Hope an early update is okay. ;)
Kamydreh
**********
All the promises she made, was broken. The fates made her do so. But why, she could never tell.
Yawning, she rubbed the Hava's mane. The heafre neighed softly matching the stillness of the dead woods. Birds of different feathers flocked together. The coldness made then to huddle together.
The way she should have used was destroyed by a landslide that occurred last week. She slumped her shoulders before straightening it.
If she had followed her way, she would have met Cathy and would be heading back, but nature did not want her to do that. Instead, she had to take the long route. The route, which made her ride for a week.
"Just a little more, girl," she whispered to Hava.
The mare ruffled her mane and continued walking. Chavva laughed to herself. Her laughter, the trotting of Hava's hooves and crickets' screech gave a little life to the eastern part of Fangforn.
She did not fear travelling in strange places. She was used to it. She knew how to blend in when attackers or beasts came. There was a reason why she liked chameleon. The way it changed its skin fascinated her.
A mile or two before her, a small light flickered bright and dim. She smiled, taking in a deep breath. Cathy's home, like other healers home, was on the outskirts of her village.
The healers purposefully choose their house at such places so that their trade secrets would not be out.
Hava craned her neck and saw her. Chavva glanced at the house and back at Hava. The road was deserted.
She inhaled and nodded. The mare galloped and ran. As much as Amara said she never used her horse for a race, her friend had not seen her race. Only she knew Hava's potential.
If it was only her and Hava, she would have reached here six days ago. But how could she reveal that Hava was a haefre before all those people who accompanied her?
Before she exhaled, Hava was standing in front of Cathy's house. A mile within a minute was nothing for Hava. Laughing without a sound, she patted her mare's back and got off.
The mare trotted a few steps back and looked into her eyes. Its big, black eyes were liquid soot. Warm and deep, which looked into her soul.
"Alright!" She took an apple from her bag and held it in her palm. The white haefre eagerly came forward and ate the apple in a go.
She gave her horse a look of disbelief. Shaking her head, she climbed the front stairs of her friend's house and knocked the door.
The winds carolled and the metal hangings in front of the door clanged. The door creaked and a beaming Cathy opened the door. The plump woman wore a white dress that showed her huge belly. Her brown eyes shone under the lamp she held. Black hair stuck to her forehead and her hands were wet.
"Come in Chavva!" she squealed. "Do come in!"
She froze. "Cathy, do you not have internal bleeding? How can you move about?"
Someone guffawed from inside the house. "You believed her? She wrote it like that so that you would come soon."
"Tell me it is a joke, Cathy," Chavva whispered.
"Oh, it is," her friend said merrily. "Had I not written that letter like that, you would have never come."
"Why would you want me to come?" she asked. "I have a lot of work back home."
"All healers have a lot of work," Cathy snorted. "That does not mean that we must not have time for us."
"Are you keeping a guest out, Cathy?" a masculine voice said.
"My! Come in, Chavva," Cathy invited.
Her chin wobbled. "Do you have any idea how much I have thrown away to come and help you? A man who was about to die and so many things. Now you want me to sit with you and have a chat?"
Cathy was taken aback. "I am sorry." She cast her eyes down. "I wished my friend would be there for me till my time."
Chavva sighed. What would she do? Aeron or Cathy? Promise or friendship? The hopeful look on Cathy's face wanted her to tear her heart open.
It was up to her. She could either turn and leave or stay and help. But she had already reached here.
She slumped her shoulder. "Move aside, Cathy." When the pregnant woman did not move, she said, "I believe you invited me in."
Placing the lamp on a short stool, she clasped her. Her huge belly between them. She hugged back trying not to hurt her.
"Is my wife that charming that you came in, Chavva?" Mark asked.
"Must be a mother's charm, brother," Lucas, Cathy's brother answered.
"It is for her child I agreed to stay, Mark," Chavva said, untying her cloak and draping it over a chair.
Stroking his bread, he continued his previous work of eating his dinner.
"No women to help you, Cathy?" she asked sitting opposite to Mark and next to Lucas.
"Becca is a sweet girl." Cathy cooed. "She helps me during the day. Says she wants to learn the trade."
"Becca?"
"Oh!" Cathy smiled and sat next to her husband. "She is engaged to Lucas."
Chavva faced him. "Slipped your mind, Lucas?"
A proud smile came on his face. "No. I just met you now after a year."
Chavva laughed. "Yes. A year. But Lucas did you finish your meal?"
The brown haired lad groaned. "What is with you healers? Food first, sleep is next, and work third. What is wrong with you?"
She blinked. "These are the three most important things."
"It is no use arguing to one," Mark quipped.
"I am meeting Becca's father at Night's Glow tonight. I was about to leave, you came in," he said.
"Why don't you go, Chavva?" Cathy asked. "I brought you from your home. The least I can do is to show you how we, residents of Icathus celebrate winter."
"With a mournful song," she shrugged. "Or so I have heard. Icathus hates winter. No harvest."
Mark had a grim look. "As said before, you can't argue with a healer."
"At least go for my sake," Cathy pleaded. "Go as his sister."
"Why do I have a feeling that it is all planned?" she asked.
"Might be," Cathy smiled and wiped the stew drops on her face.
"I am already tired, Lucas," she said, giving him a weary look. "Make sure that you will bring me back early."
"Fine." He stood and held his hand. "Thank you for coming."
She stood and closed her eyes and steadied herself. The low energy in her body advised her to stay, but she willed herself to go. What harm in helping a friend?
Lucas gave her black cloak and opened the doors. He wore a fur coat and cocked his head. "Brought Hava?"
"Who do you think I would have brought?" she asked. "Good night, Mark. Good night Cathy!"
"Good night," they chorused. "Stay safe."
Smiling, she closed the door and hurried to catch up with Lucas's long strides.
"So how is Becca's father?" Chavva jumped over a stone.
"He is one of the wealthiest men here," he said nervously. "I do not know how he thinks of me."
"Leave that to me." She laughed at his behaviour. "I will say to you whether he likes you or not."
"How would you know?" His eyebrows joined.
"Can't give my secret away, can I?" She bit her lip.
"Another one of your healer's secrets?" She heard a smile in his voice.
"Want me to die?" She playfully glared at him.
He rose his hands in surrender. "Just five more minutes, we will reach Night's Glow."
"Okay." She paused. "Tell me about the new law and orders."
The rutted path became even and the grass grew less due to the trampling of the hooves of horses. Kamydreh was one of the well-developed city. Like a capital to the north-eastern parts of Icathus.
"That one?" he frowned. "Many are revolting against King Cathale."
"Why so?"
"They believe that once Yerinah is decimated, King Taimore will turn to Icathus. They do not want their children and family to die," Lucas said.
"I may be a healer," she started. "But I do know that when you must lift a sword to defend, you must. When your country is threatened, you have to fight its battle. After all, where is victory without a few losses?"
"People must know that Chavva," he said quietly, matching with the stillness of the wind.
"How is it here?" she probed. The chattering and the laughing of people reached her ears.
"North is better," he said. "Worst is in the west, along with the borders of Tantalia. But in north, Taswar and Lagraeh are the worst. People from there even refuse to work in the castle."
"What about you?"
"Me? Well, I would die for my country," he said. "Though Mark and Cathy are against it."
"Becca?" She sniffed many aromas of spices that they blended into one scent that was pleasant and appetising.
He scratched his head. "With me. She too would do anything for the country."
"Good."
As they entered the streets of Kamydreh, the lights caught her attention. Each house lit hundreds of lamps on the crevices of their walls, which was specially built for this purpose, and on the windowpanes. People were dressed in bright clothes and mingled with one another.
Varieties of shops were open and the shopkeepers were crying their wares. Children stood before such shops and begged their parents to buy the mud toys.
The stars shone and the moon sat on his throne wearing his crown proudly. If not for the clouds that veiled him, he would belt out with more radiance.
Lucas pointed ahead. Night's Glow was a small cottage like structure. It buzzed with life. She could say why it got its name. Hanging lamps were lit and mirrors were placed on the walls that reflected the moon glow.
"Shall we?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Let's go."
"Who is this, Lucas?" a sandy-haired man asked. His eyes raked over her body leaving her to feel disgusted with herself. "Where d'ya find her?"
"Leave her alone, Dyke," Lucas warned his tone dark.
"Nice catch," Dyke commented as though he did not hear Lucas words. "The last time before marriage, eh? Will you share after you're done with her? Look at her!"
She cowered behind Lucas. Tears welled in her eyes. Those words! How could he utter them shamelessly? She pressed the back of her palms to stop her sniffling.
"She is my cousin," Lucas spat. "She is here to assist my sister. Unless you want the healer on your bad side, Dyke, leave her out of this."
Dyke's face soured. "Cousin, eh? Waste!"
The drunk man turned and left.
Lucas turned and saw her. "Do you want to head back?"
She smiled despite her inner turmoil. "I promised you did I not?"
"Oh! Chavva," he said. "I would understand if you want to head back."
"It is okay, Lucas," she said. "I will meet Becca's father."
He looked into her eyes. "Thank you."
They headed inside and Chavva covered herself with the cloak more. She put on her hood; her ash-blonde hair attracted too much attention.
In the corner of the tavern, a short man with a huge grey moustache sat alone with a glass of beer in his hand. Lucas pointed him. "That's him. Lord Ghase."
"His trade?" she whispered.
"Silk," he said.
They approached him. He lifted his head and looked at them with sharp green eyes. His face expression did not suit his appearance.
"Sit," he said cuttingly.
As they sat, he asked in a clipped tone, "Who might this be?"
"My sister's friend who lives in Acracia," Lucas replied politely. "She is here on behalf of my sister."
"I said I need to speak with your parents as well, son," he said.
"I do not know when they will reach here." He played with his fingers beneath the table. "But the message was sent."
"Why does your sister live far from her family?" He finished his beer.
"My father's trade is at sea. Since not more than five healers live in one place, my sister moved out after she married Mark," Lucas said. "When I came to live with my sister for a while I met Becca. And I fell in love with her. That is why I stayed here long."
"When were you supposed to return?" Lord Ghase raised his eyebrows.
"Last summer." Lucas hung his head.
The Silk Lord hummed. "Are you marrying my daughter for her inheritance?"
"No!" he protested. "Not at all, My Lord. I love her."
"Why are you silent, lady?" the lord asked.
She blinked her eyes rapidly. "Weren't they engaged? Did you not give them your blessing then?"
"Their engagement is scandalous," he hissed. "I did not know about it until Becca said to me. Under Iphis's Tree, he asked, it seems, she accepted. This kind of engagement can be broken."
Chavva frowned. "An oath of love sworn under Iphis's Tree, cannot be broken, My Lord. It is the will of the Spirits that they agreed. Breaking such pure thing will be very disastrous."
"When I say it can be broken, it will," he said, his face muscles contracting. "Spirit or not, my daughter's life is important to me."
"Breaking such an oath may endanger your daughter's life," she insisted.
He scrutinised his eyes and saw her. Without flinching back, she looked at him. "You are a healer."
"I am." She stated.
"How can I ever win against you in these matters?" he said. "But do you not feel that he must have asked for my blessing?"
"I do," she said firmly. "Why not have another engagement with everyone's consent?"
He nodded and Lucas's clenched fists relaxed. Lord Ghase opened his mouth to speak but a posse of soldiers entered the tavern. They checked started checking everyone.
When they reached them, Chavva lowered her eyes.
The leader of the soldiers shouted, "Cooperate and we will leave peacefully!"
"Peacefully!" the barista spat. "Might as well kiss my arse! We know what ya did in Lagraeh. You whipped 'em and slaughtered 'em. Why should we believe ya?"
"Those are lies." The captain argued back. "You have been fed with them."
"Aren't ya feedin' us lies?" the barista yelled.
With both the men quarrelling, the fight broke in the tavern. The soldiers trying to calm the uproar of the common men were forced to fight back. Tables and chairs broke. Being in the secluded corner, they were quite unharmed.
The front door opened and a man in late twenties walked in. His steel blue eyes scanned the inn in less than a minute. A pair of eyes she knew too well. A frown came on his young face when he ran his fingers through his blonde hair.
"Captain, I believe I sent you to silently question the owner of the inn for the stay of ten men," he said in a controlled voice. Seeing his arrival, many stopped their fights; the soldiers stood erect. "Now this happens."
"I am sorry, general," the captain gulped. "Won't happen again."
General? Did that captain say General?
"Second chances are not provided for the same mistakes," the general said. "I might need to change someone else to your post."
"But General," he began.
Closing his eyes, General Warddis pinched the bridge between his eyes. "Do you speak out of turn to your superiors?"
The captain mumbled, "No."
"Then what were you doing?" he questioned slowly as though he was questioning a child.
The captain and the soldiers maintained their silence. The men looked at the general with a newfound respect and a touch of awe and fear. A dangerous combination; the one, which this general managed to pull off with ease.
General Warddis's eyes skimmed the room again. This time it landed straight over her. Despite many people being there between them, he looked at her, into her eyes.
"The woman in the black cloak, over there," he called.
Chavva turned to check whether he was calling her.
"Yes, you," he said. "Come out for a moment."
Gulping she stepped forward and nodded at Lucas. He shook his head in response and took a step back. Cathy would know where she was if her conversation with the general took time.
People parted for her as they saw with different kind of emotions. Some saw her with apprehension, others with jealousy. She resisted her urge to roll her eyes.
The air inside the inn was much warmer than the outer air. She pulled the cloak around herself to prevent the cold. Her delicate sandals could come off anytime.
A soldier motioned for her to go to the back of the tavern. Perhaps the general was waiting there.
The soles of her feet were aching and her legs threatened to give away anytime. Due to the lack of food, her head throbbed; she felt the nerves in her body feeling the stress of lack of water.
In the back, the general stared into space and did not hear her coming.
She coughed lightly. "Why did you call me, general?"
"Stars are beautiful, are they not?" he whispered, one hand was tucked inside a pocket and the other laying simply down, as though he was defeated. His tall and muscular form was straight yet crumbled.
"They are, general." She tucked her hair.
He turned his eyes assessed her. First stopping on her hair, as her hood had fallen, then to her eyes.
He finally asked, "What is a Rafela as young as you doing here?"
"W-wh-what?" she shuttered.
"I asked you a question," he replied.
"I- I am no Rafela," she gulped, "I am a healer."
"You can fool anyone," he told her. "But not a person who had grown up with a Rafela."
"B-but-" she began.
"I will not reveal your secret if that is why you are hesitating," the general said. "I am merely curious why you would come from your safe place to a place where chaos rules. Where you have the possibility to die?"
"I came here on a request of a friend." She looked down. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Go on."
"How did you find out I am one?" She looked into his eyes.
"As I said, I grew up with a Rafela," he smiled fondly. "She was my best friend. If she had stayed, I believe she would have been your age. Unfortunately, she had to leave to protect herself."
"Yes," she whispered and licked her lips. "We have to protect ourselves all the time."
"Do you know why I called you?" he asked, straightening his back.
"I don't know," she said.
"I have met quite a few Rafelas in my life," he started. "None of them was as true as my friend until you."
"What?" Her heart pounded within her chest.
Then he said the words she knew would say but did not want him to say.
"Double life," he said simply. "A life bringer and a destroyer."
Her legs shook, if not for the skirt, he would have known how terrified she was.
"Your eyes." He shook his head and touched one of his eyes with his hand. "Double coloured. It means two things. One good and the other bad."
"I do not know what you're talking about." She bit her lower lip.
"Rafelas are not gentle," he said. "They are cruel. For a past few centuries, all the Rafelas are gentle, because they had lost their cruelty. Keyah had taken that away, they believe. Because of their power, everyone, despite a small scratch came to a Rafela, but to protect them, none came."
He waited for her reaction. She was frozen on the spot.
He continued, "Who should protect them? Should they have personal protectors? In the olden days, the Rafelas themselves were quite capable of protecting themselves. They had the power to kill anyone they wanted by a mere blink of an eye. Keyah gave them this power to protect themselves so that they do not need anyone to protect them.
"After all, the ones who gave lives do have the right to take it away, right? The Rafelas with both the powers are true Rafelas. You are the second true Rafela I am meeting in my life."
"True Rafela? Me?" She pointed to herself. "No sir, you are wrong. I do not have that power. I can only heal, never hurt. I know."
"But your eyes says otherwise," he said. "Two colours. Pink and purple. Eyes of two colours are the ones that say this. Your eyes, blue and green, something like mine –I am not one, green and brown. And much more. If you are a Rafela and you have two coloured eyes, then you are a true one. I know, because I grew up with a true Rafela."
"No, no, no," she panted. "You are definitely wrong."
The corner of his eyes crinkled. "Then you must not know your hidden powers."
"Perhaps," she said.
He closed his eyes and nodded. "I believe you know my name, but I never got yours."
"Chavva Asheren."
"Asheren?" his now open eyes showed alarm. "What is your mother's name?"
Her heart raced. He must not know if he had to live. "I don't know. My mother's friend grew me up. She said my mother died and the woman who grew me up refused to talk about her."
He seemed to be taken aback. "I am sorry. It was the Hunters, right?"
"Yes," she gulped.
"Asheren was the maiden name of my Rafela friend's grandmother," he admitted. "So I thought you might know about her."
"You are searching for her," she stated.
"You have a best friend, the one friend to whom you confess everything, from your deepest secret to light-hearted jokes. Then suddenly she disappears, what would you do?" He leant against the wooden wall and folded his arms. One leg rested on the floor, the other on the wall, like a flamingo.
"Why don't you see it from her view," she suggested. "She might be hiding to protect you."
"Do you remember when I said that if she had stayed she would have been your age?" He gave her a crooked smile. A friendly smile. "I take that back. She would have been exactly like you."
Giving him a smile of her own she said, "What is her name? If I ever meet her, I might tell you."
"No." General Warddis shook his head. "I swore to keep her identity in secrecy. I will not break that promise now."
"She must be proud to have you as her best friend," Chavva said.
"It is me who is proud." He rested his head on the wall. "I am sorry, Chavva. I kept you here long. Your friend must be waiting for you. Just because I am searching for my friend, does not mean you cannot ask my help. If anything, you can ask me."
"Thank you." She pulled her cloak on. "It means a lot to me, general."
"It's Payne," he said. "I believe you can call me by my name. People are given names to be addressed by."
"You are too modest. You have no arrogance," she said. "That is rare in this world."
"Mika says otherwise," he snorted.
"Do you let others judge you?"
"But Mika is rarely wrong," he protested. "Her being wrong is like bamboo flowering. Once in hundred years."
He had a distant smile on his face, as though he did not want to smile, but his lips thought otherwise.
"She must be wise," Chavva commented.
"She is."
"I beg your pardon, but I must leave," she said. "Thank you for talking, Payne. And thank you for your help."
He stilled. "You said my name."
"I thought you said I could address you by it." Had she done something wrong?
"With a northern accent." He scratched his growing stubble. "Only a few people have that accent, and you are hiding that accent."
"I am from Acracia."
He blinked. "Then the mistake is on my part."
"Fhane!" he shouted.
A young soldier hurried in, holding a spear in one hand. He formed a fist with the other hand, placed it over his heart and bowed. "Yes?"
"Take this lady home safe," he ordered.
Fhane nodded and turned. "If you will."
"Thank you, Payne," she said finally and walked out. The soldiers had brought the fights into control. The shops were closed and the flames in many lamps died under the wailing winds.
As she led the way, a queer thought entered her mind. She smiled to herself and shook her head.
She had a civilised conversation with one of the high leader of the rebellion and befriended him. All the while hating the rebellion herself.
So how was this chapter?
Penny for your thoughts?
What would you do if you had a friend like Cathy?
What do you think of Payne and Chavva's blooming friendship?
Well, I completed my 11th grade and I am eager to go to my 12th grade. In my next year, I might have a lot of stress from school more than this year. So if the updates are not on schedule, then I am going to blame my school. This is just a prior warning!
The glossary will be put up soon!
Till we meet again,
~Quill