by T. C. Edge
"She will be for a Herald," the Overseer says. "I will inform her personally that you will be arriving within a couple of hours. Try to get some rest, Amber. If you can."
He winks at me, before slipping quietly away, gliding upon old legs towards the door.
I visit with Lilly and Lady Felina, as promised, a couple of hours later, transferred there by Marlow. Naturally, the High Worthy is overwhelmed by my news, taking the art of respectful service to a new level. The poor man seems beset by nerves, as though my elevation to a higher rank has changed me as a person, and any step out of line will lead to a dreadful punishment.
Well, he's wrong. I'm still me. Just, with a new shiny rank and purpose. Of course, the title is somewhat intimidating, given its intention, but I'm trying not to think too much about that right now. The idea of bringing death to others, whether threats or not, doesn't sit too easily in my stomach quite yet.
I find High Worthy Kitchener a little less awestruck than Marlow, his slightly sardonic manner suggesting he's rarely fazed by much. I imagine if a 'real' Herald of War like Perses were to walk in, things would be different. It's probably hard to reconcile the concept of me, a girl of seventeen, taking on such a lofty, deadly, function.
I meet with Lady Felina and Lilly in the same place I did before. A breakfast buffet has been put on by several other Worthies, a banquet fit for a king. Or queen. I step in, Fire-Blood robes gleaming, regal. The Worthies in the room immediately stiffen and bow. Nearby, Felina leaps from her perch and hurries towards me. Lilly, in her role as Felina's personal aid, follows behind in a similar manner as Marlow does with me.
It is to my great relief that Felina's reaction to my presence is characteristically light-hearted. As a Lady of high rank, she's evidently rubbed shoulders with the city's best and brightest, and isn't exactly intimidated by a title.
"Well well," she says with a smirk. "I guess I should be bowing to you now, Herald Amber. Oh, how things change."
"You...know already?" I ask.
I had expected to deliver the news myself. It seems that the Overseer has already done so.
"Oh yes, etiquette calls for such a thing," Felina says, hiding a yawn behind her palm. "Apologies. We had to get up earlier than normal to prepare."
"For me?"
"Of course. You are a Herald now, Amber. The Overseer needed to inform us of that so we could prepare accordingly. This isn't the mere arrival of a Primary Daughter of the Prime. You honour us with your presence, Lady Herald."
She bows, observing the etiquette, though still doing so with her usual good humour, evidenced by that playful smile on her lips. Around the room, the Worthies bow again. I notice movement behind Felina, and find Lilly doing the same.
"Would you leave us alone?" I turn to the Worthy girls, and to the High Worthies lingering by the door. They all react immediately, scuttling off, Kitchener ushering them through the door before doing so himself. Within a couple of moments, the three of us are alone once more.
"OK, enough of that etiquette," I say. "Can we just be how we were a few days ago?"
Felina smiles. "Of course, Lady Herald," she says lightly. "Whatever you wish."
I roll my eyes. "Lilly?" I look directly at my sister, see the wonder blossoming on her face once more. "Oh not this again..."
"What?" she croaks.
"That look. Remember what we said? I'm just your sister, OK? Nothing else."
"Except a Herald of War," Lilly says, excited, childlike grin erupting on her face. "I can't believe it."
"In a...a good way?" I ask.
"Of course in a good way! I mean, we used to look at Collector Ceres as someone so important..." She darts her eyes up at Lady Felina, apologetic. "And, he still is, obviously," she says. "All Children of the Prime are import..."
"Oh, Lilly, stop. Collector Ceres is a pathetic excuse for a Son of the Prime," Felina says, eyes narrowing. "You don't need to censor your words around me, least not regarding him."
"I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to hear you say that," I say, grinning. "I've despised Ceres for years."
"And now you outrank him to a significant degree. In fact, you did so as soon as you even became a Chosen candidate. As a Herald you could probably order him dead if you wished."
The thought crosses my mind, bringing a sly smile. "Sounds tempting. Only if I get to do it myself."
"I'm certain that can be arranged, Lady Herald," smiles Felina. "Now," she looks to Lilly, "what were you saying my dear?"
"Um, nothing really. Just that...Amber's a Herald now. It's...so exciting..."
"That it is, child," Felina says. "And what a strange world we live in. I must say, this is the first instance I've experienced personally of members of the same family, and sisters of such similar age and appearance no less, following such different paths. Lovely Lilly here, a Worthy. Beautiful Amber, a Herald. Social convention calls for us to see you so differently. But I don't." She looks at me. "Forgive me, Amber, but I don't see the great spaces between the two of you as others might."
"I couldn't hope for anything more," I tell her, grateful. "Lilly and I aren't so different. I'm glad you see that."
"Well I don't." I turn down to look at my sister, eyes hiding behind a frown. "I'm just a girl, Amber. You're something so much more. I would never expect people to see us the same. Never."
A brief silence envelops the room, Felina and I sharing a look. Like many of the higher residents of the city, she seems to be quite aware of the truth; that they -we - are not truly divine beings, merely a result of manmade, genetic engineering and mutation. New gods, perhaps, but not real deities.
Lilly doesn't see it that way. Like all those across the Fringe, she worships these people, and my ascension has lifted me into their ranks. To put me alongside her, she will feel, is an insult to all the Children of the Prime, and the life of dedication and service she has led.
And, for now at least, I must accept that.
"Yes, you're right," Felina eventually says. "Amber is more, child. The things she can do, the path she is on. Oh, she's something very special indeed." She leaves it there, appeasing the Worthy under her charge, and doing so with no lack of tact and skill. Lilly nods forcefully at her words, showing a bit of the girl I knew back home - pious to a fault and dedicated beyond her years - and then begins to relax. "So, food," Felina finishes, turning towards the buffet tables. "It would be a shame to let it go to waste. How much time do you have, Amber?"
"Not long," I say, letting out a breath, the idea of leaving this city both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. "I'll be leaving this afternoon. I'm not sure exactly when, so should be back before midday."
"Well, plenty of time to catch up, then."
"But...what about your lunch engagement?"
"My lunch engagement was with you, Amber."
"But I thought...well, I thought it was with others as well. A means of trying to assimilate me into your social circle. Or something."
"Ah, you saw right through me," Felina smiles. "The others will have to wait. Matters of social preening aren't of great consequence to you right now, I suspect. The work of the Heralds of War is the highest calling we have. The most important work of all."
"Defending the city," Lilly whispers, eyes lit in wonder. "That's what you'll be doing now. The city, and the Fringe. You'll be a hero, Amber."
She smiles at me, a look of pride in her eyes. No jealousy. No envy at our divergent paths. No, not Lilly. Just an appreciation of what I'm becoming. And that look of pride; I've never seen it before.
It lights my heart bright.
And right there, I feel the subdued ache of doubt at this calling fade away. I see the look on my sister's face, and I embrace it.
Protect the people. Protect my loved ones.
Become the hero my sister wants me to be.
I spend a couple of hours in the company of my sister and her mistress, enjoying the burgeoning camaraderie of our little trio just as I did several
days before. I forget, for a time, that we're all walking upon different paths now, existing on different planes. My sister, a lowly Worthy. Lady Felina, a Primary Farsight. And me, now a Herald of War in training, the keys to the Sacred Stairs in my pocket, the world opening up wide before me.
In any other setting, our unusual little gathering there in Felina's apartment might seem strange, and most likely inappropriate. Yes, Lilly continues to diligently observe her position at times, but she also relaxes at others, dining alongside us, even sharing in the occasion joke or putting across her opinion on a subject with far more force than a Worthy ever should.
Here, in this lovely sitting room, we create a little sanctuary. A place where all titles can be mostly stripped away, and the simple pleasures of conversation, dining, and laughter be enjoyed. I wonder whether other master-servant relationships have evolved as such. Whether others like Felina allow their Worthies and High Worthies the chance to be their equals, if only for a time.
I muse on that point when I say my goodbyes, leaving Lilly and Felina with a hug and a promise that I'll return to them soon, tell of the adventures I'm set to see. They smile, side by side, as I move back down the hall, and I even notice Felina place her hand on Lilly's shoulder, comforting her, stepping beyond her remit as mistress to my sister.
A sweet image, and one that comforts me too. An image, perhaps, of something I'd never expected to witness in this city, something I didn't think existed. Once I'd considered the Worthy only slaves. Now I see that those lines aren't as rigidly drawn as I'd thought. Many are happy and well taken care of. Many of those they serve are kind-hearted and generous, as Felina has quickly proven herself to be.
It's a city I so recently wished to see burned to the ground.
Now, it's one I'll protect with my life if I have to.
Before I leave, Lilly abandons protocol one final time, moving away from Lady Felina and towards me at the end of the hall. She rushes up and tugs at my robes, turning me around.
"Will you pass by Pine Lake?" she asks, hope in her eyes. "Maybe see mother and father? Imagine the look on their faces when they find out what you are now!" She beams at the thought, then her smile fades away, like the incoming rush of a wave suddenly receding with the tide. "I...I wonder how they're doing," she says, growing sombre. "Do you miss them sometimes? I know I shouldn't, but I do."
"Shouldn't?" I frown. "You have every right to miss them, Lilly. It's only natural."
"The Worthy aren't meant to miss those they leave behind. They're supposed to cut all ties, and not dwell on the past."
"Old doctrines that are designed to stop people growing homesick, that's all," I say. "I'm sure many Worthies feel a longing for their families and friends at first. It doesn't mean they don't want to serve here. It's just a human trait, Lillypad."
She nods, brightening a little. "You're right," she says, quick to agree. That's not normal. Back home she'd find herself arguing with almost anything I said the last couple of years. "But," she adds, looking up, "if you do see them, tell them I think about them, but am happy. Yes, that's the best way of putting it." She smiles, a genuine smile. Not to convince me, or herself. No, she truly is happy here.
And honestly, why shouldn't she be?
"Of course I will, Lil. If we go that way and I get the chance, I'll visit them. I guess I miss them too sometimes."
"Really?" Lilly asks, doubtful. "I thought you always wanted to get away."
"Well, I guess I did, at times. But that doesn't mean I don't love them. Of course I do. They're our parents."
"They were," Lilly whispers, eyes seeming to grow distant for a moment. "I see it in your eyes. I see the change, Amber. I told you, didn't I. I always knew it was true."
"What?" I ask, brows knitting tight. "I don't understand."
"The Prime," Lilly says, voice maintaining that faraway quality. "The great Mother and Father to us all. Now that you've met them, you see the truth, don't you?" She begins to nod, smile rising on her lips in an almost eerie manner. "Yes, you want to serve, as we all do. I'm so happy for you, Amber. So happy that you've seen the light and stepped right towards it. And now," she says, eyes growing damp, "look at you. You're becoming someone great. You will do great things, I know it."
She steps towards me and wraps me up tight, arms reaching around my back, fingers clinging at my Fire-Blood robes. She indulges the moment before stepping back again and remembering herself.
"Sorry," she says, dipping her head. "I just..."
"Oh, shut up, silly Lilly," I say, grabbing her again, engulfing her in my embrace. "I'm not going to tell you again. You're my..."
"Sister," Lilly breathes, looking up at me, eyes watering. "I...I know. My sister, Herald of War."
"In training," I say, correcting her. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
She nods, bristling with excitement at the concept, then takes a step back and prepares to turn.
"Oh," she says, remembering something. "Grandma too. I mean, tell her I miss her if you see her. And Jude, if you...see him." Her voice fades off, seeing my expression change, the sensitivity of the subject.
I take a breath. "Of course I will," I whisper.
She smiles awkwardly, and turns, shuffling back off towards Lady Felina, who salutes me from the far end of the corridor with a typically playful grin. I nod back, mind growing busy, and turn to step into the elevator.
As I drop through the building, and make my way back towards my own apartment, I begin to realise that I won't visit Pine Lake, even if I'm given the chance. No, too much hurt there, wounds that need to close and heal before being tampered with again.
I can't see our parents after everything that's happened.
I can't see Jude, for his sake as well as my own.
And grandma. No, I can't see her either. For all the questions I have for her, for all the desire in me to listen to her side of the story and hear the full truth, I know that such a thing will have to wait.
Personal concerns aren't important right now. A higher calling has awoken me to the true fate my life has been leading towards. My eyes have been opened to my purpose, one that breeds such pride in my sister, that causes a swell of excitement within me that I cannot look past or deny.
Oh, challenges lie ahead, but so does a wide world of possibility.
It is time for me to accept this fate with open arms, embrace it with all I have.
I will step beyond the walls of this city once more.
And march among the gods.
52
I wait for several hours in my own apartment before a knock finally arrives. Marlow, ever-attentive, speeds to open it, and the familiar face and mountainous body of Krun appears from beyond.
He ducks in through the doorway, gigantic frame wreathed in black military armour, and performs a reverent bow towards me.
"Herald Amber," comes his foghorn voice, "I apologise if you have been kept awaiting. Herald Perses has been in final preparations for our mission. He awaits you downstairs."
I look to Marlow, trying not to seem at all nervous when, in reality, my body is rippling all over from the tension - which, I might add, hasn't been helped by this several-hour wait. He quickly moves over to grab the small bag he'd prepared for me during my morning excursion, though Krun lifts a mighty paw to stop him.
"Everything she needs will be provided," the Titan booms. "We have all necessary provisions for the troop for the duration of the trip."
"And what is that duration?" I ask, finding my voice. "I haven't exactly heard much about what's happening."
"Apologies for that," Krun grunts. "These operations are rarely scheduled precisely, Lady Herald. I...have no answer."
I sense a slight bitterness somewhere in there, hidden, in particular, in his use of the term 'Lady Herald'. I know for certain that there are female Heralds of Awakening, but never Heralds of War. Oh, he's trying ever so hard to remain respectful, but I can see that my ascension to this rank is going to take some getting
used to for the likes of Krun.
"OK, fair enough. Shall we get this train moving then?"
"Of course," bows Krun. "But first, this is for you."
He reaches out a second paw, held until now behind his back. Within it, I see a beautifully carved wooden box of rectangular shape, its hinges shining gold, its lock a wonderful sculpture of...me?
I snatch it from him, inspecting the mini-sculpture a little more closely, depicting a young woman with flowing gold hair, dazzling robes, fire flowing from her hands. It's small, but even so, manages to carry my features. I smile at it as Marlow peeks from his perch, eyes keen enough to notice the same thing I have.
"Oh my, it's you, Herald Amber," he says gleefully. "What a tremendous likeness. The work of Master Kristof I'll wager, so intricate and detailed." I look up with a querying look. "The finest metalworker in the city, Lady Herald," Marlow explains. "Oh, the things he can sculpt, they're enough to make a man cry."
"He does it by hand?" I ask.
"Sometimes," says Marlow, "when he prefers the more personal touch. Other times, his mind is all he needs. I imagine this has been hand-sculpted."
I look to Krun, who raises his eyes impatiently. "It's what's inside the box that's important," he tells me. "Please, Lady Herald, open it up."
I do so at his behest, smiling foolishly as I discover the contents within: an almost skintight suit of armour, glowing red like my robes, fashioned specifically to my exact measurements. It looks the spitting image of Herald Perses's armour, only coloured crimson and not black, a befitting hue for my specific set of gifts.
"It's beautiful," I say. "Does it..."
"Yes, Lady Herald," says Krun. "It does all that your current Fire-Blood robes do, and more. It is the finest work of our military tailor, reserved only for the Heralds of War."
I examine the garment more closely, holding it up to the light spilling in from the nearest window. It shimmers as my robes do, though isn't nearly as heavy. It feels almost weightless in my hands, despite being robust and rugged in appearance, its surface pimpled and seamless.
