Their steps echoed softly along the straight, stony wall. Everything was quiet except for the shuffling of their feet. The cone-shaped lamp in Zaya’s hand gave off a soft glow, barely illuminating the way ahead of them. She and her family had entered the tunnel before the sun had risen, leaving their clan in darkness and silence.

Zaya kept her head low as she tread, using her long auburn black hair to hide the brand on her forehead. Batu walked right beside her, her father’s eyes focused on the path ahead of them.

Her mother made up the rear, occasionally glancing behind them. When Zaya had told her about the accident a moon ago, Nergui had been shocked. But her mother had ultimately forgiven her. It had been an accident, after all.

A constant itch reminded Zaya of her situation. That was it, now. She would be on the run for the rest of her life, with no place to call home. Glancing sideways, Batu’s calm strides helped calm her nerves. It had been her father’s idea to use the tunnels to flee into the promised lands.

Her mother had initially been against the idea, thinking it was too much of a risk. But Batu had soon convinced her. They could either hope to hide somewhere in the promised lands or spend their life in The Steppes, always on the run.

Never even once did her parents discuss abandoning her.

In The Steppes, your tribe was everything. It was your family and your home. In The Steppes there were no orphans. Only eight tribes, eight huge families. When one’s parents died, others would take the child in without question.

But Zaya was different.

Branded as a renegade, she was dead to her tribe. If she was to be attacked, no one would care. Helping her was forbidden, even talking with a renegade was frowned upon. With the brand, Zaya had been destined to live a life of solitude.

Yet her parents had stayed with her regardless, well aware of the consequences. Now the three of them stalked through the tunnels, intent on reaching the promised lands of Ceraviehl. Zaya had been surprised by their decision. Abandoning one’s tribe was like abandoning your home, knowing you could never come back to it.

Narrow eyes were shining with determination as Zaya walked alongside her father. She would ensure her family found a new home in the promised lands, somewhere in the south. It was the least she could do, after everything they had done for her.

The only difficulty would be to find a place the incoming war would not be able to get to them. After all, a confrontation between the Restless and the Ceraviehlians was inevitable. However, Zaya had no interest to partake in the war. Even if she felt bad for abandoning her people like that.

Once more Zaya had to stop herself from touching her forehead. She once more thanked Ilugei for sparing her life instead of executing her, after the accident.

Other Restless would not be able to see it in the dark tunnel, but the brand was clearly visible in daylight. Looking like a snake eating its tail, the brand consisted of two circles. The circles seamlessly flowed into one another, the middle being the part where the head and tail of the snake met.

On and on, the small family continued their journey through the mountain. Nothing but their steps and breathing broke the oppressive silence. After a long while, Batu abruptly stopped. He peered into the tunnel ahead of them.

“Nergui, get in front. Zaya, stay behind us and don’t look up.”

Way ahead of them, the tunnel seemed to lighten up. But it was still way too early for them to have reached the other end of the mountain. And that could only mean one thing.

Not wanting to look suspicious, they slowed their jog to a casual walk. The dim light ahead of them became stronger with each step. They could soon hear the faint voices of other Restless talking.

“Can you believe it, Namaku? What do you think will they look like? I once heard the grain grows as large as trees in some parts,” a voice said with wonder.

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” a second voice admonished the first. “Such a thing is not possible, even for the promised lands.”

Batu was the first to emerge from the tunnel. It opened up into a small cave, just large enough for a handful of people to rest in. In the end, the cave split into two separate tunnels. Little carvings above each tunnel depicted their destination.

The voices the family heard earlier belonged to a man and woman. Both sat on the right side of the cave floor. They stood up upon seeing the family enter, putting two fingers on their forehead.

“May your steps be sure, children of the Naija” the woman greeted them.

“And the path ahead of you clear, children of the Bayad,” Batu responded politely, putting two fingers on his forehead as well.

The woman gestured beside her, a smile on her lips.

“If you want to rest, we have food and water to share. There will be enough soon anyway, with the promised lands barely a ride away.”

Batu lowered his head in gratitude.

“Please take no offense if we decline. We need to reach the rest of our clan as soon as possible, but we thank you for your kindness.”

“No offense taken, fellow Restless,” the woman glanced at Zaya, who hid herself to the left of her father. His huge frame stood between her and the other Restless, obscuring their vision. Zaya had her head lowered the whole time, taking care to hide the brand on her forehead with her long black hair.

Wishing the pair goodbye, Batu started to walk toward the left tunnel of the cave.

“May your journey be swift.”

“And yours,” they responded, preparing to sit down and resume their meal.

Zaya hurried to follow Batu, her fine hair swaying with each step. For the fraction of a second, the curtain of hairs split apart. Nergui reacted immediately, taking a long step to block the sight of her daughter. The family had almost reached the opening of the tunnel when a threatening voice came from their backs.

“Stop.”

The man had stood up again.

“Is something the matter?” Batu asked, turning around and spreading his arms wide. His smile was strained.

“Could I please see your daughter’s forehead for a moment? I’m afraid the light has played a trick on my eyes,” the man asked.

Zaya’s eyes went wide with dread. It had been so close.

“My friend, I’m certain there is no need for that,” Batu said casually.

For a moment, nobody said anything. The air hung heavy in the cave, pressing down on their shoulders.

“I insist,” the man said at last.

Batu’s smile went sour. Placing himself in front of Zaya, he laid his hands on the scimitar hanging on his wait. Both groups tensed up, the woman now standing beside the man. The silence was deafening.

“Look, it does not matter to me whether your daughter is branded or not,” the man said suddenly. “But a renegade can not be allowed into the promised lands. Turn back, and we will forget this ever happened. I have no wish to fight you.”

“Neither do we,” Batu responded. “But we will not go back into The Steppes. Let us pass, and no one has to die,” he said pleadingly.

The man glowered at him, eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

“You know I can’t do that.”

A second stretched itself to infinity. The building tension abruptly broke when the woman flicked her wrist. There was no going back now. A dagger shot toward Batu’s chest. Protecting himself with his left arm, he pulled the scimitar out with his right. A groan of pain escaped his lips as the dagger imbedded itself into his forearm.

Nergui was right beside him, her long spear a snake waiting to strike. With only a few feet of distance between them, she was the first to attack. Arm shooting forward, her spear stabbed into the chest of the man.

The man had already drawn his own scimitar, but Nergui’s strike was too fast to block. A slight turn of his shoulder was all that saved his heart from being stabbed.

Retaliating in the same movement, the man swung his scimitar in an overhand arch. Batu already saw it coming though and raised his weapon to block the incoming strike. A metallic clang rang through the cave as the two weapons met. With both hands used to stop the enemy strike, Batu’s side was left defenseless.

Seeing her chance, the woman started to pull a shortsword from her side. Zaya knew that there was no way her father would be able to react in time.

Ever so slowly, the sword left its scabbard.

Zaya wielded neither spear nor sword, but that did not mean she was helpless. The stone was all around her. Concentrating on her Inner Landscape, Zaya let the energies flow through her. The ground of the tunnel was covered with dozens of stones and pebbles.

Making the woman her central point, Zaya connected herself to the stones laying all around the woman. By now the sword was drawn, and the woman moved to strike Batu with her shortsword.

Zaya closed her fist, and the stones obeyed.

Dozens of small projectiles shot toward the woman. A primal scream came from the woman, momentarily interrupting the fight. Once more, the clanging sound of metal reverberated through the cave.

Legs too weak to support her, the woman fell to the ground. Her legs and lower body were riddled with holes. Blood seeped through her leather clothes and spread along the cave floor. Unable to stand up again, the woman gaped at the girl standing in front of her.

Fist clenched and gaze focused, it was obvious from whom came the sudden attack.

“A branded Gifted? How did you avoid execution?” the woman asked incredulously.

Zaya did not respond. Nails digging into the palm of her hand, she stared at the bleeding woman in front of her.

With the woman lying defenseless on the ground, the man had a hard time fending off both Batu and Nergui. Swinging wide, Batu slashed at the chest of the man. The same barely managed to block the strike. Scimitar on the right to block Batu’s slash, Nergui’s spear came too fast to dodge.

It hit him deep in his throat, and he too fell to the hard cave floor. Hands instinctively pressed to the gushing hole in his throat, he futilely tried to stop the bleeding.

Within a few moments, the floor of the cave had gotten completely covered with dark blood. The momentary quiet after the fight was only broken by the groans of the woman. With countless pebbles being stuck in her legs, she was doomed to die from blood loss. Weak hands shaking, she slowly pulled another dagger out.

Her words were dripping with venom as looked at Zaya.

“May the promised lands be your death, renegade.”

Taking the hilt of the dagger in both hands, she plunged it deep into her chest. Zaya stared at the scene in front of her, bile rising in her throat. The stench of iron and blood filled her nostrils. Puke joined the blood covering the ground as she emptied her stomach.

Hands on her knees she mumbled to herself, her body shaking.

“I should have hidden it better, I should have hidden it better.”

“We need to leave,” said Batu. “Noise carries far in these tunnels, but we should have almost reached the other side of the mountain.”

Bending down, he cut a long piece of cloth from the fallen man. Nergui was already at his side, snatching it out of his hand. Wordlessly, she pulled the dagger out of Batu’s arm and wrapped the cloth tightly around his wound.

Zaya still stared at the woman laying on the ground, now dead. Her glaring eyes were locked on Zaya, hands still on the hilt of the dagger.

“I’m sorry,” Zaya said. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

Knees buckling, she slumped to the ground. Two strong hands reached under each of her armpits, pulling her up. Nergui on her left, Batu on her right, her parents carried her out of the cave. Dazed, all Zaya could see was the dead woman’s eyes.

She did not even notice them stopping. Someone kept calling her name, the voice distant. A pinch on her cheek brought her back to reality. Eyes focusing, she looked at her mother. Nergui’s face was barely a few inches apart, a slow smile on her lips.

“Good, you’re back. We almost made it, but we need to hurry. Can you walk alone?”

Nodding, Zaya took a deep breath to steady herself. Batu again took the lead, with Nergui walking beside her. Finally, a dim light began to break through the never-ending darkness of the tunnel. Steps quickening, the small family continued its way toward the light.

With every passing moment, the light became stronger. They made it. They had reached the exit of the tunnel, and the entrance to the promised lands.

Warm sunlight shone down on them as the family made their final step out of the tunnel. They stopped abruptly, blinded by the sudden light. After their eyes had adjusted, all of them forgot to breathe for a few heartbeats. Ahead of them lay the promised lands, steeped in legends.

From high up in the mountains, they beheld the lush landscape spreading out before them. All of it looked so small to their eyes. Trees grew almost everywhere, forming a huge forest below them.

Pastures and towns dotted the verdant valleys as far as the eye could see. A cool mountain wind blew across their faces, bringing with it a richness of life that was difficult to describe.

A massive river flowed to their left, streaming down from the mountain and parting the forest. It passed a rather large city near the mountains before continuing to flow further inland, branching into other rivers on its path.

For all the stories Zaya had been told, for all the legends that surrounded the promised lands of Ceraviehl, not one would do its beauty justice.

“It’s wonderful,” Zaya said, a single tear rolling down her cheek.