The Eye of The Storm

Chapter 29

Moving along the Hebrus River

Electra couldn't help but continue to turn her head and look back at the disappearing figures of her husband and daughter. She was riding Aella's horse, Oak, who seemed to be as equally distressed about the girl's absence. The horse kept stomping its hooves and neighing in inconsolable tones. She attempted to soothe him by stroking his rustled coat. It was as though Oak could sense that his master was in near peril. The difficult behavior of the animal was serving to turn Electra's worry into vexation.

All at once, Electra was overcome with choler. She had spent her entire life abiding by the rules, trying to do what was right, and where had it gotten her? Rules were supposed to protect you, to keep you safe from harm. But she found the consequences of obeying them were suffocating.

First, she attempted to prevent her sister from going against the gods by using her magical practices. That had resulted in what felt like an eternal feud between her and Medea. Her sister had taken her moral concerns as an insult to her intelligence. Then, she had been trapped in a vicious storm, the likes of which their world had never seen before. Now the lives of her husband and daughter were at stake. It was a game of roulette-- by chance they could live and by chance they could die. What had she done to deserve such a brutal punishment when she had followed every rule blindly?

It was now that the sun was beginning to lazily slouch further down in the sky. Daylight was abandoning them, and darkness would promptly overtake. The remaining grey light kissed the ferns and tall grasses, soon to cover them with impenetrable blackness. The silent movements of the queen, the sage, and the royal soldiers flattened the meadows that they trod through. Even in this gloominess, fresh dew glistened on the blades of grass carpeting the ground. Even here, in the eye of the storm where they were surrounded by Death itself, life went on.

Beatrix rode up beside the queen. Unlike previous times, Aaron did not accompany her horse. Since three travelers had left the group, there were enough horses for all the people that comprised the encampment. Aella hadn't been the only person who was annoyed by Aaron's presence. Beatrix felt relieved that she no longer had that leech holding her reigns. He was no eye sore, with his marble black eyes, but still a leech.

"I feel naive," Electra confessed in hushed tones to the sage. "How could they ever survive?"

Beatrix gazed back at her with protracted sympathy. "My queen, you are anything but naive." This was not a falsehood. Beatrix saw Electra for who she truly was. To her, Electra was a woman unlike that of her time. She spoke her mind and was independent without her husband, not an aimless entity that obeyed his every command. That was how it should be in her mind. Equal. Society did not seem to agree with her radical views.

Electra rolled her eyes up and down the sage, observing her appearance. There was an angelic yet rugged quality about the woman. Her pearly locks were still framing her face like it was on display in a museum. She wore a sparkling cerulean gown, with a tight bodice and relaxed skirt, the seamstress of which was most likely magic.

"My apologies for being blunt," Electra retorted savagely, thus proving Beatrix's hypothesis of her not being afraid to speak her mind. "But I do not think that you have the wits to make such a judgment." It was unusual for her to be so unnecessarily harsh, but the stress of the previous day had changed her temperament altogether. This mission, this quest that her husband and daughter had embarked on had upset the order in the world. She hardly recognized herself as the words left her mouth.

Surprisingly, the sage laughed heartily at her response. When Electra raised her eyebrow in absurdity, the sage attempted to compose herself. "Oh you are so irascible!" She hiccuped. "Twas a mere attempt at easing your obvious discomfort, my queen. But alas, if you will not listen..."