Two days later, Ellna was saying good-bye to the Ornod house. She carried her changes of clothes and a few ancient jewelry sets in her bag. Corina and Cenai were carrying the books with their clothes.
Corina had her dark hair fully covered, but her face was still very Rhetian. She was a somber, smart young woman of sixteen who liked nothing better than to read thousand-year-old books and decode meanings from them. Cenai, her twin, was tall and jolly. He was a bit sad to leave behind his friends, but Amyra had brushed him off, saying it was better for him to make Rhetian friends, anyways.
The mud houses of Ornod seemed to glow under the early morning sun. Amyra had hurried them to pack and bake food to be ready. Ellna was very tired from all the running around she’d had to do, since Amyra would not risk the older siblings and their mother being outside.
“We will see trees again,” Ellna’s mother whispered. “And I will see my land for the first time.”
Ellna walked down the path. They were pretending to be going to the market. Poor folk of Ornod weren’t supposed to leave the city. Few had the money to. Amyra knew of several loyalists who shipped goods. They hoped to be at the dock by nightfall, yet another reason to leave early.
How Amyra knew the path, Ellna had no idea. Ellna wouldn’t have known how to get out of the city—she had fantasized about leaving when they first arrived, but had been too scared to get lost. She followed Amyra, though, with her slow walk.
“Where are you off to?” A woman called.
“I’sdae Market,” Amyra said. “And you?”
The woman scoffed. “Everyone charges so much! You have goods then?”
“I am a good trader,” Amyra said, stiffly. The woman shook her head and muttered something derogatory about old grandmothers.
It was midday by the time they reached the outskirts of Ornod. There was grass on the ground beyond the city walls, with Quosarlen and grazing and birds roaming around. Grain fields were further, beyond the grassy expanse. Beyond that were dark green things that must be the East Forest, backed by the craggy mountain of Taeaseo Island.
Guards walked by the city gate. Amyra ducked behind a closed store and pulled her hair from underneath her cap, motioning for the rest to do the same. She walked to the other side of the closed store, which was closer to the gate and more visible to the guards. She went up to the guards, and, in Rhetian, said, “We are heading back now. Thank you so much for letting us see your beautiful city!”
The guards nodded. They didn’t question Amyra or Ellna’s family any further.
The five walked along the path to the dock. The green fields gave way to the forest bordering the ocean. Ellna saw herders, farmers, woodcutters, and more people working on the land. Ellna’s mother bought fresh fruit and bread from a shop for lunch, which they ate in a meadow. It was so nice to hear the birds chirping, the wind rushing through the forest, and the sound of the sea, with no city noises drowning them out.
By the time they reached the dock, Ellna was very tired. It was nearly nightfall; they had walked all day except a couple short rests. Amyra went to find the shipworker while the other four found a good place to sleep in an abandoned hut. Ellna’s mother kept the candle low as she set up some bedding. “Ellna, here, spread out this blanket. Corina, you make sure the leftovers from dinner are safe in your bag. Cenai, can you go get some water? I don’t know where there’s a stream, or if it’s any good. We don’t have the stuff to boil water.”
Ellna helped her mother. Cenai arrived back just after Amyra. He’d found a fast-rushing river.
“As long as that’s not the tail end of the Nae Arrali,” Amyra chuckled. She added, “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow’s an early morning.”
Richenda 