It didn’t take long to reach a wooded area she’d described to the north. Whereas Blue Spring had acres and acres of manicured grounds, Wisteria Hollow’s were almost immediately reclaimed by the wilderness. Little had been cleared, and there was no obvious path. Only the position of the moon let me know I was still going in the right direction. It was rough terrain, and I stumbled on fallen logs and branches, my skirt snagging on brush and other obstacles. It was a good thing these ship dresses were almost never worn anymore, because I’d have a lot of explaining to do if it was scrutinized.
I reached a highway of packed earth that was supposed to lead to a fork. Although uneven in places, the road made for much easier traveling, and I picked up my pace. But as more and more time passed and no fork appeared, I began to wonder if I’d misheard the directions. And where were Warren and his men? How much time had passed? Surely it was getting close to the two-hour mark. For all I knew, I’d show up just as Warren’s men swooped down on Cedric. Or maybe they’d already arrived.
No, I told myself sternly. That’s not an option. I haven’t gone to all this trouble to save him from persecution just to see him caught right in the open.
The fork appeared at last, and I left the road as directed. I found a steep slope with a valley below and, eventually, an oak grove. At first, I wasn’t sure how I’d locate the Alanzans. As I approached, I could soon discern the glow of tiny lanterns, just like the ones Cedric had used at Midwinter. I picked up my pace, moving at a jog across the open area of the valley, feeling conspicuous in the moonlight.
But no one called out to me, and when I reached the oaks, I could see the dark shapes of the Alanzans in a circle around the lanterns’ diamond configuration. They seemed to be saying some sort of prayer in old Ruvan. I’d learned the language from an old governess. Most of the words seemed to be about stars and light and reconciliation, but the setting gave it a sinister edge. That old fear came back to me, bringing up all the stories I’d heard from priests and gossips. It was nearly enough to make me turn around and leave them to their fate.
But I knew Cedric stood among them somewhere, even if I couldn’t pick him out in the silhouettes. I hoped there might be a natural break in their invocation, but it just kept going on. With time ticking, there could be no graceful way to get their attention.
“Hey!” I yelled. “You need to get out of here! The governor’s men are coming!”
The chanting abruptly died away, and all those dark figures turned toward me. My heart stopped. This had been a terrible idea. Maybe they didn’t use dark curses, but there were certain ugly physical ways of harming someone, especially an intruder to a sacred ceremony.
“Who is that?” demanded a deep male voice. “Somebody get hold of her before she reports us!”
“I’m trying to help you!” I shouted.
Two people surged toward me, and I started to scramble backward when a familiar voice in the circle exclaimed, “Adelaide? What are you doing here?”
The men reaching for me stopped and glanced back uncertainly. “Do you know her?” one asked.
“Yes.” Cedric broke from the circle, his features becoming clearer as he approached. “What is this? You shouldn’t be out here.”
I clutched hold of his sleeve. “You have to get out of here. They’re assembling—the governor’s men. They know you’re here and plan to attack.”
“Impossible,” said the first man, the one with the deep voice. As he came forward, I could make out long robes around him. They were almost like those an orthodox priest might wear, but these were dark on one side and light on the other. “No one knows we’re here—this is private land, granted to me while the owner is away. And how could some girl possibly know what the governor’s doing?”
Cedric stared down at me for long moments. “She would know,” he said grimly. “We need to go.”
“But the ceremony isn’t over,” one woman protested.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Cedric. “It’s more important for us to—”
“Look!” someone cried.
There, on the far side of the valley, on the opposite slope, I could see men on horses charging down. A few carried torches. I couldn’t be certain from this far away, but it looked as though all were armed.
“Scatter!” Cedric cried. “Different directions. Stick to the woods, where the horses can’t follow.”
Everyone instantly obeyed, and I wondered if they continually drilled for this sort of threat. Cedric grabbed my arm, and we ran toward the side of the valley I’d come from. For a while, all I could hear was the pounding of our feet and ragged breathing. Then, behind us, I heard shouts and, once, the sound of a pistol.
Cedric slowed to a stop and looked back. “What are you doing?” I demanded. “We have to get out of here!”
Another pistol shot sounded, and so help me, he started to move back toward the grove. I hurried forward, pushing myself in front of him.
“Cedric, don’t!”
“They need me,” he said. “I’m not going to run. I have to help them!”
“Help them by staying alive! Unless you’ve got more weapons than I can see, you’ll only get yourself killed. And me.”
That last part seemed to stir him. After another moment’s hesitation, he turned and continued on our previous trajectory.
After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the tree line and burst into the woods, barely slowing our pace. Branches whipped at me, further tearing the dress, and we both tripped on more than one occasion. I had no idea where we were when Cedric finally brought us to a halt. We stood there, both of us panting, as he looked around, scrutinizing every tree.