9Zahari stood in his room, looking at his possessions, knowing that he couldn't take most of it with him. Alena had told him there was little room on the ship for personal items, and then found a small bag, which she said would be acceptable. He wasn't going to be able to fit much in it.
"The only thing you'll really need are clothes," Alena said, sitting on his bed, waiting for him to finish. "And don't bring anything ridiculous."
"Maybe I should pack for you," Tsveta said from the doorway where she was standing. "I can't believe you're leaving."
"You always knew I wasn't going to stay long," Zahari said. "And you can't convince me to stay."
"I don't want you to stay," Tsveta said. "I mean, I do, but I know that you'll be happier away from here. I'll miss you."
"It's not like I'm going to be gone forever," Zahari said. "I'm sure I'll be able to visit you sometime."
"There's plenty of trade ships that come up this way," Alena said. "I'm sure we can manage to get you on one if you want. Now hurry up and get that bag filled up."
Zahari did as instructed, wondering how much he would manage to get in the bag. He selected clothes that he would wear when working with the horses, knowing he wouldn't need anything nice. But he did wonder if there was anything particular he would need in Shyn.
"Should I - " Zahari's question was cut off by a scream, and he immediately dropped what he was doing and headed outside with Alena on his heels.
Once outside, they could hear more shouting and looking in the direction of the sound, they saw where there was a problem. The two volrens out in one of the fields appeared agitated, lifting their front legs off the ground and flapping their wings. Immediately, they headed in that direction.
When they got there, they found Havel with his sword out, facing off against three swiftwolves - tall canines with razor sharp teeth. A fourth wolf was on the ground, injured and bleeding, but the animal was not the only one. Yasen was also injured, and it looked bad.
While Alena went to join Havel in fending off the creatures, Zahari went to his brother's side. He looked at the injuries, wanting to help, but he could see that there wasn't anything he could do. Yasen had several cuts across his abdomen and chest, and one of his arms was obviously broken.
"Zahari," he moaned.
"Don't talk," Zahari said. "I'll go get you help."
"No," Yasen said, grabbing Zahari's hand and holding him weakly. "We both know it's too late. I need you to promise me. Nevena. You have to save Nevena."
"Of course," Zahari said. While he didn't know what his younger brother was talking about, he would promise him anything. And he would do everything he could to follow through on that promise.
"Zahari," Yasen said, his voice growing weaker. "I... I was..."
Yasen fell silent, closing his eyes. He took several more breaths and then, as his hand fell away from Zahari's wrist, he was gone. Zahari had never been close with Yasen, and they had argued and fought more than anything, but they were still brothers.
When he heard shouting in Shynian, he looked up, thinking that Havel and Alena might need help, but two of the swiftwolves were running off into the woods and the other two were dead.
Alena turned to Zahari, and she glanced behind him towards Yasen's body. She ran over to him, looking between him and his brother.
"Zahari," she said. "I'm so sorry."
He put his arms around her and held her close as his tears started to flow. For a long time, he simply stood there, holding Alena. At some point, Tsveta joined them outside, along with Andon, one of the young men who helped with the horses.
"What happened?" Tsveta asked, tears in her eyes.
"I don't know," Zahari said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. He looked over at Havel, who was there before he was. IF anyone knew anything it was him.
"He thought part of the fence was damaged," Havel said. "We were looking at it, and those things just came at us out of nowhere. They got him before I could even get my sword out.
"He said something about someone named Nevena," Zahari said, remembering his brother's last request. "Does anyone know who that is?"
For several seconds, there was silence, and then Andon spoke. "She's a slave that Yasen had a thing with," he said. "I can help you find her."
"Thank you, Andon," Zahari said. "We should move him."
Havel, Alena, and Andon picked up Yasen's body and carried him to the barn. They didn't have a place to put him, but Zahari wasn't going to leave him outside. Yasen seemed to like the barn more than the house, so Zahari thought it would be best to leave him there for the moment.
"I should probably stay," Zahari said to Tsveta.
"Why?" she asked. "This is terrible, but if you stay and make yourself miserable, it's not going to make things any better and it certainly won't bring Yasen back."
"I know, but how can I just leave right now? Who's going to take care of the horses? Who's going to make sure you're okay?"
"Zahari, we'll be okay. You'll regret it if you don't go."
"We can come back," Alena said, coming up behind Zahari. She took his hand as she came to stand next to him. "We'll be coming back this way. I can't stay with you, Zahari, but I will come back for you."
"He'll leave with you now," Tsveta said. "I've lost one brother, and I don't need the other moping about for weeks or months."
"Zahari?" Alena looked up at him, and he didn't know what to say. Part of him knew there was no sense in staying behind, but it didn't feel right to leave immediately. Before he could say anything, Havel walked over and placed a hand on Alena's shoulder. He spoke in Shynian, glancing at Zahari, and then walked away.
"Havel's going to delay our departure," Alena said. "We can't wait long, but you can at least have some more time to think."
"I have to find Nevena," Zahari said, once again remembering his promise. He didn't know if he would leave with Alena, but if he did, he needed to make sure he fulfilled that promise.
Andon described the house where Nevena lived, although he didn't know who the owner was, nor had he ever gone the normal route to the house. Andon could get there through the woods, but not on the road. Fortunately, Zahari had a good idea of whose house Andon described.
In the barn, Zahari and Andon saddled up three horses and then left, Zahari leading the way. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the home of a wealthy craftsman. He pounded on the door, feeling impatient. Although it didn't take long for the door to open, Zahari felt like it had been hours.
"Lord Dalarin," said the man who answered the door, sounding surprised. "How can I help you?"
"Do you have a slave by the name of Nevena?"
"Yes, I do," he said.
"Take me to her."
The man did as ordered, leading Zahari and Andon in to the house and to a room in the back where two young women were plucking feathers out of dead geese and putting them into baskets.
"Nevena," the man said, and one of the women looked up. "Lord Dalarin is here to see you." The woman glanced at Zahari and looking nervous, got to her feet and walked over to them.
"Is this her?" Zahari asked Andon.
"Yes," Andon replied.
"This girl stole from me," Zahari said. "I'll be taking her into my possession."
"My lord, I apologize for her behavior, but I would ask if there is some other way I can compensate for the theft. She is quite useful to me."
"She injured a good horse in the process," Zahari said. "I'm taking the girl."
"Of course, my lord."
Zahari took his first good look at the woman. She was about average height and almost frail looking. What really caught his eye was how tight her top was around her stomach. "Let's go," he said.
Together, Zahari, Andon, and Nevena headed for the front door. Once they were outside, Zahari helped Nevena onto the extra horse he had brought. He could see that the girl was frightened, but he was also aware that her former owner was watching them. It wouldn't do for him to comfort her right in front of him.
"You're not in any trouble," Zahari said once they were away from the house. "Claiming you stole from me was the easiest way to get you from your owner."
"You're Yasen's brother, aren't you?" Nevena asked.
"Yes," he responded. It hurt to hear her say Yasen's name, and he could tell that she cared about him. He wished he didn't have to tell her what happened to Yasen.
When they arrived at Zahari's house, Andon took the horses to the barn while Zahari took Nevena inside. Tsveta, Alena, Yodana, and Mira were all sitting inside. Yodana was crying, and he could tell that Tsveta was trying very hard not to.
"You should sit down," Zahari said.
"What's going on? Where's Yasen?" she asked as she sat down.
For several moments, Zahari couldn't speak, not wanting to say the words out loud. But he knew he had to tell her. "A pack of swiftwolves attacked. Yasen. He was severely injured and... he didn't make it."
Zahari tried to finish speaking without crying, but he didn't manage. As soon as his tears began to fall, Nevena started crying as well, and that set Tsveta off. Alena put a hand on his shoulder and Zahari put his arms around her, feeling better with her in his arms.
At that moment, he realized he had to go. Alena made him feel complete, like he could get through anything. He needed her. Staying behind wasn't an option.
Alena held Zahari's hand as they watched the flames consume Yasen's body. Nevena stood on his other side, with Tsveta next to her. Both Zahari and and Tsveta had hands on her shoulder as she cried.
They had lit the pyre just as the sun was starting to show, and they stood there until the flames were out. Alena and Zahari took Nevena inside and into Zahari's room, which was now hers. After leaving her on the bed, Zahari picked up his bag by the door and they left.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Alena asked. As much as she wanted him to go with her, she didn't want to take him from his family at a bad time.
"Yes," Zahari answered.
After saying their goodbyes, they went outside, finding Alena's volren near the house. After the incident with the swiftwolves, she wasn't going to take any chances. Alena put a hand on Kovina's leg and signaled the animal to crouch down, allowing her and Zahari to climb on to her back.
"Hold on tight," Alena said. "And you might want to close your eyes."
When she felt his arms tighten around her, she walked Kovina to get her into position. It was going to be a tight spot to take off, but Alena was certain they would make it. The volren started to run, and soon, they were in the air, Kovina's legs having just barely cleared the fence.
The entire time they were in the air, Zahari kept his arms tight around Alena with his body pressing against hers. Had it been anyone else, Alena would have been annoyed, but she was glad to have Zahari with her.
They landed near the large ship, and Alena could see that they were almost ready to go. Advising Zahari to stick close, they walked up the ramp of the ship, leading Kovina as they went. Alena went to the first level below deck before anything else, needing to secure Kovina. Inside the volren stable, she noticed that something wasn't right - they were three volrens short, and noticing the absence of a certain flaxen animal, Alena knew just who was missing.
"Havel isn't here yet," Alena said. "I hope he told the captain you might be coming along. Otherwise, he might try to throw you off."
"I've already made up my mind," Zahari said. "I'm coming with you no matter what some captain says."
"I'll take you to my quarters," Alena said. "If I can get you there without anyone noticing, we'll be fine."
Alena tried to avoid others as she made her way through the ship, but with everyone preparing to leave, it was impossible. It was also impossible to hide Zahari's presence, as he was quite a bit taller than everyone else on board. Sooner or later, Alena knew that the captain would be visiting her. She just hoped that Havel was back before that happened.
"Ablikit!" Hearing her surname being shouted from behind her, Alena turned around to see the very unhappy face of Captain Rokiwond heading her way. "What do you think you're doing bringing this foreigner on my ship?"
"Prince Havel suggested it, sir," Alena said, glad that it was technically true.
"Why would he do that? This is my ship and we don't need extra people on it!"
"He could be useful," Havel said, coming up behind the captain, and Alena was glad to hear his voice. "He's been to Luivia before. He might have some knowledge that will come in useful."
Jarmil looked between Havel and Zahari, and then shook his head. "I don't like him on board my ship. If he causes any trouble, it's on you, Your Highness."
"What was that about?" Zahari asked once Jarmil had left.
"Nothing much," Alena lied. "Just figuring out where to keep you. You haven't been to Luivia, have you?"
"No," Zahari said. "Why?"
"The captain might be under the impression that you have," Alena said. "Just do your best to avoid him and you'll be fine."
"At least until we leave," Havel said. "It's not like he'll throw him overboard. He just might be a little angry that I lied."
"A little angry?" Alena asked. "I think he'll want to throw you overboard."
"He already does," Havel said. "Get yourselves settled and don't worry about Rokiwond."
Alena did as Havel told her and went into her small room on board the ship. She took Zahari's bag from him and hung it on a hook on the wall right above the small bed. There wasn't much room for anything else besides the bed and a small table and a chair. With her and Zahari both in there, it was even more cramped than usual.
"I know it's tiny compared to what you're used to," Alena said, sitting down on the bed. "But it's all we've got."
"This is fine," Zahari said. "Just as long as I'm with you."