Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #16 July 2015 | Page 30

And it all tumbled out in a rush, from the fear of being
married off to the failed plans of escape. She listened
as we walked, allowing me to purge the feelings of
doom that had been building up. “...and that’s where
you found me. I do apologize, but, it’s, well, been one
of those nights...”
“It certainly seems so,” she replied. “I can see
why you would leave; being married off to someone
you don’t know does seem an awful fate, but I think
there are worse things in the world.”
“Oh really?”
“Well, yes! Wounded in battle and unable to
provide a living for yourself or your family. Or not
even knowing your own name!”
I thought about that for a moment, then
paused, stuck out my hand, and said, “By the way, my
name’s Maya, and I’m just starting out on the road to
Ironhill. Who might you be?”
She firmly grasped my hand, smiling widely.
“Well, Maya, I am Dah’nelle, Initiate to FortuaeCosmina. Pleased to meet you.”
“FortuaeCosmina? The Goddess of Fortune
and Luck?”
“The very same!” My facemust have given
something away, for her brow furrowed and she put
her hands on her hips. “And what’s wrong with being
and Initiate of the Goddess of Fortune and Luck?”
“Oh, oh, nothing, really. I mean, if it weren’t
for luck, particularly bad, I’d have no luck at all...!”
“Maya, do you have no faith?”
“I have faith that we’re still a long way from
Ironhill.” My stomach growled. “And that we’ll probably starve on the way there...”
“Nonsense! I’m sure that we’ll find something
along the way.”

“I’m sure that you’re right, Dah’nelle. But just
in case you’re wrong, do you have anything we can
eat, so that we can keep going? As I said before, I had
to leave my home in rather great haste...”
“Well, I only packed enough for one, since I
wasn’t sure I’d be able to find a ride into Ironhill, but
we’ll share, and FortunaeCosmina will provide as we
continue. “I only smiled and nodded as we sat upon
the side of the road, and she shared her sparse provisions with me. Hard cheese with equally hard bread
and extremely tart and under ripened apples which
sat like a lump in my gut. “Where did you get these
apples?” I managed around a sour mouthful.
“They were on the side of the road near an orchard. There was a farmer’s hand that yelled at me, but
I said that since it was on my side of the fence and not
his, then they were available to anyone who wanted
them. He said some rather nasty things, but I just took
them and walked away. Why?”
I coughed down the last bite of fruit before
answering, “Oh, nothing...yet...” The unripened fruit
was going to be merciless down the road, and after
a swallow or three of water from her waterskin, I
stood up, stretched, and turned at the sound of wagon
wheels. “Oh, hey, look, a wagon! I wonder where they
are heading?”
Dah’nelle gathered her things and stood,
shielding her eyes from the sun. “Well, only one way
to find out.” She stepped out onto the road and waved
down the driver. He pulled up beside us, and eyed
us warily. I let Dah’nelle do the talking, and after a
moment or two, we were in the back of the wagon
with the farmer’s wares that he was taking as tithe to
Ironhill. We grinned at one another as we bounced
along the road, then she lifted her face to the sky and
whispered, “Thank you, Cosmina!”
***
At the gate some three days later, we made
our way on foot into the city. Dah’nelle had given the
farmer a secret blessing, marking some of his boxes
with a piece of charcoal she had in her pack. As he

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