by Paris Hansch
Kakeru sighed. “Be reasonable.” He pushed up his sleeves, kneeling down to dig his fingers under the snow. The ground began to rumble.
Alexander stumbled backward, shielding Scarlet as the earth flew out from beneath him. Pieces of the bank ripped themselves apart, crashing together and forming a makeshift bridge across the river that ended far off in the distance.
Cynric raised his hands, and the river gently rose to soak the earth, the clay binding the bridge together.
“Hurry up,” Kakeru grunted.
Sara struck a piece of flint, sending a shower of sparks through the air as she knelt near the bridge. “I am, but you could have given me some warning.”
She blew on the tinder until a tiny flame appeared. Alexander shuddered as a warm breeze suddenly swept past him. With her other hand over the flame, it grew, and Sara held her hand close to the bridge as the fire spread quickly across the clay. Alexander held an arm in front of his face, the heat too intense for his skin.
Ryuko flung his arms out, and a silvery liquid spilled out of his sleeves. It snaked its way across the bridge, hardening and lining it with some foreign metal.
Kakeru smacked his hands together, shaking off the dirt. “Now, that’s how you get something done effectively.”
Alexander couldn’t stop gaping. It was just like Mina had done that night in the forest, only so much more. They didn’t even break a sweat. If this worked, it would cut days off of their journey.
“Amazing,” said Scarlet, her eyes glistening with excitement.
“Are you coming?” shouted Kakeru.
The rest of them were already making their way across the bridge without hesitation. Shaking himself from his thoughts, Alexander ushered Scarlet ahead of him and grabbed his horse’s reins, leading it across. He placed one foot on the narrow bridge, then the rest of his weight. It felt as real and as stable as if it had been built from years of hard labor. The water rushed underneath them, close enough to touch and he couldn’t help but bend down to brush his fingers in it. The water was ice cold of course, but it didn’t bother him.
As soon as they were safely across, Kakeru snapped his fingers. The bridge broke apart, the earth returning to its original place, and the liquid metal slithered back into Ryuko’s sleeve.
“Hey,” snapped Ryuko. “At least wait until I get it back.”
“Then, you better keep up,” Kakeru said with a shrug.
“We can’t read your mind!”
Alexander couldn’t understand how they could possibly work together with so much squabbling. Any dissent amongst his men was squashed immediately. A unit could only function if there was one clear leader in charge. These two, however, were at each other’s throats every time the other opened his mouth. As Sara stepped between them once again, he sighed. How were they ever going to infiltrate Lanadrin at this rate?
“They don’t mean it,” said Scarlet.
“What?” Alexander was surprised. She’d barely spoken since they’d left.
“Those two, they’re like my old friends—always bickering, but they love each other all the same.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Then, you’re not looking hard enough.”
Alexander frowned. The nerve of this girl. “Excuse me? You could stand to be a little more polite to the one who’s sheltering you instead of throwing you back out into the streets.”
Scarlet flicked her hair over her shoulder. “You might be the Lord of Anadrieth, but my only sovereign is the princess. Besides, I was just making a comment.” She stared at him, her brilliant emerald eyes mirroring his. “It’s not smart to get defensive that quickly. You never know who will take advantage of your weaknesses.”
She was smarter than she looked. Alexander let out a breath. Why was he always in the wrong these days?
The others were on the move again, and they mounted his horse. Alexander couldn’t help but look over his shoulder every other minute. If they were seen by a patrol, they would be done for, especially him.
The landscape around them was almost as bare as the Plains of Scoria, except there were more signs of life here. Deerabits bounded across the dry earth in packs, their antlers barely squeezing into the underground holes. It was his first time seeing them in the wild, and he marveled at how graceful they were. They could see a long way around them in all directions, but besides the small animals, he couldn’t spot any other signs of life; more importantly, he couldn’t spot any Lanadese.
Scarlet yawned, shifting in the saddle for what had to be the tenth time.
“You ever ridden a horse before?” he asked.
“Nope. And I don’t really want to again,” she added.
Alexander couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. His first time riding a horse felt so long ago, but he would never forget how uncomfortable it was.
“So, you lived in… the Last Chance Orphanage, was it?” A dilapidated building that was. They could barely call themselves an orphanage. Her accent was undeniably from the streets, much like Elaine’s, though a little more refined.
Scarlet nodded. “Had to fend for ourselves.”
“Then, how did you end up at my castle?”
Scarlet shrugged. “Heard the rumors about the princess, so I thought there’d be something worth my freedom around.”
Of course; she was a little thief. It was strange, though. She had come to steal from the princess, yet now she proudly pronounced her loyalty.
“I know what you must be thinking,” said Scarlet. “And I can’t explain it. As soon as I saw her, I was inexplicably drawn to her, like she was the only one in the world that mattered.” She turned to face him. “Truthfully, I don’t even want to be here. It’s like everything inside of me wants to follow her—wherever she goes. She called me her phoenix. I know who I am, and I get flashes of our long history together. But…” Scarlet sighed. “I don’t want to be this spirit guardian of fire or anything like that. I just want to find my friends.” She pulled a trinket out from under her shirt, rubbing the surface with her fingertips, the silver glinting in the moonlight.
Alexander peered over her shoulder. His eyes instantly narrowed. “Can I see that?” Either she was a foolish thief, or his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Scarlet immediately tucked it back into her shirt. “No.”
“I really need to see it.”
She glared at him, her eyes like glowing embers. Her skin became hot to the touch, and even his horse was starting to get uncomfortable.
Alexander backed off, holding up one hand. As far as he could tell, this girl possessed the spirit arts, just like the rest of Mina’s guard, and he certainly didn’t want to catch on fire.
Scarlet took a deep breath, shaking her head vigorously, and the heat subsided. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t… ever want to do that again.”
At that moment, Alexander understood her tone. “You got someone hurt, didn’t you?”
Scarlet paused, then nodded.
“You and me both,” he said. “It makes you feel helpless. Like you have no control, even though you should.”
Scarlet glanced at him, surprised. Then, she curled up as tight as she could against the horse.
“It was a man. He was screaming at his wife,” she whispered. “I’d…broken into their house, thinking they wouldn’t be home for hours. But they’d come home early from the festival, and I was trapped. Then, he killed her, and I lost control.” Her voice was shaking and barely audible. “I killed him. The whole house went up in an instant, and I walked out unscathed. But I can’t stop seeing his face.”
Alexander pulled her into a gentle embrace, stroking her hair with one hand. She was trying to quiet her sobs in his chest. He couldn’t help but think of his brother, curled up with his knees to his chest in the bath, clearly haunted by his first kill. The memory of that night at the festival surfaced. It had to have been her. The house was nothing more than ash, and the bodies had been reduced to shards of scorched bone. He hugged her tighte
r.
“It’s always been my responsibility to take care of my little brother and sister,” he said. Scarlet’s sobs began to abate as she looked up at him. “Our father only loved Adelia, his little girl, and he saw value in me, the firstborn. Our mother only had eyes for me, and she despised Adelia. Anton had no one except Doll, his nursemaid. I had to be the one to protect them both.”
His mare paused to nibble at one of the bushes, and Alexander gently nudged her onward. Dawn was beginning to show across the horizon, and they had a ways to go yet. Lanadrin’s city was barely visible in the distance.
“Then, the Mistress got involved,” he continued. “There was no proof, as usual, but there was no one else it could have been. My sister and I were right outside the room when it happened.” Alexander gripped the reins. “Just a door away. A simple wooden door. I can’t imagine what horrors my little brother faced inside that room, but he lost the only mother figure he had, along with our parents. He’s never been the same since.”
“That’s not your fault,” murmured Scarlet.
“It’s not the only time I’ve failed to protect them,” he said, shaking his head. “He was just a single door away.”
“What happened?”
“Over here!” called Ryuko, pointing to a mound of large rocks under the shelter of some trees. “We’re going to rest here for a bit.”
Alexander nodded, grateful for the break. He wasn’t sure what it was about Scarlet, but he felt like he could talk to her without judgment, even though she was just a child. She vaguely reminded him of his siblings, with Anton’s stubborn but caring heart and Adelia’s clever wit and wisdom beyond her years. And that locket. Even though he had only caught a glimpse, he was sure that it had belonged to his father.
As the sun began to rise, the dry earth readily lapped up the scorching heat. Alexander awoke from his light sleep, feeling the warmth seeping into his skin and the sweat soaking his clothes. He unhooked his cloak and stuffed it in his saddlebags, slowly shedding the layers of heavy cloth. It wasn’t helping. Somehow, he was even hotter than before, and his exposed porcelain skin was turning bright red. No one else seemed to be as bothered as he was, except for Scarlet, who was fanning herself with the bottom of her shirt. Maybe if he took off his boots, that would help.
Scarlet pulled a face at him, half-covering her eyes. “What… what are you doing?”
Alexander glanced down. He didn’t have much else to shed. Just when he thought that his cheeks couldn’t burn any redder, they did.
Kakeru sighed, tossing him a small jar. “This will help with your skin.” Then, a shirt hit him in the face. “And that’ll make you look like you have clothes on. It’s far more breathable.”
Alexander hesitantly rubbed the cool cream into his skin. It was indeed soothing. “Thanks.” He couldn’t figure out if that man wanted to fight him or help him. He glanced around. The cracked earth seemed endless, but there was very little movement besides the couple of deerabits approaching him with curiosity.
“Why haven’t we seen any patrols yet?” he asked.
“Do you want to?” muttered Kakeru.
“Because there aren’t any.” Ryuko dusted himself off. How he wasn’t melting in all of that black leather was astounding. “We should get moving now.”
Alexander frowned. “What do you mean, there aren’t any?”
“They don’t need any.” Ryuko pointed north, at the Lanadese fortress in the distance. “You see that there? That’s a mirage. The Nacre Wastelands have that kind of effect on people, especially after the sun rises. Any intruders just end up wandering across the wastelands until they succumb to it.” He pointed to the west. “That’s where Lanadrin’s city actually is. Only people who have been taught the signs of what to look for know how to get there without losing their way, and only the residents have been taught.”
Alexander peered across the wastelands. The mirage certainly looked convincing, and there was absolutely nothing but a hazy horizon in the direction Ryuko was pointing. He hoped this man was trustworthy; they could easily be following him into a trap. But Mina clearly trusted him, and though Kakeru had expressed issue with him before, he was silent now. There was just one question.
“Are you Lanadese?” He didn’t exactly look it, but how could he know about the mirage if he wasn’t?
“No.” Ryuko mounted his horse. “Enough talk. We need to go.”
Alexander nodded, though he wasn’t exactly satisfied with the answer. Kakeru had called him a traitor. But traitor to what? Or to whom? He wasn’t going to let his guard down around any of them, that was for sure.
They traveled in the direction Ryuko had pointed. There weren’t any distinct landmarks, but he continuously stopped to check his surroundings. Every once in a while, he led them in odd directions and turns, instructing them to follow his exact path. Even the shape of his figure didn’t seem entirely real. The sun steadily rose high above them and then began to sink once more, and Ryuko finally stopped.
Alexander’s mouth opened when he realized that the light of the sun had been blocked by a massive wall with giant tusk-like spikes protruding from the top. He couldn’t see the mirage from this angle anymore. They dismounted, leaving their horses behind the shade of some large rocks and trees.
Kakeru picked up a handful of the earthy dirt, dropping it directly into Alexander’s hands.
“Rub this into your hands, face and clothes. You, too, Scarlet.”
“Excuse me?” Alexander couldn’t help but make a face. Scarlet didn’t seem phased at all.
“You want to stand out even more? No one here has skin as pale as yours, Lord Winter. And cover up with these.” He pulled out a couple of plain cloaks from his saddlebags.
Alexander reluctantly rubbed the dirt into his face. It was surprisingly soft. As much as he hated to admit it, it was better that he looked like a dirty commoner than a noble. The Lord of Anadrieth rolling in dirt—it was laughable. No one would suspect a thing. He wrapped a piece of cloth around his head and the bottom of his face for good measure.
Ryuko seemed more alert now, leading them quickly toward the wall. He felt around for a bit, running his hands over the surface.
“Here.”
There was a small indent, and he pushed on it. A door opened straight into a crowded marketplace, and they slipped inside. Alexander held his breath. It couldn’t be this easy. He half-expected guards to be upon them in an instant. But as they moved through the crowds, no one came to drag them off into the dungeons. In fact, the atmosphere of the city felt… relaxed.
Where Anadrieth was blanketed in shades of white and gray, Lanadrin was a rich, earthy palette of browns and reds. Everywhere he looked, the streets proudly displayed the Lanadese crest—two crossed axes atop a design he suspected meant ‘family’. The entire city seemed to be in the middle of a festival, though at the same time, it was just an ordinary day. He frowned. From his experience, the Lanadese were supposed to be large, fierce warriors—barbarians, even. But the people around them came in all shapes and sizes.
Alexander tucked a lock of his hair under the cloth, keeping his eyes to the ground and his hand firmly clasped around Scarlet’s as Ryuko led them through the alleys. It was tough to keep up, and if he took his eyes off of them for even a moment, they would be lost. And if he were recognized, it would mean certain death—for all of them. His heart was racing, thumping hard in his chest.
Everyone they passed greeted them, but he only managed a nod in return. This wasn’t his best idea. He should have stayed behind. Everything about him would stick out. A smell suddenly hit him, like rotting meat and salted fish, and he gagged. This was either the part of the markets where they kept the food or the garbage.
They paused, gathering in a group. Sara would infiltrate the castle as planned, and the rest of them would split off so that they weren’t traveling together. They would meet up again near the castle’s inner walls at the rendezvous point at sundown. Ryuko, Cynric and Kakeru im
mediately disappeared in separate directions, leaving Scarlet with Alexander.
Scarlet clutched her stomach. “Can we get some food? It smells good.”
“Are you sure?” said Alexander, holding his nose.
Scarlet dragged him up to the nearest stall, where a burly merchant gave her a toothy grin. The merchant was shorter than Alexander, and his lack of clothing exposed his sturdy body, covered in dark, inked patterns. The man could easily wield an axe, but his elegant skill with a butcher’s knife made his profession clear.
Alexander adverted his eyes, nudging away another one of those furry deerabits nibbling at his boot. They were even more abundant inside the city.
“Two, please!” said Scarlet.
The merchant eyed them, then grabbed two large sticks of blueish meat from over a small stove. “Haven’t seen you two round before. You new to this part of town?”
Alexander nodded, not making eye contact.
The merchant’s face burst into an even bigger grin. It was unexpectedly genuine. “On the house, then. I love meeting new people.”
Scarlet chatted with him for a few minutes, and then the merchant held out the two sticks. Alexander took one, sniffing it cautiously.
“You’re really new, aren’t you? I promise you’ll love it.”
“What is it?” he asked the merchant, taking a tentative bite. Salty, but it had been cooked long enough to fall apart in his mouth. It was certainly no animal he’d ever tasted before, but it wasn’t as bad as it smelled, so he ate the rest.
The merchant pointed at the creature next to his foot. “It’s deerabit. Quite the common food here.”
Alexander stared at the deerabit, its large brown eyes looking up at him, then back at the empty stick in his hand. His stomach felt queasy.
Two small hands scooped up the furry creature, and a little girl grinned up at him. “Sorry, mister!” Then, she cocked her head. “Is there something wrong with your face?”
Alexander froze. Were even the children aware of their enemy’s identity?
The merchant called her over, giving her a stern look.
