In The Beginning, Gail Daley [red white royal blue .TXT] 📗

"Do you know," Rebecca laughed, "I think this will be the first time in five years I won't be spending the winter in a traveling wagon? I'm looking forward to being able to go out and play in snow, instead of living in it!"

Selene shivered. "Winter is cold. I don't like to be cold."

"Ironlyn is warm," Rebecca reminded her. "When the snow is coming down, you can sit by the fire in the library."

"That will be different," Tyrel remarked. "In the villages, we  had to go outside and feed the chickens, the milk cow and harvest winter vegetables from the garden, even if it was snowing."

Andre stopped, looking at the trail with a frown.

"Did we lose the trail?" Rebecca asked.

"No, she is not trying to hide her trail; but she does appear to have a destination in mind. The maps say there is a line cabin up near Avalanche Pass that can be used for shelter in the winter. She may be heading for it," Andre said.

When they stopped for a cold lunch consisting of the sandwiches Rebecca had brought along, she raised the subject again.

"How would Amber know about the empty cabin?" Rebecca asked.

"Serle has maps of Ironlyn in the classrooms," Selene volunteered. "She may have seen them."

"He does," Tyrel corroborated. "He kept them in a drawer, but we came in early once and he had them spread out on one of the tables."

Andre looked thoughtful, "Did he now. I wonder why he was studying them."

"So do I. I don't understand what good they would do him," Rebecca replied.

"There are ways into Ironlyn other than the front door, Rebecca," Andre said. "When we refuse the Proctors entry, either the Shahen or the Proctor might give a rich reward for a way to sneak troops in past our defenses."

"You think Serle would do that?" Rebecca asked in horror. "It would be a betrayal of everything the Cadre has spent years fighting for."

Andre stood up to tighten cinches on the unicorn's saddles. "What I think is we need to become experts using the Wards for defense."

They made camp on the edge of the snowline. Rebecca started shaving dried meat into a pot of dried lentils to make stew for dinner while Andre unsaddled the unicorns and picketed them on a patch of grass for the night. Selene and Tyrel gathered wood for the fire.

"How far ahead of us do you think she is?" Rebecca asked Andre.

"Not far. In fact, I think she's probably over the next hill. I heard her unicorn whickering at ours while I was setting picket lines."

"I doubt if she brought enough bedding or food," Rebecca said. "Do you think she would come in if you and the kids went to get her?"

"Maybe. Why me and the kids? Why not you?"

"She may resent me right now. I was a witness to Serle's rejection of her."

He nodded and stood up. "Selene, Tyrel, we need to go and bring Amber into camp. I will help you pull the dead tree over to the fire when we get back."

As Andre had predicted, they found Amber huddled up against a rock around a curve of the trail. She looked up in panic when he and the two children walked up to her.

"Why did you follow me?" she asked.

"Because Rebecca is worried about you."

"I was worried about you too," Selene said. "Please come back to camp and talk to us."

Amber grabbed the younger girl in a hug, tears leaking down her face. "Thank you," she whispered.

When Andre and the kids returned, they were followed by a hesitant Amber. They found Rebecca efficiently stirring the pot of lentils and shaved meat, with a pan of flat bread rising in a skillet over the fire.

“You're cooking!” exclaimed Amber, staring at her in surprise.

Rebecca looked up, laughing. “Are you afraid I'll poison you? You needn't be. My pan bread may not be the wonder Owen’s is, but it's quite edible and it's hard to ruin lentils.”

“But you're the Draconi! Serle told me—“

Selene made a rude noise and her sister lifted a minatory finger at her. “My dear, I am afraid Serle talked a lot of ridiculous nonsense about how Drayali and Draken should behave. A true Draya will turn a hand to any task necessary to make sure her family and dependents are fed, housed, have clothes to wear, and are safe from harm.”

“That is true for Draken as well,” Andre added, as he and Tyrel set up two tents for sleeping. Together they lugged the dead tree into camp. Andre took out his ax, chopping it into lengths to fit into the fire pit.

Amber cried when she found Rebecca and Selene had brought her a warmer sleeping bag and a coat.

Selene scooted over to her, and put an arm around her. "Please don't cry, Sarsee Amber. We want you to come back with us."

Rebecca handed the woman a dry handkerchief. "Here, wipe and blow. Selene is correct. You can't live up here by yourself in your condition. You must know that Amber."

The girl nodded. "Yes," she said tiredly. "I don't know what I was thinking. I just wanted to get away. The idea of facing him every day, knowing—"

Andre shook his head. "I don't think you need to worry about facing him. Serle has been on thin ice with us for a long time. This is just the last straw. It's time he left Ironlyn."

"Oh, but—I don't want to hurt him. I should never have allowed—"

Life as a Traveler had given Rebecca a large vocabulary of extremely unladylike expressions. She used one now. "Unicorn Piss!" she snapped.

Amber jerked upright, staring at her in shock. Andre grinned, Selene giggled, and Tyrel rolled his eyes.

"This was not your fault! He took advantage of you, not the other way around. You had no reason to think his intentions weren't honorable. Even Mort thought it was a good match. If Serle wasn't such a tight assed snob he would