A Place of Promise

“Hey you, wake up.” My body was shaking side-to-side, two hands rocking me back and forth, willing me to wake up. “I swear on Taygeta, if you don’t wake up I’ll make you wake up.”

I forced my eyes open against the glaring sun, and could see Faye’s sinewy form, with a wooden bucket raised high above her head. My eyes snapped open, and my body jerked up and pressed itself into the corner of the wall. “Wait, wait!” I yelled, raising my hands up defensively in front of me. “I’m awake, I swear. Just lower the bucket.”

Faye snorted, as if she had accomplished some great task. “I knew that would wake you up. The only good think about this weather is using it to get people up in the morning.” My heart sank at the thought of the morning coming. Faye had expected me to leave today, and I spent most of last night agonizing over the idea of it.

“Before I leave, will you at least tell me how to get to Altair?” Faye, who had been busying herself on the other side of the room, stopped what she was doing, and looked at me. Her lips pursed into a solid line, her full lips disappearing behind her teeth. “Did I say something wrong? I’d like to think of it as a reasonable request.” I murmured, avoiding eye contact with her savage gaze.

“Altair doesn’t exist here.”

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Something about the way Faye said it left my stomach heavy with nausea. “Of course it does…I live there.”

“It would be wise of you to stop asking questions.”

I shook my head slowly, “I don’t need to stop asking questions because I don’t understand anything that’s going on! One minute I thought I was drowning, and the next minute I was in the middle of tundra coughing up water.”

Faye strode over to where I was sitting using her height to take advantage of the situation. “I know just as much as you do. The only thing that I do know is that nowhere in Lyra or any related kingdoms is there a city, town, or village that is called Altair. I also know that there have been several people before you, both men and women, who have come from a city that isn’t known to exist here.”

“My entire family is there, my friends. It cannot possibly cease to exist!”

Faye made a noise that was somewhere between frustration and despair. “This is exactly why I’m making you leave for Vega!”

My eyes widened, the change in subject returning my attention to an infinitely more serious dilemma. “You said yesterday that, that place was filled with murderers and—and murderers!”

“You’re right, I did say that,” Faye placed her hand on her hip and brushed some invisible dirt off her once white pants, “but I also said that there were politicians there.” It occurred to me that she did mention something along those lines. It is true that politicians may have the answers I needed. Back in Altair, it was ran by a council, elected and sustained in position by the people of Altair. If Vega was anything of the sort, murderers or not, I was sure that they could offer me some answers at the very least.

“Where is Vega?” Faye smiled slyly and gestured me over towards her. From her side she took out a folded, yellowing paper that withered at its edges like singed thread. She laid it out on a reading stand that nestled the corner tightly.

“Glad you asked. See, right now we’re in Spica,” she placed a finger on a small dot on the map she had laid out, “and right over here? That’s Vega.” Encasing her two fingers on the map showed nearly hundreds of hand drawn lines scratched gently across the area like trees. A single, heavy line weaved a path from one city to another; a path that connected them only centimeters apart. My mind was ablaze with hope, realizing that the trip was nearly almost over before it began.

I grinned with delight, “That doesn’t look too bad.”

Faye burst into a fit of laughter, her eyes tugging at the lines of age around her eyes. Her amusement was near the point of hysteria. Her mouth was opened widely, with a loud and throaty laugh erupting from it. Her arms held her stomach tightly, unwilling to let it go in the event that she might fall apart. “‘Not too bad’? I’m just giving you a safe path, but the trip from here to Vega taking this route is almost a day’s walk. I’m assuming your walking because it doesn’t look like you have any money on you.” Faye was practically choking on the air that she was breathing, and I was choking on the shock.

“A day?” I squeaked. “How is that even possible? Don’t you have a faster form of transportation?”

“Like I said, what money do you have?”

“Who says I don’t?” I scowled. Faye burst into another fit of laughter, this time tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

“I already checked the pockets in your dress!” My cheeks reddened in embarrassment. She sighed, her laughter ceasing in an ‘Ahhh’ and wiping her face of stray tears. “On a more serious note, you wouldn’t be able to take anything faster than a horse here. Anything faster ain’t gonna be found in Spica.” Faye placed a hand on my shoulder, getting my attention. “I’m not sending you off because I hate you or anything like that. To be honest, I would go with you, but I would only cause you more trouble in a city like Vega.”

Pressure was building up behind my eyes, the heaviness of Faye’s hand growing against my shoulder. For the life of me, I just couldn’t speak another word. Any other grandeur gesture could possibly send me to tears.

Faye laughed lightly, seeing my discomfort through my shaking hands. “I have packed you things for your journey. Food, clothes, and flint among other things. And for your journey, although my practice is poor, I shall gift you with a safe arrival.” This time, she placed both hands on my shoulders, and stood in front of me. Faye took a deep breath, a smile adorning her lips as she closed her eyes and placed her forehead against mine. “Tell me your name, first.”

I swallowed, forcing a sound to come out through my urge to cry, “Althea.”

I could feel her cool forehead nodding against my own, tussles of her hair falling in length of my eyes. We stood in an in ephemeral silence. Noises from the outside were voided, like my ears had suddenly become congested with water. Faye stood there without movement, eyes still closed. “Althea, may your travels be safe. Deity of navigation, Taygeta, shall grant you a safe journey to Vega.” Taygeta was a strange name for a deity. Back home, we often celebrated deity’s ourselves, but it was never as serious as granting safety or health. There was a group of God’s or rather, Generals that Altair did flock to. They were known as the Four Generals of An, who guarded a heavenly world where those who passed were brought by these Generals to the hands of An, who was depicted as gifting reincarnation or heavenly solace.

“Taygeta is your God?”

Faye nodded, gathering a pack and a jacket in her arms. “Yes, she is my favorite among all of them, seeing as I’m constantly traveling for food or goods. It’s a hard job, what I do, and most times they aren’t easy. When I do pray to Taygeta for safety, I seem to get through the most formidable tasks.” She handed me the jacket open, helping me into it, and placing the hood up over my head and a piece of fabric concealing my mouth and nose. Similar to the one I had first seen her in, she buttoned it up for me and handed me the bag.

“I’m not a child; I can button jackets on my own.”

Faye laughed, “Don’t take offense to it. It has become a habit of mine. I have a motherly touch.” She winked and went towards the door, slipping on her snow crusted boots on. I followed suit, slipping mine, which looked significantly more worn than what I had remembered.

“In the bag, I also left you a map as well. Make sure to keep to the path, and don’t stray. That’d be dangerous seeing as you don’t seem like the traveling type. Additionally, if it becomes too late and you need sleep, keep yourself close to the main road. You’ll know you’re getting close to Vega when you hit a check point. That’s Arcturus’ main border. Don’t veer off, stay on the path. Eventually the second check point you’ll come across is Vega’s border.”

As Faye was explaining this to me, we were approaching the edge of town. The trees lined just beyond that where a path weaved through the brush. It was almost a relief to see the worn road. I had imagined the path to have been untouched of tracks, but it was deteriorated down to the brim the snow turning brown from the dirt beneath it.

“I got it.” It was intimidating staring at the emptiness in front of me. “Thank you, Faye. I know you could have left me out there to rot, but you took me in.”

A sniffle caught my attention and my gaze wandered towards Faye pressing her knuckles against her reddened nose, her cheeks singed with a harsh pink against her pale skin. “Damn.” She muttered, her eyes closing and her forehead wrinkling like gentle folds in a sheet. “You’ll be just fine.” I wasn’t sure if she was reassuring me, or herself, but the tears trickled down her face regardless of the reason.

I felt uneasy, but smiled anyway. “You’re right, I’ll be just fine.”

“Atta’ girl!” She laughed, and smacked her hand against my back. “Remember, Taygeta will grant you safe travel. You just need to believe in her.”

Faye waited by the road to see me off, but disappeared after she became a small, minuscule dot in the distance. I sincerely wanted to believe in the deity to at least make sure I got to my destination safely. My mouth felt drier the further I walked; no matter how much I thought I believed this Taygeta would grant me a safe trip, I really, really didn’t.