Four riders approached the sandstone walls of the temple. Perched on the side of the valley, the walls seemed lit for display, glowing with soft golden light. The road was paved well enough, following the edge of a deep, crystalline lake only to wind its way to the gate houses. The riders paused, taking in the sight from across the water.

‘We’re sure that’s a temple?’ Liam scratched the scruffy red beard he’d been growing since frost. Behind him, the landscape rose and fell in endless valleys, with pools and interconnected rivers and gentle woodlands. Two days’ journey to the North was the town of Welles.

This was a tamed landscape, but it remained beautiful.

The smallest rider was dressed in a warm woolen overcoat in Aramanian style with wide sleeves and a high collar, hood drawn up over her hair. She gave a nod, and with a boldness that hid her shyness, nudged her horse into the lead.

‘We need to get there before dark,’ she gestured to the setting sun behind them and the hill shadows starting to stretch across the ground.

Emily, left to watch as Billy trotted along the edge of the lake glanced to her right at Kyanite. The horselord who looked as out of place in the cultivated landscape as a Nejemese horse amongst a herd of donkeys. She smiled to herself and looked to Liam on her left. With Billy ahead the Skyrider captain nudged her own horse to follow. They caught up with Billy a little after the girl passed under the gateway.

A tall, dark- skinned woman was bent to talk to the noble girl. Dressed in a simple dress of dark green, she planted her hands on her hips. Her gaze roved over the party, lingering on each of the men before fixing on Kyanite.

Guards on the tower, turned to watch the visitors. No weapons drawn, but in easy reach.

‘From what I know of the Temple, they won’t hurt us if we don’t make any threat,’ Emily reminded Liam beneath her breath. She dismounted, stretched and took the chance to sign to Kyan calm.

‘Why do I get the feeling, they’d drop us before we realized we were a threat?’ Liam muttered back and swung down beside her.

‘Because they’re elite,’ Emily returned, ‘they take the protection of the women and children within these walls seriously.’

The Captain drew a breath and led her horse forward, closing the distance between herself and Billy.

‘Welcome, to our Temple,’ The dark-skinned woman signed the Ontari word for Welcome to Kyan, her gaze lingering on the man before she smiled at Emily.

‘I understand that you are seeking Elyna, of the House Griffin?’

Emily glanced to Billy who nodded quickly.

‘I am,’ she replied, and met the woman’s dark gaze. ‘I am Emily Le’Sark. I’ve known Elyna since birth, she is sister to me in all but blood.’ Emily drew an uneasy breath. This was their best lead, if Ely wasn’t here, where was she? ‘If she is here, I would speak with her?’

The Sister inclined her head, ‘I am Lanette, and I do not have authority to grant your request.’

Emily felt her heart sink, warring with the hope that Elyna might be nearby.

‘But you are all welcome to rest here, overnight. We will provide stabling for your horses, beds, water and food.’ She gestured to the courtyard in which they stood. The main gate led back to the road. To the right hand side was a long, low wooden building that looked a lot like a bunkhouse. Beside it was an empty corral for horses, stocked with fresh hay.

‘I will make enquiries for you…please stay, rest, use this space as you see fit.’ She pointed then to a further, large metal door leading further into the keep. ‘I advise you do not venture beyond our open temple without permission. The men may not pass that threshold at all.’ She pointed then to the guards, ‘death finds any man who ventures into our sanctuary.’

‘Thank you,’ Emily glanced at Liam and Kyan, ‘we will accept your hospitality.’

‘Then I will see you in the morning, miss Le’Sark.’

Lanette bowed to each of them then, before moving away, towards the door.

Emily looked at Liam as she led the way to the offered accommodation. He met her gaze.

‘No need to tell me twice,’ he offered as Billy giggled, ‘I won’t be looking at that door, let alone stepping through it.’

Kyan, Emily signaled the man, pointing out the door, no. Death. We wait. She knew that she lacked the skill of her friend, and wished for the hundredth time since setting out, that Elyna was with them.

Two girls approached from the lodge to help tend the horses, shy girls who nevertheless offered a smile to each of the guests, even if they tried keeping their distance from the men. Emily took care to moved slowly, aware that the guards never took their eyes off the party.

Lenette was a good as her word and the evening passed without event. The lodge was bought food. An elderly man was already taking up one of the benches and was joined in the evening by his wife. Their daughter was heavily pregnant, and they eagerly awaited the birth of the grandchild.

Emily found it impossible to sleep, and was on her feet as Lenette bought out a large selection of breakfast foods to the lodge.

The woman smiled at Emily and beckoned her to follow. The Skyrider gestured for the others to stay, peeled off her sword and jogged to catch up with the taller woman.

They slipped through the metal door into a much larger courtyard. There, in the center under a single blossom tree in full bloom, was Elyna.

Emily didn’t wait for any kind of permission. She ran to her friend. Catching her up in her arms, she held Elyna and hugged her tightly.

‘Seven, Ely!’ Emily drew back to look at her friend, watching the mirror of her own tears on the noblewoman’s face, ‘I was so frightened that I’d lost you!’

‘I’m here,’ Ely wrapped her arms around her friend again, ‘I’m safe.’

‘I apologize for the delay, Emily,’ Lenette lingered at the side, hands held behind her back, ‘we had to confirm your welcome with Elyna. It is how we keep the women who find refuge here, safe.’

‘It’s alright,’ Emily tucked her friend’s hair behind her ear, ‘can Kyan see her?’

‘I’m afraid Elyna cannot leave,’ Lenette grimaced, ‘and no man may cross through our threshold.’

Emily swallowed her immediate questions, ‘can we talk?’ She asked quietly, ‘me and Ely, alone?’

‘Of course,’ Lenette gestured to the temple beyond the door. ‘You are free to go wander and talk as you wish. You and Whilemena Cain may also take rooms here? They’re more comfortable. Or you may continue to use the lodge with the rest of your party.’

‘Come,’ Elyna had wiped away her tears and took Emily by the hand. ‘There’s a garden, we can talk there.’


——

They seem like good people,’ Elyna waved back at the stone pillars they’d walked through. Back towards the central inner courtyard of gold flecked stone. The garden was large enough to walk around, with gravel paths boarded with neat little knee-high hedges. There were citrus trees in full blossom with spring plants roaming wild underneath. The green shoots of wild garlic, white snowdrops and an ancient corner of bluebells in a shadier section that housed a large willow tree. Beyond the walls, Emily couldn’t see if more of the temple complex lay beyond, or the particular wilderness of Welles.

‘Why do I get the feeling, if I could get you out of here, you wouldn’t come?’ Emily looped her arm through Elyna’s, walking hip to hip with her friend.

‘It’s my understanding that I can stay here as long as I would like. It must be at least 120 days, but beyond that, the Sisters protect my choices. It’s not unusual for young noblewomen to wait longer before making their commitment.’

Ely,’ Emily shook her head, trying to keep her voice down. ‘What are you doing here, at all?’

‘My Mother invited Crown Prince Garrett, and his army to Ren,’ Elyna paused, her gaze fixed on the wall ahead. They stood in the central axis of the crisscrossing paths. ‘An army of sorcerers, capable of leveling cities, moving mountains, killing thousands,’ Elyna spoke softly, casually, as though discussing the weather. ‘They strolled right through the gate…my Mother would have a Son for a King, and a Daughter as Queen of Aramane.’

Emily stared at her friend.

‘Apparently, Ed has the vote of the Dukes once Marcus is no longer of use,’ Elyna shivered as she drew a breath, the whole situation made her feel white-hot with anger. ‘Did you know, Kee Endor, is Aunt of the Princes’?’ Her voice felt strange to her own ears, higher pitched as Emily could only stare. The words stolen from her tongue.

‘I made a better trade with the Prince,’ Elyna admitted, her gaze dropped to the gravel, crunching beneath their feet. ‘I’m here because I have to serve 120 days. The Prince and I have sworn an oath, bound by magic.’ She swallowed and Emily squeezed her arm, searching those dark eyes for all the thoughts Elyna had whirring.

‘What promise Ely?’ She hardly dared to ask.

‘That I would return willingly, observe his traditions and with hope bear him a child,’ Elyna was watching the floor again.

‘What did he promise in turn?’

‘To leave Renmere with his army. That Aramane would not darken the shadows of our homeland in his lifetime…’

‘Shit,’ Emily’s hands dropped to her sides.

‘Yes,’ Elyna’s mouth twitched into a half- smile as she watched the fall of blossom, ‘we’d best hope he lives a while…’

____

They circled the garden slowly before taking a seat on a low stone bench, surrounded by roses that wouldn’t bloom until the Harvest. Elyna, dressed in breaches and a warm woolen shirt, lent back on her hands, finding the gold stone warmed quickly beneath her palms.

‘Well, I’m staying with you,’ Emily clasped her hands between her knees, she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. ‘That’s simple enough, you’re here, so I’m here too.’

Elyna bit her lip then, lifting her gaze to trace the pale wisps of cloud chasing across a pale sky.

‘I’m going to be here quite a bit longer than my 120 days, Em,’

‘Don’t you want this over with?’ Emily looked at her, ‘sooner you’re married, sooner you can…you know and then you can go home through the gate.’

Elyna shook her head, ‘I’ll be here till…these flowers are in bloom, I think. Harvest…mid-harvest.’

Emily stared at her friend, running the time scale through her thoughts, ‘shit,’ she said again, lifting a hand to her forehead. ‘The prince?’ She hardly dared to believe it.

‘Mal,’ Elyna felt her cheeks burn and forced herself to look back at the sky.

‘But you barely saw him? I didn’t even know the pair of you were on speaking terms, let alone-’

Elyna swallowed her pride, flushed she shrugged her own shoulders, ‘before he was called away we-’ she stumbled on the thought, ‘uhm, we…well…’ She rubbed the back of her neck, ‘whatever it was, it was enough.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Emily stared at her friend, her gaze dropped to Elyna’s middle, there was no sign of a baby, not yet. Harvest was still seasons away.

‘S-stay here,’ Elyna nodded, ‘then…I…’ She blinked quickly, ‘I don’t know Em.’

‘I’ll be here,’ Emily stole her friends fingers from the bench, squeezing them gently, ‘I’m not going anywhere…Ely…I can’t go back through the gate…even next season.’ She watched Elyna in turn, studying the way she frowned in thought, confused.

‘Why?’ The Noblewoman asked eventually.

‘Because…mid-Harvest…’ Emily let out the breath she held, the secret she had kept, ‘sounds about right…’

‘About right for - OH!’ Elyna was on her feet. ‘Em?!’ She gripped took Emily’s hands in her own, struggling not to jump. ‘You?! You’re?!’ She grinned, ‘Really?’ Elyna glanced at the gateway then, ‘Liam?’ She whispered. ‘Are you two getting married? Is he here? Does he know?’

‘Ah…’ Emily returned the smile before losing her own voice to nerves, ‘Uh…no…well. Yes. I am.. I am expecting. But it’s not…Liam and I haven't been involved for a while. Not since we were last in Aramane,’ her own cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

‘Oooh?’ Elyna smiled at her, she would never judge her friend for taking another lover, ‘go on?’ She grinned, eyes bright with mischief. Eager to solve the mystery of her friends new beau.

‘Ben.’ Emily replied with a nod.

‘Ben?’ Elyna repeated the word, she thought back through all the Skyriders they knew, before coming up blank. ‘Ben?’ Her nose creased with confusion, a Ben? The only Ben she could think of was… ‘Ben?!’ She blinked quickly, mouth falling open with shock. Before she laughed. She moved, wrapping her friend in a hug. ‘Oh Seven, Emily…what a mess?’ It was a disaster, so why was it funny? Elyna didn’t know, but she couldn’t stop giggling.

Emily squeezed her tight and they sank back to the bench. ‘He doesn’t know,’ Emily replied softly, ‘nor does Liam…I didn’t know until we set off to find you.’

‘What are you going to do Em?’ Elyna squeezed her fingers, ‘you’ll have to tell Liam? Seven, you have to tell Ben!’

‘I will,’ Emily nodded, she let out her breath, ‘I will but…I am staying here with you. I’m not leaving you in Aramane, and I can’t go back anyway.’ She reached up, tucking stray hair behind Elyna’s ear. ‘We’ll be alright, as long as we’re together. We will always be alright.’

‘I know, Em…I know we will work this out.’

‘What…what if the Prince claims your baby? It means you can go home in Harvest, right? You’ve fulfilled your part of the bargain if he accepts it?’

Elyna looked down then, ‘I don’t know how I can ever do it, Emily,’ she admitted. ‘How am I ever going to leave a child here? Whether it be Malcolm’s or Garretts?

‘Because you have the twins to go back to, the twins and Malcolm,’ Emily squeezed her fingers gently, ‘he wanted me to tell you, that he forgives you.’

Elyna scanned her gaze, tears forming in her own dark eyes, she threw her arms around Emily again, face buried in her shoulder. Even if he hadn’t, or couldn’t entirely understand the reasons she had gone, Malcolm had offered his forgiveness.

Emily, stroked her dark hair down the back of her head, tangling the soft tresses through her fingers, ‘see, you can go back. Even if you leave a baby here, they’ll be safe and raised as a King or Queen. You can go back to your twins, you can go back to Malcolm.’

‘I can’t,’ Elyna shook her head, she closed her eyes and pulled back. There were words she didn’t want to speak, lest she make them real, ‘Emily…how can I ever go back to Malcolm? We could never…He’ll be the King. I cannot be his Queen, not now. Not after all of this…how can I whore myself to another man, and ever expect the nobility to accept me?’

‘You-you made an arrangement that saved our country from invasion. From what you said, they could have obliterated us. You had it agreed that thousands of troops would leave our land.’

‘So I’m an expensive whore. But it’s a sale, all the same,’ Elyna replied, her expression serious and bleak.

‘No one will know…’ Emily scrabbled for answers, for alternatives to the dangerous narrative she could see Elyna telling herself.

‘Of course they will. Yvan will destroy my reputation at his trial, then the world will know I’ve married Garrett…they’ll think I sell myself to the highest bidder. And they won’t be wrong. It won’t matter why, Emily. They don't care why.’

‘Oh Ely…’ Emily grimaced, ‘there’s something else you need to know.’

____

Nejem AOK 20

The air was clear, fresh with sea breeze and painfully bright beyond the sheer curtains that hung over the windows. They lifted, swaying gently to the sound of crashing waves against a nearby shore, and the cry of distant gulls. The buzz of crickets was a constant hum, broken only by the whisper of bare feet on a cool tiled floor. Then a giggle, followed by gruff laughter.

Yvan turned, the woman he loved held between burly arms. His left hand splayed over the curve of her behind, making a mockery of the thin green fabric that tied around her hips as a skirt. His right, had started at her collar, thumb lost beneath the shirt that hung open. The fingers quickly lost to passion as he watched her face. The stubborn chin, freckled, perfectly sun-kissed skin. Warm, dark eyes, the color of roasted chestnuts were closed to him as they danced.

Elyna was a woman created for passion, she moved with an effortless grace, the balance of a warrior and the poise demanded of a noble daughter. He bent to claim her mouth beneath his own, delighting in the smile he felt against his lips. Heat raced through his body, painful with intensity as he growled. The noise low and possessive as he curled rough hands around her rump and pulled her up, holding her astride his body.

They tumbled into the bed together, he pinned her arm up behind her head, looking down at the noble daughter he had so thoroughly ruined. She watched him, eyes lined with smudged khol, breathless, flustered and needy as she waited. Her gaze moving over the hard planes of his body. The countless scars won from years of service. His hair had been shaven back at the sides, left long enough to tie on top. It was a style that Leonide hated, which is why he kept it.

He knelt between the legs of his mistress, her skirts pushed down to her waist. Her breath caught as his palms skimmed her outer thighs, exploring the soft skin, as though he hadn’t done it a thousand times before.

‘I don’t think I could tire of you,’ he admitted, voice gruff with reluctance.

Elyna grinned at him, she’d been so shy, so tentative when they’d begun this mad dance of forbidden courtship. But he’d come to enjoy her growing confidence, to look forward to the way she teased him, the way she laughed when it was just the two of them.

‘I’ll always be yours,’ she replied, voice husky from a lack of sleep. He was cruel, he knew to keep her awake all day when she had been on guard all night. But if she had spent the day at rest, it would have been a day lost to them.

Yvan grunted, he bent to kiss her, joining them without preamble. His desire roused he was quick to see it spent. Though after collapsing atop the woman, not so tired that he didn’t see her moaning his name, squirming beneath practiced ministrations before she shuddered. His hand clasped over her lips to silence her.

He pulled her, slick with sweat in the midday heat, against his own chest. Kisses paved her neck as he sought to erase the fine bruises that inevitably marked her, whenever the day was theirs.

A bell chimed across the city and he sat. He could feel her dozing beside him, and tried to slip out from beneath the sheets.

‘Mmm?’ Elyna twisted, features drawn with exhaustion, ‘is it time for training?’ Her voice was slurred.

‘I have an event tonight, with Leonide. I’ll be back before dawn…’

Her gaze narrowed and she turned away.

He reached out, pulling her shoulder back, pinning her to the bed, leaning down over her. He could see the pulse flickering in her neck, unease, silent frustration.

‘It’s an event of great and good,’ he warned, ‘if they knew you were noble, you’d be coming too.’

‘Great,’ she was sulking, ‘so I could watch you dancing with your wife?’

He swatted her behind, grinning as she yelped. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.

‘What are you sharing exactly?’ He tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear.

Elyna glanced around the small suite of rooms they rented, under a false name.

‘Leo and I,’ he was serious, ‘‘there’s nothing between us, it’s just a facade.’

He could see her holding her tongue before she looked away. Unwilling to argue, and with nothing more to say, he stood, found his scattered clothes and left. Leo had demanded he return to their villa in time to bathe and prepare for the Nejemese event. She’d been more insistent than usual, which would normally have ensured he was late. As late as could be, taking the time to thoroughly enjoy his mistress. But there had been something in the expression of her voice, something he wasn’t used to hearing from Leonide, fear. Curiosity pulled him away from his secret hideaway in the docklands.

___

The door clicked shut in the middle of the night. Elyna frowned, disturbed from her sleep and stared at the darkness. The city was noisy beyond the sandy walls of their tiny apartment. Nejem was celebrating the first week of Blaze. She could smell the mingled spices of the street markets and night food, hear laughter as it cut through the night and music moving through the streets, lit with so many lanterns that the light shone through the curtains. Shadows moving across the room as she thumbed sleep from the corner of her eye.

Yvan stood at the door and she tilted her head, wondering why he was back so early. She had intended to join Ben and Owen down at the docks, and join the celebrations. But she’d been exhausted by her day with the butcher and fallen asleep. They would wonder where she’d been all day, why she wasn’t staying in the barracks. She wet dry lips, her heart starting to pump in an uneven rhythm as Yvan didn’t move away from the door, merely stood there with his hand on the latch.

Elyna shifted onto her knees, sliding off the bed so that she could scoop a handful of water from the pitcher. Still, he remained silent, motionless and Elyna found herself checking the fastens on her shirt, smoothing the flimsy skirt over her legs. ‘Yvan?’ She squeaked eventually, ‘what’s wrong?’

He turned then, the door locked behind him as he looked her over. Stopping at arms’ length as he studied her slowly, taking in the details of her hair in disarray, the creases in her clothes, the way she shifted her feet, nervous as she wrapped her arms around her chest, as though chilled by his arrival.

‘Nothing is wrong,’ he replied, watching her features. She didn’t believe him, he knew that this conversation had to be right. It had to work, or he risked losing more than she understood. ‘Leonide is pregnant,’ he couldn’t help but smile, having been eager to share children with his wife. To have a son to continue his legacy, other than the bastard who bore his name.

‘Pregnant?’ Elyna repeated and he watched the expressions play over her face. Confusion, doubt, then anger. He saw her spluttering, struggling to form the words before she turned on her heel, striding across the floor away from him. ‘N-nothing between you?’ Elyna spun back to him, one hand on hip, the other pointing at the window. ‘Nothing for years you said? How can that be true if - if she’s-’

‘I don’t have to justify my marital bed to you,’ he had expected Elyna to take the news badly, but realized he had underestimated even that. He needed to take control, before it could spiral, before she said something she would regret. ‘I have obligations as a husband,’ he kept his voice low.

‘But you’re supposed to love me?!’ She had closed the distance between him, laid her hands on the Nejemese finary he’d been forced to wear. She pushed him, and he gripped those hands, pulling them tight to his chest as she struggled, trying to strike him. Not as the warrior he knew, but as a spoiled noble girl, whose favorite toy had been taken away.

‘And this means that I don’t?’ He laughed, gripping her harder. He shook her, ‘this is a blessing, Elyna. You know how much this means to me.’

‘It means that you’ve been sleeping with your wife, when I thought that you were mine,’ she replied, choking on the words. He looked down in the darkness and saw tears on her lashes.

‘Elyna, I’m a married man,’ he lifted a hand to brush them away. People thought he was a heartless bastard, but he did care for the girl before him. He did love her, lived for the moments of escape that she gave him. ‘How could that ever be true?’

She tried pushing him again and he held her tight, ‘this doesn’t change anything, little Sparrow,’ his voice dropped again, heart hammering in his chest.

‘It does,’ she stopped struggling and he released his hold, only for her to slip between his arms and cross the room again.

‘Elyna,’ he warned, quick to follow.

‘No,’ she shook her head, holding a hand out to the man with the bravery he had been cultivating, and now regretted.

He closed the distance and she snatched up her linen bag from the dresser, scrambling over the bed before he could take hold of her again. She stood, looking at him across the tangled sheets and rumpled pillows. It smelt of her, of both of them, and the desire they’d shared that day.

‘No…’ Elyna shook her head. She pulled on a light cotton tunic, sleeveless and reaching her knees, slit at the sides to her hips to allow her movement. ‘No Yvan. We’re done. I can’t…I can’t do this anymore.’ Her voice broke and he was scrambling over the bed. She hit him with the bag and darted away again, out of the bedroom, to the space they’d used for cooking, eating and all the other activities they’d shared in Nejem. Where they’d been dancing that afternoon, where she had been so happy in his arms. She turned to him again, features composed, cold behind a mask of nobility that he didn’t recognise.

‘You had my heart, Yvan. You had all of me. I wasn’t…I clearly have not been enough for you.’

He held his tongue, refusing to chase her around the rooms. Enough? What had it been, that he’d said that first time he’d kissed her? That she could be enough? His head was thumping from too much wine and too many dates, from the panic he felt rising and the anger he struggled to quell.

‘We are done. I am…I am done,’ Elyna nodded to herself, she rubbed tears from her cheeks. ‘I hope that you, your wife…I hope your family is a happy one.’

‘No,’ he crossed the distance once more. Taking hold of her shoulders, ‘you don’t get to end this. You’re mine Elyna, you’ll always be mine. No one else will have you now. You know that?’ He felt her shiver beneath his hands and gripped harder, he needed her to stay. Whether through fear, shame or devotion, Yvan knew with a certainty that if he let Elyna take her little bag of clothes and leave, she wouldn’t be coming back. ‘You’ve been my whore, Elyna,’ he dropped his voice and moved to drag his teeth along the edge of her ear, ‘you don’t get to end this, you don’t get to say goodbye.’

‘I do,’ she protested and he felt her hands against his shoulders, pushing him back. He refused to be moved, lips and teeth traversing her neck once more, rough with need as he gripped her. ‘Stop,’ she pleaded with him, scratched him, pushed him and tried to wriggle free again. He caught her in his arms, unwilling to release her as he kissed her hard, arms like a vice as she struggled. He had to show her, how much she needed him. Tired of her struggles, he dragged his hands through her hair, gripping it at the back of her skull. Pulling her through the rooms till he could throw her onto the bed. Her breath was unsteady, rising with fear and the tears that flooded her cheeks.

‘Mine,’ he pushed away the breaches he’d worn, tore the ornate shirt from his chest and kneeled on the bed. He didn’t remember striking her, only that he’d needed her to lessen her fight. He’d wrapped one of her arms in his shirt, tying it to the bedpost. He knelt over her, ignored her tears, her anger and fear. He ignored her struggles, determined in his need to show her, that walking away was impossible. When she wanted him, just as much as he wanted her. He forced himself upon his mistress, reminding her with harsh little whispers in the dark, how she would always be his, and his alone. His to claim, to take and control. His ruined little noblewhore, or otherwise the world would know just how far the daughter of Burhan had fallen from grace. Just how depraved he had seen her lusts and desires developed.

He didn’t remember when she’d stopped crying. Nor when exhausted, he had finally fallen asleep. He woke with the gray light of dawn. There was blood on the pale sheets beside him. Long strands of dark hair tangled in his fist. His shirt still hung from the bedpost. His back and chest stung from her scratches. He was bruised from the times she had managed to elbow or knee him. He rolled onto his back, letting out an uneven sigh. The rooms were empty. Elyna was gone.


Her clothes were torn and bloodied. Lip and eyebrow split as she edged through the silent streets. The city was sleeping at last, their revelry ending with the dawn. Her scalp ached, and she was pretty sure she could feel it bleeding too. Elyna had run out of tears, her lips dry and cracked as she stumbled. Where was she going? She stared at the walls and streets without seeing. Only to jump as a hand rested on her shoulder.

She turned, staring at the tall dark-haired man before her. He frowned at her, and she realised that he’d spoken. Elyna blinked, ‘Owen?’

He nodded, features drawn with concern as he looked her over, bending at the knee to examine her face, ‘let’s get you to a healer..’ he suggested. He looked down the street before moving away, offering her a hand.

‘Why are you here?’ Her voice sounded strange in her own ears. She stared at his hand before placing her own within it. Afraid that if she didn’t hold onto the man, she would get lost within the warren of streets.

He looked back with a smile, ‘my party ended later than the others,’ he explained, ‘shame you weren’t around to join in.’ He led the way through the maze to a shop where the lights were still on, shining like a beacon in the pre-dawn gloom. A healers sigil over the door. ‘What happened?’ He asked softly, holding the door for her.

‘Well,’ she forced a laugh, ‘I know better than to wander Nejem on my own,’ she tried to shrug it off. ‘You should see the other guy.’ She fake-punched Owen on the shoulder, but he didn’t look impressed. His gaze dropped to the bag that hung from her arm.

It was a woman who stood up behind the shop’s counter. Nejemese, she looked both of them over before extending a hand to Elyna. ‘You’ll wait outside,’ she said, firm and clear.

Elyna glanced back at Owen, ‘you don’t have to wait, it’s just…just a couple of scratches.’

—-

The days of Blaze bled past, slow dull and painful. Blurred into one as Elyna signed up to every available shift as guard. Every dusty, dangerous trek out to the desert and back again. With every briefing the captain gave, she made sure to stand in the center of the group. With Roland, Heath, Ben or Owen. Unable to look at Yvan anymore, without feeling that she was going to throw up.

The morning after, Katelyn had looked at her, curious before patting her once on the arm. Though the woman said nothing.

Within days, Yvan stopped attending their regular brief. Caught up with his wife and their impending child. At least, that’s what the others joked, laughed at teased about. Elyna secretly wondered if he couldn’t stand the sight of her anymore. That he couldn’t look at her without seeing the bruises that had covered her face and neck or the many tiny scars and hints of fractured features that would fade with time and more visits to the healers. It was a process she understood well. The bones would always remember, but the skin could be made to forget, for a price.

She returned from a two week trip away, stumbling with exhaustion into the barracks. Her bag was a lead weight on her back, her face and hair coated with sweat and sand. Tripping over own feet, she stumbled into the warm body of a man. Frightened, cursing her carelessness, she jerked away before she could find out who it was. What if it was Yvan? Her heart nearly stopped with panic, her eyes adjusting to the dark after the blinding sunshine outside.

‘Owen?’ Dare she breathe?

‘Elyna,’ he smiled but kept his hands to himself, bending at the knee to look into her face. She found herself taking a step back, ‘you okay?’

‘Fine,’ she forced a smile.

‘Elyna…’ Owen looked around, checking the barracks room was otherwise empty. ‘I really don’t think you’re okay…whatever happened that night, it’s left you -‘

‘Bruised?’ She grinned at him.

He shook his head, ‘frightened…Elyna. Whatever it was, don’t let it steal the joy from your life?’

She tested her tongue against her teeth, sucking in a breath. ‘Frightened,’ she repeated. It wasn’t a word that she wanted to associate with herself. Elyna chewed her lip, looking up at Owen again. ‘Are you…where were you going?’

He returned her smile, ‘to meet Ben and a few others at one of the drinking pits…coming?’ He offered his arm.

‘Yes…’ Elyna surprised herself with her answer. She touched a hand to her face, grimacing as it came away with a coating of sweaty sand. ‘I’ll catch you up though?’ She smiled.

Owen shook his head, ‘I’ll wait,’ he grinned dropping down onto the nearest bunk.

Elyna ditched her satchel on her bunk, one tucked away at the back of the room. A drawer beneath the bed contained a handful of clean clothes, she picked through them before bundling them into an arm and vanishing into the room used by female skyriders to toilet. It was half a break when she appeared again. Eyes lined with perfect flicks of kohl. Hair cleaned and scooped back into a messy, still wet bun at the base of her neck. She wore a brightly coloured dress which appeared made up of different coloured scarfs, layered around her body. The sleeves split at the elbow and the skirt at the knee, leaving glimpses of her arms and calves as she moved.

Owen stared for a moment as she returned, and smiling wrapped her arm through his. Stirred to action he led the way, back through Nejem to one of the rowdier haunt’s preferred by the crew. They pushed their way in through the crowded doorway. Owen threading his fingers through hers, weaving between a mixture of the world’s population. Elyna, a head shorter than most, looked around with wonder. All of these people had traveled, they’d seen so much more of the world.

As Owen set a course for the table where Ben, Heath and Roland were gathered, with a pair of strange women, Elyna found her hand slipping from his. She stumbled, falling into a large shape. The man turned, drink in hand, ready to answer the interruption with anger. Until his gaze slid over the heads over everyone around him, and eventually he looked down. He blinked.

‘I’m so sorry!’ She stared up at him with a nervous smile, ‘it’s so busy in here,’ she was jostled by the crowd as it moved. At the far end of the tavern, a band started to play. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ She offered, seeing that his ale was still dripping from his exposed chest.

‘Uh,’ the man shook his head, extending a hand. ‘I’ll forgive you in exchange for a dance?’ He offered with a smile.

Elyna stared at him, her gaze flitting through the crowd till it landed on Owen. Don’t let it steal the joy from your life, he’d said. Don’t be frightened. He smiled as their gaze met and Ely returned the gesture. She accepted the offered hand and laughing was whisked away to the dancefloor.

His name was La’rek, half Nejemese he insisted on two dances before they were interrupted by a gorgeous Ecrede man. Rarely, was Elyna without a drink in her hand and never, was she able to leave the dancefloor. She spotted Owen a few times, lingering at the edge as though he might like to steal the next, but always someone stepped between them, or Ben called him away as finally she made her way towards him.

When the band had finally finished, she found herself in the arms of a tall man with dark hair and gray eyes. He was blurry, indistinguishable from many of her other dance partners that evening. Some who has been bold and daring in their steps, pulling her closer to their own bodies than dances in Renmere would ever allow. The kind of dancing, she wouldn’t have been permitted to watch as a noble daughter. But she loved it, loved that she was good at following the rhythm of music, that she bend to the will of her partners in ways in which delighted them. That meant she was in high demand to share the evening with.

Held against the strange man, she struggled to recall his name again. Rafa perhaps? The pit was emptying out, most patrons long gone. She couldn’t see Owen, or anyone else she knew. Rafa spun her slowly, as though the dance was made just for them. He bent, sliding his fingers under her chin. Her cheeks burnt, her thoughts were foggy as he pressed his mouth to hers, gentle in exploration.

How could this be so different to Yvan? How could a stranger taste so good?

——

The season end approached, with trees laden with fruit and the scent of approaching Frost on the air. Her memory of Blaze beneath the burning skies of Nejem, had faded along with the tan on her skin. The leaves had turned red, gold and brown and fallen in strong winds. Elyna surveyed her small domain, the little house in the countryside, with her hands on her hips. A home, that would be forever hers. She grinned and stepped inside the little cottage.

Not far beyond the city boarders, she had chosen to walk home instead of taking up at room in the barracks. The scent of Harvest and woodsmoke had followed her and she couldn’t help but smile. The one room was neat, with her cooking untens by the fireplace. Crates of her belongings were stacked along the far wall, beside a bed she hope would serve as comfortable seating too. Elyna stroked her hand over the knotted table and chairs, the grains worn smooth from centuries standing in the Burhan manor.

She swung down her bag, setting it beside the door. She had a few days to herself and intended to use the time to repair her clothes and maintain her gear as a skyrider. Here, away from the city there were less distractions. Less hope that she would run into a certain Warden who had the ability to turn her head whenever they met. Elyna smiled to herself and pulled the bottle of wine from her bag. She turned it in the light before safely tucking it away in one of her crates. One day, she would be brave enough to ask the man to join her for a drink.

The glass slid between rough wood, into the crate. The door slammed and she startled. The bottle dropped with a clang and Elyna turned, grateful that she’d locked the door. Her gaze moving to the single window, one she hadn’t opened the curtains or shutters for, not yet. She let out the air held trapped within her lungs. Perhaps a neighbor was visiting? No one knew her address.

She crossed the floor with a forced confidence only to falter at the voice beyond the door. ‘Elyna!’

Yvan.

Elyna had always considered herself to be a brave person. She had endured hardships at the hands of those who should have loved her most. She had dedicated her life to the service of her country, as a warrior that flew in the skies. Yet, at the sound of Yvan’s voice the woman dropped to her knees on the floor, hiding. As if he could see through the solid wooden door.

‘Elyna!’ His fist thumped against the door again, rattling it on its hinges.

She scuttled across the floor on her knees, until she could put her back to the frame. She couldn’t put the table in front of the door, but hopefully her bodyweight would act as a deterrent if he tried to force it open.

‘I know you’re in there!’ He was angry and she pulled her hand over her face. Fingers quivering before they were lost in her hair. ‘I can see smoke from your chimney!’

How had he found her address? No one knew yet. Except the Skyriders…she’d needed to update her address for the rosters, incase she was needed outside of her shifts in an emergency. She stayed silent, hoping that he would give up. Glaring at the fireplace as the fire she’d lit continued burning. How long till it burnt out? It had only just started and some of the kindling had tumbled over. She held her breathe.

‘Elyna…’ There was a soft thump, and she imagined that his head had fallen against the door. The anger drained from his voice as he continued, quiet and low. ‘Little Bird…please…I’m sorry for what I did, I just needed you to stay.’

She buried her face in her hands, drawing her knees up as she huddled on the other side of the door. Without any candles, and the shutters closed, the room was dark. The light smoke from the fire curling around her bare feet. He had forcibly taken what she had always given freely. Elyna had re-lived that night, dreamt it and woken up screaming for weeks. The barracks had no longer been a safe place, because what if he’d come to her rooms? Since that night in Nejem, she’d managed to avoid being alone with the man. What if he did it again? Was that why he was here, now? To remind her, that she would always be his? The shutters creaked in the wind and she shuddered.

‘Elyna…’ It was a soft moan, ‘please…I miss you.’

Elyna knew, deep down that despite her disgust at sharing him with his wife. Despite her hatred of his lies and unfaithfulness, perhaps she would have forgiven him. She might have returned to his bed even with Leonide pregnant. She would have hated herself for it…but eventually she might have caved. But not after he’d forced himself upon her. That was something she could neither forget nor forgive. He had taken something from her that could never be returned. She exhaled carefully, trying not to make a sound. She reached out, twisting a loose thread on her woolen socks. Please go away, she thought, just go Yvan. She prayed.

‘Leo’s in labor,’ the words were quiet, harsh and pained.

She almost felt sorry for him.

‘I don’t think that it’s mine,’ he admitted.

Elyna flinched, shutting her eyes as though it could block out his admission. He and Leo had been sleeping together, otherwise why would he have ever believed it could have been his baby?

‘I’m a better man with you, little Bird…please let me in…’

A better man. She wrapped her arms over her knees and buried her face in the crook of her elbow. Why was he still able to break her heart? Because she had met a better man. A man who didn’t lie, who she suspected wouldn’t be unfaithful. Not that he was a man within her reach. A man with eyes the color of an emerald sea. Kind, capable and strong, a warden who had the respect of his crew. How could Yvan still hurt her, when for so long she’d felt that Malcolm had stolen her heart?
‘You’re just a stupid girl!’ his hand slammed against the door again, making her jump But then, there was the unmistakable sound of his footsteps on the gravel path that led back to the road.

Could she breathe again? Did she even remember how? Elyna lent her head back against the door as the tears came fresh. Hot and salty they tracked lines down her cheeks. How silly to long for someone she couldn’t have. Malcolm Bennett wasn’t the kind of man to get involved with a woman without a future. That she knew. And she had no future to offer him. Besides, he wasn’t interested. He was too good a man to be interested in the Butchers’ Whore. Polite, unfailingly kind…but far too good. Bennett was not a man she was able to choose, even if her heart had already decided.

The last of the kindling spit and guttered, the fire dying and leaving her in the cold. How long should she sit and wait? How long till Yvan didn’t look back at her little cottage anymore and it was safe to open the shutters and relight the fire?

How long until the loneliness passed?


60 Bloom 22

Spring flowers spread like a carpet over hard ground. It was wet underfoot, slick and difficult for the horses to chose their path. Another 60 days and the short green shoots would be lush grasses and unfurling ferns. But as the riders cantered, they passed over snow drops, blue bells, blood red tulips and daffodils the color of a hopeful sun peeking from behind the rain clouds.

Five riders made a cautious approach through the mountains to Mayce. One woman atop a dun pony was dressed in Aramanian style, warm clothes with a formal coat. It had a high neck and neat sleeves that came together in fluted cuffs. She was petite, a hood pulled over her features.

Flanked by four other women on white horses, she seemed the most nervous. Her companions were dressed in fine armor, three in silver and blue, the third in blue with accents of gold on her breastplate and helm.

As the passed into the territory of Mayce, Billy bought her pony to a walk, her escort slowing beside her. Luna, the woman whose armor was decorated more ornately looked across at the noble woman.

‘Do you feel it’s safe?’ She asked.

Billy chewed on her bottom lip, she nudged her horse forward towards the gatehouse.

‘Mal- your majesty?’ The red head pushed her hood back. Malcolm Krome?’ She called, ‘I come with news from Aramane…’