Omens In Ashes

The skyrider was of slight build, her short blonde hair slicked back from her face. She had bright blue eyes that were fixed with a fierce determination on the courtyard before her. Bloom rain was falling in heavy drops, splashing off the paved slabs and rebounding. She sheltered under a tree, swaying in order to dodge some of the larger drips that threatened to sneak down the back of her collar. Emily had lost count of how long she had been standing, waiting for a man who was recognisable, if not familiar to her.

She left forward, squinting into the bleak afternoon as a number of shadows stepped from beneath the archway from the city. Returned from a long night of patrol, no doubt. Whilst she felt a glimmer of remorse in her intended mission. Still, she broke cover, splashing across the puddles in her approach to the small group.

‘Captain,’ afraid the man would vanish into the barracks she called across the distance. The large shape of one of the knights turned towards her, stepping between her and the Duke. Emily slowed her steps, raising her hands to show she carried no weapon. ‘Sir? Might I have a moment of your time?’ Her weather-proofed cloak was soaked through. Rain tracked paths from pale hair that had flattened against her head, sliding down her neck and gathering in the exposed collar of her tunic. He was a tall man, dark-haired and with sharper features than Emily preferred in her own lovers. Not that he wasn’t an attractive man, it just surprised her when Elyna had admitted her feelings for the man.

Fervently, she hoped that Malcolm Bennett would recognise her. The sound of rain drummed against her skull. She wouldn’t be here if she had any other choice. The recently arrived letter was tucked beneath her tunic, though by now she was certain the words would be ruined beyond recognition.

“Roland,” Malcolm said, raising a hand to signal all was well, that he recognised the soaked stranger in their path. “I’ll catch up with you all inside,” the knight said, dismissing his crew.

He turned, hair soaked through, twisted into thick, black curls that sported the odd thread of silver here and there. “Emily,” Malcolm greeted the woman by name, surprised himself that he had remembered it. Some things just tended to jump to mind like that. “What can I do for you?”

Just then the sky bellowed and rumbled overhead, threatening worsening weather as thunder rolled in. The captain looked up just as the rain intensified, forcing him to make a move. “Shall we talk inside?” He did not wait for an answer. There was nothing noble about catching a chill.

The stables had been closer, but Malcolm didn’t think it appropriate to be seen disappearing into the yards with a known associate of his bride to be. He went instead to the hall of the barracks, clear of the entrance way, so as not to cause a nuisance.

A heavy droplet traced the edge of his face and beaded at the base of his chin, lost to the stubble that lined his jaw. The crew had been on the road some time and all looked and smelled a bit rough. Malcolm appeared as if he could do with a good night's sleep, something it seemed he had not known the pleasure of since Bloom began.

As he looked over the saturated skyrider, he had the sudden urge to ask about Elyna, quite sure he had received no letters, but then he supposed she would need to reach Aramane first. “Emily,” he said, why did she look concerned? “Is something the matter?”

Only too grateful to escape the terrible weather outside, Emily didn’t need to be asked twice. She nodded to Roland as the man looked her over, critical and suspicious in equal measure as his gaze swept across her form. She tapped the small pin on her lapel, the small silver button that labeled her as a Skyrider. He seemed to relax then as he withdrew, not without a second glance to ensure his Captain would be safe.

She trotted behind Malcolm Bennett, puddles splashing until thankfully she stepped within the barracks and followed the scent of fresh bread through the hall. Her own stomach gurgled and she grimaced. Out of the rain, her own disheveled appearance took on more layers. Dark circles eyes from sleepless nights. A cloak that had been patched a few too many times. It had been a long pair of seasons since she had spent time back in the city. It seemed that the Captain was just as worn as she was, busy from the crowns’ business. There was always another ne’er do well to chase down, another patrol to go on, another bandit to capture.

As thunder clapped outside, she lifted a hand to stifle her yawn. ‘My thanks, Captain,’ Emily glanced around the room, empty as it was between meals with rows of tables, benches and chairs set out haphazardly. A few dirty bowls were stacked on the serving hatch as beyond, the kitchen prepared for the last main meal of the day. She could hear the clattering and clanking of enormous steel pots amongst the murmur of voices. The doors to the kitchen were closed however, and there was little she could make out from their conversation.

Turning back to the man before her she let out the breath she’d been holding. ‘Tell me,’ she pleaded softly, ‘tell me that someone went with her? Someone that she could trust?’

The Skyrider clenched her fingers and released them, flexing them on impulse. As though she wanted to wrap them around someone’s neck and squeeze. She couldn’t stand still after so long waiting in the rain and turned away from the man, ‘forgive me, Sir. I just…’ She grit her teeth, ‘Elyna ensured that I could not travel with her. I’ve only just received word that she has gone to Aramane in care of her Mother.’ The final word was spoke with bitterness, there wasn’t enough venom for Emily to convey just how much she disliked Caelin.

‘You’re my last vestige of hope,’ the woman admitted and forced herself to look up at the commander, ‘if she’s on her own…then I resign my commission. I’m - I’m going to Aramane.’

Malcolm appeared to visibly relax. So there had been no word, he thought, not quite sharing Emily’s dislike for Elyna’s mother, perhaps because he did not know the history, or maybe because he had only ever been forced to interact with her in passing. The spring storm gave a roar overhead, masking the dissatisfaction of his own stomach. A few days on the road living on Iron Hand rations did that to the best of people.

“I believe they travel together, Elyna and her mother and what must be a handful of servants.” Malcolm had not been able to see her off, but anything that went on at the docks was reported to his team or read up on in the log books. “Yes,” he said, having recalled the entry now, “three servants, all female, all over one and thirty.”

Emily shared her plan to resign from the Iron Hand in order to chase Elyna, a remark that did not sit too well with the captain, both because the Iron Hand needed all the able bodies it could retain and because this involved Elyna. Malcolm pressed his pockets down and dug into one of them.

“I meant to save this for myself,” he admitted before turning his hand over to reveal a small travel rune. “But I find you more able than I to make the trip at this time. Do not resign from the hand… I will request for you specifically to join myself and my crew, that way your absence will not be felt, at least for what’s left of the season and possibly till the end of Blaze,” he explained. “You will reach Aramane before the Burhans and it will be a long trip home unless you can secure a second gate rune within the capital. Magic is not so shunned there, so it shouldn’t be too difficult, but I advise you to refrain from using the gate more than once in a season—it’s not safe… something to do with the positions of the moons.”

The Skyrider watched the man’s shoulders lift a little, as though a sudden weight was lifted. What was it that he had anticipated, she couldn’t help but wonder. Emily didn’t know Malcolm, she loved her friend and couldn’t help but be curious, did he deserve Elyna’s devotion? As thunder crackled over head, the woman grimaced, imagining which three servants that Caelin had chosen to accompany them. All of them older than her friend. From what Emily knew, from her times acting as maid servant, there should have been someone Elyna’s own age in the group. Caelin would never allow such things though, not when it would allow her daughter the possibility of low-born association.

Malcolm surprised her then, offering the small stone on the palm of his hand. Emily studied the rune, features drawn in a frown. Indecision played across her face, in the unsettled twist of her mouth as her fingers flexed again. After a pause, she looked up at the man, ‘we both know that I should not accept this gift.’ Emily admitted quietly.

‘First, it is worth more than I can repay you. Second, if you were able to make the journey we both know that Elyna would be happier to see you…’ she shook her head slowly, her gaze fixed on the small object, her teeth grit as she struggled for the words to explain what was kept in secret. ‘But…but without ever laying a hand upon her… Caelin has the ability to destroy Elyna, again.’ Her eyes strung and she clenched her first, willing away the strength of emotion as she looked up at the Captain. ‘I don’t know what Ely has divulged to you, or what I should share…but I am afraid of the unseen damage that could be done, without anyone there to remind Ely that…that it’s not true.’

Emily forced herself to watch the man, though it made her uncomfortable. Yvan Yilmaz had exploited her friend, that she knew to be true. He had seized upon an opportunity to manipulate a girl with a damaged sense of worth… was the same true of the man before? Was Emily just providing weapons for him to use against her friend?

‘When I first requested an audience…you were concerned. What is it that you dread hearing, Ser?’

“You said it yourself,” Malcolm interrupted, “if I could make the journey. I cannot, but you can. Do not let your pride get in the way or some notion that you need repay me. I offer this,” he said, shielding the gate rune as a knight went by them, “because it will bring me peace knowing Elyna has someone on her side in Aramane, someone to watch her back.”

Emily asked him what had caused him concern upon her initial approach. Malcolm was thoughtful for a spell, unsure if he should share his truth on the matter. “I trust Elyna, I only hope that her journey to Aramane is without hardship and that her time away from home is enjoyable. Seeing you made me think the worst… Emily, you’re close to her, close to the family. If there was bad news, I’m sure you would hear of it before me,” Malcolm admitted.

“Captain,” Roland called from across the hall. Malcolm turned to look at him.

“Cards tonight?” Benjamin asked, seeing Roland had won the man’s attention.

Malcolm looked back at Emily, extending the gift again. “Please,” he said, “I’ll arrange everything so that you won’t be missed until late Blaze, early Harvest.”

Emily reached her decision. The woman gave a small nod and extended her hand to accept the gift. For a small stone, it felt heavier than it should in her palm. It was pocketed quickly before she looked up once more, ‘thank you.’ The woman hoped that he would hear the sincerity in her tone. She checked the stone was secure in her pocket once more and gave another nod, settling her thoughts. ‘It’ll take me a day or so before I can travel,’ she confided, ‘but I will get there as soon as I can,’ she promised.

She threaded her fingers through her hair, where it had started to dry it had started to harden against her scalp. ‘For the longest time, I’ve been her only friend.’ Emily scanned his features once more, her grim expression easing a little, ‘I’m very grateful that she has your support.’ Her cheeks coloured as she remembered their previous interaction in Mayce, when she had all but accosted the man.

‘Elyna trusts you,’ Emily lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, embarrassed to speak on her friends behalf, ‘I’m…’ she lost her words, shaking her head once more, ‘is there any message or note you would have me pass her?’

Malcolm blinked. It was strange to hear the words uttered by anyone else but Elyna. He couldn’t help but wonder what information had passed between two friends. That he was such a private individual had its challenges. Even his brothers and closest friend had been spared the details of their relationship. He couldn’t expect the same of Elyna, however, the dawning of such a thought always tripped him up just a little. He struggled for something to say, his mind racing, as too was his heart.

“Yes,” he paused, mouth dry all of the sudden. Malcolm cleared his throat as he glanced about them to make sure no one would overhear his next words. But, just as the courage struck to share his heart, so too had his nerves sought to rule him. “Well… that I hope she is well.” He nodded, as if pleased, while mentally scolding himself. “Thank you, miss Le’Sark,” he said, dismissing the woman, though as he turned to leave, he paused, bit back the words on his tongue, nodded to himself, and crossed the hall.

The Captain, despite his earlier generosity seemed to be suddenly uncomfortable. He checked again that they wouldn’t be overheard before sharing his message for Elyna. Emily tilted her head to the side though struggled not to share any part of her bemusement on her features.

‘Of course, Ser.’ She nodded in acceptance of the message and watched the man retreat, only to pause herself. ‘I’ll be making my preparations for the assignment, if there’s any note you need to give me.’ She suggested just about loud enough to carry across to him. When polite, she turned on her own heal to make her way back through the barracks to her own rooms. She needed to pack, and fast because there were half a dozen arrangements to make if she was going to absent for the best part of two seasons.

What a strange message he had given her. If she didn’t suspect his strength of feeling, Emily would have thought that the man knew Elyna as just a passing association. Elyna, she knew was madly, deeply in love with the man. But as Emily had said, her friend trusted Bennett and she had no reason to doubt Elyna’s trust or find it misplaced. Especially given his efforts to see Elyna protected in Aramane. She set her thoughts aside and busied herself with getting ready, not that it would take long given the frequency of her assignments out side of the city.