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  “Oaiafr iueuekidri ate ienaili ate diwu?” (What's going to happen to us?) One of the men sves said.

  That was at least the tenth time that question had been asked since we arrived. We were all lying on the ground in a hot tent with a guard posted outside. At least the fp was open so there was a little bit of air circution.

  I looked at Lil again. She was asleep, but sweat was pouring from her forehead. Fin was awake, but he looked worried as well.

  A guard had brought us some food and water an hour ago, so we were all able to get something in our empty stomachs.

  “Chwi iueuekidri ate aoky diwu a.” (They’re going to kill us all.) A different man spoke next, shaking his head and looking miserable.

  “Xa ikeioti!” (Be quiet!) The third man spoke angrily to both of them. “Ghku chwi aoky diwu, chwi aoky diwu. Tiq keb diki sobra keie.” (If they kill us, they kill us. There's nothing we can do.)

  At least that shut them up for a while. I didn’t think they were going to kill us if they were feeding us, but I didn’t say that. Who knew what would happen.

  When Lil woke up I motioned to both Fin and Lil to come with me. I went to the guard at the door and asked, “Excuse me. We need to use the trine.”

  “Oh, um. Let me get someone.”

  We stood and waited while he waved another soldier over, who guided us. I quietly told Fin and Lil to walk slowly. The longer we were out of that torturous tent, the better for all of us. As we were walking I tried to make small talk with the soldier. I was hoping he didn’t know our situation so I could get a little information out of him.

  “Hi, I’m Jer, and these are Fin and Lil.”

  “Oh, um. I’m Kerim.”

  “It’s so nice to be out of that hot tent. Thank you for escorting us.” I noticed that he smiled a little at that.

  I continued, “So, we’re from Hampston, under duke Vandenwal. Can I ask where you are from?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m from Wettonfeld. It’s near the capitol.”

  “How far away is that from here?”

  “Hmm, about 60 longstrides, give or take.”

  “So how is the battle going? We haven’t heard much today.”

  “There are still a few squadrons giving us trouble. But I think it will be over soon, hopefully by tomorrow.”

  “That’s good. It will be nice when this horrible mess is over.”

  I wanted him to think we were fully on their side— which we were, now that I thought about it. I had been sort of thinking of them as the enemy, but only because we had that drilled into our heads for so long.

  After finishing at the trines, I made sure we took our time on the way back as well and kept up the conversation. The soldier seemed friendly enough and quite informative.

  When we arrived back at the tent, I said, “Thank you again, Kerim.”

  He gave me a big smile. It looked like he wanted to say more, but the other guard was right there, giving him a stern look. So he said a quick goodbye before making a hasty retreat.

  Inside the tent it looked like the others were all asleep, but I couldn’t be sure. There were a few things I needed to tell them, so I took Fin and Lil to the far corner and whispered.

  “If we get questioned, I may have to admit I have some magic, especially if they see my hair. But I’m only a healer if anyone asks, right?” They both nodded. “Say nothing about your own affinities. Also, don’t tell anyone about our valley. Just say that we were captured in the mountains. If they ask about our parents, just say we are all orphans.”

  After that, we id down on the ground again since it was the coolest part of the tent. We were served supper that evening, but still no one came to get us. The next day was pretty much the same routine, though the sky was overcast, so it wasn’t as hot in the tent.

  On the third day, a new guard came for us. But he took us out one at a time, starting with the men, then the women. When he brought one back he took the next. Before he came for me I reminded Fin and Lil again of what to say. It was important that our stories matched.

  “I’m Colonel Prenner. Have a seat,” the rge man seated at a table said as I entered the tent.

  “Ouni cwu ut Prenner. Ikuiksia um sahe,” a woman next to him repeated.

  “Oh, I’m Landrian.” I said. “I don’t need an interpreter.”

  “That should make this easier.”

  I looked at the third person present, who was writing things quickly on parchment.

  “Ignore him. He’s just taking down what we say here.”

  That only made me more nervous, but I tried not to let it show.

  “State your name.”

  “Jer… ah, Jerisha.” I had to keep reminding myself of my new name and gender. It still hadn’t sunk in.

  “Why were you found near the Theanon Army?”

  “I was captured. They made us sves, me and my siblings.”

  “Siblings?”

  “Yes, Fin and Lil, twins. You haven’t interviewed them yet.”

  “They are with you then, in the tent?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see.”

  “When were you captured?”

  “It was in the spring, I believe.”

  The questions continued like this, rapid fire, until they abruptly stopped and I was dismissed. The guard took me back and did the same for Fin and Lil.

  That night we talked through the kinds of questions they were asked. But it seemed to be about the same for each of us. I hoped that meant there was nothing suspicious about us. I also hoped that meant we could be released soon.

  But nothing happened for a few more days. At least they kept feeding us and were cordial.

  I even got to talk to Kerim a few more times. Whenever we needed to be escorted he was often avaible. That seemed a little odd, but maybe he was stationed near us.

  We continued to chat as we walked. I learned he was a private in the Haxly March and had been there for a little more than a year. He had two older sisters, both married with children, though he was still single. His father was a cooper, who made barrels and other containers.

  I learned the Theanon invasion, as he called it, was able to cause so much destruction because no one expected them to come through those treacherous mountains, right into the heart of Landria. And when they did, the kingdom was in the middle of a civil standoff, if not outright war. With the king's health declining, his heirs were maneuvering politically for supporters. The marches were caught up in the mess, and no one wanted to be the first to move their troops.

  After three more days we were told they were sending some of us to Landholm, the capital. But they didn't say why. It ended up being those of us originally from Landria, the three of us siblings and Mira. We were put in one carriage, and the others were pced in a second one. Both had a set of four escorts, or guards.

  It surprised me to see Kerim as one of our guards. That seemed a bit suspicious. What's more, he smiled and winked at me when I looked at him. I didn't know if I could trust him or not, even though he seemed quite friendly. But his actions gave me an uncomfortable feeling I couldn't identify.

  It took us two days to travel to our destination. We got to stay in a nice inn along the way. We even had an indoor pump and wash basin with soap in an adjacent room. We happily took turns cleaning ourselves the best we could, something we hadn't done in several weeks. We couldn't wash our clothes though, since we didn't have spares, so they would have to wait.

  For dinner that evening we actually ate in the common room with our guards. We had roast pork and mashed potatoes with gravy. It was far too much food, so Mira, Lil and I ended up sharing our meals with the men. Fin was determined to finish everything he was served, though. It just took him a long time.

  The conversation around the table was light hearted, so it didn’t feel like we were prisoners so much as traveling companions. I learned that Mira had been captured and ensved a few years before when the merchant caravan she was working with was attacked. As the evening progressed our guards got progressively louder, since they all had a little too much to drink.

  I decided it was time for bed, so I stood up with a nod to Fin and Lil. Our guards took that as the signal to get up with us. They were our escorts after all. I got to sleep in a very comfortable bed, something I was not accustomed to.

  We arrived in Landholm te the next day. It was by far the rgest city I had ever seen. As we came down a hill to the city gate I looked out over the thousands of sprawling houses and buildings, many of which were several stories high. A rge castle dominated a hill near the center. There was a rge ke, or small sea, on the far side, with several ships docked in the port.

  After passing through a gate we made our way slowly over the cobblestone streets. It looked like we were heading to the castle, but our carriage stopped outside a rge building at the bottom of the hill. We were escorted inside. There were a number of people in military or city guard uniforms inside— it was hard to tell the difference.

  Our guards took us to a desk near the front where several officers were waiting, looks of displeasure lined their faces. Once our guards expined who they were and why they brought us, we were escorted by new guards down some stairs into an area with more guards posted. We were then taken down a long hallway with strong doors on both sides. We were divided up and pced in two of these rooms, Fin with me and Lil with Mira.

  There were two beds in each room, one on each side, and what looked like a chamber pot, a bucket of water and some soap at the back. The guard told us to make ourselves comfortable because it would be a day or two before someone would call for us to be seen.

  The door made a loud cng when it was closed. I heard the sound of keys and the lock being engaged. I guess we were still considered prisoners.

  The doors had a small opening at head height so we could look out and even talk through. There was also a wide opening at the bottom. I ter learned that was for passing trays of food in and out at meal times.

  We spent several more boring days waiting, and talking. There were other prisoners along the hallway so we couldn’t really say much. But I did make sure Lil and Mira were doing alright.

  When the guards finally came for us, they again took us one at a time. It just so happened I was st this time. Lil and Mira both said that it wasn’t bad. They were again asked a bunch of simir questions as the st time. In fact, the interviewer had the notes from our previous interviews. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Fin before it was my turn.

  I was taken to a room up several flights of stairs. Inside there were two guards as well as the strangest man I had ever seen. He looked like he was part owl, with feathers instead of hair. His face was ft, with rge round eyes, and a small beak for a mouth. When he spoke it was high and breathy.

  As soon as I walked in the room, however, I felt his dominant presence, like he was the most important person in the world and that I could trust him completely.

  But I also had a nagging thought, why hadn’t Lil or Mira said anything about him? Something was wrong.

  “Please have a seat,” he said.

  I sat down almost without thinking about it.

  “I just have a few more questions I need you to answer. It’s important to be truthful. I will know if you are not.”

  I felt a strong need to help him by answering all of his questions completely and honestly. I still felt that nagging wrongness, but it was swiftly fading.

  What was I thinking?

  I couldn’t think, but something was wrong, so in defense I pulled on my magic, like I had done many times before.

  Suddenly, I could think clearly again. Whatever he had been doing no longer affected me.

  “What is your name?”

  “Jerisha,” I answered.

  He looked up at me from his notes, his rge eyes opening even wider.

  “I need you to be honest with me. What is your name?”

  “It’s Jerisha, though I usually go by Jer.” I smiled back at him.