“The part where you take my daughter into the middle of a fortified army!” he exclaimed in frustration. “I know you’re a skilled fighter, and you’ve trained Marlia well, but what you’re suggesting isn’t possible. We can find another way into Lybesa.”
“Oh, stop it!” Lia complained loudly. “You know better than anyone that the only way into Lybesa is through the Gate. Unless you want to throw away your wagon, your horse, and all of our belongings just so you can die trying to cross the Maw on foot, we’re going through the Mountain Gate!”
“I would gladly give up everything I own if it means keeping you safe,” he shot back. “Besides, there are other ways through the Maw. I know a group of traders in Bale that make the trip twice a season; they would help us, I know it.”
I shook my head. “The longer we stay in Kaldan, the more dangerous things get for us. It gives the military more time to block any other exits to the country that might exist, and more time to find us.” I tapped the edge of the wanted posters that sat on the floor with my foot. “Besides, with the amount of money our heads are worth, we can’t take the chance to trust anybody.”
His face contracted with annoyance, and he uncrossed his arms to point at me. “You need to admit you’re not infallible. I don’t care how much confidence you have, you can’t take out a prepared military encampment by yourselves.”
Lia leaned forward, pointing a finger of her own back at him. “No, YOU need to admit you’re too cowardly to take the risks we need to—”
“That’s ENOUGH!” Hana yelled as she stood up and moved between the two. I shrunk back at her intensity; having never heard her voice go louder than a laugh, the power she suddenly exuded was intimidating. “Marlia, take a walk and cool off.” The two locked eyes for a tense moment before Lia threw up her hands and hopped out of the still-moving wagon, muttering under her breath as she went.
After another few seconds of heavy silence, Hana crossed the wagon and sat down on the box beside mine where Lia had been. “Marten, you know Lux is right.”
His mouth fell agape at the declaration. “I do NOT know Lux is right!”
“Yes, you do. We need to leave the country as soon as possible, and this is the only way to do it.” She turned to me with a serious expression. “Based on what you told us, you’re keeping Lia away from the bulk of the fighting on purpose, aren’t you?”
Her shrewd analysis surprised me. “Yes, that’s right. If I’m being honest, I would rather carry out this plan alone, but Lia would never allow it. If I factor her into the plans, at least I can try to keep her where the fighting will be at its least dangerous.” I paused for a moment, considering whether I had said too much. “Please don’t tell her I said that.”
She nodded. “You’re confident you can do this?”
“Yes. I’ll need to do some scouting to make a specific plan, but I have no doubt in my mind that I can keep us all safe.” I looked each of them in the eyes. “I swear that I’ll do what it takes to keep our family safe, whatever the cost. You’ll all get through that gate alive and unharmed. You have my word.”
Hana looked at Marten expectantly, and he recrossed his arms and looked away. “Fine. I still don’t like it, though.”
I moved to make my case again, but Hana put a hand on my arm and shook her head. “You should go check on Lia. He’ll be fine.”
“Good idea,” I agreed as I stood to leave. “Thank you. Both of you. I know this isn’t easy, but I promise it’ll be over soon.” Hana smiled, then moved back to sit beside Marten as I climbed out of the wagon into the snow. The twilight sky was filled with low, heavy clouds, and the surrounding fields were dark. Despite that, Lia was easy to locate via a clear set of footsteps leading away to a thicket of trees and a consistent mix of thuds and scrapes from somewhere inside.
As I wove through the trees, I was greeted suddenly by a snowball to the face. The cold snow stung against my cheeks, and I wiped away the lingering crystals to find Lia standing at the center of a clearing with a sly grin. “Sorry,” she called out unapologetically, “I thought you might have been my father.”
The Detection magic I felt from her confirmed the lie and brought a grin to my face. “Apology accepted,” I answered with a roll of my eyes as I approached. “You seem...less angry than I thought you’d be.”
She shrugged and kicked at the snow, looking away. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him. I guess I just forgot that all of this,” she paused to gesture in a vague circle with her hand, “isn’t normal. Plus, he isn’t scared for himself; he’s worried about the rest of us.” She crouched down and formed another snowball, then lobbed it at a tree with multiple snowy impacts already covering the trunk. “I’ll apologize when we go back.”
I made a snowball of my own and hit the tree next to hers. “That’s a very—”
“Don’t even think about saying mature,” she interrupted loudly with raised eyebrows.
I laughed, raising my hands in admission. “You’re right, you’re right.” Holding the edge of my cloak in each hand, I stepped forward and hugged her, wrapping her in the warming fabric. “You’re not the same girl from the dungeons anymore.”
Her arms
