"Don't know for sure," Estrid mimicked. "Well there you go. So maybe we could try and go to speak with them sooner after all. Wouldn't it be best to have the turtles with us when we— well, you know. And Tris could come to, so Arrin wouldn't complain."
"It's tortoise," Lucian corrected.
Estrid scoffed. "As if there's a difference."
I finally interjected. "I think it's a good idea for you to come, for Arrin's sake, if you like Estrid. But I'm afraid Lucian's right about the cold. Gael went himself to check and Yurei nearly caught his death in the flight, and he didn't even get within miles of where the city's supposed to reside. That's why we're so sure." I paused, pressing my lips together. "You know Gael offered to go with, instead of you, Lucian. Maybe we should consider it. Not just because of Arrin. But with Luffie. And since Yurei's already flown part of the way. It might be better if you didn't leave for the sake of the war as well."
"What about the rulers?" Estrid asked, sounding nervous at the proposition. "I thought Lucian helped to represent Yanartas."
I smiled a little, not wanting to voice what Lucian then did.
"They don't care about helping Yanartas. Only Shaundakul. And... well, it isn't as if Ellia doesn't know how to handle political situations."
"I would be fine in that respect," I agreed.
But Estrid frowned. And Lucian joined her, shaking his head. "No," he said, "I think we'd better go with you, Ellia."
"I've got an idea," Estrid announced suddenly, lifting a finger. "Why don't we all go, the four of us. Then it might actually be fun."
I smiled hopefully. Considering how dangerous things might be by then, I doubted any trip to Genbu could be anything resembling fun.
I saw that we were nearly to the entrance of the city and got an inexplicable knot in my stomach. I pushed it off, nodding to my two friends. "We don't have to decide now. Isn't the whole point that we have too much time?"
Lucian rocked his head.
Estrid pursed her lips, then said, "Well, fine, but Lucian stop telling Arrin his wings will freeze off."
I really did laugh then. Soon after Lucian asked whether Luffie and I would be able to train in flying techniques later on in the night. I already knew she was feeling fine, so I said that we could. We were walking in through the base of the complex now, and I heard the Yanartian that had led the other recruits saying something about where they should go off to now.
I stayed steadily behind Estrid and Lucian. They were talking about their afternoon plans (all training) when we reached the line for the lift. It wasn't long, but I hesitated and looked back behind me.
The new recruits were just the smallest group among hundreds crowding the city floor. Their guide had already left them and most of them had begun to disperse. Expect for one; I wasn't really surprised at all to see him standing there watching me. He stood out so blatantly among the colorful blend of foreigners surrounding him, and Yanartian fires, the largest of which wasn't far from where he waited.
His head turned only seconds after I'd looked his way. Then his gaze shifted a few different places, then he walked on in almost the opposite direction of me. I felt my throat constricting, before Estrid called to me.
"Are you coming, Ellia?"
I glanced back at her. It obviously wasn't much of a question; she'd only been calling my attention, but I looked over the empty space beside her and Lucian, then I shook my head. "I... no," I said. "I'm going..." I started walking backwards. "I forgot I meant to see Minstrel at the blacksmith. I'll meet you up later."
She blinked once, but then shrugged, told me to let him know she'd give him all the songs he'd asked for from the festival at dinner, then turned back to her conversation with Lucian. He reminded me about the training before he left.
I didn't pause a second to head towards the Kanthian recruit, but I did slow my steps a little once I'd gotten close—more to match his crawling pace than anything.
"You know, I think you're going the wrong way," I said, disapprovingly.
The Kanthian, Cole—as suddenly as he had jumped at times back in the grove, he jumped at the sound of my voice. And then he looked directly at me. The fire awarded me a clean view of his eyes, which went from wide to conservative very quickly.
"Did you know that?" I pressed on.
He watched me for some seconds longer, then I spoke before he could answer.
"Do you want me to show you where to go?" I asked.
He narrowed, keeping his gaze so hard on me, that I considered I might have been wrong determining that his eyes weren't very deep when I had last night. Instead of speaking, he just nodded.
I gave a matching nod, straightening up, then I lifted my chin and gestured him onwards—opposed to where he'd been headed before. We passed the bonfire at the center of the square and I caught him glancing at it. I cleared my throat. "That's a Yanartian fire. Are you wondering how it's lit even though there isn't any wood? That's because of the hole in the ground underneath. There's a maze of tunnels beneath the surface of the island, running through with vapors. It's when they mix with the air that they turn to flames like that. Some people think it's magic, but it's not."
He watched it while I spoke, but at these last words, he looked over at me. I couldn't see his eyes anymore past the shadow. "You don't?" he asked.
I frowned, narrowing. "I've just told you that I didn't, haven't I?"
He stared for another moment, then nodded.
I walked on. "Cole, I'm beginning to think you don't know very much about Yanartas at all. First you think I'm the one to go to for directions in Byako; now you don't know about the fires. Isn't that a little strange when you've come all the way here?" We continued to pass through the bustle; periodically greeted. "Isn't Kanth rather far?" I added.
"Yes," he answered eventually.
"So?" I pressed on.
He paused. "I came to fight Akadia."
I looked at him again, whereas he was already watching me. It was strange. From his responses, I would have assumed he wasn't paying much attention to me—but then he was always staring as if he were paying express attention.
"Well, that's a good reason, I suppose," I said, thinking in my mind that it was the best of reasons. Then I realized we were almost to the barracks, where he would join the force and be assigned a place to sleep. I tipped my head to it. "That's where you're meant to go. Just so you're aware, it's best not to hold back at all. We let anyone join, but they'll put you somewhere where you won't see a lot of fighting if they think you'll be in too much danger."
He nodded.
I glanced him over. "Goodbye then," I said.
Receiving no response, I was about to turn around when he spoke.
"Um... princess?"
I lifted my brows patiently.
He cleared his throat, actually bringing his hand up in the process, then he went on. "I was wondering if you would show me around the rest of the city?... I mean, since I know so little about Yanartas and everything. And since, you know so much..."
I considered him over carefully, trying not to narrow. It really... The truth of it was that besides Estrid, Lucian, and Minstrel, there wasn't really anyone that ever sought my presence. Well, Gael sometimes, and Luffie of course. I didn't mind though— not at all. In fact I considered it my own fault since it had started after Cyric... and, I didn't care for the same reason anyways. But now here was this Kanthian being rather persistent about it.
In the end, the fact was, that as princess, I wouldn't have refused anyone asking me such a favor. And so I agreed.
CYRIC:
"So, yes, you're actually lucky being on the ground," Ellia went on, "at least, for the winter, because it means you're near the fires. Oh, and also the snow," she pointed, "Did you notice before how it doesn't cover the ground?"
I nodded, completely absorbed in her long chains of words and explanations. When they stopped, I asked more questions to keep them coming. We'd journeyed through the entire base of the city, an
d even up two levels higher—where the training places for the foreign recruits resided, but still nowhere near where the Warrior's lived. We were walking now through fields of gardens just outside the complex walls, which supported the population with food.
"That's because of the volcano," she explained, "It heats the ground from within, and keeps it too warm to hold snow. That's also why we can keep some things growing even in the winter. Though... only things that grow in the earth, like potatoes, or carrots. We eat a lot of fish otherwise, and some... well, I can't tell you the rest." She tipped her head. "The other side of the island—further from the volcano, it holds snow just fine. It's very cold. Unless you're taken there for training you shouldn't go; it can be dangerous."
"Do you go there?" I asked—part to keep the conversation, mostly because I was afraid the answer would be yes.
She paused to narrow at me; the way she seemed to no matter what I said—especially if it had to do with her, which it almost always did. "Sometimes," she answered simply.
Then she looked around, seeming to notice, as if for the first time that we were alone in the field. I'd noticed. We'd passed the nearest farmer a while back.
"For a Warrior," she went on, as if her answer needed a defense, "the Yanartian jungle is like a second home. We take most of our trials there."
"Trials?" I repeated quickly, seeing she was considering leaving, "What are those?"
This made her smile pityingly. "The trials are what a training recruit must take to prove themselves as a true Cirali Warrior. Sometimes a person will train for years. Because if you don't pass the trials the first time, you'll never be able to become a Warrior. There are three of them."
"You must not have taken that long to train," I said.
She studied me quizzically—again. But I didn't regret my statement; I'd thought about it first, and it was common enough knowledge how long ago Ellia had become a Cirali Warrior, throughout Byako at least. At first I'd been worried that anything I said might give me away, but I'd realized through the repetition of mentioning such things, that she wasn't ever surprised that I knew, and they worked to make her talk more about herself. Besides, I didn't really want to speak to her as if I didn't know anything about her; it felt like lying, and I would avoid that as much as I could.
"I didn't take long," she admitted. "But I had... well, I had the best trainer. You met him. Lucian Denathar. Remember I told you about ranks? Well, Lucian is first-ranked of the second-order. That means he's first-ranked of the trainers."
It wasn't that I minded talking about Lucian... well, maybe I did, but either way, I preferred to talk about Ellia so I steered the conversation back to her. "Is that the only reason you became a Warrior so quickly?"
Ellia frowned. Which was strange; I thought it was a normal enough question—albeit one that would tell me more about her. "You know, Cole," she said. "It's lucky I feel as if I can trust you, because you're certainly asking a lot of questions." Very suddenly, her chest lifted high, and she even brought her hand closer to her sword. "If you're working for Akadia..."
"No," I argued. I shook my head fast. "No. I swear princess. Don't think that. I hate Akadia. I would never help them."
She didn't move her hand away from her weapon.
I realized the mockery of my words only after I'd said them—but really they weren't a mockery. They were completely true. At least, now they were true, and I wanted to say them to her. I wanted to say them pretending they were what I'd said the moment I'd stepped foot in Akadia.
"Why should someone all the way from Kanth hate Akadia?" she asked, dropping her narrow only a little.
For a moment I lost track of the present. It was her, I thought, staring me down now. Her long braid, hanging across her shoulder. I remembered seeing her look up at me, all chained in her handmaiden's costume in Akadia; I remembered thinking they must have given me the most beautiful girl they had, even before I'd realized it was her. I felt my mouth grimace now.
"They took something from me," I answered.
She blinked, then her hand fell from her sword, though she didn't step back at all. "Did?..." She cut off, growing a deep frown.
I narrowed, uncertain what she meant to say next.
Very suddenly she cleared the expression and stepped back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to react so strongly. And here when I've been the one that was talking on about everything..."
I shook my head, hating to hear any form of apology from her lips.
She looked up at the sky, which was turning grey, then swallowed, looking back at me. "I need to leave now. I've already been gone too long. I think... that you should know, Cole, that I don't usually help new recruits this much. You— you should make your own friends here," she added. "It will be easier than you think."
"But you do train?" I asked, dismissing her words. "You said that earlier when we passed the recruits."
I didn't care if she thought I was strange; I just needed to know I would see her again, and everything would be alright.
She frowned. And then she nodded. "Yes, I train."
ELLIA:
I rushed back to the city in a hurry. I was going to be needed with the Warriors soon, but I really had wanted to visit Minstrel before I went up—and now I most certainly did. I took the shortest path to the blacksmith, which I hadn't honestly visited in a while since I kept so busy during the day.
I crossed my fingers descending the stairs and only relaxed when I saw Minstrel sitting on his stool, plucking at his lyre.
I worked to straighten my features too late; he had already seen them, and he frowned straight away.
"Minstrel—"
I cut off instantly, remembering the significance of my next words. It was something we'd started a while ago; a game of sorts, where whenever we first met each other, whether in passing or after a long separation, we went back and forth, in writing a sort of song. Not really, just words that would end in the right tone for it. "Oh, don't bother rhyming today," I said. "I don't have very long before I have to leave."
"Rhyming, Lady Ellia?" he asked. "On today of all days, with as long as you've been gone... well it's something of which I hardly could conceive."
I narrowed brutally. I warned him with the look, but he added: "Perhaps you could share how the voyage faired?"
"I'll share, how my gnome minstrel dares, think that I might match his stock of rhyming, when I'm less and less good with the... timing."
"That was a strained one," he remarked.
"You'll see my death, before you see this game I've won."
He strummed, and sighed, "Now you're improperly breaking the tense."
"A tense for conversations, Minstrel, is something for which I simply don't have the sense. Oh, Oh, Minstrel. Please. Honestly, I need to see your face, not practice my rhymes."
He smiled, the way he did that lit up his face. I could tell it meant alright. He said, "Tell me," in the calmest fashion.
"It's..." I sighed. Looking over his shop, I found an empty seat on one of his couches. "It's nothing. I just wanted to see you," I said.
Minstrel readapted his frown, then came to sit on the space beside me. "Something in the Tiger's land?" he asked, softly breaking his chain of rhymes.
I narrowed, studying my fingers. Only a moment, then I used them to reach up and take the crown from atop my head. I brought it down into my lap and began watching it there. "I failed when I was there, Minstrel," I admitted. "I thought it would be alright, but now it's gotten worse. I'm not sure I'll get past it. I'm so worried that—"
"Ellia," Minstrel interjected calmly. "I've told you once and again. You are strong. You are a great princess for your people."
"I just want so badly... Minstrel, I've thought.... what if I allowed myself to be captured?" I stuttered out.
His expression darkened; I could see it, even from the corner of my vision, but I spoke on. "Really think of it," I said. "We know that Lox has taken full position. I could go to him. I could... there are a nu
mber of things I could do to get close to him, and then wouldn't I have the chance to..."
I didn't go on, but I saw it in my mind. Stabbing him through.
"I could end it, Minstrel. I could do it myself. How could I do better than that?"
Minstrel remained silent. But he placed a hand over mine, small and gentle.
I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "I hate him, Minstrel. I hate him so much. He's taken everything.... Please tell me that I should go. Please tell me it's the right thing."
I willed him to say it, while he stayed perfectly still. When he finally spoke, it was with his tempered sing-song tone. "You remember the night we spoke of bravery on the mountain?" he asked.
My features scrunched together. I didn't want to think of this night; it was too near to when I'd lost everything.
Minstrel tightened his grip before speaking on. "I want you to choose what will be the bravest thing. And then you will do it. Is it best to give yourself to Lox? Can you succeed?" He touched his fingers to my crown. "This belongs to the princess of Shaundakul. She is my brave friend. She is strong. She will do what is best."
I started crying, and Minstrel fell to shushing me. Patting my head, knowing that I would not allow myself to be captured as I wanted. I didn't know why it had been so hard without Cyric today. But it was too easy to think of going to Lox, probably failing, and without killing him or helping Kraehe. It wouldn't commend me to any higher power. And it would have been a terrible match to how brave Cyric had been.
Sometimes Minstrel said that time would make it better than I could tell; I hoped that he was right. But it was so difficult—when, as it had been with Kraehe, I'd never felt that certainty that I'd lost him at all.
#
Minstrel offered to walk with me back to the top of the complex—since he was leaving already for dinner; and, I suspected, because he was a little nervous I still had plans to fly off to Akadia. But flying off to Akadia was one thing I was never going to be doing; and Luffie proved it by calling for me before Minstrel had even gathered all of his things.
I swallowed. Gave Minstrel a warning to hold off a few minutes before coming topside, then I braved exiting the blacksmith.
Fallen Warrior (Fallen Trilogy book 3) Page 17