Chapter Four

They all went to their rooms to gather their things, then to the main room to take the things they would be needing and packing them in bags and baskets, preparing for the journey. And when they were finishing up with that, Wyntair requested to go outside for a little while.

"Why, it's already dark out!" said Aunt Beccah, "why ever would you want to go out now?" But she let him go anyway, and even let Citali come with him when she asked.

Citali could not have been more shocked if she had found her brother practicing magic spells. "Wyntair?" she called out, having to make sure it was really him.

"Citali? What is it?" Indeed it was him, Wyntair, standing by the big fallen tree in the place he never went. Wyntair was standing in the place he never went.

"I had to make sure that was you! Why, Wyntair, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to come back before I had to leave," he answered slowly, "this is where we first came."

"What?"

"My first memory takes place here. . ."

"What was it?"

"When you and I first came to the town. You were only a baby. I only remember it was dark and cold and we were riding fast, a man and a woman wearing lots of furs were taking us on their horses, then we got here. You wouldn't stop wailing and I was so tired. . .and the birthmark was tingling, tingling so hard it hurt and tingled harder the further we went away from. . .from I don't know what. And then Aunt Beccah and Uncle Delzcen came up from the group of people who were just there, and you only stopped crying when she held you, so then I was told to go follow Aunt Beccah and Uncle Delzcen and I did. That's it."

Citali didn't know what to say to this. "Why didn't you want to come back here?"

"It just felt so wrong. Like as if it were a cursed spot like it would bring that night up again. I don't remember what else happened, I just know it was a miserable night, and I wanted to understand but I didn't want to be confused. . ."

"Well, can't you just ask Aunt Beccah then?"

"I don't think I should"

"Why not? I can do it for you."

"No thanks, I'll do it."

"Okay. What exactly are you going to ask?"

"I don't know yet. Come on, let's go back."

Aunt Beccah claimed she did not know anything about the siblings' past. "Your Uncle Delzcen and I were just a young couple on a normal night when those soldiers arrived with you two. Hooves, trumpets, and childish wailing, that's what we heard. Everyone came out and gathered around where you stood, just right in the forest, and the soldiers got off their horses, and then we saw you and your sister and the soldiers said they needed a family to look after these two kids, the boy was Wyntair and he was four years old, they said. And the baby girl was Citali, and she wasn't even six months of age. So then I stepped forward to take a closer look and one of the soldiers grabbed me firmly by the arm and asked if I was married and if I had any kids. Then they handed me you, Citali, and that is how you two came to live with us. Better get to bed now, we'll have an early start tomorrow."

". . .But was that really it? They didn't tell you anything?" asked Wyntair.

"No, they didn't."

"Why were they delivering us?"

"Chief Otto ordered them to, I presume."

"But why? Why would Otto want us delivered to any young couple in any random Friilian town?"

"What makes you say this town is so random? Maybe there's something special about it."

Wyntair studied Aunt Beccah's face, but she was only trying to defend her town's dignity, it seemed.

"I just. . .can't understand it."

"Well, your brain has got to be all tired out, so you'd better get to bed now and do your intense thinking on the hike tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Citali and the others took their things and left the town. They met at the edge with the two families they would be traveling with.

Heather and Jon, the parents of the fifteen-year old-twins Naida and Morner. Naida was pale skinned with a round face and thick dark hair. Her brother Morner was tan skinned with a round face and very dark brown hair. It made Citali very sad to think of Naida having to go to war, or even to training. She had always been a very quiet, weak girl with suffering health, constantly sick and choosing to stay indoors during all the cold seasons, always shivering even wrapped in blankets at her home, but always with a sad little smile on her face. Morner on the other hand was active and rowdy and loud and strong. He was most solemn around his sister. The other family was larger. Perri and Haughton were bringing all five of their children, all boys, though only their eldest, Ephin was joining the army. He was seventeen and was a part of that group of the firewood chopping boys with Wyntair. Ephin's younger siblings were fourteen-year-old Sach, eleven year-old Iprill, eight-year-old Trenton, and four-year-old Shurtis. All of them were tall, brown-haired, and full of energy.

The hike began.

At first, the young boys ran ahead. But Haughton called them back, informing them that they would be walking for a long time. "Better not tire yourselves out now."

Citali felt something small hit the pack she carried on her back. She looked over and saw Sach grinning at her. "Hey."

"Hi? What did you throw at me?"

"Just a pebble. It bounced off."

"All right. Why did you throw it?"

He shrugged. "Eh."

They stopped for rest after a while, a few hours probably. "Rest now," said Uncle Delzcen, "after a bit, we'll get walking again. Same distance, then stop for the night."

They all sat down, relieved. Citali found Sach next to her again. "Hi," she said awkwardly.

"Hey. Check that out," he pointed up to the tops of the trees. "Got your neck." He flicked her neck. She had removed her scarf much earlier when she had become too hot to wear it. "Ow!" Citali looked at Sach, shocked. "What did you do that for?" She stood up and walked over to where Wyntair sat in an especially leafy spot. She sat down. He didn't look up.

So that sat in silence for about an hour until it was time to resume the walk. She didn't look Sach's way, but she put her scarf back on and walked next to her brother.

After about fifteen minutes, someone grabbed her arm from behind, causing her basket to tip and some of the contents to spill. It was Sach. He mumbled "sorry" and scrambled to pick the stuff up before Citali could. He dumped them in the basket and looked up to where Citali was looking at him suspiciously, "what are you doing?"

"Noth'n. Sorry about earlier. T'was supposed to be a joke."

"It wasn't funny though."

"Yeah."

They continued walking and the rest of the hike passed quietly and uneventfully, at least for the two of them, until they had reached their evening camp.

Then Wyntair, Morner, and Ephin split up the shelter building tasks and began to build a circle of small huts, starting with just their frames. Then Uncle Delzcen, Haughton, and Jon came to assist them, as did all of Ephin's brothers. Aunt Beccah, Heather, Perri, Naida, and Citali worked on fire and food. That night the group sat around the fire and ate, talking merrily and sharing stories until they drifted off to their shelters to sleep, one by one.