Atissa’s sat up straight. From one moment to the next, she was completely awake.
Around her in the darkness lay the silhouetted forms of her companions. Heavy sounds of their breezing filled their small camp. Beyond that, she could hear the soft splashes of the river lapping up against the bank. A low but constant background noise, her mind had tuned out days ago.
As she opened herself to her senses she became conscious of everything around her. The three men’s snoring, the river, the beasts all around them.
A whiff of something familiar grazed her nose. So faint it could barely be called a smell, but the memory was there in a flash. The burning settlement. It is the odor of fire. Of death, she thought.
Danger was coming down the river. Fast.
The beasts had felt it too. Upriver they were interrupting their nightly watering and retreating into the woods. Atissa couldn’t tell how she knew, but she knew.
She reached out and shook the figure closest to her by the shoulder.
Mark startled. “What?” he said drowsily, sitting up.
His abrupt reaction snaped Atissa out of her own trance-like state. “They’re coming.”
Mark stared at her in the darkness for a moment, then he scrambled to his feet. “Fuck!”
His sudden movement startled Atissa. Why am I surprised, she thought, kicking herself mentally? She jumped up and almost fell over when her feet got entangled in her blanket.
“Wake up, man!” Mark said in a low but insistent voice, shaking Iristos’ large form. The only response was a grumble. Mark straightened up and kicked the big man. “Wake up!”
Iristos slowly gained consciousness. “Ah…, what…master?”
Atissa threw her few belongings into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed her bow but hesitated to string it. When she turned around, she saw that Mark had bullied Iristos to his feet and was looking at her.
“What do we do?” he asked.
She froze. Had it been light, he’d have seen her mouth hanging open.
“How much time do we have?” Mark asked when she didn’t answer right away. “Do we take the boat or should we flee through the woods?” He asked his questions in a clear, almost calm, voice.
How should I know, Atissa thought? You’re the magi. Was he not supposed to know what to do at all times?
She felt her agitation rising.
Mark stepped up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Calm down. You saw the landscape before nightfall. You heard what Iristos said about the river. And”, he lowered his head and looked directly into her eyes, ”you are an expert… woods-person. Hunter. We could flee through the woods. But it is dark, and none of us know this area. Or we can take the boat.”
“But then it is a chase,” Atissa said.
Mark nodded. “So, what do you think?”
Run, her instinct was screaming. But she hesitated to give in to it. “My …I want to run for the woods.”
Mark stared down at her. He seemed to consider her answer. Behind him, Iristos was packing up their camp as fast as he could.
“Go not just by what your feeling,” Mark said. “Think it through. Your…gift warned you, right? Now make the best decision you can.” He pointed at himself. “I cannot judge if we can make it through the woods. I don’t have the knowledge or experience.”
Atissa forced herself to calm down. Mark’s words had reached her. She knew she couldn’t let her instinct control her. Uncle Tatros had once said that an animal’s instinct was both a strength and a weakness. A man could bring down a bear because a man can think stuff through.
This is why he asked for me, Atissa thought. The responsibility weighed heavy on her. She closed her eyes and took in her environment.
The danger was approaching down the river, but they still had some time. They could take the boat and cast off before being seen. It was unlikely their pursuers knew how close they were. Iristos had said that there were no more rapids so they could put everything into increasing the distance. But if they were spotted it would turn into a chase. And they would probably lose that.
Abandoning the river was safer. They could even push the boat into the river. If they were lucky, the Assanaten would fly past their campsite and be thrown off the scent. On the other hand, she didn’t know this area and their supplies were limited. She could hunt but that would take time. How long would it take to reach Riadnos? They had to bring help to their people as quickly as possible.
Atissa opened her eyes.
Iristos was carefully shaking Hermistos.
Her chest tightened. Would Mark bring Hermistos with them through the woods? Could they even afford to? Carrying the sickly man would slow them down immensely. And if the Assanaten do manage to find our trail…. She didn’t want to think about what would happen.
“We have to take the boat,” she said, trying to sound decisive.
Mark’s eyebrows rose, clearly surprised by her decision.
“We don’t know our way through the woods,” she said quickly before he could interrogate her. “And we only have limited supplies and time.” She glanced over to Hermistos before she could stop herself.
Mark turned his head, following her eyes. For a heartbeat, she saw his face harden as he stared down at Hermistos sleeping form. When he turned his attention back to her the expression was gone again.
He took his hand from her shoulder. “Let’s go then!” He turned around and ordered Iristos to carry Hermistos to the boat.
Atissa felt her chest relax a little. She felt guilty for leading her companions into danger, but she saw no other way. They had to reach Riadnos as quickly as possible. And she could not imagine abandoning Hermistos.
It took them less than five minutes to pack up their camp and cast off. Atissa even found the time to throw some earth on their fire, smothering the yellow-red embers. They needed to do everything they could to prevent their pursuers from noticing how close they were.
They made it just in time. Looking back, Atissa saw it first. Light shining through the trees revealed the large boat before it came around the bend upriver.
The Assanaten had mounted torches on poles in the front and back of the boat. The pole in front was angled forward, probably because they were nervous about obstacles in the river.
This is a mistake, Atissa thought. The light of a fire made it impossible for the eyes to adapt to the darkness. It made you blind to anything outside the illuminated area. In turn, the lights made it easy for her to track their movement.
“They’re not moving very fast,” Iristos whispered.
“They’re probably nervous about obstacles in the river,” Mark whispered from the front. “We have to gain some distance. Try to avoid noise as much as possible when you dip the oars into the water.”
Iristos complied as best he could. The splashing of the oars breaking the surface still sounded loud in Atissa’s ears.
Iristos did well. Tracking the other boat, she saw that they were increasing the distance. While competing against four rowers, Iristos had a faster pace. Knowing the river, he also made better use of the current.
When they closed in on the next bend, Atissa felt more confident that they would get away. It would be a hard night. They couldn’t afford to stop again. The men would have to work all night to extend their lead.
If the light of dawn motivated the Assanaten to increase their speed and they caught up, it would be over. But if they could stay ahead over the course of the day, they could reach the lakes and safety.
A second boat came around the bend.
“Gods protect us,” Iristos whispered.
Atissa could hear the despair in his voice. How had the second boat caught up to them? They must not have stopped a single night since they were on the river.
She thought about the small Horto statue in her bag. But the god of the valley wouldn’t aid them here. They had left his domain days ago. Why had her uncle given her this statue instead one of the Helcenaean gods?
“It doesn’t change anything,” Mark said. “One or two, the challenge stays the same. We must reach the city before they catch up.” He made a pause. “Atissa.”
Atissa turned around, surprised to be addressed. “Yes?”
“You saved all our lives tonight. Good work.” It was a simple praise, his voice unaffected by emotion.
Atissa didn’t know what to say, unable to see his expression in the thick darkness. After a moment of silence, she just nodded.
Atissa’s sat up straight. From one moment to the next, she was completely awake.
Around her in the darkness lay the silhouetted forms of her companions. Heavy sounds of their breezing filled their small camp. Beyond that, she could hear the soft splashes of the river lapping up against the bank. A low but constant background noise, her mind had tuned out days ago.
As she opened herself to her senses she became conscious of everything around her. The three men’s snoring, the river, the beasts all around them.
A whiff of something familiar grazed her nose. So faint it could barely be called a smell, but the memory was there in a flash. The burning settlement. It is the odor of fire. Of death, she thought.
Danger was coming down the river. Fast.
The beasts had felt it too. Upriver they were interrupting their nightly watering and retreating into the woods. Atissa couldn’t tell how she knew, but she knew.
She reached out and shook the figure closest to her by the shoulder.
Mark startled. “What?” he said drowsily, sitting up.
His abrupt reaction snaped Atissa out of her own trance-like state. “They’re coming.”
Mark stared at her in the darkness for a moment, then he scrambled to his feet. “Fuck!”
His sudden movement startled Atissa. Why am I surprised, she thought, kicking herself mentally? She jumped up and almost fell over when her feet got entangled in her blanket.
“Wake up, man!” Mark said in a low but insistent voice, shaking Iristos’ large form. The only response was a grumble. Mark straightened up and kicked the big man. “Wake up!”
Iristos slowly gained consciousness. “Ah…, what…master?”
Atissa threw her few belongings into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed her bow but hesitated to string it. When she turned around, she saw that Mark had bullied Iristos to his feet and was looking at her.
“What do we do?” he asked.
She froze. Had it been light, he’d have seen her mouth hanging open.
“How much time do we have?” Mark asked when she didn’t answer right away. “Do we take the boat or should we flee through the woods?” He asked his questions in a clear, almost calm, voice.
How should I know, Atissa thought? You’re the magi. Was he not supposed to know what to do at all times?
She felt her agitation rising.
Mark stepped up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Calm down. You saw the landscape before nightfall. You heard what Iristos said about the river. And”, he lowered his head and looked directly into her eyes, ”you are an expert… woods-person. Hunter. We could flee through the woods. But it is dark, and none of us know this area. Or we can take the boat.”
“But then it is a chase,” Atissa said.
Mark nodded. “So, what do you think?”
Run, her instinct was screaming. But she hesitated to give in to it. “My …I want to run for the woods.”
Mark stared down at her. He seemed to consider her answer. Behind him, Iristos was packing up their camp as fast as he could.
“Go not just by what your feeling,” Mark said. “Think it through. Your…gift warned you, right? Now make the best decision you can.” He pointed at himself. “I cannot judge if we can make it through the woods. I don’t have the knowledge or experience.”
Atissa forced herself to calm down. Mark’s words had reached her. She knew she couldn’t let her instinct control her. Uncle Tatros had once said that an animal’s instinct was both a strength and a weakness. A man could bring down a bear because a man can think stuff through.
This is why he asked for me, Atissa thought. The responsibility weighed heavy on her. She closed her eyes and took in her environment.
The danger was approaching down the river, but they still had some time. They could take the boat and cast off before being seen. It was unlikely their pursuers knew how close they were. Iristos had said that there were no more rapids so they could put everything into increasing the distance. But if they were spotted it would turn into a chase. And they would probably lose that.
Abandoning the river was safer. They could even push the boat into the river. If they were lucky, the Assanaten would fly past their campsite and be thrown off the scent. On the other hand, she didn’t know this area and their supplies were limited. She could hunt but that would take time. How long would it take to reach Riadnos? They had to bring help to their people as quickly as possible.
Atissa opened her eyes.
Iristos was carefully shaking Hermistos.
Her chest tightened. Would Mark bring Hermistos with them through the woods? Could they even afford to? Carrying the sickly man would slow them down immensely. And if the Assanaten do manage to find our trail…. She didn’t want to think about what would happen.
“We have to take the boat,” she said, trying to sound decisive.
Mark’s eyebrows rose, clearly surprised by her decision.
“We don’t know our way through the woods,” she said quickly before he could interrogate her. “And we only have limited supplies and time.” She glanced over to Hermistos before she could stop herself.
Mark turned his head, following her eyes. For a heartbeat, she saw his face harden as he stared down at Hermistos sleeping form. When he turned his attention back to her the expression was gone again.
He took his hand from her shoulder. “Let’s go then!” He turned around and ordered Iristos to carry Hermistos to the boat.
Atissa felt her chest relax a little. She felt guilty for leading her companions into danger, but she saw no other way. They had to reach Riadnos as quickly as possible. And she could not imagine abandoning Hermistos.
It took them less than five minutes to pack up their camp and cast off. Atissa even found the time to throw some earth on their fire, smothering the yellow-red embers. They needed to do everything they could to prevent their pursuers from noticing how close they were.
They made it just in time. Looking back, Atissa saw it first. Light shining through the trees revealed the large boat before it came around the bend upriver.
The Assanaten had mounted torches on poles in the front and back of the boat. The pole in front was angled forward, probably because they were nervous about obstacles in the river.
This is a mistake, Atissa thought. The light of a fire made it impossible for the eyes to adapt to the darkness. It made you blind to anything outside the illuminated area. In turn, the lights made it easy for her to track their movement.
“They’re not moving very fast,” Iristos whispered.
“They’re probably nervous about obstacles in the river,” Mark whispered from the front. “We have to gain some distance. Try to avoid noise as much as possible when you dip the oars into the water.”
Iristos complied as best he could. The splashing of the oars breaking the surface still sounded loud in Atissa’s ears.
Iristos did well. Tracking the other boat, she saw that they were increasing the distance. While competing against four rowers, Iristos had a faster pace. Knowing the river, he also made better use of the current.
When they closed in on the next bend, Atissa felt more confident that they would get away. It would be a hard night. They couldn’t afford to stop again. The men would have to work all night to extend their lead.
If the light of dawn motivated the Assanaten to increase their speed and they caught up, it would be over. But if they could stay ahead over the course of the day, they could reach the lakes and safety.
A second boat came around the bend.
“Gods protect us,” Iristos whispered.
Atissa could hear the despair in his voice. How had the second boat caught up to them? They must not have stopped a single night since they were on the river.
She thought about the small Horto statue in her bag. But the god of the valley wouldn’t aid them here. They had left his domain days ago. Why had her uncle given her this statue instead one of the Helcenaean gods?
“It doesn’t change anything,” Mark said. “One or two, the challenge stays the same. We must reach the city before they catch up.” He made a pause. “Atissa.”
Atissa turned around, surprised to be addressed. “Yes?”
“You saved all our lives tonight. Good work.” It was a simple praise, his voice unaffected by emotion.
Atissa didn’t know what to say, unable to see his expression in the thick darkness. After a moment of silence, she just nodded.
