The Longest Day

While Tahni and Vita had continued on their journey and fought off the two cutthroats sent to take their lives, Hank and Kobi had visited the clearings they’d discovered, though they found nothing to point them in Tahni’s direction.

Desperate, they decided to simply move towards the closest town in the hopes that she would be there. They knew it was a long shot and that she could have gone absolutely anywhere, but it was the only idea they had.

After looking around the last clearing—the one with the stream running through it—and leaving disappointed just as they had with the others, they retreated back to their home in Greengrove. Hank knew they would need horses if they were going to catch up to Tahni—she already had a strong lead on them—so he’d decided to sell their chickens at the village market to get all the gold he could before they left. No one would be around to feed them anymore anyway.

The two of them spent one last night in their small home, then re-packed their rucksacks, checking that they had everything they would need, and left.

***

Now, Tahni and Vita were finally nearing a small town named Greybridge.

It had taken them three and a half days to reach the towns edge, with Tahni needing to stop frequently because she was struggling to breathe. The damage to her ribs had not gotten any better since they’d been attacked.

She’d pushed on though, and they were finally here.

“We shouldn’t stay long,” Vita murmured as they lowered their rucksacks to the ground and eyed the town from within the shelter of the woods. “We’ll go in, get the supplies we need, clean our clothes and wash ourselves, and then we’ll leave again.”

Tahni nodded in agreement.

They gathered their rucksacks and bedrolls, Tahni being careful not to do anything that would hurt her ribs, and led their horses out of the woods.

Entering Greybridge, they found themselves surrounded by small stalls set up around the large open space in the town square. Men and women were gathered everywhere, buying and selling items and food, and talking and laughing and shaking hands as they went. It was like the village markets in Tahni hometown, only on a much larger scale.

The paths in Greybridge were a rough sand-coloured stone rather than the dirt Tahni was used to in Greengrove. The buildings were made of stone too.

This town was much grander than anything Tahni had seen before, although she suspected most towns would be grander than hers had been, small and hidden away in the woods as it was. Still, she couldn’t help but gawk as they made their way through the throngs of people and towards what looked like a stable in the hopes that they could leave their horses with the man there while they went about their business.

“Excuse me,” Vita called to the man as they reached the front of the stables.

He turned at the sound of her voice, wiping his hands on the front of his trousers and walking towards them. He had dark brown hair, though it was beginning to grey, and kind eyes.

“What can I do for you?” he asked politely, extending his hand. Tahni and Vita each shook it in turn.

“Sorry to bother you, but we’re just passing through and we need somewhere to keep our horses while we run some errands. Could we leave them with you, by any chance?” Vita wondered aloud.

“Of course! Bring them this way.” He led them through the stables to a cluster of empty stalls at the far end. Tahni and Vita took their mares into two of the stalls, side by side. Hay bales had been piled in the corner of each stall so the horses would have food, and the space in each stall was large enough to allow comfortable movement. Claire and Belle would be content here.

The man moved forward to close and lock the stalls once Tahni and Vita walked back out of them, leaving the horses inside.

“Dad!” someone called.

A young boy, perhaps a year or two older than Tahni, was jogging towards them. Or rather, towards the man with the greying hair. He had hair just a shade or two darker than his father’s, and deep brown eyes with the same kindness in them.

“Dad,” he repeated once he’d reached them, “I filled up the troughs for you; what else do you need?”

The man finished locking Belle’s stall and scratched at his temple as he turned to his son. “Uh, I think that’s all for now, Jaylen. Thank you.”

He turned back to Tahni and Vita. ‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’ he asked with a friendly smile.

“Actually, could you tell us where to find someone who can sell us travel supplies?”

“Why don’t I show you?” the boy, Jaylen, interjected. “I don’t have anything else to do now that I’ve finished helping out here.”

Vita looked to Tahni to see what she thought of it.

Their eyes met for just a moment before Tahni turned back to the boy and accepted with a nod and a smile.

As the three of them left the stables—Jaylen waving a quick goodbye to his father—he asked their names.

“I’m Tahni and this is Vita,” Tahni told him.

“Well it’s nice to meet you both. Where are you headed?”

That was a question Tahni wasn’t entirely sure she should answer. How safe was it to tell him they were going to the Rohnalian Mountains? What if he decided to go there too, not knowing that Slay and his troops waited on the Cliffside? He could end up dead.

She turned to Vita, as if willing her to answer the question instead. And she did.

“We’re travelling East,” she said vaguely. “We thought it would be nice to visit some towns and meet new people. Plus the woods are beautiful.”

“Any particular reason you’re going that way?” Jaylen wondered.

Vita hesitated. “The Rohnalian Mountains,” she finally said.

“Oh, my father took my mother and I up the Mountains when I was young! It’s incredible up there, you’ll really enjoy it.”

Tahni forced a smile at that. She highly doubted she was going to enjoy herself when they finally reached the Mountains.

Jaylen led them through the town, weaving his way through the mass of people effortlessly. He stopped in front of a small stand where a mousey-blonde woman stood, counting the gold she’d collected throughout the morning.

When they approached, she placed the small box of her earnings down and greeted Jaylen as if she’d known him for years. Tahni realised after a moment that she probably had.

“Jaylen! What can I get you?” she asked brightly.

“Nothing for me today, Bonnie,” he said. “This is Tahni and Vita. They need some supplies.”

She looked behind him at Tahni and Vita and beckoned them closer, asking what they wanted.

Quickly, they chose the things they needed and Vita paid the woman.

Tahni wondered idly how much gold Vita had and where she’d gotten it. The thought that they wouldn’t be able to get new supplies for free hadn’t even crossed her mind before now. She’d never had to worry about money before though—that had always been her father’s job. The thought brought with it an unwelcome pang of guilt and longing.

“What else do you need?” Jaylen asked as they walked away from the stall, new supplies in hand.

Vita chuckled. “Just a bath and somewhere to wash our clothes. We’re filthy.”

Jaylen looked them up and down with a small smile. “Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but now that you mention it…” he said with a playful wink. “Come on, you can use my house.”

He started moving through the town square again.

“Are you sure?” Tahni asked, uncertain. “We don’t want to intrude.”

“You won’t be,” he assured her with a smile. “Come on. It’s fine, I promise.”

After a short hesitation, Tahni and Vita followed him. They quickly reached the edge of the town square and started down a narrow stone path towards a cluster of houses.

He turned when he reached the third house on the left and opened the door, gesturing for them to enter. He followed after them and shut the door.

“Mum!” he called loudly. “I’ve finished helping dad at the stables and there are some travellers I’ve been showing around. They need a place to wash their clothes and clean themselves; I hope it’s okay that I said they could come here.”

Muffled sounds could be heard, and then a woman who Tahni could only assumed was Jaylen’s mother poked her head out from around a corner. A warm smile split her face.

“Of course it’s alright,” she chimed as she stepped into the room and came forward to greet them properly. “My name is Josie, it’s nice to meet you.”

Tahni and Vita each shook her slender hand as she extended it. She had lighter hair than her husband and son, but her dark eyes held the same warmth Tahni had seen in each of the others’. This whole family seemed to be splitting at the seams with kindness, and after everything she’d seen and everything she’d been through since she met Vita, it was a nice reminder that there was, in fact, still good in the world. Slay and his cronies were not the be all and end all of humanity.

Jaylen introduced them to his mother by name and told her about how they were going to the mountains. She, too, mentioned the trips their family had taken and how Tahni and Vita would enjoy themselves. Tahni forced another smile.

Busy with other tasks, though, Josie left quickly and Jaylen showed them to the small washroom in the house, a short way down the hall his mother had emerged from.

“While you get cleaned up, I can take the rest of your clothes and wash them,” he said, indicating the rucksacks they still carried.

They each handed theirs over and Jaylen left the room.

Vita offered to let Tahni wash herself first, helped her with her shirt as she was still too sore to dress herself comfortably on her own, and then disappeared as well. She managed to find Jaylen as he waited for some water to heat up so he could clean their clothes, a washboard propped in front of him. She sat down and helped him clean their garments for the next short while until Tahni was finished.

When Tahni emerged from the washroom, Jaylen handed her a pile of fresh clothes. “Here,” he said,
“I got you some of my mother’s old clothes to change into while yours dry off. I didn’t think you’d want to wear your dirty clothes again straight after you just washed up.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” she asked as she took the clothes from him.

“Of course it is. She’s been wanting to throw them away for ages but she never got around to it. She won’t mind,” he assured her, and it was difficult not to believe him with the way his eyes caught hers and spread warmth through her body. He was sincere. Tahni wondered to herself if it was even possible for him not to be.

She thanked him and then let him lead her to a spare room so she could change. Vita helped with her shirt again before going to take her own turn in the washroom. She already had another pile of Jaylen’s mother’s clothes to change into when she was done.

Tahni made her way back to where Jaylen sat with his washboard and helped him wash the rest of the clothes, just as Vita had.

Vita returned soon after, as the sun began to set and rays of orange light shone through the windows, painting patterns on the floor.

Jaylen’s father—Arthur, he’d told Tahni to call him—had arrived home while Vita had been cleaning herself up, and now sat at the round table in the main living area of the house, reading a book. He looked up when Vita entered the room.

“Ah, there she is!” he crowed, then turned toward the kitchen. “Josie, she’s finished washing up! Can we eat now please?”

“If they didn’t know any better, they’d think you were the growing boy, and not your son,” Josie called back.

Jaylen laughed. “Mum insisted that you two stay for dinner, but didn’t want to start eating without you so she’s been making him wait,” he explained to Vita.

Vita saw Tahni grinning. She seemed to feel right at home with these people.

She smiled back and took the seat next to Tahni at the table. Arthur sat across from her and Jaylen sat on Tahni’s other side. The place between Vita and Arthur was left empty for Josie.

The five of them ate their dinner quickly, Arthur finishing long before any of the others. Josie and Jaylen made playful jibes at him across the table as they finished their own meals.

“No, no. Please, you can stay here for the night. Your clothes are still damp and there’s no point in going out into those woods again just to sleep. You can leave in the morning,” Josie protested when Tahni and Vita excused themselves from the table and made to leave, offering their thanks.

“Really, it’s fine,” Tahni promised. “We don’t want to overstay our welcome; you’ve already done enough for us.”

“Hush, you’re not overstaying your welcome. We’re offering. Stay,” she repeated.

Tahni and Vita shared a glance, then Tahni turned back to Josie and nodded.

A broad grin split the woman’s face.

“Come on, I’ll help you set up the spare room for the night.” She rose from the table and led them down the hall and back into the room Tahni had gotten changed in.

After they set the room up, the rest of the evening was relatively quiet. Tahni and Vita slept well through the night, without needing to worry about keeping their guard up in case more of Slay’s men attacked.

Neither of them had realised quite how much of a toll it had been taking on them until then. It was nice to finally not have to worry, even if it was just for one night.

~

In the morning, they woke, gathered their things, thanked Arthur and Josie once more, and left.

Jaylen took them back to the stables to get their horses, but when they reached the town square, something stopped them in their tracks.

At the far end of the square stood a small group of broad-shouldered men dressed in black battle uniforms, baring a silver crest in the shape of a severed bore’s head on their chests, watching the small crowd before them in silence. Their expressions were hardened and grim. Whatever they were here for, it clearly wasn’t good.

As a bell rang loudly, indicating to the rest of the town’s people that they should gather in the large square for a town meeting, Tahni, Vita, and Jaylen pushed their way through the throngs of people already there in order to get a better view.