Sword and Shield (GxG)

Chapter Twenty-Two : The Hidden Foe : Rikhata-Nia

Akyra skidded to a halt in front of Evangaline and I.

"Oh god, this cant be good" I muttered under my breath. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Akyra stopped panicking and examined Evangaline and I. "Because if it is what it looks like than I owe you a big I told you so!" she purred. "Your stupid bird was right again! When will you learn that I am always right?" she jeered, sitting proudly and giving me a triumphant look.

"Um?" Evangaline looked from me to Akyra in confusion. 

"You came here to gloat?" I sighed, putting my head in my hand. Akyra sprang back up to her feet.

"Right! Raid, there is a raid! They're on their way, should be here soon. They know you're here, they have enough fire to burn this valley to ashes" 

"Always the bad news with you!" I groaned. "And I was starting to be optimistic" I hissed under my breath. "There is a raid. They're going to burn the valley" I told Evangaline.

"No, they cant. They dont know where we are" Evangaline shook her head in denial.

"Well, they do so we'd better clear out. If they have the same kind of fires they used to burn my home, then we have no chance" I remember when I was with Lilian -I could think of her now with no fear or hurt- she used to cook meat and sometimes she'd start fires that only got worse with water, so they were near impossible to put out. She'd experimented and learned how to make the fires, and if she'd brought that kind of fire here, we had two choices: leave and find a way to protect the people in the towns, or die in fire.

"Where is your mother?" I asked Evangaline urgently, she looked around and eventually nodded towards a figure in the distance. "Tell her to go to the castle, warn the town. Tell her that the fires the North has will not be put out with water and will worsen if they try to use water to put them out" I walked around to the saddle on Akyra's back. The bags on either side of it held reins, since the East was taking extra measures to be prepared for a situation like this. Evangaline ran off while I put the leather collar on Akyra, tightening the girth, adjusting the stirrups, rather the foot rests, since they had no use other than keeping my legs from dangling off Akyra's back. 

"Rikhata!" the queen came towards me hurriedly, though she made an effort not to run. 

"Yes?" I said as I mounted Akyra.

"If you cant come to the castle for any reason, Evangaline knows ways to come in and safe places to hide. If you can, be back before tomorrow morning, otherwise I'll send out a search" she replied grimly. "Can you take Evangaline with you?"

"Yes" I responded, Evangaline eyed Akyra with a degree of fear. 

"Then I know she is safe in your hands. Until we meet again, Wildling" the queen bowed her head before she left, riding off in the carriage that had brought us here.

 "So..." Evangaline was still staring at me with apprehension. I resisted the urge to laugh at her anxiety. It was adorable. 

I took a spare set of clothes out of my saddle bag and tossed it to Evangaline.

"Put those on" I tried my best to hide my amusement, but could help a chuckle from escaping when her face reddened. 

"Here?" She asked. Clearly she knew the answer, but just wanted to make sure I knew she was uncomfortable getting changed in the middle of the forest. "She wont put the clothes on unless she has some privacy" I directed Akyra, who grumbled, but still put a wing up to shield her from view. "Quickly, please, I dont want to be the one on the ground when the North comes" I waited. While I did, I braided my hair so that when we were flying it didnt blow in my face and disrupt my vision.