by Candy Crum
"Sorry, Arryn," Nika called. "Point to Cathillian."
"Boo!" Corrine shouted.
"Hey!" Cathillian exclaimed as he looked at her, rolling off Arryn so she could sit up. The girl laughed as she continued to jeer, and he declared, "You just wait, little one. I'll remember this."
Arryn laughed and slugged him in the arm. "See? Everyone likes me better. Maybe it's because I'm nicer."
Cathillian chuckled. "You're full of shit, is what you are."
They heard voices in the distance as the experienced warriors led the students toward the pit for the day’s training. Many brought weapons, placing them in the various racks at the edges of the arena as they greeted Nika warmly. Some stopped to talk to Corrine as well.
"I suppose that means your time is up," Nika said, motioning for them to leave the pit.
Arryn looked at Cathillian. "We'll finish this later."
He gave her a wink and a mischievous smile. "Is that a promise?"
She shook her head as she made her way out of the pit. "You really are ridiculous," she called back.
When she reached Corrine, the young girl was talking with a few of the warrior recruits. They were some of the newest students in the most basic training, since they were the same age as her.
Corrine was telling them she couldn't believe a woman could fight so well, let alone against a man that size. A few of the other children laughed, and one of them put her arm around her.
"You're still new around here, so there's a lot you don't know. You should join our class. Since you already have a talent for using vines, maybe you’d be interested in the Schatten," the girl, whose name was Molly, said.
"What're the Schatten?" Corrine asked.
Arryn smiled. "They’re actually the coolest warriors in the village. They use subtlety. Essentially, they’re trained assassins. They don't get to see as much action as the rest of us, but when they do they’re amazing as hell. Molly is saying that because you already use one of the forms of magic they do, and you're extremely quiet while doing it, you might be very suited to their skills."
Her eyes widened, and a smile spread. "You really think so? I didn't think training sounded like a very good idea earlier, but after watching you and Cathillian fight and hearing about the Schatten, I think I wanna be a warrior."
Arryn smiled. "Then you'll fit in just fine. You might even be able to teach these guys a few things."
Arryn and Corrine both turned when they heard Nika calling out names to make sure all the students were in attendance.
"We'll talk about this later. Hang out with us for the day, so you can see how the kids your age train. By the time you're old enough for the training that involves physical pain, you'll already have enough bumps and bruises under your belt from falls and mishaps with bamboo training staffs that a broken nose won't seem like much of anything."
The young girl nodded. "I can't wait."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Amelia checked in at the factory, making sure everything was up and running and in order. The city had been slowly getting back into a routine. It was still far from normal, but mostly people were just happy to be working again. It allowed them to get their minds off everything that had happened.
And even with the bandits wreaking havoc down south on the rearick trade caravans, shipments of brew and amphoralds had been coming in steadily. Taking care of the problem with the violent thieves on the main road was her next course of action.
Except for this one.
It was a big day. Well, a big day for Elon, anyway. It had taken him a couple days to decide, but he had finally made up his mind. He wanted to find Gregory and apologize to him face to face, no matter what the consequences.
Amelia was proud of him for making the decision, knowing it wouldn't be easy. It had been nearly a year since Elon had seen Gregory, and there was no way for him to know just how much hate the young man still held in his heart for his father, or how much he had changed himself.
When he thought back on it, Elon had spent years making Gregory feel worthless. In the end, Gregory was a better man than he had ever thought about being.
It was a shame Elon hadn’t acknowledged his son’s worth earlier, because Gregory had his father’s talent for all things technical. He had a passion in him much like Elon’s own when it came to learning how things worked and inventing new things.
Amelia knew Elon hoped Gregory would forgive him, so that he could mentor his son as Waylon had mentored him. It was a hobby they could both share, one that might allow them to start a brand-new life somewhere else.
As Amelia made her way to the city gate, she looked at the trees the druids had grown on the day of battle. Instead of cutting them down for lumber as had originally been planned, the city council had very recently decided to keep them. They rebuilt the road around them, leaving a gap in the stones around the trees for the trunks to grow.
Now, instead of rubble and the remains of battle inside the city walls, there was a majestic row of trees with thick, vividly green leaves that added to the city's beauty. They had been able to rebuild the street wide enough on each side to allow carriages to pass.
Amelia loved the newest addition, even if it had come from something terrible.
As usual, there were four guards at the gate, each of them casually talking with Elon. It had been a long time since she had seen him genuinely smile. He seemed to be truly happy, and that made her feel optimistic for him.
His eyes wandered over to her, and his smile grew as he waved. Waylon was leaning against the wall near him for support.
"Good morning, Governor," Elon said. "I'm surprised you could make it."
She waved a hand in the air. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. I just had to make an appearance at the factory. I wanted to make sure everything is going well."
Elon nodded. "I’ll take your sunny disposition as a sign that it is. Glad to hear it."
She laughed. "It is, yes. It's taking time, but I think people are starting to come back around. I doubt very seriously the scars of what happened will heal anytime soon, and maybe they never will. But getting on with their lives is a great start."
He briefly looked at his feet before returning his gaze to her. "I want to thank you. You have no idea exactly what you've done for me. It means a lot for me to have the opportunity to find my son. He's with Hannah, so I know he's safe. I have no doubt about that. Most of all, it means the world to have someone believe in me again, and for the right reasons this time."
Waylon stepped away from the wall and rested his hand on Elon's back. "You always had the support of good people, son. You just had shitty taste in friends, and looked up to the wrong people."
The corner of Elon's mouth turned up as he looked at his mentor. "Are you saying you’re the wrong people?"
Waylon looked at him incredulously. "What? No! Of course, not. I'm amazing. In fact, I'm exactly who you should've been looking up to this whole time, not that asshat Adrien."
Elon and Amelia both laughed. "He's right. You did have terrible taste in friends, but it seems like you've learned your lesson," she said.
He nodded. "I should certainly think so. If someone does something nice for someone else only when other people are watching, or only when it will be told to other people—probably not the best person to have around. Also, if they seem hungry for more power, that's probably not a good sign either." His voice was light and amused.
It was different, seeing him with the ability to joke about everything that had happened and his bad choices. She had a feeling it was mostly for their benefit, but after all, he couldn't change what happened. Working to better himself and finding new ways to laugh would be pretty good therapy. He really did seem like a brand-new person.
"You will always have a home here, you know," Amelia said.
He nodded and pulled her into a hug. Her eyes widened for a moment when he wrapped his arms around her, but she quickly relaxed into the embrace.
He drew back and held his hand up be
fore stepping over to Waylon. After a few moments, he returned with a familiar-looking box, which he handed to Amelia. It was just like the ones from before, and bore Waylon's design and mark.
Suspecting what might be inside, she was very careful while opening it. As expected, her eyes were met by the familiar glow of magitech.
"It's all new. We did it! We figured out how to extend the blast radius while keeping the core cooled. It’ll need a recharge period just like before, but it will still blast ten times before it needs to cool. I dropped the blueprints at the factory before I came down here, but I told him to wait until tomorrow to ask you for production instructions."
She smiled as she looked from the deadly magitech mine in the box to Elon. "Thank you. These will help everyone feel more secure. I figure we’ll bury a couple hundred on our borders and mark them with trees. We can tell our people what they are, but they’ll keep the remnant out. I also plan to assign guards to patrol that area, out of the blast zone, but close enough to keep any wanderers from getting hurt."
Elon nodded and smiled. "I'm glad I could help. Take care of yourself, Amelia. Take care of the city. They need you now more than ever."
"You, too, Elon," Amelia replied.
They finished saying their goodbyes, and Amelia and Waylon watched as Elon climbed on the back of a beautiful mare that Amelia had gifted to him the day before and rode off.
Waylon came to stand at Amelia’s side, sighing before turning and pointing at the box with a devious smile. "Wanna go bury it and drop a heavy rock on it?"
Amelia was shocked when she saw how excited and alive he looked at the thought of causing some trouble. When her shock wore off, she shook her head. For a moment, the old man looked disappointed.
But then Amelia gave a devious smile of her own and said, "I get to drop the rock."
***
Leaving Kemet, their home, had been a big decision for Bast and Cleo, but they hadn't had much choice because the Arcadian Valley was not the only place in Irth to encounter trouble. Strange things had been happening, and the lives of their people were in danger. Because of that, their mother, Nailah, had sent them away in hope they would both be safe as well as find help.
Life in the desert had always been hard, but their people were strong. They could take care of themselves for the most part, and they had lived peacefully in their small city since before the Age of Madness.
They had built strong homes using heavy stones, the largest of those homes being pyramids. Their walls had been built strongly enough that not even the remnant could get inside. They could house and protect many families if need be.
But it appeared there were more things to fear out there than remnant or the occasional lycanthrope.
The twin girls were the fastest runners in their community, and their horses were, too. That was why they had been chosen above all others to travel northwest to the Mystic Temple to find help.
A few years before, traveling mystics had come through Kemet and told them stories of their Temple as well as the city that had been built with magic.
According to the mystics, the Temple was full of men and women just like them, mental magicians who specialized in illusions, storytelling, and making one hell of a good brew.
With everything going on in Kemet, the girls needed help, but not just anyone would do. They needed skilled and masterful magicians, those with the strength and expertise to deal with such situations. Even her people’s strength hadn’t been enough to help them, and they didn’t have warriors in their city.
Bast and Cleo traveled as quickly as they could, but it still took two weeks to travel across the western desert to the sea and find a ship willing to take them and their horses across it to the land in which the Arcadian Valley and the Heights were located.
When they finally arrived at the Temple, they had been greeted by a mystic named Margit, who offered them food and a warm bed. Their stay was much shorter than they had imagined it would be, but it had still been helpful.
The mystics were awaiting the return of their master, and could offer no assistance other than to point them toward Arcadia. That city had seen many troubles of its own, but was finally under the control of a woman who had the people's best interests at heart.
"Travel to Arcadia and speak to a woman named Amelia. She has a strong mind, and a strong heart. I can't promise she’ll be able to help you directly because she’s recently fought a battle of her own, but if nothing else she’ll be able to point you in the right direction," Margit had told them.
Bast and Cleo had spent the night talking with Margit and the others about the mystics who had visited their land and all they had learned from them. While they talked, ate, and rested, their horses had been cared for as well, fed and sheltered against the night.
Early the following morning, they were given a large breakfast and a friendly send-off. The mystics were kind and generous people, and the twins wanted to stop back by on their way home—hopefully with a group of experienced fighters.
After saying their goodbyes, Bast and Cleo retrieved their horses and set off once again—this time to Arcadia, which they hoped would be their final destination.
After passing through a small rearick town called Craigston, they made their way down the mountain, where they rode toward the great city of magicians. It would take a bit longer to hit flat land, but they had nearly reached the hills at the bottom.
"We’ve traveled all this way," Bast said to her twin sister. Using her legs, she squeezed her horse’s sides, urging the mare to move a bit faster to keep pace with Cleo’s mount. "Part of me feels this long-ass trip will leave us empty-handed. The other part of me thinks we’ll find exactly what we need in Arcadia. I'm worried, Sister."
Cleo nodded. "We have no way of knowing what's happening back in Kemet right now. For some reason, that’s scarier for you than it is for me. I guess deep down, I feel like Mama can handle it until we get back, but we’ve gotta have faith. She wouldn’t have sent us for help if she hadn’t truly believed we would find it."
Bast nodded. "Let's hope you're right. She could have just sent us away, so we didn’t have to watch the city fall. Whether we find help or not, I'm scared to return home."
Even though Bast hadn’t said what she meant, Cleo knew exactly what she was worried about. She was terrified that when they went home they would find everyone they had ever loved dead. "I know. Me, too."
They rode in silence for quite a while, each of them wondering what they might find in the grand city. Bast found herself contemplating the culinary treats the city might have to offer, but she promptly felt bad for thinking of fancy food during such an important mission.
Still… A girl had to eat, right?
Cleo pulled back on the reins of her horse, the animal grunting in protest as it slowed to a stop. Bast was quick to stop her horse as well.
"What is it?" Bast asked.
Cleo's face was fraught with worry. "Do you hear that? Sounds like clashing metal."
Bast turned, her eyes narrowing a bit as she listened intently. As they were leaving Craigston, they had seen a group of rearick packing up to travel to Arcadia, but they couldn't possibly have been the source of the sound.
She had overheard them say they didn't plan to leave for a few hours. That would have put them miles behind her and Cleo.
Then she heard yelling and the sounds of battle. Her eyes locked onto her sister’s for a moment, and they urged their horses into a full gallop.
"I heard they had been having problems with bandits on the road for a few weeks now," Cleo shouted over the hoofbeats, "but I never thought we would run directly into them."
"Me neither!" Bast replied. "I think it's time we made ourselves useful."
Cleo smiled dangerously. "I couldn't agree more."
As they reached the bottom of the mountain, they saw a group of ten or so rearick taking on nearly twice their number of bandits. The smaller rearick men were armed with hammers and blunt weapons, but t
he larger men were armed with sharp knives and swords.
While Bast didn’t have extensive knowledge or experience with rearick, the mystics had spoken highly of them, and the ones they had met going through Craigston had been rough and sarcastic, but friendly.
Her kind of people.
She would be damned before she let hardworking, honest people be taken down by bastards like those, men who stole from folk who earned their way in life.
Bast couldn't wait to show them exactly why they shouldn’t pick on the little guy.
The girls brought their horses to a hard stop, dismounting and positioning themselves about ten feet from the main battle. By the time they reached the fight, the men had the rearick on their knees, blades to their throats.
The girls looked at one another and Cleo turned back to the fight. "Hey, fellas!"
A tall man on the edge of the battle had been about to bring a sword down on one of the rearick, but he stopped and turned to face them, immediately beginning to laugh.
"Get outta here, lasses!" one of the rearick said. "Save yerselves!"
Bast took a step forward when she saw one of the men punch the rearick who had warned her. "Oh, sweetheart. You shouldn’t've done that," she said coldly to the offender.
The man smiled, showing that one of his front teeth was missing—more than likely from that very battle, judging by the blood on his remaining teeth.
"Is that so?" He took a step toward her and smiled even bigger as he took another, exaggerating each movement. "Well, gorgeous, I'm right here. I'll even give you the first shot before I teach you a lesson in respect."
He laughed again as he tapped his jaw, turning his face just slightly as an invite. "Come on, little lady. First shot."
The other men surrounding the rearick laughed heartily, egging her on and making condescending remarks at her expense.
She saw the desperation on the rearick’s faces as they stared at the girls. She had heard they were a protective lot, and she could see it in the way they silently pleaded with her to run.
She took a few steps forward, leaving only an arm’s reach between them. The man in front of her towered over her five-foot frame, but that didn't matter to her.
