Status: Leggooo!
The Core
Their Bargain.
The careful movements of her hands mimicked Lark’s previous ones, she imagined, as she took over the duty. Zorac sat with his eyes closed and still. He looked like stone. “Fate, be sure they’re perfect. No one can know.” Fate, another of the Advisors, ignored him for he had been saying it all this time. His hands matched perfectly. The red paint had pushed stains into his skin from the long wear. It was impossible to get it wrong.
She finished the finally stroke and set the brush in a ceramic cup. The water contained in the cup instantly turned blood red. Pernix, the Fate Advisor, was studying the small red marks on her fingertips that was left from accidentally touching the paint when the door swung open, flying into the wall with a lump.
“Sire, Secrets is missing,” Anthrax announced rushing into the room.
The silence in the room was tangible. Zorac’s face grew increasingly redder as he stared hard at the man in front of him. “Find her. Now.”
“No need, sir,” Pernix said quietly, her face emotionless. “Secrets is dead.”
Lark, growing more frustrated by the minute, threw another pan of burnt cornbread onto the top of the stove. Smoke was rising from the top of the bread in little black bursts. “What is the secret to this blasted cornbread?” she growled. The second batch, although it wasn’t as burnt as the first, was inedible; the women laughing from the table over her frustration wasn’t helping her cope either.
“Honey, you have to watch the bread until it turns yellow like corn. After that, it’ll burn quickly,” Helena offered as a word of simple advance.
Lark stared at her, mouth agape, “You telling me that for a second time doesn’t bring back the cornbread.” Instead of fighting with her about it though, Helena just giggled. In exasperation, the youngest girl threw up her arms. She retreated from the kitchen and the women immediately took over making another batch of the mixture.
As she made herself comfortable, curled up on the couch by the radiating warmth of the fire, the now familiar thump of the front door resonated throughout the small house and the sound of Taylon’s deep laugh followed behind it. He and Andor had finally returned from their morning trip to the woods and were dropping their catches on the counter. The boys stopped jabbering and laughing and silence fell onto the kitchen.
“No cornbread today, Mom?” Taylon’s distinct voice inquired.
“We have some cooking. The first two batches didn’t end so well for our guest,” Rhiana replied simply.
Lark fumed. It was one thing for her to not understand domestics in front of these simple women but then she went around telling everyone. Doesn’t anyone here understand the concept of secrets? She bit her lip hard as the boys laughed again. The must have found this to be the funniest thing in the world by the way they were laughing.
Instead of waiting around for more hard, gruesome meat, Lark swiftly entered the bedroom. In the truck by the foot of her bed, she found brown pants that looked like they would fit. Additionally, she found a brown leather corset and a brown shirt. Lark, taking notice of the lockless knob for the door, stood right in front of it as she changed in her pants and shirt. The pants hugged her legs and ended just after her ankles. The shirt billowed around her, but she shoved the tails into her pants and then pulled on the corset.
In the corner of the room, by the chest at the foot of her bed, there was a pair of black leather boots. She tugged them over her feet and then sat on the edge of her bed. From her spot, she could hear the chattering boys and the clinging of forks against the ceramic plates.
A chair scraped against the floor. The sound of thumping footsteps reached Lark’s ears. The knob twisted and the door opened to reveal a smiling Taylon in its place. “So, cornbread is too much of a challenge for the great one?” At the twisted expression that came over her face, he let out yet another hearty laugh.
Regardless, Taylon held up his end of the bargain. Before long, the pair was pushing through the snow. The footprints left by the boys were visible in the snow. It wasn’t falling any longer but the snow still looked fresh. Andor refused to accompany them; both mothers had frowned upon the idea of her going hunt, even with Taylon to keep her safe.
The gray trees stretched their arms outward, snow blanketing their bare limbs. Before the thickening of the tree, Taylon stopped and spun around. “Look, you may be good with knives as you say, but there’s certain ways that you have to hunt around here. You can’t just hit and hope it kills the animal. It doesn’t work that way because you ruin the meat if you hit the wrong place. Aim for the heart or head. We typically don’t kill mothers or babies. There are always bigger animals.
“Finally, stay aware. If you’re feeling tired or drowsy, climb into the trees and stay there. Don’t climb around on foot if you aren’t aware. That’s how you got yourself stuck with me in the first place. Stay quiet, watch your step, and anything you catch goes into your bag.” He gestured to the leather pack hanging over her shoulder. “When we get back, my mother and Helena will show you how they clean the animals and what they keep.”
When her only response was a simple nod, Taylon was a little put off. “Please, don’t die,” he added. If something happened to her again, he couldn’t live with himself. This poor innocent girl didn’t know what she was getting herself into as she took the first graceful steps entering the thick huddle of trees. She stepped on a branch and it cracked; the young man was almost able to imagine he was still with Andor’s careless self.
She hugged to the shadows and Taylon raised his bow, spotting another large fox slinking through the fluff. He glanced to his right and was astonished when she was no longer there. He spun in a full circle, searching for his partner. A thump resounded from his left and the fox was no longer alone; Lark’s wide smile was displayed as she held up the fox, an intricately handled knife stuck into its heart and blood coating its fur.
“Get my knife out for me?” she asked innocently.
She finished the finally stroke and set the brush in a ceramic cup. The water contained in the cup instantly turned blood red. Pernix, the Fate Advisor, was studying the small red marks on her fingertips that was left from accidentally touching the paint when the door swung open, flying into the wall with a lump.
“Sire, Secrets is missing,” Anthrax announced rushing into the room.
The silence in the room was tangible. Zorac’s face grew increasingly redder as he stared hard at the man in front of him. “Find her. Now.”
“No need, sir,” Pernix said quietly, her face emotionless. “Secrets is dead.”
Lark, growing more frustrated by the minute, threw another pan of burnt cornbread onto the top of the stove. Smoke was rising from the top of the bread in little black bursts. “What is the secret to this blasted cornbread?” she growled. The second batch, although it wasn’t as burnt as the first, was inedible; the women laughing from the table over her frustration wasn’t helping her cope either.
“Honey, you have to watch the bread until it turns yellow like corn. After that, it’ll burn quickly,” Helena offered as a word of simple advance.
Lark stared at her, mouth agape, “You telling me that for a second time doesn’t bring back the cornbread.” Instead of fighting with her about it though, Helena just giggled. In exasperation, the youngest girl threw up her arms. She retreated from the kitchen and the women immediately took over making another batch of the mixture.
As she made herself comfortable, curled up on the couch by the radiating warmth of the fire, the now familiar thump of the front door resonated throughout the small house and the sound of Taylon’s deep laugh followed behind it. He and Andor had finally returned from their morning trip to the woods and were dropping their catches on the counter. The boys stopped jabbering and laughing and silence fell onto the kitchen.
“No cornbread today, Mom?” Taylon’s distinct voice inquired.
“We have some cooking. The first two batches didn’t end so well for our guest,” Rhiana replied simply.
Lark fumed. It was one thing for her to not understand domestics in front of these simple women but then she went around telling everyone. Doesn’t anyone here understand the concept of secrets? She bit her lip hard as the boys laughed again. The must have found this to be the funniest thing in the world by the way they were laughing.
Instead of waiting around for more hard, gruesome meat, Lark swiftly entered the bedroom. In the truck by the foot of her bed, she found brown pants that looked like they would fit. Additionally, she found a brown leather corset and a brown shirt. Lark, taking notice of the lockless knob for the door, stood right in front of it as she changed in her pants and shirt. The pants hugged her legs and ended just after her ankles. The shirt billowed around her, but she shoved the tails into her pants and then pulled on the corset.
In the corner of the room, by the chest at the foot of her bed, there was a pair of black leather boots. She tugged them over her feet and then sat on the edge of her bed. From her spot, she could hear the chattering boys and the clinging of forks against the ceramic plates.
A chair scraped against the floor. The sound of thumping footsteps reached Lark’s ears. The knob twisted and the door opened to reveal a smiling Taylon in its place. “So, cornbread is too much of a challenge for the great one?” At the twisted expression that came over her face, he let out yet another hearty laugh.
Regardless, Taylon held up his end of the bargain. Before long, the pair was pushing through the snow. The footprints left by the boys were visible in the snow. It wasn’t falling any longer but the snow still looked fresh. Andor refused to accompany them; both mothers had frowned upon the idea of her going hunt, even with Taylon to keep her safe.
The gray trees stretched their arms outward, snow blanketing their bare limbs. Before the thickening of the tree, Taylon stopped and spun around. “Look, you may be good with knives as you say, but there’s certain ways that you have to hunt around here. You can’t just hit and hope it kills the animal. It doesn’t work that way because you ruin the meat if you hit the wrong place. Aim for the heart or head. We typically don’t kill mothers or babies. There are always bigger animals.
“Finally, stay aware. If you’re feeling tired or drowsy, climb into the trees and stay there. Don’t climb around on foot if you aren’t aware. That’s how you got yourself stuck with me in the first place. Stay quiet, watch your step, and anything you catch goes into your bag.” He gestured to the leather pack hanging over her shoulder. “When we get back, my mother and Helena will show you how they clean the animals and what they keep.”
When her only response was a simple nod, Taylon was a little put off. “Please, don’t die,” he added. If something happened to her again, he couldn’t live with himself. This poor innocent girl didn’t know what she was getting herself into as she took the first graceful steps entering the thick huddle of trees. She stepped on a branch and it cracked; the young man was almost able to imagine he was still with Andor’s careless self.
She hugged to the shadows and Taylon raised his bow, spotting another large fox slinking through the fluff. He glanced to his right and was astonished when she was no longer there. He spun in a full circle, searching for his partner. A thump resounded from his left and the fox was no longer alone; Lark’s wide smile was displayed as she held up the fox, an intricately handled knife stuck into its heart and blood coating its fur.
“Get my knife out for me?” she asked innocently.