Luminous

65 - Into the Sands

Three days and nights after Lady Arinel delivered her verdict to the Jaise Court to spare Dineira's life, but strip her of the right to practice alchemy for the remainder of her days, Lord Coris had recuperated enough to sustain comprehensible conversation and exercise his usual coolheaded leadership, and was deemed fit for travel.

The sky was a shade of lilac darker than the rolling dunes beneath it, invaded from the eastern front by the pale, milky yellow of the waking sun. A path strewn with coarse gray pebbles sliced through hillocks of blue-gray sand, which were naked and desolate but for the occasional curiously-shaped boulder, or twisted, leafless tree, towards the mountains on the horizon.

Lady Jaise had released Meya's hands after a showering of well wishes, and was discussing business with Coris. Lady Arinel was the next to step up to bid her farewell, and she had come with a parting gift. Inside the thin oblong box lay a feather white as snow, trimmed to resemble the silhouette of a Snow Fern frond, its pointed tip capped with silver.

"The feather of the Snow Tern." Arinel touched a snowy finger on its delicate fibrils, her expression grave, "Every Crosset would carry this on his person throughout our pilgrimage to Icemeet. It's a charm for safe travel."

Meya gripped the box tight. Her fingers were trembling at the warmth spreading from her heart. Gently, she slotted it into the pocket of her cloak, joshing to hide her embarrassment,

"One has to wonder what it was doing when Gillian and his band showed up."

"Perhaps its luck was spent canceling out your Greeneye misfortune?"

"Yeah. That explains it."

Arinel was rummaging in her sleeve now. She picked up Meya's arm and deposited a cold, heavy, jagged lump into her hand.

There's more?

Meya raised the mysterious trinket to catch the faint light of dawn. Its close-set terraces of charcoal-gray metal gleamed like flower petals scattered with dewdrops. Like a rose carved out of pure iron. There was a lack of symmetry and sophistication in its appearance. Meya suspected it wasn't manmade.

"Eisenrose. It's a rare crystal found in iron mines. Father gave it to Mother to pray for her safe birth." Meya looked up. Arinel seemed downcast and bitter, "Only half of his prayers were answered, sadly. That or his prayers had been more for me than for Mother."

"Come now. Dun be like that." Somehow, Meya found herself gathering the poor Lady into her arms. And this time, even she was surprised by her audacity. Yet, there was no taking it back. And she realized she also didn't want to. Arinel's sigh flowed down her back like a cool breeze.  She rested her head on Meya's shoulder. 

"Two lucky charms. Five guards, dozens of decoys and six dogs dead." Meya whispered, chuckling, "Just how unlucky am I?"

"Horrendously." Arinel replied, back to her usual biting self. Meya gritted her teeth in both affection and annoyance even as relief flooded her.

"You're awfully superstitious for an alchemist, you know that?"

"Oh, shut up." Arinel snapped. Meya chuckled in triumph. She tightened her arms around her good friend, for once solemn and sincere,

"Thank you, milady. For everything."

Arinel sniffed and squeezed her back. Her cheek chafed against Meya's as she shook her head, dismissing it.

"You be safe out there." She said brusquely, overwhelmed by emotion. Meya closed her eyes with a smiling sigh.

"And you in the labs."