Fire and Gold (Sisters of the North Book 1)

by Mara Amberly

  He raised his hands, “I’m stopping.”

  She continued to stare.

  “I’ve stopped now,” he promised her.

  Only when he walked on did she follow. Alexa tried to understand Knave’s perspective – it must’ve been devastating for him to be a condemned prisoner and now he was free, and around women again. Alexa wasn’t sure she was actually mad at him – she was a little honoured that he found her attractive enough to flirt with and somehow life seemed lighter and less oppressive in his presence. Her role as a sister of the order meant a great deal to her, and it had come to mean so much more in light of the tragic events of the last few days. She, Cassia and Brigita were the last survivors of their temple, quite likely. She wondered what it would mean for them when they finally reached Kelbani. Would they recruit new members for the Temple of Solitude in time or would this mark the end for their home temple? Alexa still had hope and faith, so she held on to that and focused on issues of more immediate concern like finding water.

  Knave gestured urgently toward the trees and Alexa took cover.

  “There’s something out there,” Knave said, whispering. “It looks like an animal. Is that a guard dog? No – it, I think it’s a goat.” He stepped back out into the open, moving closer to the fence that separated them from the farmhouse yard. A live farm animal meant people came here, but he still didn’t notice any lights burning in the windows.

  He crept around the house, Alexa behind him, and found what he was looking for. There was a barrel of water sitting on the ground. Knave couldn’t tell how clean it was and out in the open, it could’ve been tampered with, but what was the chance of that?

  Knave dipped his hand in and took a sip. It didn’t seem bad. He took off his canteen, which hung by a shoulder strap, and dunked it into the barrel, holding it there until the air bubbles disappeared. As Alexa caught up, he took her canteen from her and filled it as well. He did the same for Brigita’s and Cassia’s.

  It was an afterthought, but Alexa was reminded of the pails – or buckets that she saw in the barn. They’d probably had some unpleasant things in them, but if she and Knave brought them here, they could take water back to wash.

  Knave was on his best behaviour on their way back to the barn and he was more guarded about his humour. It made Alexa wonder if he was angry at her.

  She shared her idea with him about the buckets, and once they were back, spoke with Brigita and Cassia about it. Everyone was eager for a chance to wash, even if it was from one of the grubby pails.

  The farmhouse was still quiet when they returned, and deserted so far as they could see. They quickly rinsed out and filled the buckets, and hauled them back to the barn.

  “Do you want to go back for the goat? It might make a decent stew?” Knave asked, switching the pail between hands when it started to cut into his palm.

  Alexa hauled the other one with both hands, half-dragging it along the ground. “No, it might be a pet and it looked happy there.” She heard him snuffle. “Besides, I don’t want to kill their animals. I would rather hunt along the way than steal from the farm.”

  He responded, “very well, but we’re likely going to be hungrier because of it.”

  Cassia responded with a happy cheer when she heard the barn door open and noticed Alexa and Knave hauling in buckets of water.

  “I don’t want to risk filling these again,” Knave said, “not to mention they’re bloody heavy. Two of us use each bucket.”

  Cassia lit a tiny spark of fire that hovered over her hand. She used it to illuminate the buckets. “Tip the lot into one and use just enough to wash in the other. I don’t want to share water after all that walking!”

  Brigita smiled, “that’s a good idea and the buckets look big enough.”

  Even though it was dark in the barn, Knave was encouraged to take a walk outdoors while the women bathed. He kept watch for trouble outside, breathing in the cool night air. After a while, he sat down tiredly on the ground and rested until Cassia came out to find him. She was dressed in the same clothing, but she seemed in a much brighter mood.

  “Brigita and Alexa are done now, if you want to come back in. The water is cold but refreshing.”

  He gave Cassia a smile, likely unnoticed in the dark and made his way back inside. With the door open, he had just enough moonlight to see a clear path to the bedrolls, and where the women sat in the dark.

  “We left you the rest of the bucket here,” Alexa said, indicating the bucket in question. “This one is clean.”

  The other was sitting against the wall, but they hadn’t emptied it out. There was a patch of water on the ground and several bundles of wet cloth.

  “Are you ladies going to leave me alone to wash?”

  Brigita answered, “Yes we are.”

  Knave seemed to appreciate the gesture, but it was mainly because he’d wondered if they would insist he wash outside. There had been a lot less privacy at the prison, but they didn’t need to know that. Knave waited until the priestesses were gone, then he made his way over to the clean bucket.

  The priestesses stood under the star-filled sky, all looking more comfortable and at ease than they had before.

  Brigita smiled. “You know, this reminds me of the farm I lived on growing up. It was a lot like this. My family used to keep horses.”

  Cassia only knew pieces of Brigita’s history, and she was pleased to see that Brigita had some happy memories.

  “Would you like to move back to a place like this one day?” Cassia asked.

  The elder priestess considered the idea. “Maybe. I’ll have to see what happens.”

  It seemed odd to Alexa that they would discuss this at all. Joining the order was a lifelong commitment, and even in old age, priestesses usually remained at the temple, cared for by the younger initiates. Only a rare priestess was granted accommodation outside the temple grounds and it was known that their distance could make them vulnerable. Perhaps recent events had changed their perceptions of the possibilities.

  “If I had a family to live with while they tended the farm, then I would consider it, but I don’t anymore. However, these last two days are longer than I have spent away from the temple in the last few years and the freedom agrees with me, despite my aching bones and the circumstances that brought us here. I would like to see more of the world as it now is. I think when I reach Kelbani, and after we have dealt with necessary matters, I’ll ask the Arch-Magister if I can move. I know there are risks at the moment, but there are other places in the kingdom that are bound to be safer. I would like to live in the country, and travel between homesteads, bringing religion to the people and helping them out. I think you two should also consider where your futures might take you. If you’re willing to take on a position of greater responsibility, you may find the option available.

  Cassia looked uncertain about this, and Alexa knew why.

  It’s because of Josef.

  Cassia missed him, but Alexa had already noticed a loosening of her tension in the last day as they’d travelled further from Kalle.

  Alexa found herself divided on whether it would be a good thing or a bad one to become a higher-ranking sister of the order, or for Cassia to take on a higher role.

  I think it would either give you purpose or you’d feel more trapped than ever. Perhaps both?.

  Alexa knew Cassia was a good person, but she had broken rules that shouldn’t be broken, and Alexa had a feeling that if Cassia grew in the ranks, not only would she be facing a greater punishment if word got out about Josef, but Cassia might also become more trapped in her temple life. If she was going to make a choice, she should do it soon. Alexa didn’t want her sister to be unhappy, but nothing was certain, sure or safe anymore.

  Cassia still seemed to be working out her feelings.

  Alexa’s own feelings were no less complicated, but not for the same reasons. She wanted to protect her sister, and do what was good and right for the Sisters of Destiny, but darkness had crept in. She w
anted to see the Nemorans dealt with, and she wanted to play a part in bringing them down. It had been a long time since she’d considered what she as a person wanted beyond serving the order. She found herself attracted to Knave, even though it may have been in part because he felt available to her. There was more to Alexa than the priestess. There was a young woman beneath the surface, wanting to live a life of meaning, and craving romance she couldn’t have. In some ways the Sisters of Destiny had closed as many doors as they’d opened. Perhaps this was the way Cassia felt too, but Alexa had never been one to recklessly open doors; not when she felt she must preserve what she held dear, and that included her own honour. It was just hard to view honour the way she’d been taught without being judgmental of her sister, because of all the people in the world she didn’t want to judge, it was Cassia.

  “Let’s just do what we must. The future will take care of itself,” Alexa said.

  “Alright,” Cassia said, glad of a suggestion she could manage. So much else seemed difficult right now.

  Brigita accepted this idea at face value, not probing further, though it was unclear whether she sensed the ladies’ uncertainty.

  A lot had happened and it was hard to make plans when they weren’t even sure where they’d end up a day from now. Despite their concerns, the path they were on felt good and right, given the circumstances. The door of the barn opened and Knave walked out looking clean and refreshed, with a new set of clothes.

  “Thank you for the privacy. It feels good to be clean again.”

  He looked up at the sky, noticing one star flickered brighter than the rest over the mountains.

  “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to draw the attention of the priestesses to it.

  “Oh my,” Brigita said, watching it with interest. “It signals a ritual is taking place that uses starlight.”

  Alexa looked surprised, “I know of none that do.”

  Cassia stared at it for a long moment, also unsure.

  Brigita tried to explain. “A ritual such as this has great power to influence the attributes of magick, as they’re expressed in the world. I can only hope that it’s in our favour rather than to our detriment.”

  Glances were exchanged, and all but Brigita’s appeared confused.

  “It means,” Brigita said, “I’m not sure what it means.”

  Cassia smiled at this.

  Brigita tried to clarify, but it was difficult.

  “If you imagine magick as water, it can have several forms. At room temperature it’s wet, but when it’s cold enough, water can turn to ice. There are times it can condense and join the clouds. Magick is like this too in that its consistency can be altered. It can’t be taken away, but it could be made harder to draw upon, more concentrated or even watered down so its effects are weaker.

  It’s not something most people would know how to influence and for good reason. It’s an ancient form of high magick that’s known to a select few, and it isn’t easily cast, as I understand it.”

  Cassia was worried, but at least magick couldn’t go away entirely. “It might be a good sign that the star is over Kelbani,” Cassia said.

  “That’s what I’m thinking too,” Brigita added, watching it flicker in the night sky.

  After some time spent watching the star, knowing there was nothing they could do about it for the time being, they returned to the barn to sleep.

  Cassia, Alexa, Brigita and Knave slept fitfully through the night, and awakened later than they’d intended. As Cassia fully woke, she heard a hammering noise coming from the yard outside.

  “What’s that?” she asked Alexa in a concerned whisper, and hurried to the back wall of the barn to peer outside. A man was hammering in fence posts on the other side of the paddock.

  “I think it’s the farmer who owns this place,” Cassia added.

  Once Alexa saw outside too, she quickly went about packing up her belongings, just as the others did. The group had gathered up their belongings and were back on the road within minutes. They could see a distant lone figure – a child, making his or her way up the mountain track ahead of them. The farmer didn’t follow them and there was no sign of anyone else.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Knave, Cassia, Alexa and Brigita followed the mountain paths up toward the city of Kelbani, and found the way gradually grew steeper. They stayed off the road for as long as they could, but it became increasingly hard to make their way over land.

  Alexa used her air spell during the journey and tried to contact as many priestesses as possible who were unaccounted for. The sisters recalled finding many passed away in the temple, but there were some who might’ve escaped, such as Brigita’s students and those they didn’t see, including the Arch-Magister, Calla Orelle. Alexa couldn’t remember many of the younger students, but of those she tried, she received no response nor sense of them. It was disheartening, but the sisters felt it was right to try.

  The way ahead turned more treacherous, taking a greater toll on the priestesses and Knave.

  “The tracks are only going to get harder to climb from this point on, and we’re already finding them difficult,” Knave said, taking a much-needed rest. “I think we ought to get back on the trade road for a while. If anyone confronts us, we’ll have to deal with them. We’re all armed and you have magick, so we’re not exactly vulnerable.”

  Cassia examined her blistered feet, cleaning the road dust off with a little water.

  “They may not even have reason to suspect we are who we are,” Cassia said.

  Alexa considered the range of options, knowing this might be the move the Nemorans were waiting for. However, there was also a chance they weren’t being followed now at all.

  “I don’t want to put us in unnecessary danger, but I’m tired of feeling like prey. Given a choice between the climb or the road, possibly with cultists, I would also choose the road. We can’t climb well but we can fight if we need to.”

  Brigita wasn’t in such a hurry to take an aggressive stance, but she was prepared to take a bolder course. “Let’s return to the road and see how it looks. If it’s clear, we can stay on it for a while. How far to Kelbani now?” she asked Knave.

  “Still a way yet, but not that far,” he said. “The road it is.”

  The trail they’d taken led past a rocky outcropping and eventually to the road. Even had they not taken it, they all knew the way. They were on the mountain now. There was no sign of anyone else travelling on the trade road as they stepped cautiously out into the open. It was still before noon and they didn’t encounter an ambush or any threats by the time the sun set. They didn’t see an inn, so they wondered if they’d passed another one when they were keeping off the road. The visit to the farmhouse in the hills had replenished their water supply enough that they weren’t at imminent risk of running out. Cassia had caught and killed a rabbit, and cooked it using her fire sorcery. Knave took a walk while she did this and she didn’t insist he remain. She was pleased to see him sit back down and share in the meal when he returned.

  The same star flickered in the night sky again, noticed by all. Knave seemed to have a better understanding of magick than he’d initially let on, but not with regard to this.

  “So how can magick be affected?” Alexa asked Brigita, as she watched the pulsating light, again above the mountain. “I thought magick was a constant but you speak of it as if the rules can be changed by anyone powerful enough.”

  Brigita seemed reluctant to speak of it in the presence of everyone there. “I’m not sure there’s much I can tell you about this, m’dear.”

  The look in her eyes suggested to Alexa that she had some knowledge of the subject, but she was reluctant to talk about it.

  Either she doesn’t like talking with Knave here or she might be sworn to secrecy on the subject? That was Alexa’s best guess.

  Brigita was silent for a moment before she spoke. “I would encourage you to ask Magister Kelcedone when we reach Kelbani. I suspect she might explain to y
ou in ways I cannot, Alexa.”

  The blonde priestess considered the air spell she’d tried to teach the other ladies. “What about now? She said to contact her again when we’re close.”

  Brigita gave a small shake of her head. “Now might not be an appropriate time. It gave Alexa reassurance that the Sisters of Destiny might be behind the spell, but if so, what were they trying to accomplish? She understood Brigita’s reasons to not contact the Magister at this precise moment. If she was in the midst of a delicate ritual, now was most certainly not the time.

  “I’m going to rest now I think,” Brigita said. “I’m tired. Please wake me when it’s time for my watch.”

  The elder sister returned to her blanket, and settled down to try and get some sleep.

  I think she may be trying to avoid discussing this further.

  Alexa could see the way this journey wore on Brigita, and it was even running her into the ground, and she was fitter and much younger than the elder sister.

  Knave sat down on his own bedroll, sighing because he felt so tired and sore that he could hardly move.

  Alexa didn’t want to risk falling asleep, so she walked around the camp perimeter, keeping watch and listening out for sounds that shouldn’t be there. She didn’t see or hear any, just her companions as they tried to get some rest.

  They were not attacked through the night, though Knave had eaten what was left of the rabbit before the sun rose. It was possible that Cassia had removed their only nearby threat with her fireball, but uncertainty lingered. Not long after dawn, they were once again on the road, making their way through the frosty morning and further up the mountain. It was said that when you got high enough into the mountains, you could make out the city of Kalle in the distance on a clear day. Alexa looked out many times from the southern side of the mountain, but she saw nothing but the land, farms dotting the landscape and the trade road disappearing into the distance. It was mid-morning before they neared the entrance to the pass that would take them through to the city of Kelbani.