Dedicated to Pantuteros for his support. ^^

16.

Of Departure and Desire

“You are leaving now?” Sianna knew the answer to her question before it left her lips.

Leitnant Aldermeck was in uniform and standing in front of the castle gates. A small host of horses and soldiers were behind her, loading sacks, bed rolls, trunks, wineskins, and other provisions onto a wooden cart tied to one of the mounts.

“Leitnant?” Sianna said, taking a step towards her.

She turned around and smiled at Sianna. It seemed sad. “It is Meryl, Sianna. I have told you countless times before.”

“It does not matter what I call you if you are leaving.”

She sighed. “I was going to send word to you before I left. We are simply packing at the moment.”

“Word? Did I miss something? We were supposed to leave at the end of the week. This is two days earlier than our given date.”

Aldermeck chuckled. “I am leaving early, Sianna. Your departure is still on the same day.”

Sianna studied her smiling face. “When was this ordered? Why?”

“It was yesterday. While you were battling Magus by the docks, I was given instructions to leave today.”

“Do you know why?”

She shrugged. “It is how these things occur. Perhaps Porthstead has urgent need of me.”

“I was actually hoping to speak to you about something.” Sianna sighed. “There was something Reth had told me about the Magus from yesterday.”

“He told you orange Magus do not exist? Deneck spoke to me the same words after Jabel fell. I have relayed the information to the Captain. He said the Dux’s Rhokins had informed them of the same thing.”

Sianna frowned. “So this is a recent finding?”

Aldermeck’s face hardened. “Very recent it seems. Gwyn Caps may have been their initial attack. Maybe they have appeared in other areas in the north, but it is too early to tell. If a new form of Magus has appeared, the Guard and the Imperator at Lessithar Citadel must be informed.”

“The Dux plans on sending a message to the Citadel with Sianna. He sent out birds as well, but birds can be eaten or shot down. He wants to make sure it is received,” Lycin said.

Sianna turned to him. She had forgotten he was there standing with them. In fact, he was the one that had approached her in the training yard that morning to tell her about the Leitnant’s departure. His approach had been so quiet, Sianna would’ve taken his head off with an attack that was meant for Reth if Calera hadn’t caught the blade between the flat of her hands.    

The Leitnant gave Lycin a look that asked how he knew that.

He shrugged and grinned. “My family knows all that goes on with the Guard here, so I know as well.”

“Of course, Gabard.”

His grin grew and Sianna rolled her eyes.

“We are almost done packing, ser,” Deneck said as he came up to Aldermeck.

She nodded but Sianna thought she saw her eyes darken.

“Ser Rayoss and Ser Gabard. How nice of you to see us leave,” Deneck smiled at them. “You have saved me the trouble of looking for you.”

“Well, it seems I will not be able to help you and teach you as I hoped,” the Leitnant said after a moment of silence, “but there is something I can tell you. To both of you, in fact.”

Lycin crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow.  

“Do not give me your smug attitude, Gabard. I am your Leitnant until I reach Porthstead,” she snapped at him.

His arms came down and he straightened his stance.

“Your Rhokin are not servants,” Aldermeck continued as if nothing. “Do not treat them as so. It is easy to send them to retrieve your armor from the blacksmith or order them to bring you your breakfast. While I admit I have asked Deneck to do things like that for me, I have also done such errands for him. They are made to be your partners, and as partners you should help each other out.

“Within your bond is the strength of their magick. The greater the bond between you and your Rhokin, the more powerful the both of you shall be so you may defend the land under your guard from those that threaten it.”

The Leitnant smiled at Lycin. “Thought a physical bond seems to be the most popular choice”—he returned the smile—“it is my belief than an emotional bond is the strongest.”

Lycin snickered. “Are you saying for us to fall in love with our Rhokin?”

Sianna wrinkled her nose. For once, she agreed with Lycin.

“No.” Aldermeck’s expression remained like stone. “But you can care for them as you would a brother or a sister or even a friend. They are delivered to you with an almost limitless devotion to you. That is a dangerous thing.”

A horse’s soft neigh caught Sianna’s attention. She saw Reth by a light brown beast, scratching its nose. Deneck was standing with him. The Leitnant’s words danced in her head as she observed the two Rhokin talking. Deneck appeared friendly and approachable with his smiles and laughter, but Reth’s still face gave out the impression of indifference.

Did that mean Deneck was more powerful than Reth because of those smiles? Because of his friendship he had with the Leitnant? Would Sianna herself come to see her own…doll as a friend? However…

Sianna’s eyes flickered to Calera’s deathly figure standing behind Lycin. Their relationship was purely physical, but that didn’t seem to make Calera’s power any less potent. Sianna had been a recipient of it long enough to know it was deadly.

“We are ready to leave, ser,” one of the soldiers said as he came up to Aldermeck.

She nodded and sighed. “Allow me to say my farewells and we shall take off.”

“Yes, ser.”

Deneck and Reth came up to them, each taking a side by their ser. Sianna noticed both of them stood next to her and Aldermeck as opposed to Calera whose place was behind Lycin.

“Sianna,” Aldermeck said and came up to her, “you are smarter and more observant than you give yourself credit.”

She snorted. “That is nice of you to say, Leitnant, but I doubt that.”

Aldermeck tucked a strand of Sianna’s hair behind her ear. “Your words themselves prove my point. I am sorry I will not be able to train you, but do know I will miss you.”

Sianna’s rebuttal was stifled by the Leitnant’s hug. She froze; this was the first time she’d seen her hug anyone. It took a second before Sianna returned it. Their armor clanked together but she could still feel the warmth of her body.

“I will miss you too, Meryl,” she said.

As Aldermeck said good–bye to Lycin, Deneck came up to Reth. They shared a silent handshake and their matching grins surprised Sianna.

“Travel safe and take care of her,” Lycin said to his House guards that accompanied the host.

Aldermeck and Deneck gave on last wave. Sianna watched as they trotted off. Even when the town’s bustle swallowed them up, she didn’t feel any different. She knew she would wake up the next day and see Aldermeck at the breakfast table. She knew to expect to see Deneck walking across the training yard, equipped for his usual spar with the Leitnant. Nothing had changed.

“So would a drink help?” Lycin said.

She sighed. “Sure. Why not?”

He smiled. “Good. Calera, send up word to the castle for the servants to bring up some of the southern isle wines.”

Sianna watched the Rhokin walk away. “Southern isle wine? I thought we were going to the tavern.”

“Tavern wine? No. If anything, being back at home means decent drinking. Trust me. You’ll like this wine better.”

“I’d like not drinking with you alone better than that.”

“Alone, Sianna? No one said we were going to be alone. Would you rather we drink alone?” His green eyes flashed with mischief.

 Sianna was about to curse at him, but she held her tongue. A thought occurred to her.  “Actually, yes. We should drink alone.”

The astonishment on his face was replaced by amusement. “I can’t say no to that. Shall we go then?”

“Ser?” Reth spoke.

She looked up at him. “Do what you want for today, Reth. I don’t care.”

His face flickered with something. “I have to admit I would not know what to do.”

“Well find something you want to do and do it.”

He was silent for a moment. “Yes, ser.” He walked away.

“It is true. What would a Rhokin want to do?” Lycin said.

Sianna smiled. His question was perfect. “I don’t know,” she answered. “What does Calera usually do?”

“Whatever I tell her.”

“And she has never turned on you?”

“Sometimes the thing I ask her to do she accomplishes in an unsatisfactory way. That is the closest she has gotten to disobeying me, but no, she has never turned on me in any other way.”

She was surprised. The memory of Lycin slapping Calera visited her mind. She figured that wasn’t the first or last—or probably the worst—time she had been disciplined. “What exactly is her magick, Lycin? Is she powerful?”

He gave a single chuckle. “I think I know what you’re getting to, Sianna. Is that why you wanted to drink with me alone? To get answers out of me?”

She bit her tongue, embarrassed at how transparent her plan was.

“Why don’t you just come with me? We’ll just drink and maybe I’ll answer your questions.” He offered her his arm.

Sianna pushed it aside but still motioned him to walk. Their drinking area turned out to be the common room within Lycin’s personal quarters. Seated next to him before a polished bone table, Sianna started to have second thoughts. Trying to get information on Calera was not worth putting up with Lycin’s sly eyes and wicked grins.

The wine was good though. It was sweeter than what she was used to, flavored with black–raspberry juice. She was on her third cup. Unlike his father’s posh drinking goblets, Lycin’s glasses were the same polished bone as the table. They were bulky but held enough liquid to make even drinkers like Aldermeck happy.

“You don’t sleep with him, do you?” Lycin asked.

Sianna tapped the rim of her glass with her finger, understanding Lycin’s game: answer my questions and I’ll answer yours.

“You mean Reth? No, I don’t sleep with him,” she responded, her skin crawling at the thought.

“Good.”

She frowned. What an irritating response. In fact, everything about the situation was irritating. This wasn’t a good idea after all. She pushed her cup away. “Well this is fine and all, Lycin, but I should go now.”

“Sianna.”

She faced him. His lips were warm and tasted of berries and honey. The fingers around her chin were rough and held her face up against his. Lust flared in Sianna’s chest and moved her to open her mouth to Lycin’s tongue. Her hand went to the back of his head but her fingers stopped short of his hair when she remembered it was Lycin she was kissing. Sianna stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut on Lycin’s smug chuckling.

“I rather like our doors not to fall from their frames,” Torm asked.

Sianna stopped a foot short from crashing into him. She felt her face flare up, anger boiling under her skin.

“Do I smell black–blueberry wine? Knowing Lycin, it was probably the southern isle’s Red Canary. Your lips are stained red.”

She glared at him.

He smiled.

“My lord,” she mumbled and took her leave.

Her lips burned from both the kiss and the wine. Each step she took increased the heat and the shame. By the time she stepped outside, it was an intense flame that scorched her entire face.

“You don’t sleep with him, do you?” she repeated Lycin’s question to herself in a mocking voice as she paced down the courtyard. “Maybe I should to prevent me from kissing bastards like you.”

She sighed, pushing her anger down, but melancholy thoughts were quick to replace it. Aldermeck’s departure had reminded her of Tiel, and this slip–up only fueled her memories of him. Not only had he been a friend in the battlefields and in their cups, but he had been a lover in her sheets. Only a week after his death and she was kissing another man? Lycin?

Sianna’s hands balled into fists as she headed to the training yard. Stabbing someone would help soothe her, even if the training blades were dulled. When she saw Reth, she wasn’t surprised, but when she noticed Calera next to him, she took pause. She saw it again, and this time Sianna knew it wasn’t a drunk hallucination. Calera was blushing as she talked to Reth.   

~*~*~

She had entered the same dock tavern. She had sat on the same table, and she had waited till the sun peaked in the horizon, but he never appeared. Iari hadn’t come.  

Sianna gripped the reins on her horse tighter as she replayed last night in her head. She could taste the smoke and hear the laughter. She could smell the rotten fish and feel the salt on her skin. She had waited and waited until the sun beckoned her to return to the castle lest she miss her own departure.

The Gabard family was by the gates when she arrived. Each one had given her a unique farewell. She had been kissed on the hand by Torm, kissed on both her cheeks by Lord Gabard, and probably would’ve been kissed by Lycin too had she not turned her back on his words of good–bye. 

The Captain had been there as well, accompanied by his little Rhokin. He had handed Sianna a folded up parchment sealed with the Guard insignia. Her orders were to deliver it to the Imperator when she arrived at Lessithar Citadel.

“Make sure it is the first thing you do when you arrive. If they refuse you audience, show them the seal. Keep the message with you at all times during your trip. Am I understood, Rayoss?” he had ordered her.  

“Ser, are you alright?” Reth voice dispersed Captain Loque’s from her mind.

“Yes, Reth. Just thinking,” she answered without facing him.

He didn’t respond. He wasn’t as talkative—not that he usually was—when he was on a horse, Sianna noticed. Most of his time was spent brushing his mare’s mane with his hand or scratching her behind her ears. In fact, Sianna saw more smiles on his face during this first day of riding than she had the entire time she’d been with Reth.

   She gave a small smile of her own, her eyes scanning their host. It was a man smaller than Aldermeck’s. Sianna was accompanied by two Gabard soldiers and two Guard soldiers. It was one of the Guard’s horses that pulled their cart of supplies. It was piled with twice as many provisions as the one Aldermeck had because unlike her one week journey, Sianna’s was going to take a fortnight.

The first half of their journey had been smooth. The weather was warm enough that Sianna felt trickles of sweat underneath her armor even when only wearing one layer of clothing.  It was on that night when the frost returned.

Sianna woke up to a layer of ice on her blanket. The fire pit she and the host had slept around was an icy ditch. She sat up, her fogged breath escaping through her chattered teeth. She groped the ground for her clothes, but the cold still pierced through. Pieces of ice had caked on them too and kissed her skin with frosty lips. By the time she had piled extra clothes pulled from the cart, the cold had stirred the rest of the camp awake.

“What happened?” one of the soldiers asked.

“Where the hell did all this ice come from? There wasn’t any sign of storm clouds.” Another shivered in his blankets.

“I think I know,” someone else said. “Look.”

It was the Guard soldier with the hidden face that spoke. During the days, his head visor was always down and at night, a shawl covered his head. Only brown eyes and dark hair could be seen. Sianna guessed he was scarred in some way that embarrassed him, but it was still a successful way to stir suspicion within her. She had learned his name first: Faron. 

Sharp cracks of ice breaking filled the air as the soldiers stood from their frozen beds to put on clothes and anything else they could pull out from the cart. They shivered and huddled close together as they gathered around where Faron indicated. Reth and Sianna were the only ones that remained behind.

“Ser, are you alright?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine,” she answered and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head. “Let’s just see what Faron found.”

It was a body of one of the Gabard soldiers. His body was curled as if sleep, but it was obvious he was dead. The skin on the limbs that peeked under his blanket was pale and every vein in his body bulged out of his skin, bright blue in color. His lips were a deep, creamy pink like the texture of crumpled roses.   

“It was a rime nymph,” Reth said.

“Rime nymph? Poor bastard.” The remaining Gabard soldier, Arde, shook his head..

Len, the other Guard soldier, chuckled through shivering teeth. “You mean poor, lucky bastard. He died alright, but he probably enjoyed every minute of it.”

 “It doesn’t help us though,” Faron said. His breath clouded through the coverings on his face. “When they take a life, ice falls from the sky all night.”

“It also doesn’t help we’re all handsome men here.” Len grinned. “Rime nymphs prey on men.”

Faron shook his head. “They won’t attack awake ones though. We should take turns keeping a watch for the rest of the night.”

Sianna nodded. “I’ll do it. No need to take turns.”

“Are you sure, ser?”

She shrugged. “They do not like being seen, especially by women. All I have to do is keep my eyes open. Besides, I can sleep on my saddle during tomorrow's ride.”

The soldiers returned to their beds with the small furs they had packed as buffers between the trunks in the cart. Sianna settled back on her own bedroll, and silence fell as the men found sleep. She gave thought to starting a fire, but everything was either frozen solid or too wet to catch a flame.

“You can sleep too, Reth. I’ll be fine,” she whispered to the Rhokin sitting next to her.

“But you’re shivering, ser,” he answered in a hushed voice as well.

“That’s because it feels like the middle of fucking winter. We packed for the warming climate that’s settling on us, not for the ice storms that have passed us.”

“Perhaps this will help.”

Sianna felt the weight of Reth’s blanket fall over her shoulders as he draped it on her. She pulled it around her torso and tucked it under her legs. “Thank you, Reth.”

“You are welcome, ser.” He sounded like he was smiling. 

The extra warmth was temporary. The ground’s chill went up her spine, through her arms and legs, and soon she was shivering again. She flexed her fingers, pumping circulation through her hands but all she felt were pins and needles coursing through them.

The blanket’s weight disappeared and something warm pressed up against her back. She turned around to see Reth sitting behind her. He enveloped the blanket around himself and pulled Sianna to his chest where he wrapped the cover around her, cocooning them in a tent of warmth.

“I am not affected by the cold. My body keeps its heat.” he said.

Sianna felt the vibrations of his voice on her back, his chin brushing the top of her head. She felt his arms over her own as his hands held the blanket. She felt his legs framing hers, but most of all, she felt his heartbeat pounding on her shoulder blade.

“Well this helps,” she said, “and I don’t even have to see your face.”

“I sadly cannot see your face either, ser,” he answered.

She elbowed him but a small smirk graced her lips.

“Ser, you should sleep.”

“No. I said I would take watch and take watch I shall.”

“I can take watch.”

She shook her head. “I know extreme climates do not hurt you, Reth, but I also know you need sleep.”

His arms tightened around her. “Please, ser. I know you have not been having restful sleeps since the start of our journey.”

Sianna stiffened. He noticed that?

Why she was having trouble sleeping she could not say, but she could appreciate the inviting warmth Reth’s body gave her. She leaned on him. “I’ll sleep for only an hour.”

When Sianna woke up, it was morning, but it had been the screams, not the sun, that had opened her eyes.

“Magus!”

“It’s a Magus!”

Reth shot to his feet so quickly, Sianna fell on her back. She blinked, forcing her vision to focus. She was expecting to see orange glares but to her relief, that color was nowhere to be seen. The Magus attacking them was normal…or at least as normal as those monsters could appear.

Half of its body was fangs. The grey needles protruded from exposed, green gums. Several pairs of slits went up its eyeless, oval skull. The rest of its smooth body was brown with dark green spots running down its six beefy legs.

Sianna’s hand fanned on the ground for her sword but before she even grasped its hilt, a screech vibrated the air as Reth sliced off one of the Magus’ limbs with his enchanted blade. The Gabard soldier that had been pinned underneath the claws, however, was dead. With one of its other legs, the monster kicked Reth to the ground. Len and Faron charged at the creature, Sianna at their heels.

“Flank it!” she ordered them.

They split away from her and she took head of the charge. The Magus opened its mouth and its fangs sprouted out like vines, splitting three–ways after the soldiers and towards Sianna. She ducked under the speeding grey needles but underestimated their swiftness. They sliced through her cheek and chest as she slid under them.

Numb to the pain, Sianna arched her sword above her and sliced through the stringy fangs. Teal blood rained on her, pooling into her wounds, but her Armadura blade hadn’t carved through all of them. The missed fangs changed direction in midair and zoomed towards Sianna. Even through the blood straining her eyes, she knew she wouldn’t be able to dodge it.

A flash of yellow blinded her.

There was a golden circle on the ground before her. Layers of runes outlined it, their sharp angles connecting together to compose a picture of a sword. Sianna gasped when an actual blade manifested from the circle. As it shot through the air, it cut through the remaining racing fangs. More light blue blood fell upon Sianna.

The sword sped across the air and embedded itself into the Magus’ mouth. Sianna saw the yellow circle shine and the runes changed. They spun and locked together so a spear was seen. The blade in the Magus’ mouth grew, penetrating the creature’s throat. Its howl of pain sounded the whine of a broken flute. The Magus stumbled, blood bubbling through its remaining fangs, dripping like tar. It came to a halt when the yellow spear in its mouth protruded from its cranium. 

“Ser! Are you alright?”

Sianna felt Reth’s arms scooping her before she heard his voice.

“The others? Who made it?” she asked.

“I am afraid Len and Arde were victims of the Magus,” he said as he placed a helping arm around her waist.

“I can stand up by myself,” she huffed as she pushed him away. Though her wounds were superficial, her face stung and her chest burned. It felt as if something was burrowing through her.

“No, no, no! We have to get that out!” Faron said as he ran up to them. He appeared unharmed, his headgear included, and stared at Sianna with wide, brown eyes.

“What?”

“The blood. We can’t let it reach your heart.” Faron dipped one of his hands in his pocket and placed the other one over Sianna’s chest.

Her eyes narrowed. “You—”

His palm went over the gashes on her face. His lifted his fingers and attached to the tips were tendrils of teal Magus blood. Faron flicked his wrist and the liquid splattered on the ground. He repeated the process over her chest wound. Four “handfuls” were required to remove all the blue blood.

Sianna’s own hands rubbed over her injuries only to find them healed. “You’re a user, Faron?”

“Yeah, but you already knew that.” His voice sounded different. Familiar. In fact, he seemed to have shrunk a few inches.

She tore the shawl off of his face and blond hair swished over his head. “Iari!”

His green eyes were held by the ground, a blush gracing his cheeks. “Yeah.”

“What the fuck, Iari! I went to the tavern! You weren’t there! Why are you hiding from me?”

His shoulders came up with her every screeched syllable. “I’m sorry. I—”

“How wonderful. You managed to bring Iari with you.”

Sianna only caught a glimpse of who had spoken before Reth had the speaker pinned to the ground. His knee was on her back and the tip of his blade jabbed the back of her grey neck. Despite the lines of blood that fell from his lips, he appeared poised and ready for Sianna’s orders.

“How familiar,” the pinned Nayichi cooed but remained still. Even motionless, she twinkled like a giant gemstone.

Sianna scowled. “Kota.”

She grinned. “It’s quite cold down here. I did try to stop that nymph from attacking your men, but she had snacked on one of them by the time I arrived.”

“I’m not letting you escape again, Kota,” she hissed, ignoring her words.

“I have no plans on leaving you, Sianna.”

“Sianna,” Iari said, “is this the Nayichi you were talking about? The one following you?”

“Yes,” she growled.

He took a hesitant step towards the creature. “I—I think I know her.”