order to keep her own family safe. Lied to his face and robbed him of a queen, a wife. A person to survive this world with. She had made him hate her.
Behind her, Maryam prepared for sleep. ‘Goodnight, Your Majesty.’
Aisha blinked. ‘Goodnight.’
The cold hit hard in the morning as Aisha peeled her eyes open and looked around.
The warmth of the fire was long gone. Mira yawned and stretched beside her, blinking awake.
She was surprised to find Maryam up and already packed.
Rafiq was readying the horses. Two were saddled, and he was working on the last one.
Aisha sat up slowly, every joint stiff. She noticed Maryam’s leg bouncing nervously. ‘Are you all right?’
Maryam jumped at the sound of her voice. Her leg continued to bounce as her eyes filled with tears. ‘No, actually.’ She glanced over at Rafiq before saying, ‘There is something I need to tell you.’
A bad feeling washed over Aisha.
‘I made contact with Rafiq earlier,’ Maryam whispered. ‘I suppose I was curious about the rest of our journey.’
She’d had a vision. And judging by the trauma in her eyes, it wasn’t good.
Maryam opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it suddenly, looking off in the distance. That’s when Aisha heard the faint sound of hooves. Maryam shot to her feet.
‘What’s going on?’ Aisha asked, scrambling upright and looking around. ‘Maryam—’
‘We have to go.’ Maryam ran over and began snatching up Aisha’s belongings. ‘Grab Mira—quickly.’
Aisha shoved the blanket into her bag, then scooped up the cub. ‘Who’s coming?’
There was no colour in Maryam’s face. ‘I do not know.’
‘You don’t know?’ Aisha exhaled. ‘We’re not the only ones using this road.’
Maryam’s head snapped towards the sound, eyes wide. ‘Aisha, get on your horse—now.’
The fact that she had called Aisha by her first name was enough reason to take her seriously. She headed for the horses. ‘Rafiq,’ she called, ‘we have to go.’
He looked in their direction, frowning. ‘What’s going on?’
‘We have to leave,’ Maryam said. ‘Right now.’
His confusion solidified. ‘I haven’t finished securing the packs.’
‘It does not matter,’ Maryam said, reaching for the reins of her horse. ‘We will carry them.’
Nostrils flaring, Rafiq placed his hands on his hips. ‘What’s the hurry?’
‘There are people coming!’ she shouted at him.
‘I think you need more sleep,’ he replied, turning back to the horse.
‘Get on your horse,’ Maryam told Aisha. ‘We are leaving.’
Aisha had just finished putting Mira into the saddlebag. ‘We can’t just ride off without Rafiq. He’s the only map we have.’
Maryam’s breath hitched, and her voice broke as she said, ‘He is going to die!’
The world stilled.
Rafiq froze, eyes narrowing in confusion. A faint whistle cut through the air and—
Aisha gasped as an arrow buried itself deep in his throat. He staggered backwards, clutching at the shaft as a wet gurgle came from his mouth. The gelding he was holding reared.
Maryam pushed Aisha towards her horse as Rafiq crumpled to the ground. ‘Ride,’ she said. ‘As fast as you can.’
Aisha clambered onto her horse and gathered up the reins. ‘Why aren’t you getting on your horse?’
‘You are going to ride north,’ Maryam said. ‘It is one straight line to the border from here.’
Panic seized Aisha by the throat. ‘I can’t outrun them.’
‘You can.’
‘I’m not leaving you—’
‘Go!’ Maryam slapped the rump of her horse. ‘Ha!’ The horse took off, kicking up dirt behind it.
North. Aisha looked to the rising sun to get her bearings, then back at Maryam, who was standing dead still, watching her.
She really wasn’t coming.
Aisha rode as hard as her fresh horse could manage. The next hour was a blurry haze of pounding hooves and shallow breaths. Her legs screamed in protest, but she didn’t dare slow down. Fear drove her forwards.
Mira had buried herself in the saddlebag, letting out the occasional soft growl. Aisha didn’t reassure her. She was too afraid that the scream lodged in her chest might escape if she spoke.
She was feeling hopeful of reaching the border when the road abruptly ended.
‘Whoa.’ She pulled the heaving, sweat-soaked animal to a stop as she took in the river before her.
The banks were steep, the current fierce, and all that remained of the bridge were its two ends on either side. The rest had been washed away.
Her horse stepped sideways, nostrils flaring as it eyed the rushing water. Aisha didn’t know what to do. She didn’t even know if she was being pursued. All she knew was that Rafiq was dead and Maryam had chosen to remain behind.
‘Ride. As fast as you can.’
She had to trust Maryam’s vision.
Dismounting, she led her horse along the riverbank in search of another crossing. Her boots slipped on the damp ground. The minutes stretched, and her breathing quickened. If she couldn’t find a crossing, her only option was to go back.
The river eventually narrowed upstream. A cluster of half-submerged stones formed a broken trail across the water. It was no bridge, but it was a chance.