A misplaced life, p.7
A Misplaced Life, page 7
“I’ve never been to the mountains,” Diego added with a smile. Christopher nodded and Sam gave her a grin. One by one they all agreed until there was nothing left to do but clean up camp and continue on to Leronia.
Chapter Seven
Packing up camp was a quick affair as they didn’t have many belongings. Elodie took on the task of passing things up into the wagon while Sam organized and made it all fit.
“Good job, back there. You convinced Allen without a fight,” Silas said, walking over with a few more bags.
Elodie smiled. “I just did that thing you used to always rave about Oburleck doing. I let Allen convince himself.”
Silas chuckled and helped Elodie throw the bedrolls into the back of the wagon. “Oburleck was a great steward,” he started.
Elodie looked at Silas like he was crazy. “You were the one who beheaded him if I recall.” Sam snorted behind Elodie.
Silas’s smile became a little grim but didn’t disappear. “I said great, not good. He was very skilled at managing, he never needed his magical fungus to lead. If he hadn’t tried to take over, he likely would have enjoyed a long and happy life in power.”
“Well, I guess he can thank the gods then for his whole head-decapitation thing. They were the ones who pushed him into rebelling,” Elodie said.
Silas tossed the last of the bags into the back of the cart and wiped his hands on his breeches. “Before I forget, this is yours.” Silas fiddled at his wrist and unclasped a fine silver chain. From it, hung a small pendant in the perfect shape of a pinecone.
“This is how you found us last night, isn’t it?” Elodie asked. Silas nodded and unwound the chain.
“Are you sure you don’t want to keep it until we break the spell? I could disappear at any time, and then you wouldn’t be able to find me again.”
He didn’t respond, instead he held the two ends of the necklace out to her, and she turned and gathered up her hair. He draped the necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp, his fingers warm on the back of her neck. His hands lingered a moment longer after the necklace was in place.
“I don’t need it. We will break the spell before you leave again. I know it.”
“But what if we don’t?” Elodie asked, turning to face him. She fingered the small pinecone on her neck, still warm from being against Silas’s skin for so long.
“Then Gedas can find another bit of silver and make me a new tracker. But I don’t believe it will come to that. We will succeed, Elodie. We will be victorious and I can step down at last as steward and you can take your rightful place as queen.”
Elodie blushed and looked down. “Do you hate being steward that much?”
Silas snorted. “Yes, because it means not having you near.”
“All right, that’s everything,” Sam called. “Let’s load up and get out of here.”
Elodie stepped back from Silas and the intensity of his focus. He helped her up into the wagon, and mounted Storm before leading the way onto the road.
It took them three days to travel to Leronia by cart. The delegation who’d traveled with Silas before he abandoned them to find Elodie, caught up on their second day. They managed to get space in way houses and inns for the rest of the journey; a squire in their company, a common-born girl of about twenty, rode ahead to secure them places when evening drew near.
The king of Leronia was a kind man in his sixties with deep laugh lines around his eyes. He embraced Sam when they arrived, calling her auntie until she elbowed him. They only stayed in the castle one night, but it was a wonderful night with a huge feast and entertainment in their honor before they were resupplied and sent on their way.
Horses made an incredible difference to a journey. Pants, pants also made a life-altering difference.
The journey to Tross was long but enjoyable as everyone got to know each other a little better. They traveled for a few weeks in good spirits, taking their time and enjoying the view. When they arrived, they would rest for a few days, plan, and pack before heading to the mountains. The journey wouldn’t be easy. The Tokke Mountains were an impenetrable barrier between the known continent of the Twoshy and whatever existed to the south.
Reaching the mountains would be simple, traveling among them, searching for whatever it was that called to her would be much harder.
Allen was surly at first, but after a week his mood brightened, and he seemed more convinced than even Elodie that the mountains held what they needed.
As they traveled farther and farther west toward Tross Elodie started to realize she had another problem. On their long days in the saddle, Silas told her about Tross, the improvements that had been made and the daunting work ahead to make Tross strong and healthy after so many years of neglect from Oburleck. Traveling with a large group allowed little privacy for quiet moments but still Elodie and Silas shared glances and smiles in between tasks and chores. In those moments, Elodie’s chest bubbled, her heart ready to burst. She’d spent so many years thinking of Silas but not allowing herself to dream. And now, after so long here they were, together, both adults with their futures stretched out before them. Then the moment would pass and she would be flooded with a deep unrelenting sadness. They had no guarantee their futures would twine together. Elodie could disappear at any moment.
Silas was kind; he did not continue to ask her what was wrong after she shook her head the first few times, but when they were busy or toward the end of a long day of riding she would catch him watching her with a look on his handsome face like he was searching out a problem. If he figured it out, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep this distance between them indefinitely. She didn’t want the distance, and from the look in Silas’s eyes, he felt the same. It didn’t make it any easier to forget the pain in her heart. She worried if she spoke her pain and fears aloud, they would become a reality, so she held her tongue, sharing smiles and nothing more with him.
They traveled through the hills to the east of Tross, just a few miles from the castle. Elodie wished she had music and earbuds to drown out the bickering, at least for the remainder of the journey.
“All I’m saying,” Diego said loudly, trying to make himself heard over Allen’s ranting. “Is that even if all of us were together, it wouldn’t really be all of us. You, me, Sam, Elodie, the twins, Kat and Thomas, Rick, Tristan, and Asher. That’s eleven. There were at least another ten kids that got Misplaced along with us, but this is all we’ve ever found. If your spell needs all the Misplaced, then we can’t do it even if we do get all eleven of us together.”
“You aren’t listening,” Allen growled. “The others don’t matter. They’ve never traveled so they don’t count.”
“That makes no sense. How could they have never traveled? And how could that play any part in this?” Diego asked.
Allen threw up his hands. “Thomas, can you explain it to this moron for me?”
Elodie rolled her eyes. Maybe saving her phone battery was not so important.
“It took me three hours to explain it to you over the phone, Allen,” Thomas drawled, bringing his horse to a trot until he caught up with Diego, just behind Elodie. Clearing his throat, Thomas started again. “I’ve traveled all over the Twoshy looking for more Misplaced.”
“I know that—”
“Let me finish, please,” Thomas said and Diego threw up his hands.
Elodie smiled. She liked Thomas. Forever the dad of the group, he was not so easily pulled into arguments.
“Now,” he began again. “I’ve been to all fourteen kingdoms. I’ve spoken to the people and the governments of each. I have a list, I can show you if you want, of every kid to every ruler who went missing that year. Out of everyone, only us eleven have ever traveled. Asher was the last. He was so far away in Skuna and he was so low-key when he traveled it was hard to know when he was here and get in touch with him, but I’ve known about him for years. News of a Misplaced is not kept quiet. I would know if there were more of us.”
“Okay, fine,” Diego said. “Maybe they haven’t traveled, but there are more of us. They must just be living in the illusion, adopted and foster kids like us, but with no idea where they came from. So why don’t they matter to the spell?”
“I already told you, it’s because they haven’t traveled that they don’t matter,” Allen said.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Can we not yell? My horse isn’t so even tempered,” Thomas said evenly. “Allen told me a few years ago he thought all the Misplaced might be needed to break the spell, and I explained it to him back then, that not all of us had traveled. Once I had him convinced I wasn’t delusional when I said the others hadn’t traveled, he messaged Elodie’s wizard. Tell him exactly what the wizard said, Allen.”
Allen let out a deep breath. “He said that us traveling was a result of the breaking of the spell, reverberating back through time.”
Elodie nodded to herself, now listening a bit closer. She knew that part, but she didn’t get how it connected. That was why Gedas knew the spell would break, but not how.
“I don’t get it,” Diego said after a long pause.
“It’s a time paradox,” Thomas said.
“Oh. Why didn’t you just say that?” Diego complained.
Elodie snorted and Silas glanced at her. They shared a smile that had nothing to do with the conversation and Elodie’s cheeks warmed.
“So why have you been trying other spells then?” Diego asked.
Allen rolled his eyes. “Because we weren’t all together. I wasn’t going to just do nothing.”
“Okay, let me put my years of sci-fi movie research to work and see if I get this,” Diego said. “So, because we travel proves us eleven are responsible for breaking the spell, and the others aren’t a part of that so that’s why they never travel?”
Allen groaned. “In the most plebeian terms, I suppose that’s the correct theory.”
“Who are you calling plebeian?” Diego asked. “Your parents were elected officials, mine ruled. When the spell breaks, I’ll be emperor of Oskela, thank you very much.”
“But it’s more than just a time paradox,” Allen continued as though he had never been interrupted. “Traveling increases our connection to the ruakh and weakens the bonds of the spell. As an element within a spell, we are the perfect catalysts for breaking the spell’s hold on us.”
“On all of us, right? Not just us eleven?”
“Yeah,” Allen said in a less than convincing tone. “Once we break the spell, the whole thing should fall apart and everyone should be free.”
“So how does a spell construct factor in?” Thomas asked.
“Well,” Allen said, “that’s a different theory.”
“So the time paradox doesn’t matter and you don’t really need us all?” Diego asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Allen said.
Everyone exchanged glances. Were they thinking the same as her? Could the spell be broken with just them? The least they could do was try. They crested the rise of the next hill, and the land stretched out before them leading to a castle on a tall hill, surrounded by a dense city.
Tross.
Elodie let out a breath and looked on to the castle she hadn’t seen in too many years. Yellow banners flapped in the air showing off the albatross crest, and seagulls, the smaller cousins of the albatross, flew over the parapets.
“Is it made of wood?” Thomas asked, his voice incredulous.
Elodie grit her teeth. He must have good eyes. From this distance the castle looked a bit lopsided, but it was hard to tell the east wing was wood where the rest was stone unless you knew what to look for.
“Only part of it,” Silas said lightly. “You’ve studied as a carpenter, haven’t you?” Silas asked Thomas.
Thomas looked a little shocked at Silas’s knowledge but nodded. “The wood doesn’t even look finished. Doesn’t it just rot away?”
Silas nodded. “It’s a big problem. We are constantly repairing and replacing.”
Thomas looked thoughtful for a moment. “There are ways to treat the wood to prevent it. Both magical and not. I know a few things that may help.”
“I’ve heard you have a knack with complex builds,” Silas said. “We are a bit of a challenge here, with the sinkholes making the ground unstable, but Tross is always looking for an experienced woodsmith if you ever need work and are up for the challenge.”
Thomas looked away from the castle and glanced at Silas. “I might take you up on that.”
“Do keep in mind you’ll be doomed from the start,” Elodie said. “The curse on my family means the castle will never be great.” Elodie’s albatross birthmark was the sign of that curse on her, passed down from her ancestors during the founding of the Twoshy. The curse made everyone in Elodie’s family fail at the things they wanted most. Usually, Elodie tried not to think about it and what it would mean for her own life.
“We don’t have to make it great, right? Maybe just better than it is, more livable,” Thomas said. “We could even make it ugly but comfortable, that should satisfy, right?”
“Mediocracy. Sounds like a fantastic way to subvert the curse to me. Maybe I should try that, never want for anything grand and leave that up to others,” Elodie said and glanced at Silas. Their eyes connected and Silas flashed her a mischievous grin.
She broke eye contact and looked at the ground and then back to her castle. Grand it definitely never would be, but hopefully someday soon it could still be her life.
“I think we can make it work,” Thomas said, and for the first time since they’d reached the Twoshy, he smiled. She hadn’t realized the lack until she saw it again, but Thomas had been decidedly gloomy on their journey. He was leaving someone behind in the illusion she remembered. She didn’t remember his name, but like with Vanessa, Thomas knew when the spell was broken, the cost of stability in his new life would mean saying goodbye forever to loved ones in the illusion.
It was hard believing people you cared for were, in fact, an illusion. Her heart heavy, Elodie tapped the sides of her horse and they began again toward the castle.
Chapter Eight
The Great Highway approached Tross from the north before curving west, but they cut a shorter path using side roads, making their approach on a lesser-used path toward the east gate. It was reasonable for repair to be infrequent on this side with so much less traffic, but she could see Silas’s eyes darken as Storm picked his way through the mud on the deeply rutted road.
The outer ring of the city was known as the Odure District. The name was not subtle, and neither were its people. Street vendors kept shrewd eyes over their wares, and anything of value was tucked safely out of sight. Most of the buildings leaned one way or another, and Tross’s flawed plumbing meant the gutters overflowed into the streets where seagulls flocked like pigeons.
People pressed in around them, staying clear of hooves but only just. People of the lower city paid little attention to the nobility, except to see what could be stolen and to dodge any riding crops. Elodie and her companions didn’t lash out at the foot traffic, instead they kept a steady pace allowing the horses’, and people’s, good sense to keep the path clear.
She felt eyes on her, and sure enough, the people in the streets watched her as they passed and their stares held weight. A woman holding a baby, her hem uneven and torn, met Elodie’s eyes. Something like hope and excitement flared in the woman’s eyes. She dropped her gaze and bowed her head to Elodie.
Why did they watch her and not the others? There was nothing about her that made her stand out. Well . . . She glanced down and realized her birthmark was in full view, the makeup covering it long worn off. They would see her and know her for what she was. A stranger who would one day rule, someone who grew up far away in an illusion they could never reach and didn’t understand while the nation struggled in her absence.
Their gaze was so heavy she wanted to slouch down and hide in the saddle.
“Chin up.”
Elodie glanced at Silas, sitting tall and proud on Storm. He smiled at her.
“These are your people. Let them see you,” he said with a smile.
Elodie rolled her eyes, but she sat straight in her saddle and rolled back her shoulders. She took a deep breath and put on a calm and confident expression she did not feel.
Her eyes wandered the streets, looking for signs of the poverty and crime she knew the lower city held. She saw the typical beggars at street corners, and a few sharp eyes and quick hands that roamed the crowd gathered to see the party passing by, but somehow in the eyes of those she saw, there was less hopelessness than she remembered. She didn’t even see a single barefoot street kid covered in muck.
Silas caught her looking. “Remind me to tell you what Callie’s been up to,” he said with a grin. Elodie smiled a true smile then, and the people watching perked up a little at the sight of their sovereign riding tall with her steward and knight.
They left the Odure District and entered the Prole District. It was a bit cleaner, muck ran downhill after all, and the buildings were made of more permanent materials. Here the vendors called out their wares, looking for buyers, and not watching as closely for thieves. The frequency of horses and carriages also increased, slowing their progress, but when passersby caught sight of them, they quickly moved from their path. These people were familiar with the sight of nobility and money, even if Silas’s people didn’t raise a flag with his sigil like most knights would.
Another set of gates and they entered the Opulent District, where the streets were clean. No beggars sat along the edges and most traveled in carriages. With a nod to Silas, two guards at the gates mounted horses and led the way, clearing traffic with shouts.
Elodie glanced at Silas, who shrugged. “I bet they’ve already sent a runner to the castle to herald your arrival.”
Elodie sighed. He was probably right.
Opulent sported the wealthiest shops and vendors along the main thoroughfare, and a few streets back mansions littered the skyline, homes for the wealthiest merchants and second homes for the nobility.
