Runefell_The Tempest's Fury

by Shawn Sodman

  Gelana fills her mug from one of the barrels with the strongest alcoholic brew in the realm. “I have heard of this,” Gelana says as she plugs the tap on the wooden barrel. “Now, I finally get to try some.” She takes a swig from her mug and is caught off guard by its strength. Her eyes water and she has to force herself to swallow the rest in her mouth. She turns and says to Yentroc, “That is strong mead. You have to try some.”

  “I will,” she replies, “just as soon as you move out of the way.”

  Gelana laughs as she moves aside. Yentroc steps forward to fill her mug. All seven of the Amazons on their Rite of Passage are lined up to try the Ogre's Mead with the exception of Evelena. She is on the other side of the brewery with Kianna, Gena, and Ya'leigh. They have a map spread out over a table.

  Kianna points to a spot on the map and says, “If this is where we are now, then we're only a few days from the orcnea capital, Ra'zelk.”

  Ambra and Kelik are lying down on their blankets. They get up and walk over to look at the map with their sister. Ambra asks, “Are we going to their capital?”

  “Possibly,” Ya'leigh answers. “Unless we come across an army of orcneas before then.”

  “Wouldn't that place be defended?” Kelik asks.

  Kianna looks at Ya'leigh and Evelena and says, “I wouldn't be surprised if we have to use the gate stone soon. I think we are lucky to have gotten this far.”

  Evelena nods her head and says, “If you believe the journey is becoming too dangerous for Ambra and Kelik, I understand. We can go back if you wish.”

  Kianna looks to Ya'leigh for her thoughts. Ya'leigh eyes her younger brother and sister and says, “If we come across any number of orcneas greater than our own, then we I think we should leave.”

  “Agreed,” Kianna says.

  A short distance away, Sven is sitting on one of his fur blankets. He is leaning back against the stone wall of the brewery. He watches as Lyra fills two mugs with the brew and comes over to him. She says, “Here, I brought you some, too.”

  “Sven has not had Ogre's Mead since night before his wedding day.”

  “Oh, I am sorry.”

  “Do not worry. Sven will not be drinking tonight.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. If orcneas attack in night, Sven needs clear head.”

  “Oh, all right,” replies Lyra. “I guess that means there's more for me.”

  “Be sure you don't drink too much,” Sven warns.

  “I'll be fine, Sven,” she sighs. Lyra sets the second mug on the ground before taking a drink from the other. Her body shudders and her face cringes.

  Sven laughs at Lyra's reaction, and says, “Sven was wondering if Lyra would read to him again?”

  “I can do that,” she replies. She sets down her other drink. “I'll be right back.”

  Over at the barrel of Ogre's Mead, Isen is just about to fill his mug when Kristieana approaches him and says, “Isen, come with me on patrol.”

  “Patrol?” asks Isen.

  “Yes, patrol,” she repeats more seriously. “It's dark in the ruins now, so we should make sure there aren’t any dangerous animals wandering the streets.”

  Isen looks at his empty mug and sighs. “Fine, let's go.”

  Kristieana waits as Isen walks to his blanket and lays his mug on top of his backpack. Lyra walks past her with a book she fetched from her bag and sits next to Sven. She opens the book as Sven puts his arm around her and places his hand on the ground next to her. He leans over so that he can see the book better over Lyra's shoulder. Kristieana pretends not to notice them. When she does glance over in their direction, Sven quickly sits up once again.

  Lyra looks up at Kristieana, who turns her attention back to Isen. Then, to spite Kristieana for her treatment of Sven, Lyra grabs Sven's arm and wraps it around her shoulder as she leans back against him.

  Sven, wanting to avoid more conflict with Kristieana, reluctantly allows himself to get comfortable with Lyra lying against him. Sven can smell the sweet scent of the Midnight Tear blossom that Lyra has applied to her neck. “You even smell pretty,” he whispers to himself.

  Even though Sven had not intended his comment to be heard, his lips were right next to Lyra's ear. “Thank you,” replies Lyra. “It's the Midnight Tear blossom from the manna forest. I borrowed some from Yentroc earlier today.”

  “It is beautiful smell,” he says. Sven inhales deeply through his nose as he breathes in more of the scent. His beard brushes against her neck and she can feel the warmth of his breath.

  Lyra's heart begins to race. She reaches down, picks up her mug, and takes a large drink in an attempt to calm her nerves. After forcing down the mead, she says, “All right, just follow along as I read where we left off.”

  Lyra begins to read as Sven closes his eyes to listen to her voice. Kristieana and Isen head out the door and begin their patrol. Once outside, Isen says, “I'm surprised you didn't say anything to Sven.”

  Kristieana replies, “Lyra made it perfectly clear that she wanted me to stay out of her affairs. So that is exactly what I am going to do. Besides, I have my own issues to deal with.”

  “I'm sure you do,” Isen says as he takes her hand.

  “Isen,” Kristieana sighs as she pulls her hand away. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  They stop walking and Isen asks, “What is it?”

  Kristieana says, “It's about last night.”

  “What about it?” he asks as he starts to walk again.

  “The kiss,” she replies as she walks with him. “It was a mistake.”

  “Oh, that?” he laughs. “Is that why we're out here? So you could tell me?”

  “Sort of,” Kristieana replies. “I wasn't sure how you would react.”

  “It was only a kiss,” he says as he picks up a stone. “You could have just told me that you didn't enjoy it.”

  “I did enjoy it,” Kristieana insists. “I just shouldn't have let it happen.”

  “I'm sorry,” Isen replies as he tosses the stone. “I didn't know it bothered you so much. Look, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.”

  “Thank you,” says Kristieana. They walk on for a bit longer, and Isen laughs to himself. “What's so funny?”

  “Why were you so worried about how I would react?” he asks.

  “I don't know,” she shrugs. “I guess I thought that you might be upset, and feel that I sent you the wrong message.”

  “The only message that I'm getting now,” he replies, “is that this other man of yours means more to you than you thought, and you're feeling guilty.”

  Kristieana looks down and replies, “Yes.”

  Isen laughs and says, “So who is it?”

  “It's not important,” Kristieana answers.

  “It must by some lord or king if you can't say who he is,” Isen teases.

  “No,” says Kristieana. “It's nothing like that.”

  “Well, don't worry about the kiss,” Isen laughs. “I won't tell anyone.”

  “Thank you,” she says with a smile.

  “Of course,” he replies. “It's not like it really meant anything anyway.”

  As innocently as Isen's words were intended, Kristieana cannot help but be bothered by them. She abruptly stops walking. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

  Isen stops as well and replies, “I meant it was only a kiss. I've kissed lots of women.”

  “So now I'm just one of many women you have kissed?” she snaps.

  “Why are you getting so upset?” he asks. “Don't you Amazons claim men as prizes?”

  “They are not prizes,” she objects. “Well, maybe to some of my sisters they are, but every man I have ever claimed meant something to me.”

  Isen laughs again and says, “All right, it meant something. Does that make you feel any better?”

  “You're as thick in the head as Sven,” she says. “You know nothing about women.”

  “I know that if a woman wants to be with me,
then she will be,” he replies. “If she doesn't want to be with me, then it makes no difference what I say or do.”

  “So if a woman doesn't throw herself at you,” Kristieana says, “you aren't interested.”

  “Exactly,” Isen answers. “I don't have time to fight for a woman's attention.”

  “You're despicable,” she says disdainfully.

  “If that's how you feel,” he says, “then why did you kiss me?”

  “I didn't kiss you. You kissed me,” she replies.

  “Oh, that's right,” Isen teases, “because you probably wouldn't kiss a man unless he was fighting someone else over you.”

  “I never said anything like that,” Kristieana says. “A man doesn't have to fight over me. He just has to show that he is interested.”

  “How is that any different from what I want?” asks Isen.

  “Because I would fight, and have fought, for someone who I cared about,” she replies.

  “I would fight to protect someone,” he says, “but if there was another man and she was interested in him as well, then I would just leave it up to her to make up her mind.”

  “I give up,” she relents. “There's no way to get through to you. Just make sure you don't tell anyone else.”

  “About what?” he asks.

  “About the kiss, you idiot,” she snaps.

  “Fine,” he laughs. “I won't tell anyone about the kiss. It's not like it was that great anyway.”

  “What did you say?” she asks angrily.

  “Don't misunderstand me,” he replies. “The kiss was all right, but...”

  “Alright?” she almost shrieks. “I'm a great kisser.”

  “If that's what the other men tell you...”

  “As a matter of fact, they do.”

  “I'll have to take your word for it,” he says with a grin, “Since the kiss I got was only average.”

  “Average?” she snaps. She walks up to Isen and grabs him by his breastplate. “Come here,” she orders as she pulls him towards her. Their lips meet once again as they kiss intensely. Kristieana holds back nothing, becoming totally lost in the kiss. She then pushes Isen back and asks, “Was that average?”

  “That was a little better than last time,” he grins.

  “I hate you,” she says as she grabs his armor again. They kiss once more and make their way behind a wall. Soon they find themselves enthralled in the moment.

  A short time later at the brewery, Lyra is refilling her mug at the barrel of Ogre's Mead. Yentroc is also there and she says to Lyra, “Don't you think you have had enough?”

  “I feel... fine,” she says slowly. “But I can't really read the book anymore.”

  “Maybe you should go to sleep,” Yentroc suggests.

  “No,” Lyra whines. “I'm reading to Sven. He likes the way I smell.” She giggles.

  “You just said that you can't read the book anymore,” says Yentroc.

  “I'll just make it up,” she replies with slurred speech. “He won't know anyway, because he can't read.” She looks over at Sven and says to Yentroc, “He is sooo cute. I just want to kiss him.” She grins and says, “I'm going to kiss him.”

  “I don't think that is a good idea,” Yentroc says as Sven stands up and starts to make his way over to them.

  “Why?” Lyra asks. “You said I should tell him how I feel.”

  Lyra turns around and bumps into Sven's chest. She looks up at him and starts to laugh. Yentroc says to Sven, “I think she drank too much.”

  “Sven thinks so, too,” he replies. He looks down at Lyra, who begins to sway a bit as she becomes dizzy from looking up. “Come, Lyra, we will get fresh air now.” He takes her hand and begins to lead her outside.

  When she reaches the door, she stumbles and looks back at Yentroc. “We're going to get some fresh air,” she giggles as Sven takes her outside.

  The silver light from the full moon dimly lights the ruins. The rings that encompass the moon are also at their brightest. Lyra clings to Sven's left arm as they begin to walk down the cobblestone street. Sven looks up at the night sky and says, “Moon is so bright tonight, it makes it easy to see.”

  “Yes,” Lyra replies. “It's beautiful.” She leans her head on his arm as they continue to walk.

  A few streets over, Isen is buckling his breastplate back on as Kristieana throws on her cloak. She brushes her hair with her fingers and a few small leaves fall out. “Did I get everything out of my hair?” She asks.

  “I think so,” Isen replies with a grin. After a moment of silence Kristieana playfully punches Isen's arm. “What was that for?” he asks.

  “For the record,” she replies, “I still hate you, and you are still an idiot.”

  Isen chuckles and says, “If what we just did is how you treat people you hate, then I can't wait until you start liking me.”

  “Well, don't expect that to happen anytime soon,” she laughs. “So, was that average too?”

  “Not at all,” he replies. Isen then hears the voices of Sven and Lyra. “Do you hear that?”

  Kristieana listens and says quietly, “Yes, it sounds like Sven.”

  “Do you want to go see what they're doing?” Isen asks.

  “No,” Kristieana replies. “It's none of my concern.”

  “But Lyra was drinking earlier,” Isen says, teasing her in an attempt to rouse her suspicions. “What if he tries to take advantage of her?”

  “You don't really believe that,” Kristieana replies. “You're just trying to make me worry.”

  “I know,” Isen laughs. “So, does that mean you finally trust him?”

  Kristieana gives the matter some thought. “I am not sure if I do,” she finally answers.

  “I'll go back to the brewery,” Isen says. “You can use that cloak of yours to see once and for all if he can be trusted. No one has to know.”

  “I loathe the idea of spying on them.” she says. “Especially now that I'm trying to give Lyra her space. Still, if there was ever an opportunity for him to take advantage of her, now would be that time.” Kristieana pulls the hood over her head, and the magical cloak makes her invisible.

  Not far away, Lyra stops walking. “Sven, can we stop now? I'm getting tired.” She sits on the ground and leans against a stone wall that comes up to Sven's waist.

  “No, little one,” Sven says. He reaches down and places his hands on her sides beneath her arms, effortlessly lifting her up. “If Lyra is tired, then we should go back to others.”

  “But I like being out here with you,” she protests. Lyra does her best to casually lean against the wall, but in her inebriated state she only manages to lose her balance and fall back to the ground.

  “You are drunk, Lyra,” Sven says as he lifts her up once more.

  “N-no, I'm not,” she replies. She pushes Sven's hands away and says, “Watch, I'll balance on this wall.”

  Sven watches as Lyra somehow manages to climb up onto the wall. “Be careful,” he warns.

  Lyra, determined to show Sven that she is sober, slowly makes it to her feet. The width of the deteriorating stone wall is wide enough to sit comfortably on, and it would not be difficult for a person to walk along the top, but in her current state Lyra must fully concentrate with each step.

  “See,” she says after several steps. “I... am... fine. Whoa!” She loses her footing and slips. Sven quickly grabs her arm so that she falls in his direction.

  She lands in his arms as Sven says, “I have you.”

  Instinctively, Lyra wraps her arms around Sven's neck. He stands there for a moment holding her and as she looks him the eyes, she blushes. “Thank you,” she smiles.

  “Sven would never let you fall,” he says. “He would rather be struck in heart by arrow than let anything happen to Lyra.”

  Lyra decides that this is the right moment for her to make her move. She can feel her cheeks become flushed. With her arms still tightly around Sven's neck, Lyra attempts to draw herself in close. Just as her lips are a
bout to touch his, Sven turns away and Lyra finds herself kissing his bearded cheek instead.

  “Lyra?” Sven asks. “What are you doing?”

  Feeling shocked and dejected, Lyra only manages to stutter, “I-I'm... sorry. I just thought...” She looks away, attempting to hide the tears that are now welling in her eyes. “I'm sorry,” she sobs.

  Sven cannot help but feel disheartened as well. He sits Lyra on the wall and searches for the right words. “Don't be sorry, Lyra,” he finally says.

  “I just thought that you liked me,” she cries through her hands that cover her face.

  Sven sits next to her and puts his arm around her. “Sven does like you,” he says as he gently takes her hand.

  Lyra looks up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Just not in that way?” she asks.

  Sadness and frustration set in over Sven. How could he possibly explain his feelings to her when he has not sorted them out himself? His promise to Chance, along with his own doubts and the fact that Lyra is not completely coherent, makes the situation extremely difficult.

  He finally decides to address the immediate issue at hand. “Lyra, right now you are drunk, and Sven would never take advantage of that.”

  Lyra sniffles and wipes her face. After thinking about what Sven had just said, she grins and asks, “So... you do like me?”

  Now cornered with a direct question, Sven finds it impossible to lie. “Yes, Sven does,” he answers reluctantly. “But it is not that simple.”

  “Yes, it is,” Lyra replies, feeling more hopeful. “I like you, too.” She leans against his arm. “I really am not that drunk,” she insists. “So it's all right to kiss me.”

  Sven looks down at Lyra, who stretches her neck upward to get closer. Smelling the strong scent of the alcohol on her breath, Sven stands up and says, “Sven is sorry, but it would not be right.”

  Sven starts to walk back to the brewery. “Wait!” Lyra calls to him as she jumps down from the wall and runs after him. She stumbles, but Sven catches her from falling. “Please, Sven,” she says, staring up at him again.

  Sven stands her up and asks, “Please, what?”