Chapter Twenty-One #4
Beads of sweat formed on Maxi’s nose as she busily moved about under the harsh sun. The insides of her robes felt like a sauna. Despite being flushed from the heat, throwing back her hood was not an option.
Idsilla, Selina, and Maxi crouched off to one side to eat their rations. The hard barley bread chafed the inside of Maxi’s mouth as she tried her best to chew through it.
The knights from the House of Aren were stationed at the front and rear of the long procession. With her eyes downcast, Maxi shifted uncomfortably as she forced down her food. If she continued to be careful, it was unlikely that she would ever encounter them.
Idsilla finished her meal first. After washing her hands in the river, she began complaining about the journey.
“We are moving too slowly. If the people at the monastery find out we’re missing sooner than we anticipated, they might come after us.
They will likely catch up if we keep moving at this speed. ”
“D-Didn’t you say…you made arrangements?” Maxi asked in a barely audible whisper as she glanced about their surroundings. They were far away enough that it was doubtful anyone could overhear, but Maxi was still cautious.
“I did, but as you know, plans can go astray,” Idsilla said.
“What did you do exactly?” Selina asked through clenched teeth.
Idsilla shrugged. “I paid a few people to make it look as though we were returning to my home. I asked them to make it seem like we left in a carriage along with the other women at dawn.”
Selina snorted incredulously. “You cannot truly believe that you could fool the basilica with such a lousy scheme. They will see through it immediately.”
“If this were before the war, then they certainly would. But at present, the basilica is far too preoccupied with other things to pay us any mind,” Idsilla retorted.
“If women who share our build and stature were to draw a veil over their faces and show the clerics our identifications, they wouldn’t suspect a thing. I even hired a coachman for the job.”
Selina groaned. “Does Lady Alyssa know?”
“My cousin is currently indifferent to all the happenings around her,” Idsilla said flatly.
“She might find it odd that I left without a word to her…but she would believe it if the clerics confirmed it.” She paused before adding, “I can only pray that she does not come to her senses enough to suspect my disappearance and send word to my family.”
Selina turned her scowl from Idsilla to Maxi. “Will you be all right, Lady Calypse?”
Maxi gulped. “W-Well, I did leave a letter…explaining that I’ve accepted I-Idsilla’s invitation to stay at her home, but…”
The intended recipient of the letter was currently at the head of this party. After a moment of hesitation, Maxi professed the truth.
“D-Duke Aren…is actually the person acting as my…p-protector. He is an acquaintance of my h-husband, and was asked to look after me….”
A moment of tense silence passed. Selina clutched her head with a sigh, while Idsilla appeared deep in thought as she stroked her chin.
Idsilla reassured Maxi with her typical optimism. “Do not worry. I doubt he pays close attention to the female clerics. You should be fine as long as you’re careful when we distribute the food. We’re in the rear; it would be quite improbable for us to run into him.”
Maxi looked at her hopefully. “D-Do you think so?”
Idsilla bobbed her head. “It worked out for the best, really. Things would have gone awry if the duke had sent word to my family to confirm the contents of your letter. The clerics, on the other hand, would not trouble themselves to go that far.”
That sounded convincing enough to Maxi. Regaining at least a bit of composure, she finished off her bread. The campaign party set out as soon as everyone finished eating.
Maxi hunched in her tiny corner of the wagon and hardly moved a muscle until sunset. Her whole body throbbed with painful cramps, and she dripped in perspiration beneath her robes. All she could do was tuck a thick blanket under her sore buttocks and try to bear the discomfort.
By the time the party stopped to camp for the night, Maxi was thoroughly worn out from riding in the rattling wagon. There was still work to do, however. While the soldiers tended to the horses and scouted the area, the women lit fires and prepared dinner.
Maxi followed the female clerics around the camp to collect dry twigs. Idsilla helped fill a cauldron with water before gathering rocks to build a fire pit.
The women’s tasks did not end there. They also had to prepare ingredients, cook the meal, and distribute it to everyone in the party. It was only after they had done all this that they were allowed to have a bowl of soup and a potato before lying down near the campfire.
It was uncomfortable with only a single thin blanket separating her from the hard dirt, but Maxi was in no position to complain. Before long, she fell asleep under a sky full of stars as her roof.
The next morning, Maxi woke with five mosquito bites swelling on her fingers and calves. Ants crawled in her skirt, and her back was covered in dirt. She could not tell if she had actually gotten any sleep or if she’d just had her eyes closed.
In her half-awake state, she washed her face and climbed into the wagon once more. Their itinerary for the day was the same as yesterday: The wagons departed at daybreak, stopped at high noon for lunch, then set out again.
True to Idsilla’s assurance, Duke Aren took no notice of Maxi. Though she occasionally saw him scouting the area with the knights, he never paid any attention to the female clerics. The duke was not the only one. No one else around them showed any interest, either.
With her worries at ease, Maxi managed to bear the physical discomfort and adjust to life on the road. Of the two of them, surprisingly, it was Idsilla who struggled to cope.
Although the girl never cried, she would toss and turn at night, unable to get accustomed to sleeping outside. The cramped wagon was particularly harsh on her tall stature, and she suffered more than the others.
“It might take us longer than expected to reach Serbin Castle,” Selina said with concern as she regarded Idsilla’s pallid face. “I heard the knights talking. Apparently, they intend to take the long way to Serbin to avoid any dangers. Do you think you’ll be all right?”
“I am perfectly fine,” Idsilla stubbornly shot back. “I will adapt like everyone else.”
Idsilla’s pride was so strong that she found even their concerned gazes hard to bear. Still, she did not refuse the cup of herbal tea Maxi brewed for her to help her sleep. It must have been effective, for the next day her complexion improved ever so slightly.
They rattled along for seven days like loose pebbles rolling around the wagon.
Each time it lurched, the fifteen or so women inside helplessly bounced up and down.
When the wagon veered to change directions, the women careened to one side, crashing against one another.
It was why they all had constant bruises.
Nevertheless, as they reached their destination, Maxi came to realize just how smooth and peaceful their journey had been so far.
The sharp sound of a metal pipe rang out across the ranks, and the wagon began to barrel ahead at a dangerous speed. It shook as though they were in an earthquake before its occupants heard screams from all around them.
Maxi desperately clutched the edge of the window to keep herself from toppling down and peered outside. Soldiers on horseback galloped ahead with their swords drawn. It did not take long to see why. Behind the thick haze of dust, a group of massive, dark green monsters was charging right at them.
The earth shook with the monsters’ heavy footsteps as they stampeded toward the campaign party like a herd of frenzied bulls.
The knights, evidently deciding that retreat was impossible, promptly halted and prepared for battle.
The wagon stopped with a sudden jolt, throwing the women on top of one another.
Crumpled on the floor, Maxi trembled in fear. The deafening bellows of the trolls erupted through the air like a crescendo of rolling thunder.
The wagon door swung open. “Grab your belongings and get out of the wagon!” yelled a soldier.
Sobbing, the women remained hunched with fright on the wagon floor.
“Now!” snapped the soldier. “We can’t cast a shield on all the wagons. When we have all of you in one place, we’ll cast a barrier to protect you. Hurry!”
Finally coming to their senses, the women grabbed their bags and leaped out. The soldiers deftly led the clerics to the center of the ranks.
Maxi barely managed to stumble after them, but her legs gave out in terror the moment she laid eyes on the dozens of trolls surrounding them.
If Selina had not been swift to steady her, she would have collapsed to the ground.
They reached the inner ranks, where people huddled like sheep.
It took everything Maxi had to squeeze herself among them.
When all those who could not fight were assembled, a hierarch immediately used divine magic to cast an incorporeal barrier around them.
Holding on to Idsilla, Maxi dizzily took in their surroundings.
The scene raging outside the bluish barrier was hell itself.
Dark green giants, at least two or three times bigger than the men, stormed through the battlefield, the booming of their footsteps melding with the clank of their cast-iron armor.
They swung massive iron maces, sending soldiers flying like splinters of wood.
Maxi screamed as showers of blood splattered in all directions.