Behind us the mountain rumbled and poured its dark smoke into the sky. We had no need to urge the ponies on; they were as terrified as us and galloped as fast as they could through the pouring rain. When an especially loud explosion came from behind, the ponies neighed in panic and doubled their speed. I was mounted in front of Hericle on his pony. His strong arms kept me from falling as I had only one hand to cling onto the saddle.

At last he called a halt for fear the ponies would injure themselves. We dismounted, held their reins tightly and forced them to walk to cool them down. The ponies smelled rank and were covered in white foam where they had sweated.

The watered-down sunlight held no heat. Colours were muted versions of themselves: only pewter greys and dull browns were visible through the downpour.

The ponies' hooves splashed through the puddles; cold rain ran down my face and stung my eyes. My robe was soaked through and I was unable to stop myself from shivering. Run-off from the mountains had swollen into small rivers and we had to wade the ponies across them, sometimes through rapidly flowing torrents.

At last, we left the foothills behind, remounted and let the ponies carry us at a gentle walk. Lulled by the swaying movement, I drifted off to sleep in the shelter of Hericle's arms, but I saw Naamiya's battered and burnt body in my dream. I relived the moment when I realised she was dead and woke with a start, thinking that I should have done more to help her. The song of the lonely star drifted into my mind, and I thought of it dying in flames as it tried to attract the moon's attention. Tears ran down my face, joining the rain in cold streams.

We endured the rest of the journey, stopping at the hunting camps to sleep overnight and rest the ponies. At one of the camps Hericle found some old coats for Soni and me. They were made of poorly-tanned skin and stank, but they kept the rain off us and held the warmth in. I thanked the unfortunate animal that had donated its hide. Soni and I huddled together near the hissing fire each night for warmth, then made our way to a hut once feeling and circulation had returned. Slowly the pain in my shoulder began to subside.

It was on the fifth day of travelling that we reached Hericle's home. I had expected at least a walled settlement like Merthgem, and was disappointed to see that it was only a collection of wooden huts, not unlike the ones that had formed the camps we had been staying in for the last few days. However, as we drew closer, it became obvious that these dwellings were occupied permanently. They were of sturdier construction, with turf roofs and decorations of swooping lines carved into the woodwork around the doors. Windows of thin-scraped membranes allowed light inside. Children with muddy feet ran underfoot and barking dogs raced after them, adding their noise to the whinnying and stamping of the ponies and the shouting of Hericle's men.

Hericle dismounted and helped me down. I no longer needed the bandage to stop my shoulder from being jolted, but I was still not able to ride by myself. He handed his pony to the care of a boy of around twelve summers, telling him to take good care of it. Then he looked at me and frowned. He brushed me down and straightened my reeking coat. His own smelled no better, but I was so used to the stench of them that I no longer really cared.

We walked towards the largest of the huts, easily five or six times the size of its fellows. As we approached the door swung open and two girls stepped out to greet us. The oldest was about my age and was almost as tall as me. She held her head high and stared straight into my eyes. The younger was perhaps eight or nine summers and had a smile that made it seem as though the sun was shining through the gloom.

'Your sisters!' said Hericle as the younger girl ran towards us and threw her arms around his waist. He picked her up in his strong arms so her face was on a level with mine.

Sisters? Since when had I had sisters? I glanced round at Soni who had followed me from the ponies. She shrugged and looked down at the ground, uninterested in her surroundings. She had barely spoken during the journey here and only ate when she was urged to do so. It was hard to tell how she was looking as her face was covered by the dark headscarf as always, but I had noticed that her hands were always cold when I touched them.

The young girl clung to Hericle with her arms wrapped around his neck, and he twirled her around. I had never pictured Hericle as a father before, never pictured him with another woman. I had always assumed he had been heartbroken by Monila's loss and lived a celibate life. Now I found that I had two more family members.

'This is Donsun,' said Hericle when he managed to tear free of her exuberant kisses.

'And I am Yorsala,' said the older girl. She held herself erect, not making any move towards us. 'Who are you?'

'This is Thamet,' answered Hericle before I could speak. 'Your brother.'

'Brother?' Her voice was almost a shriek. 'I have a brother?' Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. Her hands gripped each other so tightly the knuckles showed like white bones through her skin.

'Hello, Thamet,' said Donsun, dropping down from Hericle and holding out her hands towards me, a wide smile on her face. 'I'm glad to have a brother. How old are you? Do you have a pony? Will you teach me how to shoot a bow? Will you come and play with me?'

'Hello, Donsun. I'm sixteen summers. I don't have a pony of my own and I will teach you to use a bow just as soon as I learn to shoot one myself. I will play with you when Hericle gives me leave to.' I hoped that I had managed to answer all of her questions.

Hericle laughed at this then held out his hand towards Yorsala. 'Come and greet your brother.'

Yorsala spun on her heel and walked back into the wooden hut. Hericle's face flushed deep red.

'I apologise for her behaviour. This is not how she should treat you.' He set off after her.

Donsun looked at me and shrugged. 'Yorsala is upset, but I don't know why.'

'I think I surprised her,' I told her. 'You surprised me too. I didn't know that I had any sisters until just now.'

She thought about this for a while, her head on one side, staring at me with dark eyes fringed with long lashes.

After a time Hericle returned from the hut, his mouth set in a tight line. 'I ought to have sent word ahead to her so that you wouldn't be a surprise.' He shrugged. 'It's done now. She will have to learn to live with you.'

'Why is she upset? I haven't done anything.'

'The fact that you exist at all is upsetting her. Until now, she has always believed that she would rule Polemmy after me. Now you are here everything is different.'

'She can rule Polemmy! I've never wanted anything like that. I only want to have the freedom to travel and see new places. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Polemmy!' I was startled. Fear of the city filled with people who would kill me as soon as they set eyes on me made me want to run back to the ponies and gallop off as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I reached under my robe for the necklace Hericle had given Monila, Yorsala could have it. Hericle's arm on my shoulder stopped me from pulling it off.

He turned me towards him and looked deep into my eyes. 'You are my heir,' he said. 'You have the ability to sense the relics, she does not. That is important for a ruler of Polemmy.'

I wanted to argue with him but the stern look on his face stopped the words before they left my mouth. He turned and went into the large hut and I followed behind, with Donsun holding my hand.

Most of the hut was given over to a large open area. Benches covered in animal skins and rough woven blankets lined the walls. A fire burned in a pit in the centre of the room; its smoke thickened the air and made me cough. Curtains formed from thick blankets slung over a rope screened off one end of the room and probably hid the sleeping areas. Hericle tugged off his sopping jacket and gave it to a young boy who carried it out of the hut. A chair stood by itself near the fire and he threw himself into it with a sigh of pleasure, stretching out his wet boots towards the fire.

The young boy came back for my jacket and helped me to pull it over my injured shoulder. He also took Soni's and left the room without a word.

'Sit,' said Hericle told us. 'Food will be here shortly.'

We sat down on a bench basked in the warmth of the fire. I glad to be warm and out of the rain for the first time in days. The sun was a distant memory; I could not recall ever being too hot.

***

Thamet has more of a family than he ever knew. Do you think he will be happy now?

Any feedback good or bad is truly appreciated, I am trying to make this the best story I can. Please let me know if you find anything confusing or if you think I've left anything out.

And finally, if you liked it, please press the little yellow ⭐️ to let me know!

Anni X