As I dashed through the trees, I could hear the sounds of the soldiers getting quieter with every step that I took. My heart thundered in my chest with its need to continue beating, ignoring the fact that I hardly had enough breath to oxygenate it before pushing the blood back around my system.
I broke through the branches and bushes, lungs burning. There was one goal in my mind and that was to get inside the magical wards of our city.
Just a little farther, I told myself.
And then my foot caught on a tree root and my face collided with the damp dirt. As my fingers splayed in the wet soil, I could sense the location of the soldiers. Damn, I knew I should've worn gloves today.
Ignoring the stinging vibrations in my fingers and cheek, I brushed myself off and I scrambled to my feet. My bag bounced carelessly against my back, unknowing and apathetic to the need for the items within for careful transportation.
I clambered over more roots, sliding down the side of a small wall of dirt created by a large tree root. Today hasn't been my day and it really won't be if those damn guards got a hold of me. Although, I won't have to worry about being in trouble with my father if I'm already dead.
Hastily my plans changed. I shook off my bag and jacket and pushed my back and arms into the wall of dirt. Reaching for as much skin-to-soil ratio as I possibly could, shoving my fingers into the loose, wet soil.
It didn't take long for my mind to connect to the plants that were all around me, connecting my soul to theirs, making my scent match to that of the cold, damp, earth. You can't track a scent that is everywhere and nowhere all at once, I thought.
Allowing the connection to the plant life, I could pinpoint exactly where and how many soldiers there were. They were about 50 paces beyond my eyesight, which if I'd been human, would have been one of their miles. Their dogs were snarling, drooling creatures, trying desperately to catch the last of my fading scent. Too bad, you'll never get it now, I smiled to myself.
Reaching further into the power of the plants around the soldiers, I began to move them to my will, shaking and twisting the trees.
This, of course, startled them because trees aren't supposed to twist. They in their tracks just as I knew they would. I began to feel the vibrations of them yelling vicariously through the roots and the earth.
Manipulating the roots and various vineage on the ground beneath them, I compelled the earth to swallow their feet. The earth softened under them, and the roots sprang from the ground, lashing about like whips, trying to bring the soldiers' entire bodies into the folds of the earth.
It's trying to eat us alive! I felt one of the soldiers yell.
They hacked with their short swords to get free from my grip, running back to the safety of their walls as fast as they could. Some of them managed to get free, but for most of them, the earth was hungry for them to return to its folds. The Balance would demand it after all.
It's an interesting feeling to make the Earth eat your enemies. One I don't particularly care for. Once I knew that all the guards were gone, either eaten or fleeing from their dooms, I peeled myself from the wall of dirt I had lain in. Clenching my fingers from the pain, the skin on my arms and hands turned from the odd greenish color back to my normal skin tone, the magic receding from the surface. As much as I hated having to use magic, the return was always worse.
I shoved my arms back into my jacket, picked up my backpack, and set back on my way home.
After an hour's jog, my vision shimmered for a second and then went away as I entered the city's wards. Not long after the wall came into view as well. By the time I had made it to the Eastern Gate, the sun was almost setting.
“You're late again,” came a drawling voice. One I knew all too well.
I glared up at the soldier on the wall, he was smirking as he looked down at me. “Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?” I spat. I adjusted the grip on my bag.
He pretended to examine his fingernails, turning them this way and that. “Well, I'm not required to open the gate for you if I don't feel like it... If I feel you could be a threat to our society,” his voice was full of pomp.
“Yeah, but then who would tell you all the court gossip?” I crossed my arms. This close to Firelight, it was getting cold out and I wanted to get home before it was dark out.
He sucked sharply against his teeth. “Ugh, yeah I guess you're right.”
I couldn't take it anymore; I doubled over in laughter! The self-righteous and pretentious voice he kept using was just ridiculous! He sounded far too much like my older cousins. I heard his low chuckle as he went to raise the portcullis.
I ducked inside the gate and ran up the stairs to the top of the wall. Hopping around on my toes, I blew into my hands trying to keep them as warm as possible. It was colder than a witch's tits out here.
While I was rubbing my hands together in desperation for warmth, Caelen was rubbing his hands together in eagerness. “So whadda ya have today, Sam?” He tried to pry open my drawstring pack, but I turned around and swatted at his hands.
“Don't even think about it!” I shook my finger at him. “You know that your mother is going to kill me for even going outside the Walls. You know she'd be even more pissed if she didn't even get what I went out for!”
He pouted as he rubbed the hand that I hit. The cold probably made it sting more than I intended, but it probably only added to my point. “Yeah, well she's got a point. Going out to the human cities is dangerous, let alone stealing from them,” he said.
“Yeah, but these are important to your mom. She's been complaining that she's not going to have oranges for an offering to the gods for another festival in a row for the last month.” He sighed and turned away. He knew I was right. “Besides, I actually paid for the spices this time...”
He groaned. Stealing from the humans and staying out of sight was one thing. Oddly enough, the larger the item, the easier it was to steal. But spices? Forget about it. I learned that the hard way.
He resigned himself back to his duties, and I just hopped around for the next 10 minutes or so to keep from freezing. Eventually, we heard the soft crunching of needles as the next guard came around. I felt bad for him that he had the night rotation at all, especially tonight of all nights. At least he was bundled up pretty well and had a thick fur cloak to help keep him warm through the night.
His mouth moved sideways in a dejected smile as we made eye contact. We didn't want to be there. He didn't want to be there. The feeling was mutual. We began walking towards Caelen's replacement, the way back to town.
“You can go,” he grumbled.
“Shit, man I feel bad for you,” Caelen said. “I'll try to bring you a hot cup of cider later. Try to keep you warm ya know.”
“Only if it's your moms,” the soldier groaned.
“Of course, only the best!” he called out.
By the time we got into town, the sun was setting, but that didn't mean that the people of Asyathlona were ready for nightfall in the slightest. The Firelight Festival was one of our most popular nights of the year. Many of the homes we passed had their curtains open and candles on the windowsills. The marketplace was filled with the buzz of people and smelled of fried honey cakes, hot cocoa, and hints of cinnamon. Many of the vendors also had candles out, only adding to the smell of the street as we walked past.
We wound through the throngs of people till we made it to the square where there were a couple Firelights performing. In the darkening sky, it really made their magic come more alive. They played off of each other in a show of sparks and flame.
There weren't many Firelights in our town, but this year we'd invited our kinsman to the north to celebrate this year's festival with us. I wasn't looking forward to it.
Remembering what I had waiting for me at home, I dragged Caelen away from the Firelights so I didn't have to think about it until later.
“Come on,” I grumbled. “I have to get this to your mom before I go back to the castle.”
“Ugh, you're no fun,” he whined.
We pushed through some more people until we found ourselves outside of The Magical Harp Tavern and Inn.
Though it was in his father's name, Caelen's mother, Mirella, was the one who actually ran the tavern. She was the head lady in charge. She was the bartender at the counter and the mastermind behind the menu. Especially the stew! The Magical Harp was famous for her stew. That's not to say that his father didn't help out. He chopped the wood and stoked the fires, but he was also the Harp player. It's how they got their name after all.
When we entered the building, the bell above the door chimed and we were greeted by the hearty sound of people talking, dancing, and eating. This would be a great time for their family. With all the visitors coming into town, they would be booked through the weekend.
“Oh, hello dears!' his mother called from our left at the counter. She was swamped with customers looking for refills. “I'll be wiv' ya in ten minutes! Just come have a seat up here!”
We did as she asked and watched as she flurried around her patrons. She was short and stout, but she wasn't your average sweet woman. She was stronger than most of the men in the bar, and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had skin like the richest chocolate and her normally extremely curly hair was braided into what she called two-strand twists. It helped to keep her hair from frizzing in the humidity of the tavern. While she looked flushed, she was still put together as always.
After a couple of minutes of bustling around, her daughter Fahey came downstairs, and Mirella called for her to take over for her for a moment. Fahey sighed but smiled and immediately began taking glasses for more mulled cider and beer.
As Mirella walked over to us, she dried off her hands with a rag. “My dears, what can I do for ya'?”
“Well, Mira,” I started, pulling my bag from my back. “I've got some things for you for the Solstice.” She gave me a mother's stare. “Hey now! I was careful,” I said back.
As I pulled out my stolen wares and handed them over to her, her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Sammara, you shouldn't have! You know how dangerous it is in the human territories!”
There was genuine concern in her voice, but all the same, she still took the fruits and turned them over in awe. I could already see the wheels in her mind turning to see just what she would do with them.
“And,” I said, reaching for the jars of spices carefully wrapped so they wouldn't break, “You can't be mad at me about these because I actually paid for them this time.”
I set them on the counter and started unwrapping them. “Oh my days, Sammara!” Her eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them.
“Like I said, I actually paid for them this time. There wasn't even a hint of suspicion from them. I was very careful,” I reassured her.
She gave me a stink eye while putting the small jars of spices into the pockets of her apron. Then her face turned to concern. “Well, as much as I love seeing you dear, don't you need to get back to the palace? It's almost dark out,” she asked.
I groaned. “Yeah, I know I do, but I really don't want to go.”
“It's for the best, love.” I gave her a small smile and she hugged me over the counter, whispering in my ear, “I'm sure it'll all go over smoothly, there's no reason to worry, my dear.”
As she pulled away she gave me another sympathetic smile. Though she was the most comforting person I knew, I still couldn't seem to shake the dread that sat in my stomach, knowing the details of the coming evening.
I gathered my things back into my bag and tightened the drawsting at the top. “I know, but still.”
I said my goodbyes to Kalen's family, and walked out the tavern door. While it was quieter on the street than it was inside the Magical Harp, it was in no way silent. People still were milling around on the streets, many already drunk early into a night of much more drinking.
Weaving through the throngs of people back to the square, I allowed myself to look at the Firelights showing off to the people gathered around. Not all the performers showed of their magic though, some played instruments and there were several acrobatics who played through their performance with the magic makers.
Soon the crowd was clapping along with the performers, and I could see just how much the people needed this night of fun. We all knew that the tensions between the other Fae countries were high, and we were literally in hiding from the Humans, so there was often a level of stress that everyone felt day to day. But seeing the little children with such awe on their faces as they watched the magic users manipulate their fire, and the acrobats leap through their rings and flip around, seemed to help take the edge off. That, and a lot of people started drinking near noon. It was a festival after all.
Across the square, also watching the Firelights with much amusement was a man in a black cloak with twin swords strapped across his back. But that wasn't the most interesting thing about him. He had a white wolf who sat at his foot.
Wolves weren't uncommon in these parts, in fact, if you got outside of the walls of Terrana, it was a common threat to watch out for as you traveled through the Darkwood. But ours were a grey and brown color. This one was completely white and completely tame.
As if sensing my stare, the man looked up at me. I crossed my arms as I watched him. He had black hair which made me think he was likely a visiting Emberian. His skin was rather pale as well, adding to my thought. His shoulders were fairly broad and considering the swords that hung crossed on his back, and their quality from this distance, he probably had some kind of of training and some amount of money. Since the royals who were coming for the festival wouldn't be here for another couple hours and would be making their first stop at the castle, it couldn't have been one of them. He chuckled and shook his head, turning away from the performers and leaving the crowd. He didn't even give a command to his furry companion, but it got up and followed closely at his heel all the same.
I didn't take my eyes off him as I paralleled him through the crowd, but before I could even move across the square to continue following him smoke got into my eyes, forcing them closed. I hissed at the pain, my hand coming to my eyes, rubbing them, trying to get them open faster. They were only closed for a couple of seconds, but by the time I opened them, the man in the cloak and his white wolf had already disappeared.
I snarled, something about that man didn't seem right. His energy was... powerful. There's no way to follow a man that has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Frustrated, I turned back to the castle, resigning myself to continue on.
I was let through the side gate without a fuss, the guards standing post there grumbling about working on the festival night. I entered into the castle through one of the kitchen doors. Inside, Fryda, the head cook, was barking orders left and right. There was to be a feast tonight in honor of our guest's arrival, so everything had to be just right. I wove in and out of the way of the many cooks and scullery maids frantically getting everything ready. I slide my bag off of one arm and pulled out a jar of stolen cumin and handed it to Fryda as she was yelling at one of her cooks about the steak. She gave me a nod of thanks and slipped it into a pocket of her apron.
Dancing around all the people moving around, I made my way to the door, snatching an apple off a counter as I passed. Honeycrisp, my favorite!
I went out the main double doors and ran up the servant stairs. My legs burned by the time I got to the third floor, and I still had to make my way to nearly the other side of the castle to my father's study. My braid bounced along my back as I ran through the hallways. Some people nodded to me or called out as I passed them, and I smiled or waved at them as I passed.
Soon enough I was turning into a quiet hallway. I slowed to a walk to catch my breath before entering the study. I took one last steadying breath and knocked on the hard oak door.
“Enter...” came the low voice from within.
I pulled the latch and went in.
The sight was not an unusual one. My father had his large table filled stacks of books. He sat framed by his towers in the center of the table. His salt and pepper hair tousled from its slick backed position, his round glasses on the edge of his nose, nearly sitting on the page of the book he was crooked over.
I closed the door softly behind me.
“Finished with your traipsing through the forest?” He inquired dryly.
“Yes, Father,” I sighed, arms behind my back. I stared out the window on the back wall.
My father was the only human that existed within the magical boundaries of our settlement. It's kind of looked down upon to just throw out a baby's father when the mother just died in childbirth.
“Good because a maid just came by to inform me that the dress I ordered for you tonight was just dropped off to your room, so if you could go and get ready for tonight, that would be great. We don't need you showing up in some inappropriate get up when the convoy arrives. I already make our small family look bad enough, we don't need you looking so unwomanly when they arrive.”
My chest twisted at his words. There were few ideologies that stuck around my father from when he lived with his kind, and the ones about being “womanly” or “manly” were some of the bigger ones.
“But I-” I started.
“I don't want to hear about it, Samara!” He looked up from his book but didn't actually look at me. His eyes were closed and he rubbed a spot on his temple. “We've been over this before; I understand that the customs are different here, but it doesn't make any sense to me. I don't want to talk about it. There's too much going on tonight.”
I looked at my boots. “Yes, Father.”
He didn't even bother to say goodbye as I opened the door again and slipped out, quiet as a mouse.
I made my way to my own room quickly. I smiled at those who smiled at me, but I didn't bother to stay to talk with anyone who called out to me, my energy was gone already. I dreaded the rest of the night that I would have to suffer through.
My room wasn't anything extravagant. The bed was on the back wall, fireplace and desk to the left. Dressing room to the right and bathing room through the doorway on the left. A large bookshelf was on the same wall as the door. I did like that bit. There was a sitting area in the right corner where I could curl in a blanket and read my books. The walls were dark green, and the floor was a dark brown, mostly covered with rugs and furs for the winter.
I threw my bag onto my bed, only containing the apple I stole from the kitchen. I flopped down beside it, groaning. I knew why tonight was important for the kingdom. Why we had invited people from Emberane to come to celebrate the festival with us. It was the night to celebrate Azdos, the God of Fire. He was the one who gifted the Emberians their power of fire, just as Viroba had given us earth. It was the longest night of the year and at the end we toast to the returning of the sun and warmth back to earth. Azdos commands the sun and Viroba made the earth so it's an olive branch to our siblings in the north to celebrate a night that worships both our gods. Powerholders from Emberane were literally called Firelights so it's an obvious choice.
The issue is that it's not necessary for me to be there. I'm not important enough to have to stay the whole night. I don't want to be there. No one else wants me there, least of all my grandfather, so logically I shouldn't have to go! I would rather have guard duty than be there and then someone who actually wants to celebrate with their family can!
I hated the whole ordeal.
Groaning again, long and hard, I rolled backward over the bed and walked over to the newest addition to my room. A mannequin stood in my sitting area, holding the dress my father ordered for the night.
It wasn't the most elaborate thing in my closet - unfortunately - but it was definitely the most beautiful thing I will have worn in a long time. It was a dark green ball gown with a sweet-heart neckline. There were no sleeves accounting for the heat of the coming partying, but... I felt along the sides of the dress. Soon my fingers caught along the fabric, secret pockets hidden in between the intricate golden embroidery. Who ever made this dress was a god send.
It was a beautiful dress, but I knew that my cousins would be wearing far more gaudy things tonight. Everyone, especially Kaelys, knew who was coming tonight. She hadn't shut up about him since we had found out he would be in attendance.
I rolled my eyes, pushing her from my thoughts.
I shucked off my outdoors clothes and began putting the dress on. It was easy enough by myself as far as corseted backs go. The ribbons were thick, and if I turned around in the large mirror in my dressing room, I could see it pretty clearly.
Actually, the most difficult part of the dress to deal with was the length. The dress needed heels in order not to be tripped over and I detested those things. I liked them in theory, they could be made beautifully, and with the right outfit they could be exquisite. But if the dress was going to cover your shoes all together, what was the point?! Wouldn't people rather wear flat shoes and be able to dance through the night with much less pain? It was one of many things I would never understand about clothing rules.
Once I had the dress fully laced and cinched, I pulled my braid forward, taking out the small ribbon that tied it back. I fingered through the plaits, undoing the now messy work from this morning. The braid had made my hair wavy, which meant less work for me now. I brushed through it a few times, fluffing it out, and pined half of it back with a golden hair comb. The roses on the bridge of the comb would match nicely with the embroidery on my skirt.
I washed my face of the dirt from this morning's jog in the water basin kept in the dressing room. Wiping it down with the soft washcloth, I savored the clean feeling. I didn't bother with much makeup other than mascara and some cheek rouge.
I looked at the clock tower outside my window. It was nearly six o'clock, which meant that the embassy would make their appearance at court soon. I slipped on the pinching shoes and made my way out of my chambers, making sure to lock the door behind me.
I dragged myself down the hallways to the Great Hall. Most of the court had already gathered so there wasn't much space on either side of the room. Most of those still gathering were looking for their family or their friends, so I wasn't alone as I walked through the center of the room. I made my way to the front where the rest of my family and cousins were. The swaths of green and gold and brown enveloped me as I walked through the crowd. These were the colors of our court but everyone had their own way to make themselves stand out.
As I suspected, most of cousins near my age were in much more elaborate clothing. Camyla especially. She sneered at me as I walked past her just trying to get to the back of our group. Her dress was on the lighter end of green and was honestly closer to yellow at the top. The flowing dress was a gradient from the yellow green to our more traditional dark green at the bottom. It hung on her body in a way that there was no hiding what she had underneath. The swooping neckline did not help that either. Her chocolate brown hair was shinier than usual to day and her green eyes were vibrant, likely from some slight glamour she was using.
She turned to our other cousins who were standing there in only slightly less revealing dresses, muttering loud enough for me to hear, “I don't know why that half-breed is even here. That bitch needs to learn her place.”
They all teetered with laughter.
“It's not like she has a chance of ever being Named anyway,” another one said. I rolled my eyes. The statement was true enough, but I didn't bother enough with court marriage traditions to care.
I zoned out, not listening to the people buzzing around me. I stood close enough to the front that I would be where I was told to be by the King's advisors, but far enough back that everyone else wouldn't have a problem with it. The advisors wanted all the King's eligible descendants to be in the front of the room. There were seven of us, ages eighteen to twenty-five, all of us eligible to be married off to our visitors from our sister country. We could be married off to any of them, but most like Camyla had their claws set on one in particular. As much as everyone would love to be rid of my presence, they wouldn't try to pawn me off on Emberane. Our ties were too fragile for that.
I thought about how much fun Caelen would be having tonight with his family and friends. We had known each other our whole lives. Mirella had been my wet nurse after my mother died giving birth to me. During that time Mirella was a cook in the palace, and she would sometimes bring Caelen in with her because her husband Theodel was working in what was then his father's tavern. After they relieved Mira as my nurse, I had been old enough to have become good friends with Caelen. He and I were inseparable. We learned magic together, we worshiped the gods with his mother, and we ran small errands when his mother ran out of something she needed. When he became a stableboy at fourteen, I spent a lot of time out there on the hot summer days. When he was assigned night duty out there for mouthing off to some of the royals, I was up in the rafters with him.
Soon the musicians began to play, and the trumpeters blew their horns. Everyone got quiet and rushed to be where they were supposed to be.
“Presenting his Royal Majesty, King Roald Ellion Peter Alevi, protector of Terrana, and ruling Lord of the Darkwood Forest and all its inhabitants!”
My grandfather, the king, entered from the side door. He stepped up to the dais.