AutumnQuest by Terie Garrison

enough to be stealing. Not yet. “Well, that’s a good job, then. But we need to get back to Xyla soon.”
    “We better not leave until full dark—another half hour.”
    So we made a quiet snack of the bread and cheese. By the time it was dark, all the vendors had packed up their wares, and the village square was abandoned. We slipped out of our hiding place and, flitting from shadow to shadow, made our way back out of the village. The whole time I had a feeling that someone was watching, but we made it safely back to Xyla, who lay sleeping right where we’d left her hours before.
    We took great care that night not to let our fire get too big, and we agreed to put it out before going to sleep. Better to be a bit cold than to be discovered by the Royal Guard.
    As a precaution, I had Traz cut my hair short. It felt as if he were sawing it off with the knife, and I bit my lip to keep from complaining aloud. But if someone recognized me and I was captured, I’d never be able to help Breyard. My hair would grow back. I threw it onto the fire, not wanting to leave any telltale traces behind. A moment later, we almost choked on the acrid odor.
    “Let’s not do that again,” Traz said with a grimace.
    Even Xyla seemed to wrinkle her nose. She disappeared soon after, returning with a self-satisfied air and a rabbit, which Traz quickly skinned and dressed while I gathered herbs. I also found some wild potatoes. It was the best supper I’d had in days. I decided conclusively that having Traz along was a good thing.

    The next day, we left the woods behind. At first, it felt uncomfortable out in the open. There we were for anyone who looked to see. The traveling was harder than it had been in the woods. There, we’d been able to follow paths; now we had to move much more carefully, watching our step on the uneven ground and often stopping to pull burrs from our clothes. I scanned the horizon, hoping we’d come across another wood before long.
    Another oppressing thought was that we were losing precious time. Surely they’d taken Breyard to Penwick by horse or wagon, and he’d be there by now. And here I was, tramping north towards Crowthorne.
    The futility of it all brought me to a stop. Traz walked on a few steps before he realized that I wasn’t keeping up, then he turned back. It looked as if he’d meant to tease me for falling behind, but then the expression on his face changed to one of concern. “Donavah? Are you all right?” he asked as he came back to me. “What’s wrong?”
    I brushed away a tear in exasperation. Traz reached up and wiped another tear off my cheek.
    “It’s going to be all right,” he said. “You just wait and see. I promise.” He was so emphatic I couldn’t help but smile. “It always comes out right in the old tales.”
    We made our way across the countryside. After a lunch of leftover bread and cheese from the day before, we saw a dark line cutting across the land ahead.
    “A river?” I asked.
    Traz thought for a moment, as if picturing a map in his mind, then nodded. “I think so. It must be the River Kreef.”
    “Maybe we could spend the night there, under the cover of the trees?”
    “Depends. It might be too early to stop.”
    By now, it didn’t surprise me when Traz turned out to be right. We reached the river by midafternoon. As we approached, the foliage we walked through became taller, thicker, and more lush, thanks to the nearby source of water. We were under the trees—mostly alders and willows—that grew along the riverway and we still couldn’t hear the rush of water. That should have tipped us off. I had a passing thought that maybe the river was dry after the long, hot Summer. Neither of us were prepared for the wide expanse of water we found in front of us when we finally scrambled through the heavy underbrush to the riverbank. Xyla let out a funny squeal and immediately flew out over the water, diving down and coming up a moment later with a large fish