“Reina, honey, I need to run back to the academy and then we’ll have dinner, okay?” she smiled forcefully, unhooking the latch on the door. From somewhere on the other side of the bed she could hear a mumble from Reina, her words unintelligible as she continued to play with her doll. Not wanting to distract her, Leyna quietly slipped into the hallway, dragging her feet dejectedly along the floor and back out into the street toward the school.
She barely recognized herself in the reflection staring back at her in the mirror, make-up outlining her eyes. Their deep blue color shone brilliantly against the soft tan of her skin, the presence of the Vor’shai energy inside her strengthening their glow like tiny sapphire lights sparkling inside them. Her borrowed dress hung somewhat awkwardly off her slender form, the curves not quite fitting to her own. The lace lining the neckline stuck out across her chest, tailored to fit the matured body of the human girl who had loaned it to her. Pressing it down against her skin with a sigh she looked around the room, hoping to find something with which she could use to fill it in.
“The shoes might be a little big, but I’m sure we can stuff some cloth in the toes and you’ll hardly know the difference,” a young human girl smiled, offering out a dainty pair of silver high-heeled slippers. Leyna accepted them graciously, looking them over in awe. The fabric was well sewn, putting her ragged old shoes to shame with their design.
Bending forward, she slipped the shoes onto her feet, her toes sliding down into the tip, leaving a large gap between the back of the shoe and her heel. With a careful step she tried to move forward, nearly walking right out of them. “I think they’re more than a little big,” she sighed. The human girl chuckled to herself, grabbing up a bolt of grey fabric from the table.
Carefully, she dragged a pair of scissors across a line of the fabric, separating two sections from the rest. Folding them into tiny squares, she knelt down at Leyna’s feet, placing a piece in the toes of each shoe before sliding them back on her to see how they fit. “The goal is to make you look older and more mature. Bigger is fine, as long as we can compensate for the difference well enough to make it look believable. How is that?”
“Strange,” Leyna laughed uncomfortably, moving about the room with cautious steps. “I feel like I will fall over at any moment on these things.”
“Well, don’t do that. We aren’t finished yet,” the girl giggled, moving over to stop Leyna from walking. Turning her, she tugged at the neckline, her brow furrowed in concentration. She grabbed up the bolt of fabric once again, going to work cutting out several more pieces, tossing the scissors absently down to the floor at their feet.
Leyna inhaled nervously at the feeling of the girl stuffing the pieces of fabric into her corset, uncertain about the idea of altering her appearance to such a degree. The more they added, the more difficult it would be to keep up the façade until her own body managed to fill itself in.
Stepping back to admire her work, the young girl nodded in approval, guiding Leyna over toward the mirror once again. Leyna blinked in surprise, speechless at the sight, a soft smile passing over her lips. The padding filled out the excess material of the bodice, boosting her just enough to make it look like a natural fit. The silver fabric of the dress still hung awkwardly around her waist, the fancy skirt barely brushing the floor from where it dragged before, lifted up by the slight heel of her shoes.
“I have a belt somewhere that might make the waistline look a little less – lacking,” the girl smiled. Her long legs carried her over to a large wooden wardrobe on the other side of the room. Leyna watched her, jealous of her figure. If she had legs like hers, there wouldn’t be any need to stuff anything. Pulling open the doors, the girl began to rifle through the contents, pausing occasionally to look at something before continuing her search.
Entranced by the transformation that had taken place with herself, Leyna’s confidence started to rebuild itself with every second she spent admiring her reflection. She was convinced she was capable of pulling off such a masquerade. It would take some work, but it wouldn’t be impossible. No one should be seeing her unclothed anyway to know that any of it was fake. “Cady, I am forever in your debt for this. You are far too kind,” she smiled, twirling around in front of the mirror.
“Don’t thank me yet,” the girl mumbled, distracted by something inside the wardrobe. “You still have to convince everyone that all this stuffing is really you. I can’t help you with that.”
Moving away from the drawers, she carried a silver belt over to Leyna, holding it out against the fabric of the dress to see how it looked. The polished surface shimmered in the light of the sun as it shined through the window, revealing the fine craftsmanship of the design. Each link had been carefully entwined with the next, creating a delicate pattern of chainwork from end to end. Wrapping it around Leyna’s waist, she connected the links tightly together, leaving a long strand to dangle off to the side.
“Perfect,” Leyna beamed, smoothing out the folds of the skirt. “I can barely notice the looseness.” Pressing the sides of the dress with her hands, she gazed distractedly at her thin waistline, wishing there was some way to make her hips look more defined, while at the same time knowing such a thing would be ridiculous. They will hardly notice your lack of curves when you get into the military armor. This is only necessary to get myself signed on.
“You look good with make-up. You should take some with you and wear it regularly. It makes you look much older.” Licking her finger, Cady wiped off a smear of eye liner from Leyna’s cheek, looking her over with a scrutinizing gaze. “Looking like this, you’ll have those military men eating out of your hand in no time.”
She shifted her shoulders back, wrapping the cloak around her, never taking her eyes off the mirror while securing the clasp in place. It wasn’t the finest quality of material, but it was good enough to serve the purpose she needed it for. The price tag had been the most important thing, and she’d managed to convince the merchant to lower the cost into a range she could afford. “I hope you’re right,” she sighed, turning around to face her friend. “It is about time for me to head off. How do I look?”
“Like the next recruit of the Siscalian military,” Cady smiled, wrapping her arms around Leyna in a warm hug. “You promise me you’ll be careful. We’re all worried about you.”
“Don’t be. Regardless of what happens; this will be a dream come true for me. I am getting a chance to see the world and maybe even make something of myself.” Squeezing Cady gently, Leyna pulled back, looking her friend over with a smile. “I only wish you could come with me. This trip will be awful by myself.”
Cady chuckled quietly, shaking her head in disagreement. “I would be terrible company, and an even more terrible soldier. Trust me; you’ll be so focused on getting through the desert on the eastern end of the country that you’ll hardly notice you’re alone.”
“I hope you’re right,” Leyna nodded, stepping toward the door. Her entire body was filled with nervous excitement about the trip, anxious to see the world and yet fearful she would lose her way. The terrain of the desert was known to be difficult to traverse, the endless expanse of sand drawing out in all directions as far as the eye could see. Many tales of lost travelers had been told over the years. Most people no longer dared make the journey without first traveling north to Tanispa, adding several days to the trip. The desert was the quickest route – and the most perilous.
“Take care of yourself. I promise to write.” With a final wave she stepped out of the dormitory door, unsteady on her feet from the awkwardness of the heels on her shoes. Keeping along the back of the building, she hoped to avoid notice by the other students, not wanting to draw attention to herself that would alert Blaise to her presence. She didn’t have the patience to handle his attempts at convincing her not to leave. Her mind was already far away with thoughts of escaping the wretched heat of Carpaen and his unwanted affections.
Her horse was still saddled and hitched to the post near the street.
With trembling hands she fumbled over her packs, making sure her food and water was still where she’d left it. Tucking her map into the front compartment of her bag, she hoisted herself up onto the horse, struggling to settle into the saddle. It felt out of place to ride in such a fashion, her legs straddling its back. At the academy they’d stressed the preference for women to ride sidesaddle. Any other way was considered unladylike, but to make the trip in such a dainty manner was out of the question. The unbalanced position would make it more difficult to perform a hasty escape if it became necessary.
She’d said her farewells to Reina earlier that morning on the orphanage steps, her pouting lips still vivid in Leyna’s mind. Although she’d seemed sad to see Leyna go, she’d also been looking forward to playing with the other children, her innocent thoughts not wrapping around the seriousness of their situation. Her happiness was all that mattered, however, and the fact that she had others to take care of her and keep her company was enough to calm Leyna’s aching heart at leaving her behind. In defense of her own actions, she argued it was not deserting Reina to leave her in the care of the orphanage. The idea wasn’t to leave her there forever. When circumstances allowed, she would come back for her. It was just a matter of saving up enough money to make it possible.
It was at least a three day ride to the Siscal border from Carpaen, requiring her to set up camp for the evening in the desert. Continuing to travel through the night was too risky. To do so increased her chances of veering off course without the position of the sun to guide her in the right direction, the landscape too barren and open, nothing setting one path apart from the next. She glanced up at the sky, seeing the sun already sinking from its peak. It would take her until morning to reach the main stretch of the desert, allowing her to ride throughout the night along the road, shaving nearly an entire day’s ride from her journey.
Anxious to be away from the city, she dug her heels into the horse’s sides, calling out for it to move. It started at a slower pace, weaving through the curves of the streets until she reached the less densely populated outskirts, snapping the reins to pick up speed.
The feeling of the wind on her face was a welcome relief from the afternoon sun beating down on her from up above. The air was arid and dust-filled; a constant reminder of the dreadful landscape. Rain was a rarity, making crops difficult to grow around the city, while the dryness made it easy for a weary traveler to experience dehydration if they weren’t cautious with how they rationed their water.
When the sun finally set, Leyna could already feel the tug of fatigue on her body. Sleep had been impossible the night before, eluding her despite her attempts to welcome it. Images of the life she prayed for in Siscal haunted her vision like dreams to her waking mind. She’d never been there before; the only pictures of it she had to go by were drawings from books in the library of the academy.
Wiping her eyes tiredly, she tried to focus her vision on the road ahead. The horse’s pace had slowed, the steady sound of its hooves on the ground echoing through the emptiness surrounding her, hypnotic in its rhythm. Trees were becoming scarcer with every mile, slowly giving way to the desert. As the sun began to peek back over the horizon, she brought the horse to a halt, climbing down to stretch her legs in hopes of regaining her senses from the overwhelming need to lay down and fall asleep in the warm sand.
The light of day changed everything about the endless expanse of land. From where she stood at the side of her horse, she could see no end in sight, the heat of the sun already starting to warm her face. Uncertain of what sort of obstacles may lie ahead, she dug through her bags for the protection of her sword, her fingers wrapping naturally around the thick leather of her scabbard. She strapped it around her waist, paying little attention to the lack of fashion it held against her dress, caring only that it would be readily accessible if she had need of it.
Restless to get moving again, she struggled against the height of her horse, straining the muscles in her arms to lift back up into the saddle. Every moment seemed to increase the temperature, sweat dripping from her brow. She was desperate for any respite from the heat. Urging the horse on, she snapped the reins, grateful for the sensation of the wind in her hair, still warm, though granting a slight relief from the dryness.
As the sun started to set, she became increasingly aware of the outline of the mountains starting to take shape in the distance. With the quickly fading light, the air began to cool for the evening, minimal, but enough to make it more bearable. Bringing the horse to a stop, she lowered herself down into the sand, lying back to gaze up at the sky. Her head reeled from exhaustion. Her thoughts were cloudy and jumbled. It felt wonderful to lay there, her muscles relaxing into the warm ground. She could feel her eyelids growing heavy, though she knew she couldn’t allow herself to sleep quite yet.
Groggily she climbed back to her feet, stumbling over her high heels in the soft sand. Why had she chosen to wear them so soon? A flat sole would’ve been more convenient for the ride. That shows how clearly I was thinking about things.
From inside her travel pack, she pulled out a small pan, pouring water into it from her canteen. Patting her horse gently on the neck, she placed the pan on the ground in front of it, watching it lap up the water greedily.
She stared off into the distance, trying to picture in her mind what Siscal would look like on the other side of the mountains. They appeared so close and yet were so far away. Their massive silhouette blocked out the entirety of the horizon beyond them, creating a wall between her and her destination. The sudden feeling of something sliding over her foot caused her to jump in surprise, crying out at the sight of a tiny snake slithering across her shoe. Kicking her foot wildly, she sent the creature soaring through the air, landing in the sand with a soft thud some distance away.
A shiver coursed through her while watching the snake skitter at an angle across the ground. Still feeling a tingle where it touched her, she shook her foot again to rid herself of the sensation. “Yuck, yuck, yuck,” she muttered disgustedly, snatching up the empty water pan. Waving it to the side, she shook out the last few remaining droplets of water before stuffing it back into her travel pack.
It took significantly more effort than before to get back onto the horse, her muscles trembling and fatigued. The thought of lying down on the sand with the snake brought a harsh shudder over her body. Somehow it managed to make the idea of sleep seem less enticing to her aching limbs.
With her newfound desire to keep moving, she weighed her options carefully, recognizing the danger in attempting the final stretch in the dark. Every argument was laid to rest with the promise of the mountains still visible in the distance, acting as a guiding point to help her in her way. The cooler air made the journey more comfortable. It would be easier to tolerate the desert without the intensity of the heat. She didn’t want to sleep. Every step forward brought her closer to a new life, creating possibilities which would allow her to make something of herself. It was worth the risk. The faster she could make it to those mountains, the better.
Her wandering mind distracted her throughout the night. She was oblivious to the slight change in the terrain, the sand giving way to heavier gravel. An occasional tree jutted up from the ground, the height of the mountains growing more intimidating at her approach. At the soft light of the sun brightening the area around her, she was surprised to see how far she had traveled, the landscape beginning to slope upward in a steady incline into the mountains.
Excitement welled up inside her at the realization that she had made it through the desert to the border of Siscal, the wretched heat of Carpaen now behind her. She could feel her horse struggling against her directions. It was no doubt exhausted from the long journey. Speaking gently, she tried to urge it forward, snapping the reins to push it faster. It did nothing but shake its head in irritation. Though the speed wasn’t the same as its refreshed pace from when they started the trip, it moved steadily up the incline of the trail, dragging its hooves along the rocks.<
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From somewhere in the mountains she could hear a strange howl echoing through the air, sending shivers down her spine. The unfamiliar terrain made her uneasy, uncertain of what wildlife inhabited the area. Everything was far different from that of Carpaen. The shifting climate between warm and cold created a much more livable environment for many species not seen back home.
She slowed her pace, hoping the horse’s hooves would cease their loud clattering over the hard ground. Her eyes darted from side to side, vigilant for any sign of the creature that could have made the noise. The air was eerily silent, devoid of even the flutter of the wind in the leaves of the trees. Through the quiet, she suddenly caught the sound of rocks scattering about the road from behind her. Turning her head, she cried out in surprise, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of a large beast lumbering toward her.
Its eyes glowed yellow even through the bright light of the late morning sun shining down from above. Brown fur covered its body, the lithe figure resembling a large cat while the face was contorted into a shape she had never seen before. The snout protruded grotesquely, sharpened fangs overlapping its blackened lips. Each digit of its paws extended beyond that of the beasts she was accustomed to, the claws arching to a sharp point where it connected with the ground on every step it took.
The beast remained on all fours while approaching her until it was nearly ready to strike, rising onto its hind legs to an impressive height, towering above her on her horse. Crying out in panic, she thought to push her horse forward, finding it already jolted into motion at a brisk pace around the mountainside. The uneven ground made it difficult for the horse to keep its footing, forced to decrease its speed to keep from falling. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see the foul beast gaining on her again, the horse no match for its agile form.
The Myatheira Chronicles: The Vor'shai: From the Ashes (Volume 1) Page 3