The first vestiges of grey tinged the black sky as the sun rose to another dismal day. When it was light enough to see, they gathered the camp together and began the day’s journey, neither mentioning the fact of Ella’s unbound hands.
The sky above rumbled softly as if perpetually on the edge of a mighty storm. Ella stayed close to Killian, the memory of the man’s scream still fresh in her mind. Killian set a brisk pace.
"We’ll need to make a great deal of distance today," he said. "We need to get to a town. I fear we may not survive another night with whatever it is that’s stalking us. The nearest town is Torlac, most of the way to Tlaxor, the burning city. Torlac is a common way-stop for the merchants bold enough to trade with the Petryans. It’s on the edge of the great volcano, Halapusa."
"Can’t we just turn back?"
He shook his head. "No, it’s behind us, whatever it is. Besides, we would never make it to another town before nightfall. It must be Torlac." He looked at her sharply. "You’ll have to be very careful. They bear no love for Alturans in these parts. That blonde hair is a dead giveaway."
He smiled at her forlorn expression. "I like it though."
She smiled wanly back.
They managed to find a clear stream where they could refill their water bottles — they’d been running dangerously low. Killian teasingly asked Ella if she would like to take a bath, receiving a sharp blow and a heated blush in return. She still didn’t know how much he’d seen that day; even thinking about it was embarrassing.
The sun came out for a moment, and it was with lighter hearts that they marched along the dusty road, the fears of the night temporarily banished.
The road began to incline, rising steadily. They passed through gullies and ravines, the rust-coloured rock jagged and unyielding.
"We’re already on it, you know."
"On what?"
"Mount Halapusa."
"We’re on a mountain?"
He grinned, "Yes. It’s immense, isn’t it? I can’t imagine how huge it must have been before it blew, to leave behind such an immense crater. It must have been the biggest mountain in the world."
"Do you have big mountains in your land?"
He smiled at her. "Not too subtle. We have one mountain. It isn’t very big but it’s very famous."
"Stonewater! You’re from Aynar!"
He smiled. "From Salvation, to be specific."
She decided to keep the tone light. He was finally talking.
"What’s it like there?"
"You’ve never been on pilgrimage?"
"No. Are you a priest?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. I was a… an acrobat actually."
"An acrobat!" Ella couldn’t believe it. Then, seeing how lean and strong his body was, how nimble he was on his feet, she suddenly could.
"Well, I wasn’t always an acrobat," his eyes grew distant. "I lived in Salvation. I have no memories of my parents. The first thing I remember is the queue at the temple shelter. The boys used to hurt each other, badly, so that they would be first in line. The food always ran out, you see."
Ella stayed quiet. She thought about her own childhood. At least she had some happy memories. She’d been loved by someone. At least she’d been clothed, fed and protected by Brandon and Miro.
"I saw one boy, they burned his eyes out. He just screamed pitifully for food. The priests tried to help him, but there were so many to help. They tried hard to do good deeds, but Aynar is not a wealthy place. With no lore, cities like Salvation had nothing to trade with the houses. We saw the lords on pilgrimage sometimes, with their rich clothing and bright jewellery. The priests always said: these were the ones who should be paying to feed and clothe us."
"They do," Ella said softly. "In lands like Altura and Halaran, at least. Were you educated? Were you taught skills?"
Killian shook his head, "The priests did their best. Some were accepted into the Assembly, they were the lucky ones. Others became sick and died." He looked at her. "The rest became beggars, or thieves. I was one of the latter."
Ella nodded, not willing to speak for fear he would stop.
He smiled, "I was a good thief, the best. I was quicker than anyone, quieter than a falling feather. Then one day I met my match. I stole a jewelled timepiece from a tall, black-haired man; I think he was Halrana. He had a ferocious temper. I taunted him." He chucked ruefully. "I suppose that would do it."
Ella pictured the scene and chuckled herself. She supposed being stolen from and mocked would have that effect.
"I ran across the rooftops, up the steep sides of one of the temples. He came right after me. I have never seen someone so agile. He leapt from building to building with no fear. This was my city, I knew it by heart, and here was a stranger, gaining on me! I ran faster and tripped on a rail. The next thing I knew I woke up with a knife to my throat.
"‘You lost my timepiece,’ the man growled — he had this rolling voice. ‘It fell into the sewer when you tripped. Now you owe me a great deal of money.’