the moist, cool soil in her hands, the idea that somehow Predaria’s future was in her hands and that maybe she could give back some of what her father had taken. Every night she scrubbed the dirt stains out of her clothes until she finally threw up her hands and gave up trying. She cared for her garden more and more with each passing day, even sitting outside for hours just to stare at the soil, searching, waiting for a trace of life.
Caleb watched her often, nodding to himself and understanding how she felt, loving her more because she felt it too.
She almost declined when Jonas invited them to Prandar, worrying that her delicate garden would die without her there to care for it. But Caleb and Shauna hadn’t spoken to each other all week and Willow hoped the trip would help loosen the tension that surrounded them, so she reluctantly accepted the invitation.
“What’s in Prandar anyway?” She sat at the edge of Caleb’s bed watching him pack his clothes into a small leather bag.
“You’ve never been there?” He glanced at her then tossed another tunic into the bag.
“I told you, my father never allowed me to travel.” She giggled at the way he rolled his breeches up and threw them into the bag next.
Caleb looked into the sack and shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll take you to every city in Predaria, Willow,” he promised with a quick tug on the drawstring. “Anywhere you want to go.”
“Right here is just fine. Once I become your wife when we return, it will be even better.” She stood up and went to him, slipping her arms around his neck. She was about to kiss him when Shauna’s voice echoed through the halls.
“Sometime this century, Caleb! Everyone is packed but you!”
Caleb knit his brows and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.
Willow laughed and slapped his arm. “Let’s just go and try to have a good time,” she suggested. He growled like a bear, threw his bag over his shoulder, and followed her out of the room.
Chapter 22
The journey to Prandar was uneventful. There were no fires, no Catchers, and Caleb and Shauna hadn’t killed each other on the way. As they entered the city, the sweet sound of violins and the merry tunes of various pipes being played by people as they walked about captured Willow’s attention. Prandar was a city bathed in color, as if in defiance of the muted grays and browns of the scorched earth. Houses were painted in vivid reds, blues, and purples. Bright banners and ribbons swayed gently from tents set up for trading, though Prandar was not a trading city like Theshwar. People lived here, no less poverty stricken than those in Shondravar. Their clothes were tattered and dirty, but their smiles were bright and welcoming. Children sat in the dusty dirt, flicking marbles into semi-circles made of rocks, dogs sniffed about, looking up every now and then to bark at a passing chicken. Women gathered in chattering groups outside the tents, discussing secret recipes and bartering with traders over beaded jewelry or clay pots.
“Do they trade water here?” Willow asked hopefully, thinking of her garden. The water from the rain was beginning to get low, and she wanted to have more in case what they had dried up.
“No,” Caleb answered her from his own mount. “These are mainly handmade goods from the villagers. Soil and water can only be traded in Theshwar.”
Willow was not disappointed by the news. It was hard to feel low with the upbeat music and joyful atmosphere of this city charming her senses. Everywhere she looked, people waved and smiled as the four travelers made their way to a small inn painted as green as the grass Jonas longed for. Many of the villagers knew the three Warriors by name and Caleb stopped his mount a few times to speak quietly to men who beckoned him over.
When they reached the inn, the innkeeper greeted them outside the door. He was a lanky man with a nose as pointed and sharp as that of any falcon Willow had kept in her mews in Beldar.
When he saw Caleb, the innkeeper bowed slightly and smiled, his upper lip curling just beneath the tip of his nose. “It’s good to see you, my lord. What brings you to Prandar?” He gave Caleb a great hug when the Warrior dismounted and then ordered two young men to take care of their horses.