She glanced over at Lily. “I imagine you've seen a lot of different places, traveling with your family as you do.”
“We've made our way around Lehi, that's for sure.”
“Where was your favorite, so far?”
“The islands,” Lily responded without hesitation. “Everything is so relaxed there, everyone just taking life one day at a time.”
“That's where you lived before you joined the Delaneys?”
“Ms. Fairway took me in when I was eight and raised me along with the other children on Orphan Island.” Lily's eyes glistened with a sheen of moisture that she quickly dashed away with the back of her hand, turning her face toward the back of the wagon. “She was a mother to us all. I only hope I can repay her kindness someday.”
“She must be quite the woman.” Josselyn cleared her throat, searching for a change of topic. “So, tell me, is there anywhere you haven't traveled to?”
Lily laughed, turning to face Josselyn once more. “That's a good question. It does feel as though we've been just about everywhere. We've been to the Eastern Islands, obviously, as well as all four of the mainland kingdoms. After Mami passed, Papa took us on a grand tour, attempting to distract us from our grief, I imagine. We took a ship from Tallis down to Devon, before crossing over to Roshka by land. We rode west, bypassing Antos and heading straight for the jungles of Myr. After the jungles, there was the desert. Honestly, Myr was by far the most interesting kingdom we visited. The final leg of our tour was to travel back east, passing through Antos on our way to Eldour.”
She paused, a small shiver passing over her shoulders. “Everything was so cold and dreary there. The people we met looked as though they'd never had a happy day in their life.” She shook her head slightly and gave Josselyn a crooked smile. “So, as you can see, aside from crossing the great ocean to the far lands, there really isn't anywhere I haven't been. Well, not including the Endless Mountains, of course, but no one goes up there without a death wish.”
“Are they really that dangerous? I've heard tales, of course, but I always thought they were just that – tales.”
“People claim there's something evil living in the heart of the mountains. The monster of the mountains, I've heard it called, or the buried witch, depending on which kingdom you're in. They say anyone who ventures into its depths falls under the monster's thrall. Those who the monster doesn't eat become its slaves, doing the monster's evil bidding.” Lily shrugged. “Of course, how they would know all this if no one ever escapes is beyond me. The whole thing seems pretty suspect.”
Josselyn leaned forward. “Would you go up there, then? Hike through the Endless Mountains and unravel its mysteries?”
Lily snorted. “I think you have me mixed up with yourself. I'm hardly the daring adventurer type.”
“What are you two going on about over there?” Rosemary interrupted from where she sat, fussing with the tuning pegs on her lute. “And since when did you two become thick as thieves?” She narrowed her eyes at two of them.
Lily tilted her chin up, leveling her sister with a superior look. “One can always sense a kindred spirit, Rose,” she said sagely. Josselyn choked on a laugh, as Rosemary looked at Lily with a dubious expression.
“Uh huh. Sure.”
She turned back to her lute, muttering something that sounded an awful lot like “weirdos” under her breath. Josselyn leaned against the side of the wagon, her restlessness easing as she listened to the sisters' friendly banter.
∞∞∞
They arrived in Tallis late in the morning of the following day, after another night spent camping. As they approached the outskirts of the city, the forest started to thin, giving way to fields of tall, wavy grass and colorful wildflowers. Without the trees lining the road, Josselyn could see the sharp outline of the Endless Mountains looming to the north. The mountains stretched all the way across the northern border of Eldour and on across Antos and Myr. No one knew how far north they went.
Josselyn felt a shiver run down her spine as she tore her gaze from their treacherous beauty, focusing instead on the approaching city. Unlike Eldon, Tallis wasn't a walled city with an official entry point. Instead, they were greeted by clusters of small, wattle and daub cottages, busy with people chopping wood, hanging laundry and tending their children, who were happy to run after the wagon as it passed, laughing and shouting as they raced.
After a mile or so of this, the buildings began to increase in size and were made of either red brick or stone. They passed several narrow side streets that stretched out to the north and south, but they stayed on the main road, which led to the harbor. The wagon slowed as it moved into the marketplace, where large open areas on both sides of the square plaza were covered in cobblestone and lined with shops and stalls. Brightly colored canopies cast shade over the shoppers, with banners and flags fluttering cheerfully in the breeze. A large, stone building stood at the southern most point of the market, with stone steps leading up to a wide entrance lined with pillars. The Eldourian flag flew proudly from a tall pole off to the right of the steps.
“Hiram Delaney! Is that you, old man?”
A low, booming voice carried over the sounds of the market, and Josselyn strained to hear Hiram's response.
“In the flesh. How are ya, Jonathan?”
“I'm doing great, now that I've seen you pulling into town. I didn't expect to see you back so soon.”
“Ran into a bit of trouble out
