We may taunt one another, but that’s what’s made our friendship so easy. We’ve both seen enough pain in our lives to appreciate one another's dark humor.
“Truly, I’m thankful you’re alright,” he murmurs to the top of my head as I burrow into his chest. Leeson wraps her arms around me. We all stand there, taking the moment for ourselves before we’re forced to acknowledge that we’re slowly losing our battle with the king and his army.
I pull away from their embrace. The words on my lips heavy, “Tell me of the casualties, Caym.”
His lips pull tight and his gaze hardens. Silence draws between us and I shift my weight between my feet.
“Well?” My brows pull higher as my stomach begins to churn with unease.
“The whole village is gone, save a handful of reguls.”
A handful of nonmagic people. Fuck.Numbness is a weight I didn’t realize could pull you down, sinking you between wanting to run away while simultaneously wanting to collapse.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, to stop the tears that form, I whisper in a barely audible breath, “Any children?”
His eyes, still level with mine, reveal nothing. He’s learned how to keep the pain of what we do separate from himself, something I haven’t mastered completely.
“Oh for gods sakes Caym, speak.”
Feet shuffle towards us, ending our conversation. Familiar faces, glowing in orange flamelight, rush towards us.
A female with fiery auburn hair and skin like alabaster reaches us first. The cowl on her head is pulled taut, though a few of her curls spill out.
“Jessamine, good to see you,” the words rush from my lips, “did you find the soldiers?”
She wasn’t our best tracker, but she was proficient.
Her green irises glow with a quiet rage. Suddenly, she blinks rapidly, refusing to look at me.
On a sigh she begins, “Damnit I found them yes, but,” her words close off. The air thickens as her lips slowly illuminate the soft white light of her Luxuria magic. Her hands clench at her sides and hold. She shakes the cowl off that covers her head and inhales deeply.
“I lost them after they passed through the trees. There must be an entrance to Astoria that we’re not familiar with,” her head lowers, “I’m sorry, Commander Viren.”
I’m still not accustomed to people using my formal title as it’s rarely used among The Hidden, and for her to use such formality reveals more to me than she’s saying.
“Jessamine,” I hope she can hear the softness in my tone, “we’re not to blame for what happened here.” As if saying that could somehow convince myself of it too.
Her throat bobs and the silence grows for a few breaths before a low, smokey voice breaks the pause, “Commanders, we have work yet to do.”
Naaveen’s words slice through me. His soft, yet serious tone forces me to remember the real reason we came to the outskirts of the Northern town of Astoria; the culling bands that bind magic are as hard to come by as those that possess a rarity form of magic.
“Where?” I feel the venom building on my tongue along with the disdain for the cuffs that would hinder my people from using their gifts, and for the very ruler that commissioned such atrocities.
All of our heads turn to face Naaveen, his bronze skin and sharp features highlighted by the low glowing embers.
Crystalline blue eyes sharpen on me as his brows furrow closer together.
“We’ve located them roughly a quarter night from here.”
“Damn it, that’s farther than I thought.” I rub my temples until some of the pressure dissipates before continuing, “I’ll have to take Caym. The rest of you will need to remain behind and sort out this mess.”
Caym, upon hearing his name, releases Leeson slowly.
“Lees, I need you here,” I say while my eyes are trained on her, silently praying to the gods she understands why.
Her shoulders straighten and I watch her chin raise slightly. She shakes her hands and makes a motion while the cracking of her finger joints can be heard. Removing a long fabric strap from her pocket, I watch her as she quickly ties her moons’ light colored hair into a topknot.
Jessamine starts off, passing Leeson and dips her sharp chin before hugging her.
