One day you will lead us all
to the safety of the southern lands
to the last living land.
I am not a queen.
Oh but, Amaryllis one day you will be.
I believe in you and so does everyone else.
The whole world believes in you
You were chosen by the Lady of Light herself.
~Holy Texts of Amaryllis
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"The army is no place for traitors."
It had never been. On either side of the war. Yet, there was one side who dealt with their traitors in a completely different way. The seven Mutare soldiers who had been injured, left on the battlefield to die by their comrades, now stood before their camp very much alive, each of them wearing the same darkened expression like a mask.
The Mutare commander, the one who had ordered the retreat moved from one end of the line to the other, his mind reeling at what had happened. It was unheard of for injured Mutare left for dead to come crawling back, completely healed, and ready to fight once more.
"How are you healed?" the commander snarled, his eyes cold as he glared at those who had once been his comrades. "You couldn't be healed," he spat.
"We apologize, sir," the female Mutare with wings said. "Yet there was nothing that could be done about it," she said. "The one who healed us gave us no other options," she said, dutifully. "We returned here to make the report," she said.
"Who healed you?" the commander demanded, his eyes burning. "Was it a Lekki? Are they dabbling in magic?" he asked, eyes wide with shock.
"No sir," the female Mutare said. "It was another Mutare. One with golden eyes," she said. "He simply touched our wounds and they began to heal themselves. I told him to back off, and that I didn't need his help, but the foolish familiar didn't understand the simplest of orders," she spat.
"Familiar?" the commander asked. "It was a familiar who healed you?" he asked, not bothering to hide the disgust bleeding into his tone. "How could you let yourself be touched by one of the impure?" he asked.
"The golden eyed familiar didn't give us many options," the female Mutare said, hanging her head. "We are a failure and a disgrace," she said, her voice filled with bitterness as all of the other seven Mutare hung their heads as well. "Please, punish us are you see fit," she said, sorrow filling her tone.
"I should have you all hanged, for high treason against the Wild Woods," the commander growled, his eyes narrowed. "But I'm feeling nice so we can reduce it to lashes."
Each of the Mutare in the line visibly winced as they knew the punishment that awaited them. Lashes were just a part of a soldier's life once they joined the Mutare army, and the more scars a Mutare had, the higher rank they became until they were the one giving the lashes, instead of receiving them.
If a soldier made a mistake it was lashes, if a soldier was late it was lashes, if a soldier so much as coughed at the wrong time they could be given lashes. The commanders seemed to love giving them out, as well. The lashes hadn't been around very long, but after the Dark Master was reborn and retook the throne, the lashes returned to the Mutare army as well.
And in his mind, lashes were the reason the Mutare soldiers grew to be so vicious.
"We accept our fate, and thank you for sparing us our lives," the female Mutare forced herself to say. The commander was smirking now, his eyes alight with a twisted excitement that he only gained when giving out lashes.
"Let us begin, then," he said.
That was when they waltzed into the camp.
Every soldier fell dead silent upon seeing the faces of the Raven Sisters, their footsteps in perfect sync with one another, despite their blindfolded eyes. The elder sister's lips were locked in a straight line as she turned to face the commander. "And what is going on here?" she asked. "I thought this unit was to be in battle today," she said.
"Raven Sisters," the commander said, dipping his head, in shock. "We were in battle, but we were forced to retreat when a god arrived," he said, giving a slight report.
"And what are they doing lined up?" the younger of the Raven Sisters asked, a smile upon her lips. "Let me guess, did they run from battle? Are we just in time to bear witness to their execution?" she asked, with the same sick excitement all of the higher ranking Mutare possessed over death.
"N-no," the commander said, struggling to find the right words. "They came back here with their tails between their legs after claiming to have been healed by a golden-eyed impure," he said. "I was just about to have their lashi-"
"Golden-eyed impure? A familiar?" the elder sister echoed, cutting the commander off before she turned to the Mutare soldiers. "This familiar, healed you by using magic, correct?" she asked, her tone filled with excitement.
"Yes..." the female Mutare said, trailing off. "It was like frost, except it felt warm, and before I knew it my wings had repaired themselves," she said, giving her dull brown wings a slight flutter as if to prove her point.
"We found him!" the younger sister said.
"He's not covering his tracks at all," the elder sister said, her face filled with concern. Either he was getting careless or...he was planning something. "Something feels off."
"What do you mean, sister?" the younger asked, her joyful smile fading from her face as she turned to face the elder of the two.
"Healing these soldiers was a risky move. Far riskier than any other stunt he has pulled thus far. It makes me curious..." she trailed off, knitting her brows together in frustration. "I fear if we continue to follow him like dogs, we will be playing right into his hands," she said. "And whatever he has been up to for the past six years will come to pass."
"Pardon me," the winged female soldier said. "But are you speaking of the golden-eyed familiar?" she asked, her eyes laced with curiosity. "Just who is he?" she asked.
The younger sister stifled a laugh, yet couldn't contain her mad grin. "Surely you must have heard the stories. The legends of a golden-eyed Mutare possessing the dark magic of winter's raft?" she asked. "Do not tell me you were so arrogant as to not believe in them," she spat turning away. "The one you call impure is-"
"Hold your tongue, sister," the elder Raven Sister snapped, cutting her younger sister off. The younger now had a scarlet blush dusting her cheeks, as she dipped her head in respect to her elder sister.
"Yes, sister," she said, in mumbled submission.
"Good," the elder said, a cold smirk on her lips. "Now tell us where this familiar went before I get angry," she spat.
"He went west," the winged female soldier said, slightly taken aback by the urgency in their tone. Yet her mind was on those golden eyes. She knew she had seen them once before, a very long time ago.
Then it, finally, hit her.
It was back when she first joined the army and was promoted to a Seventh Rank. Her first and only promotion in her life. The Mutare who had appointed her to as a full-fledged member of the army had golden eyes and worn a cloak just like the one who had healed her. Only...that was nearly a decade ago and he hadn't changed a bit. He was still the same.
"Let us move," the elder Raven Sister snapped, before dashing off into the Wild Woods, not waiting for her hesitant younger sister to follow.
The younger stared at the soldiers for a moment. "These soldiers have given us the information we desired, and for that they shall be spared of any punishment," she finally said, her words firm, before she followed her sister into the darkest depths of the Wild Woods, ready to fulfill her duties and return Dai to his rightful place in the Keep.
A U T H O R ' S N O T E
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