Shay crouched alongside Armaelie as they both skinned the carcass. It had been a sizable deer with a good pelt and lots of meat on its bones. Jonah had gone off at orders from the older man to find more branches to make a sort of drying rack to hang the deer skins. Soon enough the three had the deer roughly cut into reasonable sizes for the spit above the fire, with slabs left over for future use, one of which Shay had deboned and cut up in chunks explaining that it was acceptable for a stew.
With that done the assembly sat on the stones around the fire and exchanged greetings with those already present. The deer, having been properly seasoned by Bri'nna, presently spun slowly to roasted perfection above the content flames. The air teemed with silent apprehension as they all turned to Ma'agda.
Time sped up in a flux of activity. The sounds of the wood began to go on as if they had never ceased. Ma'agda swiftly opened her eyes to the full.
"Lazarus has faced mutiny." The girl stated; the Alliance leaders' name as slime on her tongue.
"Azul convinced eight members of your innocence," Ma'agda turned to look at Sha'ara. Eyes lit up and an exultant grin spread like fire across her face.
Her heart gave an enthusiastic thump-thump-thump at this news, but knew there must be more. Her hand gestured for Ma'agda to continue.
"They fought. Unsurprisingly, they won. But Lazarus, the foul son of a serpent that he is," she spat, "had other tricks up his sleeve; he overcame the weaker members with dark magic and wiped them out."
Sha'ara took in what her friend spoke. "So what is the state of the Alliance now, and where is Azul; is he alright?"
Ma'agda took a deep breath, "Lazarus has with him only two of the original members." She gasped suddenly. "Also, they no longer have the Horn! It has been lost, or at least if someone has it, it isn't with the Alliance."
Bri'nna spoke up. "You forgot to mention Azul; where is he? Also, is there anything else you saw that we should know, or may be helpful?"
"Oh, yes...you see the reason I know what happened is because Azul is writing a letter. I'm not sure if he means to send it or...well he may have thought Sha'ara would see it in a vision. He did know about that, correct?"
Sha'ara nodded.
"Where are they now? The remaining members and Lazarus, I mean?" Ta'asha chimed in, her grey eyes sparkling from the flames.
"I can't tell where they are now, but he writes that they were a few miles north of the border between Sha'anae Doas and Bri'issa when Lazarus regrouped with the two remaining members." Ma'agda breathed in. "Azul goes on to mention that he has banded together the remaining mutineers into a resistance of some sort; there are five of them plus Azul. After having seen Lazarus dispatch four members with nary a thought they realized he was more than what he appeared to be, and that his Alliance was not in fact what he purported it to be."
The girl went on to relay news about the resistance; they had been following Lazarus for two days. They had looped back to the scene of the battle: apparently Lazarus wanted to find the Horn, but he would not find it Azul explained, because he had swiped it in the melee of the battle and kept it on his person under lock and key. At this news everyone sighed a cleansing, strengthening breathe. Ma'agda went on to explain that in the letter, Azul says that they are currently approximately thirty or so miles from the border and incidentally, Lyra Agua.
"This is good news!" Exclaimed Ta'asha, springy dark brown curls released themselves from their knot as she took a bite of her venison. "It means we can make it to the Shia'din before he even gets halfway. And now that there are only three of them...well we can easily deal with them. Only Lazarus may present a challenge as he is reasonably strong and has Dark on his side. We have Light, truth, and Yah'a'weh on our side! And some very powerful Shia'din as well."
There was silence for a good while as meat was feasted on and tea consumed. Bellies full and content, eyes became drowsy with the days' journey.
"I know some of you will want to sleep now that it is night and the threat is not so immediate," Shay began, "but I think it best we keep going while darkness is our cover."
Bri'nna put up a hand to cut off any grumbling.
"I would disagree, but Shay has a good point. Our enemies will no doubt rest for a while during nights -- they aren't used to living in the wilderness like some of us -- but the more ground we can put between us and them the better. Although," her eyes sliced through the blackness as she peered into his eyes. "Shay, we have good shelter here...perhaps it would be best to rest for a couple hours before moving on. We don't exactly know what the terrain is between here and Forest Claw; we may not have another chance like this."
His eyes showed multiple emotions and thoughts swept across his face like clouds across the sky. One could almost see the pros and cons going through his mind. Faces turned expectantly toward him, Shay finally spoke.
"Only for two hours. When the moon gets to here," he pointed up and just left of him, "then we pack up and ride like the wind."
Everyone smiled and let out a breath. Even Shay let a smile show; it was open and spoke of generosity, kindness, and was indeed very handsome on him. He turned to Bri'nna and let a chuckle out. It seemed he couldn't let her down; in the end she always got her way.
Sha'ara had lain down in her bag as had everyone, but while they were all thinking about sleep she watched the way Shay looked at her mother. She did not know quite how to feel about it. On one hand, her father had been murdered only weeks before, but on the other, her mother deserved to have happiness again with someone. Of course, he also knew the situation and seemed to be a patient man. With thoughts swirling around in her head like a mobile above a child's bassinet, she drifted off into a deep sleep.
She awoke to find herself completely alone. Then she noticed the ceiling which hung above her in shades of cream. She sat up and peered around; a fireplace with a glowing fire sat on the wall opposite her, exuding warmth and casting shadows on the walls in the room.
Fistfuls of warm and soft bedding were grasped and yanked aside as she hurried out of the bed. There was a large ornate mirror on the wall beside the fireplace and she felt compelled to stand in front of it.
The image she was met with was a slightly older Serephia. The girl in the mirror appeared melancholy, but spoke to Sha'ara in spite of her lack of resolve.
"I am here to warn you. Come with me, there is something I need to show you." With this she reached out and took the girls' hand.
"Serephia?"
"Do not fear Sha'ara; come with me through the mirror."
So she listened to her former self and went into the mirror. As this happened, their current reality melted away, leaving another in its place.
There, a vast desert plain stretched before their eyes. Sand being swept by unseen winds scattered across the valleys and hills of Forest Claw and the night sky lay thick with stars. In the distance Sha'ara saw the outline of a man, and her eyebrows dipped in curiosity.
"Who is he Serephia?"
"That is Gabri'el. He is the twin brother of Moy'rain."
Sha'ara felt her insides tumble. "What?"
Serephia giggled wryly. "He can help you find The Doors, but I must warn you! He pretends to be something he is not, and is not to be trusted. He is nothing but greedy and bitter; full of resentment he is."
"But why? What is it that he resents?"
"Simply put? Moy'rain. He wants to be King of the realm instead of his brother, and has been coming up with a plot since The Breaking to somehow destroy Moy'rain and take the throne for himself."
"So, what do I do Serephia?"
"You let him help find The Doors. Pretend to trust him, and try to make him trust you. Let him put on his pretense for you. Act innocent; as if you have had no idea about him. But please, do not let him inside the realm!"
"How is it that he is stuck in our world?"
"I myself do not know Sha'ara; as far as I know he had no reason to be here when Arrot blew the Horn."
Sha'ara thought on this. If he had wanted to be King why did he not just stay in Sha'atirna and overcome Moy'rain while in that realm? That way he could have been King all this time. She filed the information and questions away for another time, but resolved to get to know Gabri'el enough to find the answers.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* (❁'◡'❁)(＝⌒▽⌒＝)(❁'◡'❁)*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Hello and happy Monday! I hope each of you had a great weekend. Remember to treat yourself with gentleness and speak kind words to yourself and others. As writers we know words are power, and can affect us deeply. You are valid and deserve to be heard!
NamjoonsPajamas xo