Chapter 2



Chapter 2II awoke the next morning drenched in sweat, panting as I snapped upright and almost slammed my head into a jutting rock. Looking around the small cave, all appeared to be the same: Aecha and Euron remained tied to the sapling just outside, Ronan’s boots were still airing out by the entrance, and my sword still hung from the root by my head. The only difference was the bright sunlight shining through the mouth. I shielded my eyes as my heart slowed. “A dream…” I whispered to myself, “just another Gods damned dream…”The cadence of Ronan’s breathing told of deep sleep. I thought for a moment of giving him a prod awake but left him to whatever happy dream had stolen him. My cloak slipped from my chest as I stretched the sleep from my muscles. Under the cloak it was so easy to forget it was almost winter, but I shivered as I cast it off and got to my feet. I stood, the cold, hard ground pressing at my bared feet as I arched my back and stretched with my hands against the stone roof. With a yawn, I put a hand to my cheek to scratch at an itch but pulled it away as I felt the swelling and scabbed blood. My tunic, damp from sweat, seemed to cling to each curve and crevice, making me glad Ronan was still asleep. No sooner had this crossed my mind than his breathing changed its tempo as he let out a soft moan and shifted in his bedroll. I halted my stretching and snatched up my sword and boots before making my way out of the cave. After walking into the woods a way, I relieved myself and wrung out my tunic before returning to find him throwing a saddle over Euron’s back.“Morning,” he called as he spotted me, waving a strand of salted meat in his hand. I nodded my reply as I trudged closer, pulling my cloak a little tighter round my neck. “You slept in.”“Really?” he said, eyebrows arched in feigned astonishment, “You are telling me off about oversleeping? Have the Quills thawed?” “I hear Mount Grondell at the least is looking a little slushy.”Ronan gave his eyes a roll, “Well, we should probably get a move on,” he offered me a strip, “You want some?”I nodded and accepted the meat. “Not a bad spot you found,.”“Aye, took shelter from a storm here a few years back with Kallie…” he turned his attention groundwards, to the ashes of the prior night’s fire. I put a hand on his shoulder as I chewed on the tough bit of meat, “C’mon, I’m sure she and your folks are waiting for our return.“Yeah,” he said, still staring into the dark-grey dregs as a strong gust of wind scattered them. He snapped out of his foul humor soon enough and helped me pack my bedroll and strap it to Aecha’s rump. It wasn’t long before we found the path once more and followed it south—toward home.IIWe heard our village long before we saw it: the familiar knocking that rose above the sound of rushing waters told us Garred the woodward, or one of his kin, was working the mill. It wasn’t until we cleared the forest that the great wooden building came into view, its large wheel spinning with the river at its base, water dripping off the fins as they reached their apex and returned. This motion ran a belt and sawblade for cutting the logs that floated from the lumber camp upriver. A loud clatter marked that it finished with its current charge, and a heavy thunk not soon after told of another lifted to bear. As we drew nearer we saw Armel, Garred’s eldest, pull the log into position and give it a shove toward the jagged teeth of the moving saw. “Hoi, Armel!” Ronan called.The young man jumped in surprise, and, wielding the log hook like a battle-axe, turned to face us. “Oh,” he dropped his shoulders, “Hoi, Ronan, Candas.”Ronan laughed as our horses stepped on the ramp to the mill. “Fancy yourself a Sentinel with that hook, eh?”“Oh, ha-ha.” Armel said, chest swelling and dropping on each ‘ha’. Though he was at an age with me, he was much larger than Ronan, in terms of both height and the size of the muscles which bulged from his sleeveless tunic. Still, Ronan insisted on baiting him.“Where were you two?”“Rode to Yrenna to buy some wheat,” Ronan lied. “Our personal stores were running low.”“Back fairly early then.”“Aye, we made a head-start last night, camped out in the wild,” I replied.“That right? Would explain the smell at any rate. You two oughtta get to the sweat lodge soon; could gag a rat.” “Thanks, Armel.” I spurred Aecha back to a slow canter, with Ronan following suit after.Before we had cleared the ramp on the far bank, Armel called. “Candas! Me Da just finished brewing up a barrel of ale. Gonna crack it open tonight and have a bit of a social. Will I see you there?”I jutted my jaw and blew out a breath, making my bangs flutter as I tried to ignore Ronan’s chuckling. “Sorry but will likely be spending the rest of the day in the sweat lodge so as not to offend your delicate senses.”He offered a confused look before slamming the hook into a fresh log with a thwack and returning to work. “He’s quite the charmer, Cand,” Ronan said once we were out of earshot. “maybe you should…”“Shut it,” I said with a laugh. “I’d just as soon go for a drink with a hungry wyvern. Besides, we all know what he’s interested in; whoreson didn’t even notice my cut.”“Aye… How is that feeling?”“Itches a bit.” I attempted to hide a wince as a shock of pain shot through it.Ronan’s look told I should have tried harder. “You should let Ma take a look at it once we get back.”It wasn’t long before we entered the village proper. The number of houses in the tiny logging community had grown over the prior five years, built by those who sought the relative seclusion of the frontier and the slight lessening of lordly yokes it afforded. Many of these new houses sported fresh, pale wood which betrayed their age, contrasting with the dark-brown of the living trees that marked the southern horizon. The sounds of cackling hens—of both sorts—and the faint thud of axes on wood from the camp beyond the trees filled the air. Talin, the local tanner, stood atop his roof inspecting the thatch while his wife, Marcell, herded their two young children—covered from head to toe in mud—toward the house. “Blood and bile,” she yelled as they marched back inside. “If you hate the sweat lodge so much I’d expect you to stop rolling about with the piglets!” Not long after our home came into view, the weather stained wood setting it apart from the other, newer houses. The two-story building, with its brick foundation and chimney belching smoke, was second only to the Senn’s hall in terms of size. We hitched Aecha and Euron at the common stables and soon were climbing the two steps to the door. Ronan didn’t bother knocking and gave it a push. It let out a sound of wood scraping wood as it stuttered open at his press. He entered before me, giving a good view of him being tackled in a rush of brown hair.III“Kal!” Ronan yelled from the floor as I stepped over the block of wood that served as a threshold.Kallie’s high, nasally cackle followed. “Gotcha!” she called through her laughter as Ronan shoved her off him. He got up and dusted himself off as Kallie continued rolling on the floor. “Aye, you got me,” he said with a smile, “guess that is payback for leaving without telling you?”She nodded, sending her light brown—almost blonde—plait bouncing. “Where did you go? Ma and Da wouldn’t say.”“We’re after a trip to Yrenna for a couple drinks.”She seemed almost disappointed, wearing the look of one who had spent a day crafting dramatic and elaborate theories, all crushed in a wave of anticlimax… Or was it disbelief? “Is that it? I figured that you two had eloped or something.”I shot her a wry smile. “Oh, so you do know I’m here.” “Of course, just needed to collect my breath a bit.”She ran up, her thirteen-year-old frame only coming up to my chest as she wrapped her arms around me, squeezing with as much strength she could muster. I responded by wrapping my own behind her back, lifting and squeezing, causing her to sputter as her feet kicked at my shins.“Grips vice-like as ever,” she said as I put her down, “but…” Her gaze wandered to my face. “Gods! What happened to your cheek?” she gasped.“What is wrong with it?” came an accented voice from behind me. I turned to see Slania descending the ladder to the second-floor loft. Straight black hair with the slightest hints of grey which reached almost to the small of her back swayed with her long skirt as she took each rung until she reached the earthen floor with a light thud. She turned to face me, her large green eyes travelling to the cut. She put a hand to her mouth before rushing over. “This is nasty wound… What is the story?”The practiced response tumbled out of me so fast the words seemed to merge to form one long bit of nonsense. “Nail-on-a-post.” She offered a confused stare, so I elaborated, “I-I fell into it.”“Uh-huh…” she said in a deadpan which put my own to shame. “Well, we best stitch that up, lest it fester.”I pulled away, “Must we?”“Aye,” she stated, not removing her gaze from my wound, but flashing me a toothy grin as she brushed her hair behind a pointed ear. “Call it elf’s instinct.”I knew there would be no arguing. “Now?”“Would be best.”I sighed, unbuckled my sword, and leaned it next to the door as Slania took the steps to the fireplace which lay before the lower, earthen floor. “Ronan, how about you and Kallie go help your Da break firewood out back?”Kallie seemed about to protest, but Ronan butted ahead of her, “Aye ma, we can do that. C’mon, Kal.”I took a seat at the bench by the table in the center of the common room, brushed aside the remains of a half-eaten apple, and eyed the small box which lay close to the edge. Slania joined me shortly after, carrying a burning brand from the fireplace. She placed the flame to the candle on the table, whose wax spread around it like an amber puddle, before dropping the brand into a bucket at her feet with a plop.“What’s that for?” I asked.“For this,” she said as she produced a needle and twine from the box. She stuck the needle into the candle for a couple seconds, filling the air with a hint of burned bone before threading it in one fast motion. After placing the threaded needle on the table, she pulled a steel flask from a fold of her skirt. “Here,” she held it out, “take few sips.”I sniffed at the stopper. Whisky, of course. A few swigs was all I could manage, offering a grimace as the taste set my throat ablaze.“If you give that look drinking the stuff you’re gonna hate me for what I do next.” I downed a couple more sips before returning it to her. “Let me see your cheek.”I obeyed, tilting my head to give her the best view. Staring into the bucket of water at her feet, I gritted my teeth, before… screaming out as the cut exploded with pain, whisky running down my chin and into my hair. With a jerk I pulled away from her, whimpering at my burning cheek. “I know, I know,” she said, giving me a pat on my shoulder as a couple tears fell to join the whisky dripping from my hair. “Mind, this beats the poultice we use out in the woods by good margin—swear that stuff could make your hair smoke — but the burn just means is working.”She picked up the needle, and once more stuck it in the flame. When she brought it to bear against me I couldn’t help but lean away and turn my cheek from her. She smiled, “Do not worry. Is quite cool.”The procedure lasted only a few minutes; a few minutes that felt like hours. I winced each time the needle punched through flesh, feeling the skin growing tighter with each stitch. I tried to distract myself by studying Slania’s face. She chewed her lip as she made each pass, gaze never straying from her work. I focused on her ears, and how they curled into a point at the back. An uncommon sight on women this far south—at least for those outside the surviving Daedish tribes who still hid out in the wilds. The pointed ears once meant to instill fear; to invoke the old legends of elves —knife-eared tricksters of the woodlands who led many a foolish invader to their demise—now just a willful defect to show pride for the old, native blood of Halmsgar. My own ears still bore small markings and a slight taper from the two years I had worn the bands though I removed them before they could grow to proper points. My mother would have hated me for not keeping to the tradition and wearing them until I was a woman grown, but Slania didn’t put as much importance on such things. The only traditions she kept it seemed were those related to medicines, and with good reason. If only all the former Daedish tribals knew such things, mayhap they too would be welcome, even if only on the fringe of the country, as Slania. I abandoned this line of thought, and tried to find something else to focus on, but instead the pain returned in force. It came as no small relief when Slania made the final knot and cut away the remaining thread. “There you go,” she said as she dipped her hands in the bucket, sending small ripples of red throughout. “Now that is over, mayhap you are in better mood to tell me what actually happened.”I cocked an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t lie; it got cut on a nail.”“I believe that much,” she grabbed the honeypot from the shelf above the fireplace, “but I do not believe you are in the habit of rubbing your face against nails.” There were many with whom I could get away with a half-truth, but I should’ve known Slania wasn’t one of them. I sighed, “I was attacked.”“Attacked.” She didn’t seem shocked by the answer. “By who?”“Some slosh at The Goblin.”“Now why did he do thing like that?”I offered a meek smile. “I… kind of… teased him.”“Teased him… meaning you insulted him.”I said nothing.Slania sighed and pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, “Byld y bu’led, Candas. For one with such wit, you can be quite the fool.”“What?” I staggered a little as I hopped to my feet.“Hold still,” she ordered, “I need to get that covered.”I jutted my jaw and blew as I sat, sending a bolt of pain from my wound. “Candas…” she said as she dipped a finger into the honey, “I am sorry, but I have told you before that sharp tongue of yours will get you into trouble.”“Ronan’s can be just as sharp, why don’t…”“Ronan is not in front of me with three-inch gap.” She sighed as she placed her forefinger to my cheek, spreading honey over the wound. “We made promise to your mother to keep you safe to the best of our abilities.”“How? She couldn’t even be arsed to see me to your door.”Slania pressed a strip of flax onto the wound. Hard. “Maybe not,” she wiped her hands on her stained apron, “but in taking you in we took your well-being into our hands; the Gods do not favor those who take such things lightly.” I nodded and pressed a hand to the bandage, feeling the uneven ridge of the flax where it covered the stitching. “Thank you,” I said, staring at my feet. “You stink, by the way.”“So I’ve heard.”“Kallie is going to use the sweat lodge later, mayhap it would be best for you to join her.”If I had hesitated I might not have asked, but my mouth ran ahead of my tact. “Have you told her yet?”Slania stared out the open window where Kallie was taking the hatchet to some firewood with perhaps a little too much fervor—splinters flying every which way with each chop. “No…” “You might want to get on that; she can’t be left in the dark until she’s on the wagon north.”“Enough,” Slania said in a sharp, snappy voice which told she wasn’t willing to discuss it further. “So, what did you do to this slosh in the stables?”And there it was. “He backed off after I pulled my blade on him.” “Uh-huh…” Slania picked up the apple I had knocked off the table. “So I assume Mikkel kicked you out after he discovered you snuck in weapon?” My astonishment must have read on my face as she offered me a coy smile. “You are back far too early to have left this morning, and Ronan has never been one to rough it willingly… That and you scratched your ear again.”I took the out. “Aye, Mikkel tossed us, so we made a head start home.”“Could have ended lot worse, I suppose.” She sliced the half-eaten apple into the stew pot over the fire. “Now why don’t you go help the others with the firewood?”I stood and took a moment to inspect myself in a polished steel platter, pulling a strand of hair from over my ear to drape over the flax. “Think it’ll scar?”“Most likely. Definitely, if you do not care for it. Nothing wrong with scar or two though; adds character.”“Cheers,” I mumbled before I refastened my cloak, pulled on my gloves, and stepped outside. IVI rounded the corner of the house to find Kallie—on Ronan’s instruction—taking short swings with a thick chopping axe.Ronan shook his head as a missed swing succeeded only in knocking over the piece of yet unsplit wood. “C’mon Kal, you’d think you’d never chopped in your life, swinging like that!”Kallie glared at him as she bent over to pick up the lost piece, her dun skirt and olive mantle dusting the ground as she did so. “Think you’re so great at it, why don’t you give it a few whacks?”“Now what would that accomplish? Stand that bit straight up and split it right down the middle. If you’ve been paying attention, you should be able to do it in one blow.”Kallie shot Ronan a glare as she raised the axe high over her head and brought it down in a single, solid stroke, cleaving the bit of wood in two. I gave a muffled clap with gloved hands. “There ya go, Kallie.”Kallie twisted to face me with a grin which she turned into a smirk as she wheeled back to Ronan. “See, a clean cut!”Ronan smiled back at her. “A lucky swing, I’m sure.”“Oh, shut it.” Kallie planted the axe in the stump with a loud thwack. I noticed a faint scent of charred wood hanging in the air. The axes handle was left blackened where Kallie’s bared fingers had touched the pale wood. “Kallie,” I said in a voice too light to carry, “where are your gloves?”Kallie turned to me, brow cocked in confusion. “I left em inside.”I pulled my own off. “Here,” I tossed them to her, “put these on.”She raised her brow at me again, until she followed my gaze to the handle of the axe. Without another word, she threw on the thick, leather gloves. “Thought your Da was out here,” I said as Kallie stared at the ground.“He was,” said Ronan, “he took some wood back to the lodge.”I walked to the stump and wrenched the axe out with a bit of effort. The handle was still warm to the touch. After shifting my hands away from the blackened wood, I set an unsplit log on the stump. “Cand, he wants a word.” “Aye?” I turned my head to him as I brought the axe down, but the telltale thwack and thud of wood did not sound. Kallie stifled a snicker behind a hand. My cheeks grew red as I pulled the axe from where it had stuck in the stump—a good few inches to the side of the log—and prepared to swing again. “What does he want?”“Probably wants another sparring session.”I swung. The split pieces of wood fell with a light thud to the dirt. “Yeah, sounds about right.”It wasn’t long before Ronan was proven correct. We had split about half the pile before Jonne appeared on the winding path to the lodge. The fur of his bear-skin cloak shimmered in the mid-afternoon light, its black matching his hairs that had not yet turned to silvery grey. He sent a smile which didn’t quite reach his somber, deep brown eyes as he drew closer to us.“Hoi, Candas,” he said as he offered me his hand. I grasped his forearm and he mine. “Uncle, word is you wanted to talk?”“Aye,” his eyes locked to my bandage for the briefest second. “Ronan told me you had a run-in with a lout in Yrenna. Hear you got him as bad as he got you, eh?”“Somewhat worse.” The corners of my mouth twitched as my smile threatened to falter. My eyes darted to Ronan, who offered me a sheepish look, as though he only then realized his blunder in contradicting my story to his mother. Kallie just raised an eyebrow at me.Jonne took no notice. “Good.” He gave me a slap on the back with his thick, leather gloves. “Lodge’s airing out, should be ready to be lit soon. Til then, how about you and me have a bit of a spar?”“Can it wait?” I dared to ask. “I did not sleep well, and the road has left me somewhat worn.”His smile widened. “You think one who wants to rob you will care if you are tired?” He walked to the side of the house where two wooden swords leaned just beneath the window sill. He grabbed one and tested its grip in his hand. The other one he took by the mock-blade and tossed at me. I snatched at the handle before the blade hit the ground. It was a touch longer than my sword and weighed far heavier in the hand, but still my arm brought it without effort to block the blow Jonne aimed at my face. Kallie and Ronan jumped at the noise and dashed to the side of the house; out of the way of our duel. With my off hand, I grabbed the blade of my mock sword and gave it a shove to break the clash. Jonne stumbled a couple steps backward but soon recovered and repositioned into a thrust to my ribs. With a half step, I guided the blow away from me with the flat of my blade. He had not wholly committed to the thrust, however, and recovered with ease, backing up and out of reach of my riposte. “Good, good.” The tip of his sword wavered as he pointed it at me. “Your footwork is fine as ever.” He tapped my blade with his own.A light sound of grinding wood accompanied him sliding the blade forward and toward me. I swatted it away with a half-circular motion and rushed forward, giving him a solid shot with my right shoulder.Kallie and Ronan gasped as their father stumbled and fell arse first to the ground beside the cutting stump. He went to raise his sword again, but I planted a boot on it as I held my own to his throat. “Yield?”“That was underhanded, Candas.” He rubbed at his backside with his sword arm.“It worked.”“Somewhat.”Something pulled at the back of my leg, yanking my knee forward and out from under me.Breath fled me as my back slammed into the cold dirt. I could just make out Kallie’s snickering as Jonne hopped back to his feet and brought the woodcutting axe—which he had used to hook my leg—to my neck. “I Yield.” He removed the axe from my throat and offered a hand to pull me to my feet. “Do you know where you went wrong there?”I brushed a few woodchips from my cloak as I spat the word, “Careless.”“Aye, you got careless.” He picked up his sword. “The enemy has two hands. Make sure you account for both always, lest the one you aren’t watching,” he motioned with the axe still clutched in his off-hand, “hold your doom.”I let out a quick, mirthless laugh. “And you said I was underhanded.”He gave me a cool smile. “It worked.”For another half hour or so we went at it. The loud clacks of wood on wood echoed throughout the yard, bringing a few neighbors to peek around the edge of the house. Ronan and Kallie kept score, not ceasing to remind me I was behind by four until I evened the score with a few well-placed stabs in our last few assaults. Perhaps it was because of this Jonne called for a break. “C’mon, you can’t end it in a tie!” Ronan shouted as his father placed his practice blade back against the wood pile.I turned my sword to him, but only managed to point it at the ground at his feet. “I’m still itching,” I bluffed, “so how about you give me a go?”Ronan laughed. “So you can finish the job and break my hand properly this time? Think I’ll pass.”“Not my fault you don’t know how to guard.” I spun the blade once before setting it against the house and taking a seat beside it. Jonne joined me. “So, you draw first blood or he?”“Who?”“The one who attacked you in Yrenna.”I sniffed at the air, catching the faintest whiff of a fouler stench mingling with that of fresh sweat. “He did… the whoreson snuck up on me.”“That so? You fend him off with sword in hand?”The phantom of the lout’s screams filled my mind. “No. That got taken at the door.”Jonne spat on the ground. “Of course, they disarm you to make you an easier target.” He sighed. “Remember a time when I would walk into a tavern armed to the teeth and no one batted an eye. No lout would’ve dared openly attack some girl for fear half the bar would poke him til he had more holes than a hunk of Jarantish sharp.”Ronan spoke up, “Da, you know Cand can handle herself; she is not just some girl.”I put a hand to my uncut cheek, which felt warm despite the chill. “Still fought him off, didn’t I?”“How did you do that?” Kallie asked in a flat voice as she looked at me with raised eyebrows.His arm, blackened, dried… Dead. “I pulled my knife on him and gave him a few cuts.”“Ah, so you weren’t completely disarmed,” Jonne cut in. “Clever girl, still keeping it strapped to your arm I assume?”I nodded and looked to Ronan, who was staring at me with wide eyes. Keep to that story, I mouthed to him.He gave a short nod, before adding in, “Aye, but the innkeep didn’t like her pulling a knife on guests much, so he tossed us.”Jonne shook his head. “Really, would think an innkeep would be used to having blood on the floor.” He turned to me, “Remember me and your Ma and Da got into a scuffle in a tavern in Jarantal. The poor sods mistook your ma for a serving wench, which she didn’t take too kindly; nor your da, for that matter. Things got a touch out of hand afterward, and soon they had weapons on us. By the end of it, they had so many slices and burns they more resembled the offcuts of a failed cook than a gang of sloshes.” He gave a light chuckle. “The keep didn’t bat an eye, just demanded we lob them outside ourselves that they might lick their wounds away from the other guests.” He swallowed and lowered his gaze to the ground as his smile faltered. “Different times and a distant land, of course.”Ronan stood. “Da, how about you give me a few assaults? Feel like my forms been getting sloppy.”“Maybe later, Ronan.” He turned to him, the corners of his mouth twitching as though attempting to recall his lost grin. “You can give me and your Ma a hand getting supper ready though. Kallie, Candas, how about you two go get the lodge started?” He loosened the brooch of his cloak a touch before turning on his heel and walking around the house and out of sight.VThe woods had begun the process of reclaiming the path to the sweat lodge. The occasional yard was covered in a bed of green clovers and thorny brambles which tugged at my trousers and Kallie’s thick skirts. Harsh light glared occasionally through gaps in the trees, which gave way to a blinding shimmer as we entered the glade. The sun glinted off the rippling waters of the pond which reflected the trees on the far shore in an odd glow. A small waterfall fell over the rocky ledge that marked the right-most bank, filling the air with the soft sounds of running water. The rain of two nights prior had swelled the pond somewhat, though still it didn’t come close to soaking the small stacks of chopped wood that sat beside the lodge. The wooden hut wasn’t as large as the communal sweat lodge back in the village proper, but it didn’t have to be. Our arms filled with wood, I had to kick the door open when we arrived. Sunlight shone through the opened doorway upon the blackened walls, the high benches that lined them, and the racks above those for smoking meat. In the center of the room sat a large brick oven, into which I tossed my armload of wood with a clatter that echoed throughout the small room. Kallie followed suit with a groan.“Bile and blood,” Kallie said, pulling off her gloves and rubbing at her arms, “that was heavy. Why’d you leave me so much?”“Kallie,” I said in a hushed tone, “no bad feelings in the lodge.”“What? I’nnit like we’re using it yet.”“Aye, but the spirits are still here, though the smoke may not have given them form yet; best not to anger them.”Kallie snorted. “Oh, right, the lodge spirits. Now tell me I should never leave my boots unlaced lest a faerie tie them together.” “No, but I will remind you faeries enjoy climbing into the heads of little girls who pick their nose.”“Oi!” she pulled her finger away, “it itched!” We shared a laugh before she turned to me with downcast eyes. “Though… there is something strange going on, and it’s not faeries, nor lodge spirits.” She took in a deep breath. I shifted my focus to the oven. “I’ve found Ma a lot with red eyes, like she’s been crying, and Da’s been going on a lot more walks… Even Ronan’s been picking on me less.” I didn’t respond, just started stacking the wood. “And you aren’t even looking at me!” Her yell echoed throughout the lodge as I pulled my head from the oven to face her. The thin shaft of sunlight coming from the door cast her in a dull light, but I could see that in her hand she held the bit of dried moss we’d brought for kindling. “Sorry… was distracted.”“Distracted nothing.” She glared at me with eyes that shone in the dim light, “You want me to believe you went all the way to Yrenna for a drink? That your face was cut up by a crazed slosh; or was it a post? I’d sooner swallow my tongue than either of those stories.” The moss ignited in her hand, bathing her face in a warm glow as the flame, no larger than an acorn, gave off a light crackling sound. Though small, the flame gave a heat that radiated even over the yard that separated us. I backed away a step. “You know something, don’t you?”“Kallie…” I took another step back, “throw that in the oven.”She gazed at the flame in her hand. “No… Think I’ll hang onto it for a second.” She thrust it out in front of her. I couldn’t help but whimper as the air seemed to grow yet hotter and the flames drew close. “Something is going on, and you know it. Now tell me, or I swear I’ll throw this in your face!” I took another step, but found my back was to the wall. Her face distorted as tears filled my vision, but still the flame in her hand was clear. “Please put it out!” I shrieked. She relented a little, pulling her hand back to her side. “Tell me what is happening, and I’ll put it out.”I didn’t think. If I had paused for but a fraction of a second, I would have thought better of it. Instead, I opened my mouth, and it seemed the words couldn’t come out fast enough. “You’re being sent away to Ilindia!”The flame fell out of Kallie’s hand, flickering out of existence before it could hit the floor. “Wh-what?”With the fire gone, I snapped back to attention as though broken from a trance. Though I was still breathing fast and my heart still pounded in my chest, my mind churned at what I had just done. “Kallie, I’m…” She didn’t allow me to finish. The door slammed against its frame with a loud cracking noise as she dashed through it. “Kallie!” I called, nearly tripping over the raised threshold as I dashed after her. Outside, the hem of an olive-green mantle was visible for a fraction of a second before disappearing into the woods. The irregular crackle of leaves in the distance told me she was sprinting. Following at a brisk jog, I knew I need’nt catch her, for I knew where she was going. For about five minutes I followed, stumbling over a few jutting roots as the occasional sob echoed through the woods. It wasn’t until we reached an especially dense part of the wood that I caught up. It was an odd tree she picked as her favorite in all the woods: easily one of the largest for miles around, with a trunk at least seven feet around that stretched straight up to where its branches formed much of the canopy above. This wasn’t what made it odd, rather its base. Like a puddle it spread across the forest floor, about five feet in each direction, giving the ground a slight slope and rough texture beneath my boots. It was on this natural flooring of sorts that Kallie sat, back pressed against the trunk as she sobbed to herself. “Kallie?”“Go away!” She flapped a hand at me, revealing red eyes and cheeks streaked by tears.“I just want to talk with you.” I took a seat beside her. She didn’t protest; in fact, quite the opposite. She removed her face from her hands and shoved it instead into my shoulder. I took my arm and draped it over her, hugging her close while the other rested on my knee. “Kallie, I’m sorry you found out this way.”“I’m sorry, too,” she said between sobs, “I’m sorry I… I threatened you… But why are they sending me a-away!”Her sobs grew more rapid and her breaths more shallow. I patted her shoulder, allowing her to collect her breath before I answered. “I think you know why.”“M-my fire?” I brought a finger to tap my nose. “Your Da’s arranged for your training as a pyromancer in an academy in the north.”“A… what?” “Pyromancer…” I searched for the right words, “Like a soldier who throws fireballs.”“Soldier?” She sniffed. “Like Da?”“Not quite, but you will be among people with the same abilities and talents. You won’t have to hide your gift.”“I don’t care if I have to hide it for the rest of my life; I’ll chop off my hands to keep it hidden if need be. I’m not leaving!”“Afraid that’s not in the cards, lillen.” “Don’t call me that!”“What?”“Ma told me what it means: it’s Daedish for little one!”I took a second to realize what she was talking about, and a second more to register I had even used the word. “Aye, your Ma would know. And I don’t know why I said it, it’s… it’s what my Ma used to call me .”“Oh,” Kallie’s tears slowed.“In fact, that is word for word what she said when she… sent me to live with you and Ronan.” I scratched at my uncut cheek, hiding my wiping away a loose tear as Kallie raised her head from my shoulder.“You don’t talk about your Ma much.”“No, no I don’t.” “She… she was like me, right?”Images of my mother filled my mind. Her features blurred by memory, but I clearly remembered the small flame sprouting from her finger. “It won’t hurt, lillen,” the phantom muttered, “I promise.”“Candas?”I shook the vision from my head and turned back to Kallie. “Aye, she was like you,” I pulled at my sleeve, so it covered the burn scar on my forearm, “and she trained under an Ilindian master pyromancer, as you will.”She gave a sniff. “But I want to stay here. All my friends are here… and Oleg.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Oleg? The butcher’s youngest?”Kallie’s tear-stained cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson. “Aye… don’t look at me like that! Haven’t done anything—it’s just a throb—we’ve only been… talking.”I shook my head, “Come off it Kallie, you could split wood with that beak of his.”“Aye, his nose is a little big, but such a grand arse…”Would swear for a brief second my eyes were pointing straight back in my skull. “Wouldn’t let Ronan know you’ve been talking, or I’m sure he’ll be wanting a few words himself.”“You won’t tell him, right? I mean, his nose is bad enough without a few extra angles.”“Course not; Oleg’s nose’ll be fine.”She flashed me a quivering smile, “I was talking about Ronan’s.” Our laughter rang through the glade, sending a couple squirrels dashing for the cover of the thickets. She sniffed once more before adding, “Point still stands though; I know people here, and I don’t want to leave them behind. Besides, why would Ma and Da want me gone?”The slap of her hand on the horse’s rump echoed in the night, followed by the clatter of hooves on cobbled stone. It was hard to tell, but I’d swear mother was crying as she shrunk out of sight. “I promise you Kallie,” I drew in a deep, shuddering breath, “they aren’t doing this because they want to.”“Then why?”I clutched my father’s sword to my chest as I tried to peer over the horse’s head. He knew the way, she’d told me. “Because they think it will keep you safe.”She stared at me with wide eyes as she chewed on her lip. “Safe? From what?”I sighed. “Remember a couple weeks back, those men who rode through?”She held her mouth open for a second, apparently in deep thought. “Y’mean the ones dressed like warriors?”“Aye, those.” I remembered how silent the village seemed when those three men rode into town. Silent, save for the light tinkling of the mail they wore and the clangs of their swords against the broad shields strapped to their backs. Shields which bore the sign of the gauntleted fist. “They were members of the Ironclad.”“Ironclad?” She raised an eyebrow at me, “What’s that?”I leaned my head against the trunk of the tree as I struggled to find the right words. “They are… a guild of sorts. A group that hunts for people with… gifts.”Kallie dropped her shoulders as her gaze wandered to the ground. “You mean people like me.”I thought of lying; of telling her I was only teasing; that she was safe. A sigh emptied me as I nodded. She squirmed out of my grasp, looking at me with the hint of terror behind her gaze. “So that’s why I had to keep it hidden?”I nodded.She sniffed back a vein of snot which threatened to fall with her slowing tears. “B-but, why me? Ma and Da aren’t mystics… neither is Ronan. What the buggering hell makes me so special?”Despite myself, I smiled at the bit of profanity. “Dunno; was long thought passed on by the parents, though we are both proof against that. Don’t forget, I have no power despite my mother.”Liar.I cleared my throat. “Talked with a travelling scholar in Yrenna once who believed it to have something to do with Daedish heritage, but even that has its exceptions.”I was so caught up in my short lecture I didn’t notice Kallie wasn’t listening, rather had hid her face in her hands once more to get out the last few silent tears.The silence stretched on for about half a minute before she removed her face from her hands with a swallow. “Wh-what do they do? To the ones they catch, I mean.”“No idea.”“You don’t know?”“Not a soul I’ve spoken to does. All that’s known is they aren’t seen again.”She shook her head. “No… no, Ma and Da wouldn’t let them take me.”“What I do know,” I continued, “is what happened to those who tried to protect those they hunted. They weren’t given a choice.” Again, silence filled the glade. Even the squirrels seemed to have quieted. Kallie stared at her feet, giving the occasional sniff and allowing the corners of her mouth to twitch. She wasn’t crying anymore, but I almost wished she was. Nothing could have been worse than the look she wore. It was the face of a child as she watched her father shovel dirt over the body of a favorite pet; of a maiden learning her beloved is being wed to another; of a war-time farmer sifting through the ashes of his razed labor. I knew she would not protest anymore, as much as I wanted her to. Grabbing her by the shoulders, I pulled her close. It seemed her eyes had run dry, so I cried for her. ................
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