by D. E. Morris
Nodding, Ashlynn grimaced in understanding. “I am certain it is where your heart longs to be as well. You should go home, Tasarin. Go be with your wife and your children. They need you more than I do now, though before you go, I had hoped to speak with you about...things...”
“Certainly.”
“How about now?” She looked up at Jaryn once more. “Would you please ask Kenayde to see that Vala is all right? After that, maybe look in on Rowan?”
“I'm going to see if I can get an idea of where your father is in his tour, as well. Tasarin, if I don't see you again before you go-”
The elf held out his hand. “I am certain that it will not be long before we see each other again.”
“Safe travels, my friend.”
“Thank you,” Tasarin managed.
With one guard following Ashlynn and Tasarin, and the other staying with Jaryn, they parted ways. Jaryn took the crowd with him as the other two sought a quiet room where they could speak in private. Ashlynn could feel Tasarin watching her every movement and couldn't help but laugh at him when they were finally sequestered away in a small room together. “I told you, I'm fine. I don't understand how I am, but I am. I was hoping you might be able to explain to me how that's possible.”
He moved close to her, taking her hand and touching two fingers to her wrist to feel her pulse. “It is not anything that I did, if that is what you are asking.” Satisfied at what he felt, he checked her eyes before sliding his hands under her chin, procedural as he pushed and poked in certain spots. If it had been anyone else, she would have slapped them away, especially when his eyes wandered to the bare skin of her upper chest. His fingers brushed over her collar bones and the top of her sternum as though looking for something. When his eyes closed and his head tilted slightly to the side, she knew he was listening for her heartbeat. After a moment, he whispered, “Extraordinary.”
“What?”
“You appear to be in perfect health.”
She laughed. “Because I am! I told you that I was. Now you tell me why.”
Sighing, Tasarin took a step back to resume his comfort level of personal space. “It has to be the agates.”
Ashlynn narrowed her eyes. “The what?”
Blinking in disbelief, Tasarin shook his head. “Has no one told you what happened to you that night?”
“I didn't want to talk about it. I died; I was brought back. What more did I need to know?”
The elf clasped his hands together in a fist, hiding his frown as he gathered his thoughts. When he spoke, his expression was dour. “Your passing affected Misuzu more than she and I were prepared for. I had given her an elixir that I thought would keep her strong throughout the transfer but she was far too weak and shaken to give you a blood transfusion when the time came, not that it would have made a difference had she been able.” His pale eyes turned away from Ashlynn's face, shame creasing his brow. “I could not heal your wounds. Try as I did to concentrate and focus, to stem the bleeding and to bind the lacerations, I could not do it. I...failed you, just as I failed your mother.”
It was Ashlynn's turn to be confused. “I don't understand. If you didn't save me, then who did?”
“Badru.” He led her to a bench by the window and pulled her down beside him. “I will try to explain.” Tentative, Tasarin told her everything. She listened to it all, her eyes wide and her brows drawn tight together as though she was listening to some terrible tale that had happened to someone else. When he finished, she looked down, horror-stricken, and touched her skin as Tasarin had only moments ago.
“I have...” She gagged and covered her mouth. “I have fossilized dragon embryos in my body?”
“We really have no proof as to what the agates are.”
“I'm going to be sick.”
“Just breathe,” Tasarin advised, pressing a cool hand to her forehead, sympathy on his face.
“And you think that's what saved me?”
He nodded with some reluctance. “Almost as soon as you absorbed them, your body began healing itself. Your color came back, your breathing evened out...all of the things I was supposed to be doing, it was doing on its own. All of us watched it happening.”
Ashlynn swept her tongue over her lips. “What does that mean? I don't understand any of this.”
“Neither do we.” Tasarin dropped his hand. “Unfortunately, Badru left us with more questions than answers, but he left us with you thriving, and that was all we cared about at the time being.”
“And he's missing in action.” In an absent manner, Ashlynn rubbed her hand over the spot on her head where the stone had been placed. “We have to find him and make sure both he and Mairead are all right. That's what matters most right now.” She shook her head as though to shake away the thoughts running rampant through her mind. “How or why I'm doing as well as I am right now doesn't matter until I know they're both alive.” She looked at Tasarin. “The purge has reached Braemar, of all places, and is spreading rapidly. If it hasn't begun in Caedia, it is only a matter of time, now.”
“Which is all the more reason for me to return home.”
Ashlynn studied him for a moment. “Jaryn told me you were against the execution of the rest of the hunters we were holding last week and did not attend. What will you do when your dungeons become too full to hold those that murder those you are trying to protect if you will not enact justice?”
He gave a thin, fleeting smile. “Luella and I will have to cross that bridge when we get to it, I suppose.”
“I will not keep you any longer, my friend.” Ashlynn rose and hugged Tasarin. “Give my love to your family. I know it hasn't been long since we last saw one another but I do miss them dreadfully.”
“She misses you, too, I can promise you.” Tasarin kissed Ashlynn's forehead as a father would his daughter. “Keep us informed about Badru and Mairead, if you will.”
“Of course.” Parting, Ashlynn made for the door and pulled it open. She was halfway out into the hall before she paused and turned back into the room to catch her friend's questioning eye. “You didn't fail me, Tasarin. You fought for me even in your fear and your doubt, you didn't just give up. Despite having a wife and two children waiting for you at home, you stayed here to make sure I was okay. That's not failure, not in my book. That's friendship. Better than that, it's family.”
He had nothing to say to respond and could only smile his thanks, dipping his head as he did so. Ashlynn smiled at him, nodding in reply, before disappearing out into the hallway.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The sun bore down on the small group of women at the river immersed in the chore of washing linens. There was a haze of clouds that drifted by to give an occasional break from the unforgiving midday heat, but even having their legs in the water did little to keep most of the women cool today. They would alternate between wiping the sweat from their brows to splashing themselves with water in an effort to feel a little more comfortable. Though there was an occasional breeze that rushed through, quick and violent as though on a mission, it was no cooler than the air around them. Even Mairead, who could tolerate the heat better than most, found herself wishing for shade to rest in. The others had tucked the long skirts of their dresses up into their belts to shorten them as they waded in the water, their bare arms exposed as they scrubbed clothing and bed sheets up and down ribbed metal plates. Mairead knelt on the shore as she did her work, the long sleeves of her dress soaked up to her elbows but still covering her skin. Her gloves sat beside her in the grass, well within reach should she need them, her scarf tied around her neck as always.
An odd silence had fallen over the village since the night Badru had been seen in the sky. It was as though everyone was afraid to speak, not only about what they had seen or what it could potentially mean, but about anything in general. A place that had been teeming with people who appeared to live carefree lives now walked about with downcast eyes and serious expressions. No one played music, no one sang or danced. Classe
s were no longer being held, and all of the children younger than Esther disappeared overnight without anyone even batting an eye, as though this sort of thing was normal. Rhiamon had gone as well, and Mairead was left to wonder what it all meant. Without Lilia there, she had no one to theorize with, although the space Lilia left in her bed was quickly filled. Esther was too afraid after seeing the great fire dragon to sleep where she had been by the window, and slept with Mairead after that.
On her second night alone, after a full day of watching the way the village was now operating, Mairead waited until she was certain that Esther was fast asleep before sneaking out of the House of Maidens. She was unsettled and uncertain, and dressed in her own thin summer dress, draping Derog's cloak over her. Hardly anyone was around, giving her little to worry about. If she wanted, it was likely that she could walk right out of the village without anyone stopping her. Just two nights ago, she'd been sure of her decision to stay. Now that everything had changed, now that she was well and truly alone, she didn't know what to do. So she wandered, sticking to the outskirts, observing what little there was to take notice of, all the while praying for guidance.
There was a hidden footpath behind one of the buildings used for storage that she hadn't been aware of before. Morning glory vines crept up a metal archway that she'd seen as a flowering wall in the daylight hours, but now could distinctly make out a trail hidden behind the draping stems and leaves. Curious, Mairead glanced around to make sure no one was watching her before ducking under the arch and taking the path that led deeper into the mountainous forest before her. Up and up she went, careful not to trip on exposed roots or rocks, wondering where the well-worn path led.
A branch snapped behind her and she whipped around with a sharp inhale. There was no one to be seen, but she knew what she'd heard. Slow, she bent down and felt along the ground until her fingers wrapped around a rock that was almost as big as her fist. As she straightened, someone came out of the shadows and she drew her arm back, ready to strike. With a cry of alarm, her follower grabbed her wrist before she could hit him, much stronger than she was.
“It's me!” Derog blurted, eyes large. “It's just me!”
“What are you doing?”
“Me? What are you doing? You could have killed me!”
“And you would have deserved it!” Mairead dropped the rock and took a step back, wrapping the cloak she wore around herself a little tighter, defensive and angry. “Are you following me?”
“Of course I'm following you. You're going off into the woods alone in the middle of the night. With everything that's happening, it's not safe.”
She pursed her lips, unable to think of an immediate rebuttal. It likely wasn't safe to wander in these woods at any time alone, but she wasn't about to say as much. “How did you know I had come this way?”
He glanced back in the direction of the village, though they had gone far enough that it was obscured from view by the forest. “I was in the watch tower. I saw you out walking.”
Mairead narrowed an eye at him. “So you abandoned your post to follow me?”
“There are always two of us up there.” He looked her over, taking in what he could see of her clothing in the darkness and what could be seen under his cloak. Disappointment pulled down the corners of his lips. “If you're planning on leaving, you won't get very far this way.”
Remembering what she was wearing, she glanced down at herself as well and shook her head. “No, I...” She let go of a quiet sigh. “I do not know what I was doing. I was feeling restless and...frightened, if I am being perfectly honest.”
“You can be honest,” Derog encouraged, his voice softening. “A lot of people are scared right now, but there's nothing to worry about. I told you the other night that you were safe here and I meant it. What kind of security did you hope to find in here anyway?”
Looking up, Mairead's eyes searched for the stars among the leaves, a line of worry between her brows as she scrambled for some sort of believable story. “The village is down in between the mountains and I thought, if that dragon is still about, he would be much easier to see at night. If I could get higher up-”
“You might be able to spot him from a farther distance away.” Derog nodded, half a smile on his face. “You're not wrong, not in your thinking at least. The forest doesn't thin until a few miles up and the climb gets much steeper. You'd never reach it before morning. Or on your own. Or in a dress. There is a little clearing just a bit ahead, though, just over that ridge if you want to try looking out from there. It gives you a great view of the entire valley. You can even see the spires of the high castle from there.”
She turned to peer over her shoulder in the direction he had indicated, seeing something of a clearing up ahead. Now that she had lied, there was no going back on what had been said. It would be a good opportunity for her to see if Badru was about, yes, but she doubted very much that he would be. He was too smart to be flying about, especially at night. Hopefully he was long gone by now. Her prayer had been that all of them had returned to Siness and were well away from Cieria and the danger that surrounded Rhiamon and her people.
“May I accompany you?” Derog's question prompted Mairead to look at him. He stood less than a foot away, and even though the ground was tilted in her favor, he still had to look down upon her. There was no confidence in him, no cool surety, just an awkward shuffling of his feet and a hopeful lift of his brows as he awaited her answer. As handsome as he was, sometimes he acted so uncomfortable in his own skin, it was a wonder he managed to speak to her at all. And yet there were other moments when he seemed so sure of himself. Mairead studied his shadowed face for a moment, trying to get a read on him, and ultimately nodded. He smiled with relief, as though expecting her to turn him away. “If anything happened to you, I would probably pay the price for it.”
Mairead laughed softly, turning up the path. “You are not the first to allude to Rhiamon's favoritism of me.”
“Because I am not the first to notice it. Something about you has caught her eye and that is a rare thing.”
“Hopefully that does not gain me unwanted attention from others. I have seen how cruel children can be to the teacher’s pet.”
Derog chuckled and shook his head. “It's not like that here. We recognize that if her favor falls on you, it must be because there is something special about you. That isn't something we should be jealous of or covet. It's something we should all celebrate and lift up as she does. A leader is meant to do just that, aren't they? We should be following in their steps, not letting them do all the work and pouting when we aren't acknowledged for the work we should also be doing but don't put any effort into.”
Though it was hard to admit, his words held great merit. “If only more people thought that way.” Mairead smiled her thanks when Derog held back a low branch to let her pass before him. “All my life I have seen men and women who strive to do the bare minimum and then cry foul when they are not given the highest recognition for their meager efforts. My own parents are that way and my sisters, I can only imagine, likely grew up to think much like they do.”
“And how did you escape the lemming's path, if I may be so bold to ask?”
She smirked at his question. “You are bold, if not accurate. I was fortunate enough to be sent to a mistress who is not satisfied in sitting around, letting others do her work for her. If she wants something done, likely it will not be done quickly enough or to her standard if it is not done by her own hand and so she often takes care of business herself. She fights her own battles, figuratively and literally. It is a quality I have always admired and tried to adopt in my own life.”
A thick tree root was partially hidden in shadow and Mairead stepped on it wrong, stumbling when she put her weight on her foot. Derog rushed forward and grabbed her hand, one arm going around her waist to steady her before she could fall. When she was sure on her feet again and neither of them could look at the other, he hastily pulled away and took a step back. “It
sounds like you had a good life where you were. Though I know it wasn't all roses and sunshine.”
They were close to the top of the ridge, the moonlight promising better illumination just a few feet away. Mairead touched the scarred side of her face, feeling the rough skin through the thin fabric of her gloves. She never minded the sun on her face, but the moonlight always felt cold and unfeeling. The weeks when she'd kept herself locked away, the sun would at least give her warmth but at night, the moon made her feel like she was more alone than she'd ever been. For reasons she didn't understand, those feelings crept up inside of her again, making her miss home.
“My family was counting on my marriage to someone better off than I. Before I was attacked, my prospects were endless. Now that I am this ugly thing...” She shook her head. “Who wants a bride they can hardly stand to look at?”
The clearing was a mere inches away, but just as she was about to step out of the forest, voices came calling through the night, tumbling down the mountain like thunderous waters. A rush of feet gave little warning before anyone could be seen. Derog acted quickly, pulling Mairead back into the darkness of the trees and pressing her up against a thick truck, blocking her body with his to hide the paleness of her clothing and pulling the hood of the cloak up. She leaned into him, closing her eyes and holding her breath, counting the seconds as several people ran through the trees close by. All of them were talking at once, too quickly for her to make out what was being said. There was a sense of urgency in their speed. She wondered if it had anything to do with Badru, but Derog's arms tightened around her as the last of them passed by, clouding her thoughts.
They stood together, silent and listening, waiting in case there were stragglers or scouts in the woods. Mairead lifted her head from Derog's chest, but he made no move to let go of her, even as he looked around. “Who were they?” she whispered, wondering if even that was too loud and would bring danger upon them.