Rogue Legacy by Jeffrey L. Kohanek (classic reads .txt) 📖

“That’s not him.”

“Who is it?” Tiri asked.

“I don’t know. I just know that’s not Cal.”

Although Lyra knew better than to feel disappointed, she felt it anyway. Upon seeing smoke rising from the chimney at Mystic Manor, unexpected feelings stirred inside her, feelings she had forgotten.

The man locked the gate, shouldered his pack, and walked off toward Sol Polis, the morning breeze ruffling his dark hair. The girls remained still, waiting until the man disappeared over the hill to the west.

“Come on.” Lyra rose from behind the trees and circled behind the house, toward the field.

Holding her skirt up, Tiri ran to catch up with Lyra.

“You miss him, don’t you?”

Lyra looked down at the long grass while she walked, thinking about Cal.

“Yes.”

“We’ve been sisters for three years, yet you never speak of him.”

“I tried…I need to move on…forget about him.”

“Do you…love him?”

“I don’t know. Can we talk about something else?”

Tiri was silent for a moment before resuming. “I’ve never been in love. I hardly…know any boys. Being trapped in the palace made it difficult to meet anyone…and even if I fell in love, it would be for naught.”

Lyra turned toward her. “Why do you say that?”

Tiri shrugged. “As princess, I would be paired with someone for political reasons. Falling for a boy would just lead to pain, since father wouldn’t allow it to lead anywhere else.”

“Tiri. I realize this is difficult, but you’re not a princess any longer. Even if you appeared and tried to reclaim the throne from Donte, who knows you? Who would support you? Even your father’s guards are dead. Donte has won. You must leave that life behind.” Lyra’s expression softened, replaced with a soft smile. “However, you’re now free to love whoever you want. I won’t stop you.”

Tiri suddenly wrapped her arms about Lyra, hugging her fiercely.

“What would I do without you?”

“Most likely, get yourself killed.”

Tiri released Lyra, laughing as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Through the knee-high grass that covered the fields east of Sol Polis, the two girls traveled in silence. Lyra’s feet felt better in the riding boots she had purchased with Pern’s silver. She expected that Tiri felt the same, having traded in her slippers for real shoes.

The sun was almost to its mid-point in the sky above them when they reached the eastern edge of the field…where the Tantarri used to camp.

Appearing abandoned for years, Lyra found the dirt patches now filled with weeds and long grass. Similar to when she had approached Mystic Manor that morning, images came flooding in…memories of dancing around the fire, playing music, listening to Numi tell stories. Her time with the Tantarri had lasted mere months, but the mark they made on Lyra remained.

“There’s a stream down in the trees. We can fill our skins.” Lyra led Tiri past the row of oaks and through the undergrowth that filled the hillside beside the stream. The gurgle of the water rose above the breeze rustling the leaves overhead, one harmonizing with the other in the melody of nature.

Lyra squatted beside the creek and dipped the water skin below its surface, a stream of bubbles emerging as water trickled in. Tiri squatted beside her, intent on filling her skin. She lost her balance and a shriek escaped as her arms swung about to keep her balance. Too late, Tiri fell into the water, but not before she could grab ahold of Lyra’s coat, plunging her face-first into the water beside her.

With a wide-eyed gasp from the cold wave of wetness, Lyra lifted her head above the water and climbed to her feet. Tiri lay below her with only her head and knees above the waterline. Laughter took hold of Tiri, the look on her face shifting from surprise to mirth. Despite the fact that she was now soaking wet, Lyra joined her, both girls laughing heartily for the first time since Tallinor’s death.

Even in her new boots, Lyra’s feet ached after a long day on the road. The previous day had begun with a slow start in Sol Polis as they waited for shops to open so they could purchase new footwear and supplies required for their journey. Combined with a brief stop to inspect Mystic Manor, and their unfortunate little swim in the creek, half the day was spent by the time they reached the road.

An uneventful night sleeping under the stars in a clearing near the road was followed by a long day of walking. The hours passed like a slow drip, making the ache of Lyra’s feet seem that much worse. With the sun low in the western sky and her stomach screaming for something besides trail rations, Lyra forced herself to continue walking.

Surprisingly, Tiri displayed more fortitude than Lyra had anticipated. The girl hardly complained, not even when presented with a breakfast consisting of only a hard roll, a slice of dried beef, and an apple.

Lyra turned toward her sister and felt a stab of pride at the determined look on her face. She was about to say something when she heard a noise from ahead. The rumble of wagon wheels grew louder, accompanied by the slow clopping of hooves.

Panicked, Lyra grabbed Tiri’s hand. “We need to hide! Come on!”

Lyra darted toward the brush that bordered the road with Tiri following. They eased between the first barrier of branches and squatted, safely hidden from view when the wagon emerged.

“…guy was a bit overzealous.”

“He was just doing his job, dear,” A woman said.

“Still, do we look like a pair of killers? Do I look like a girl?”

She laughed as the wagon rolled past, hugging the man seated beside her. “If you looked like I girl, I wouldn’t be married to you. If they really are killers, I hope they catch them.”

“They didn’t need to destroy our crates while searching. There isn’t…”

As the voices faded, Lyra turned toward Tiri and found frightened eyes staring back.

“Their looking for us, aren’t they?” Tiri whispered.

Lyra nodded. “Yes. There must be soldiers stationed further up the road, stopping anyone who crosses the border.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We have to go another route.” Lyra thought of the route she took with the Tantarri, somewhere to the west. Pressing her lips together in determination, she nodded. “I know another way, west of here.”

She turned and began walking toward the setting sun, its orange light filtering through the leaves overhead.

“It’s growing dark. Can you find it?”

Lyra focused on where she was headed, weaving a path through the brush and tree trunks.

“We’ll camp when we get further from the road. At first light, we head west until we find the other route.”

“Are we lost?”

Lyra shrugged, unwilling to admit defeat. “To be lost, we’d have to know where we want to go.”

Tiri appeared doubtful. “But, do you know where we are?”

“Somewhere north of Kalimar by now…I hope.”

Tiri stopped walking. “You hope? What do you mean, you hope?”

Lyra stopped and turned to face her. “Even if this trail isn’t the one I was looking for, it heads north. That means it takes us to Vinacci, or somewhere else that isn’t Kalimar.”

Tiri crossed her arms over her chest, appearing frustrated. “We can’t walk forever. My feet hurt, and I’m hungry.”

“I know.” Lyra sighed. “Even rationing what we’ve got, we’re almost out of food. Worse yet, we’re out of water.”

She turned to face north, trying to decide if the peaks before her appeared familiar. Her thighs already burned after crossing the foothills that morning. It would only get worse with the mountains to their north. For now, the trail followed the valley floor.

“Let’s keep going. Hopefully, we’ll find a stream soon.”

Tiri frowned but remained silent as Lyra led her down the trail. With the sun high overhead, the heat began to wear on the girls, no longer protected by the shade of the surrounding trees. Lyra took her coat off, but felt thankful to have the wide brimmed hat. They crested a small rise and a cacophony arose above the