Chapter 22 Bonded Paths #2
The healer grabbed a small calendar she had in her room and started to flick through the pages to the date she had circled in chalk months before.
The room was so dark she couldn’t find the circle she was so desperate to find.
She picked up a candle, bringing it closer to the calendar to read the dates more clearly, careful not to let the candle’s flame burn the pages.
There it was, marking a date two months back. She took a deep breath, thinking.
It’d been two months since Ronin, the Royal Guard designated to check on Desi from time to time, had come to the city.
Of course, Ronin didn’t come to check on her out of the kindness of his heart.
It was his duty to come by Nyfrel unannounced to verify she hadn’t left the city, to confirm she was compliant with her agreement with the Crown, and collect her debt and taxes.
Although he always came by unexpectedly, Desi noticed a pattern in his visits as she flicked through the calendars from past years.
She realized Ronin had never shown up within five months of the previous visit.
Interesting.
The healer started pacing through the room, her heart beating faster as ideas raced through her mind, her hands brushing her jaw.
Assuming the guard would come back in about three months, if Desi left with the trio, she would still have time to spend weeks with her family and then come back to the city before Ronin’s next visit.
She had been concerned about the possibility of traveling with fugitives.
Desi had known they were wanted from the moment they burst into her medical tent covered in blood.
She had known it because she had stared at the posters with their faces on for weeks before they showed up in the flesh.
She didn’t know what caused them to find themselves in such predicaments, whose blood they wore on them the day Alissa was stabbed, or why they were heading to the capital.
She didn’t care, to be honest. She felt unusually comfortable in their presence, and that was all that mattered.
The more she considered it, the more appealing the idea of traveling with fugitives became.
Their caution and use of disguises would be invaluable to her.
Desi, too, would need to move carefully and remain unnoticed to avoid recognition in the capital.
After all, leaving Nyfrel against the Crown’s orders would make her a fugitive as well.
It was still risky; Ronin could show up while she was gone, and if he did, she would be sentenced to death.
Is it worth the risk?
The image of her children in her arms again was enough for her to know deep in her soul what the answer to that question was.
Her hands rested on her chest, feeling her racing heartbeats as the fear of what was to come rose within her. Doubts about her decision poisoned her subconscious, yet she knew she wouldn’t regret it if it meant seeing them again.
Desi didn’t realize it at the time, but she had just made a decision that would change everything.
“When did you have time to do all this?” Freyah asked Eldric as the three of them loaded the carriage, amazed by all the changes he had made to it in such a short amount of time.
Alissa whistled in compliment, her hand sliding along the well-polished wood, mesmerized.
It looked like a completely different vehicle since she last saw it.
The cart where the barrels had once been now had wooden seats built within, allowing them some comfort on their travels.
The white fabric that had once covered the cart’s roof was gone, and so was their ale—now they were fugitives, there was no reason to continue carrying the barrels.
The entire vehicle had been painted black to match the color of their horse, their loyal companion since leaving Bryniard.
But the best change of all was the Heldraine Royal Family insignia, which had been removed from the spot where it had once been carved.
“I don’t think you two realize how much you actually sleep.” Eldric had worked a lot on the carriage during their infinite naps.
“You did a great job, Eldric,” Freyah added.
“Thank you, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to arrive in Golheim in a carriage reserved for the Royal Guard. Since, you know… the entire kingdom is after us,” he said, grabbing some clothes from the back seat. “By the way, put this on before we leave the city, please.”
Alissa unfolded the piece of clothing he threw their way. It was the most hideous garment she had ever seen. The long-sleeved white dress featured a thick vertical crimson stripe down its center, with a circle of chains embroidered in gold bearing the letters G.O.F in the middle.
“What is this monstrosity, Eldric?”
“It’s the uniform the Guardians of Faith wear. I thought it would be a good disguise for you two.”
Alissa found it ironic how the kingdom apparently needed people to guard faith, while faith was the one thing that still kept her going on this treacherous road to save her daughter.
“Why don’t you have one for yourself? Afraid it will ruin your charm?” she asked, teasing.
“Only women can become Guardians of Faith,” he explained. “Also… you think I’m charming?” A crooked smile danced on his lips.
Alissa chuckled in response. “What are you supposed to be then?” Her eyes drifted up and down him, taking in the all-black attire that fit him perfectly.
“I’m supposed to be your protector.”
Freyah held her chin between her fingers, pensive. “So, you’re supposed to be a guard of the Guardians of Faith? Like… a guardian’s guard?” Her tone was one of genuine confusion, but Alissa cracked up in laughter.
Alissa snorted. “You’re joking, right?”
“No, it’s how things work around here.”
“What does it mean to be a Guardian of Faith?” Freyah asked.
“Guardians of Faith are women who dedicate their lives to offering religious counsel and assistance to those considered to be faithless. They are spiritual guides supported by the Crown.”
Alissa’s eyes widened. “What religion are they spreading the word of?”
“There are two main religions in Heldraine. The Lizien, who believe nature is the higher power that governs our existence, and the Rugresh, who believe it is time that rules all living beings,” Eldric explained. “Although these are the most practiced beliefs, the G.O.F welcomes any type of faith.”
With Alissa’s and Freyah’s intrigued glances, Eldric continued as he gently put another wooden crate in the carriage.
“Despite everything, Heldraine is a tolerant realm regarding faith. People can follow any religion—they are welcome to believe in whatever they choose. As long as they believe in something. The job of a Guardian of Faith is not to impose a specific belief on someone but to help those who struggle to find faith in their lives to find the one that best suits them. They believe a person lacking faith is a person lacking purpose, and that could directly affect productivity and therefore contributions to the Crown.”
The idea of women dedicating their lives to helping others find purpose in life seemed beautifully intriguing to Freyah. “Why do they need a protector?”
“Things don’t usually go smoothly for them. People who are found to have lost faith in life are usually going through hardship and might not always welcome help.”
They nodded in understanding. Alissa held the garment open with both her hands in front of her to take a better look at it, the dress looking a little less awful now that she knew the story behind it. “Why the chains in the center?”
“They represent the limitations and restraints a faithless life can bring. That is why it’s embroidered on the chest in the sense that, when a Guardian of Faith is walking your way, she is helping you on your liberation journey.
If you turn the garment around, you’ll see on the back there are broken chains embroidered, meaning that only when your faith is restored and your freedom within reach will they finally depart. ”
“That’s interesting,” Alissa said, sliding the dress over her head, glancing down at how it fit her and Freyah so differently. She had never actually stopped to think about or ask herself what she believed in.
“Do you believe in anything, Eldric?” She had never seen him as a man who believed in such things, which was why his answer surprised her so much.
“Yes. Not in any religion. But in the idea things never happen by chance. Everything that happens in our lives—the people we meet, the tragedies that come our way—it all has a meaning.”
“Do you not believe we met by chance?” she asked.
“No, I believe I was meant to find you,” he answered with such intensity, she struggled to breathe.
Alissa shifted on her heels. “Do you believe Dhalia was meant to fall ill?”
She did not ask as an insult but in genuine curiosity. Perhaps truly understanding the beliefs of the people could help her in her efforts to find a cure.
His gaze, filled with sympathy, fell on her as he loaded the last of the crates for their journey.
Eldric placed his hands around her waist, his fingers gently tugging on the fabric of her uniform to lift her onto the carriage.
She knew he did it only because her leg wouldn’t allow her to climb up herself, but she couldn’t help the awareness his touch was capable of bringing; the shivers were inevitable.
When he was done, he sat beside her, picking up the reins to finally resume their journey.
Before commanding the horse to gallop, their eyes met, her gaze still expectant for his answer.
“I believe you were always meant to leave Bryniard, and I know for a fact you wouldn’t have left if your daughter hadn’t fallen ill, would you?”
Alissa shook her head.