Page 99 of A Broken Promise

“I am going far north, past the Cursed Forest, do you know how I can get there?” I asked, adjusting the strap of my bag across my shoulder.

Florian hesitated as if trying to find an argument to make me stay. He rubbed his forehead with his hand.

“No boat will carry you to the Cursed Lands. But I know a man that will get you very close. Find him at the docks by the fishermen's shack. Tell him Florian Casteol sent you. The key word is Crest. He can’t talk since his tongue is cut out but tell him the location and he will take you there.” He exhaled slowly in defeat. “Finn, I’ll cover the fare so do whatever you need to but keep him there so he can bring you home. As long as it takes, Finn.” He looked at me then, with his eyes filled with those words, as if shouting at me that he meant it.

“Thank you,” I said, hiding the wince at wordhome. Truth was, I didn’t have a home. Not then, not now. Not anymore. At times I started to believe I was never meant to have a home. Maybe I didn’t even know what that word meant. Not truly.

Maybe I was meant to stumble across the world. To be displaced. Dislodged.

A young nurse stumbled in the room with a new case of bandages and medicine, and she stopped, shocked to see me.

“Oh, I am sorry, I didn’t realize you had guests, I will come back later,” she mumbled, turning back.

“Oh, I am leaving,” I said and adjusted the hood over my face. “Goodbye, Florian.”

Florian didn’t reply as he watched my figure cross his room towards the door.

“Finn?”

“Yeah?” I turned my head just slightly, to take my last look at his banged-up body. Ray, as if sensing my goodbye, lifted his head and whined at me.

“The Cursed Lands are calledcursedfor a reason. Please be careful.”

“Take good care of yourselves, you two,” I said, marching out of the Queen’s Palace. Traitorous tears slid down my throat, mixed with blood from a bit lip, as I swallowed once more, trying to keep the rising sobs down.

I had to be strong. I had to be sharp. I had to be brutal. Life had been cruel but so could I. I would bring the information to the Rebels.

But I wouldn’t give it to them for free. No, I would trade it. I would trade it for Viyak.

They’d blown up the Royal castle…they could surely free the slaves.

I clenched my teeth. Ruthless. I had to be ruthless.

Cold air caressed my lungs. No, I wouldn’t cry anymore. I’d save those tears, I’d save that hurt; let it fuel me, let it dwell with my anger within me.

I waved to the nearest carriage not too far from downtown.

“To the dock, please.”

49

The rivers this far north were calm.Too calm. Not a single ripple. The waters, clear and pristine, opened to the utter blackness. As if the water itself was not water but pure black ink.

I dipped my hand to ensure that it was indeed just water. My mind still expecting my hand to come out black, yet only ice-cold water dripped off my hand.

A large, mill-like wheel securely stationed behind our boat propelled us quietly further. We’d been traveling for a week now, taking river routes I didn’t even know existed. Some of them so shallow that a thin ice was covering them, yet the boat kept on going.

It was just the two of us on board. The captain was in his fifties, his gray beard neatly trimmed, his skin permanently red from the salt and water of the oceans and rivers. He wore a large, round hat, rubber boots, and a heavy, double layered coat. His pants and shirt were clean but heavily worn, with patches and worn-out streaks seen here and there.

The boat was small, just a single room cabin that we shared. We slept in two neatly hung hammocks that were put away during the day to allow for more room. One old oil lamp served as the only source oflight within. Days got so much shorter here, sun only peeking through for a bleak few hours.

It snowed on day two. I walked out one morning to specks of white landing on my cheeks. My very first snow. So enchanting, so beautiful yet, instead of excitement, I welcomed my grief.

Somehow, I expected snow to be different, clumpy and fluffy. Instead, it was more like crystalized crumbs of dust that melted the moment they touched my skin, evaporating as if they never were there.

It hadn’t stopped snowing ever since. Large, dark clouds followed our boat, even as the shores became emptier each day. No longer could I see any docks or little towns spread alongside the riverbanks. We stopped seeing even fishermen’s boats as we made our way up the river further north.

So tranquil.

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