Status: In-Progress
Love and Tenacity
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The sunny weather held, and Desiree and Quinn made excellent time. Several hours after leaving the eerie scene of the lake, the dense woods began to thin out and Desiree announced that they were coming close to Levamen.
Levamen sat in an old forest in the southeast of Artemae, close to the border to the south with Sinder. The town itself was rather small, but it was well known as a good stop for traders travelling from one capital to the other, and therefore it was prosperous and always full of gossip. The people were well fed and content, and there was rarely any illness. In fact, the people of Levamen lived longer lives than the people in any other part of Artemae, even the capital itself with all of its prestigious healers tending the ill King. This was speculated to be the work of Ember Mae, though people of the village rarely talked about her. She was known by many of them, but they protected her privacy with fierce determination and loyalty.
As they approached the little town, Desiree described it to a curious Quinn. “There are houses on both sides of the road – they look old, but most seem to be in good shape. There are a few large intersections ahead of us, and we’re nearing the part of the road where it turns from dirt to stones. The land to our left is covered in houses and small stables, and the land to the right seems flat and used more for farming. I’d bet that there is a lake somewhere farther on to the right. I see a few people outside, either walking along the road or gardening, but not many children. They’re watching us.”
Indeed, the villagers were watching Desiree and Quinn pass with open curiosity, and Desiree realized what a strange sight they must have made. People travelled this road often, but two young women on one horse, both wearing high quality but torn and weary clothing, was not a common sight. She ducked her head, wishing she had a cloak so that she could pull up the hood. Instead, she let her tight curls fall into her face and felt Quinn do the same. She doubted that these people had heard about the attack on Mulciber yet, but she felt nervous. She wondered again if her sister was alive or dead.
They meandered on for a while longer, neither knowing how to find Ember but both too skittish to dismount and ask someone for help. Just as Desiree was contemplating just stopping at the next inn before it got dark, a girl stepped in front of them, stopping Jack. She looked like she was maybe fourteen or fifteen, and she had chin-length blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Her head barely came up to Jack’s shoulder, and he clearly didn’t feel threatened by her presence. That or he was too tired to care.
“Are you looking for someone?” the girl asked, looking concerned. She seemed sincere, and Desiree felt the weight of exhaustion on her shoulders. “Yes, thank you. We are trying to find the home of Ember Mae.”
The girl demeanor instantly shifted, and she looked wary. “What do you need from her?” she asked suspiciously.
Desiree didn’t know quite how to answer. “We… we just need her help. She knows me, I’ve come to her before. She saved the life of a friend of mine and she told me to come to her if I ever needed her again. I’m taking her up on her offer.”
The girl nodded slowly, still looking unsure. “I’ll take you to her, but if she asks that you leave, then you will obey,” she said sternly. Desiree nodded wearily. “We would never go against her request,” she responded. The girl then smiled. “My name is Ella Harding. Follow me, and keep up.”
With that, she turned and took off at a quick jog down the road. Desiree spurred Jack into a trot to keep up. “Does she seem alright?” whispered Quinn. “She’s about my height and younger than you,” responded Desiree. “I think we can take her.” Quinn snorted.
Ella Harding led them down the main road through town, and then turned right toward the lake which was exactly where Desiree had guessed. She jogged along the shoreline for many minutes, Jack a few yards behind her the whole way, until they were about one third of the way around it. Then, she suddenly veered right and disappeared into the dense forest. It was getting dark, and Desiree could barely see her. If it weren’t for occasional flashes of light hair, they would have gotten lost. They clambered to the top of a small hill, and suddenly the trees thinned immensely. Following Ella on a barely visible path, they finally came upon a house.
It was two stories, made of stone, and it had a garden in the front. That was about all Desiree could see, and that was what she quickly communicated to Quinn, who nodded nervously. They both felt butterflies in their stomachs as adrenaline once again flooded their overwrought systems.
They dismounted, and Ella took Jack and held him as they walked up to the door. Desiree and Quinn took a deep breath in unison, and then Quinn raised her hand and knocked three times. For a moment, there was silence, and then they heard one set of soft footfalls. The door opened, and Ember Mae stood before them.
She was exactly as Desiree remembered. She was tall, about Quinn’s height if not even a bit taller, and trim and athletic. Her hair was thick and pure white, braided and hanging down her back, and her eyes were a bright, unnerving green. She was wearing a pair of tight black riding breeches and soft black leather boots under a close-fitting tunic that came to halfway down her thigh. A belt sat around her waist, and on it was a small sheath containing a dagger with a peculiar blue-grey stone hilt. The light of a fire in a large hearth poured out from behind her, illuminating her hair so that it seemed to glow around her striking face. Her eyes widened for a moment at the sight of them.
“Mary Desiree Brogan,” she said, drawing out each syllable. Despite her unique appearance, she had the accent of a common merchant. “I only see you if someone’s life is in danger.” Then she turned away from Desiree and eyed Quinn closely. She didn’t react in any visible way to the appearance of a member of royalty on her doorstep, and Desiree wondered for a moment if Ember recognized her. Quinn was silent and tense, eyes staring blankly at the source of the light.
“I take it there has been some trouble at Mulciber, then?” Ember questioned. Quinn didn’t know whether or not the remark was directed at her, but she nodded anyway. “There was a raid,” she said quietly. Ember didn’t look surprised. “Ships came from the North and the Navy was nowhere to be seen. The castle has been badly damaged, and I do not yet know the fate of the King.”
Ember stared at her motionlessly for a moment, and then turned to Ella. “Rub down their horse and put him in the stables with the others, will you?” she called. Ella nodded and replied, “Do you want me back tomorrow?”
“Yes, please. Keep an ear out for news from the capital and keep us updated. If anyone asks, these two are here for a healing and nothing else.” Ella nodded again and walked off toward a small stable barely visible around the side of the house. Desiree was reluctant to let her waltz off with their only means of transportation, but she knew that they had to trust Ember, and Ember seemed to have faith Ella.
Ember stepped to the side and motioned them into the warm building. They stepped into a small foyer that opened up into a deceptively large main room illuminated by a fireplace surrounded by a few comfortable looking chairs and two long couches. There was a kitchen toward the back with a huge window blacked out by a curtain, and above them was a sort of hayloft-turned-bedroom with a ladder leading up to it. It was a very strange little house, but it was warm and comfortable and the two women had not slept in nearly two days.
They all settled into chairs around the fire at Ember’s request, and the white-haired woman leaned forward and clasped her hands together between her knees. “Tell me everything,” she said, looking at Quinn. Desiree nudged Quinn’s knee with her own.
“Well, as I am sure you know, my father has grown sickly in these past few months,” Quinn began, unknowingly mirroring Ember’s body language, “and I knew that this was not an illness that would pass. He is old, and he has never been healthy. I helped to care for him, despite his grievances, but when I tried to comfort him with the knowledge that Artemae would be safe in my care, he seemed troubled. This continued for some weeks, and I had the growing suspicion that perhaps I was not his desired heir after all. He and I have never agreed on decisions regarding our people, though I never thought that he disapproved of my opinions so much as to deny me my place on the throne. I knew that if my hunch was true and he was planning on keeping me from the crown, then it would go to my cousin, Oliver.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of him,” interrupted Ember. “Bit too absorbed with himself to put much thought into his people, if the gossip is true. I take it the thought of him as King was somewhat unsatisfactory to you?”
“Quite,” Quinn replied grimly. “Our nation is in a time of crisis – there have been more raids in the past ten years than ever before, entire cities are being burned to the ground, the watchers are scattered and powerless, bounty hunters are arresting whoever happens to displease them, and half the nobles on the King’s Council are being controlled by whoever the hell is playing dictator in Alsius up in the North, which I still know nothing about!” For once, the ever calm princess looked frustrated. “My father finally told me yesterday morning that if he has his way, I will never be Queen, but Oliver is going to do nothing at all to clean this up, and I just can’t stand to watch more and more civilians be killed for absolutely no reason. I hate myself for it, but I would rather see Oliver dead than watch this happened.” She ducked her head and forcefully quieted herself. “I asked Sir Scott Watson to kill him.”
“You were going to assassinate your own cousin,” Ember said. To Desiree’s relief, her face did not look dark or angry. She looked thoughtful instead, and sympathetic.
“My people are more important than my morals,” Quinn said. She reigned herself in a bit more, and her face arranged itself into its usual calm expression. “But now my home has been attacked before any of my plans could get off the ground, and I don’t know what to do.”
“You were smart to come here,” said Ember. “I have no doubt that whoever attacked Mulciber intended to kill you as well as your father. Does anyone know that you survived?”
“Scott does, but Desiree tells me that no one else saw us leave. They’ll notice that my horse is gone, though they may think that someone else took him in their hurry to flee.”
“You’ll lie low here for a while,” said Ember. “The villagers will do what they can to protect us. They may not know who you are, but they are loyal to me and very wary of bounty hunters and soldiers. We will wait for news of whether or not your father has survived and what Oliver is doing, and then we will make a new plan. For now, just rest.”
Her voice was low and soothing, and Quinn unconsciously relaxed deeper into the comfortable chair. The warmth and quiet were affecting both her and Desiree, and she knew that they would both have to sleep soon whether they wanted to or not. Then she heard the door open.
Desiree and Quinn both shot out of their seats, but Ember put a gentle hand on Quinn’s shoulder and gestured for Desiree to sit back down. “We have visitors,” she called to the figure in the doorway. The figure strode into the light of the main room and Desiree saw that it was another woman, dressed similarly to Ember. In terms of their looks, however, they couldn’t have been more different. The stranger was only a little bit shorter, but she had deep copper skin and her hair was raven black. Her face was extremely sharp and angular, high cheekbones framing dark, deep-set eyes. She was athletic like Ember, but even slimmer, almost boyish with barely a hint of womanly shape. “I see,” she said with a voice like whiskey.
“This is Juvenis Rexroth,” said Ember, smiling as the newcomer sat down in the last empty chair. “She’s the other occupant of this hut. You can trust her, I give you my word.”
Desiree nodded at Juvenis warily, and Quinn just kept looking in Ember’s direction. Juvenis walked silently, and she couldn’t tell where she was seated.
Desiree and Quinn felt themselves begin to fade off again as Ember and Juvenis bent their heads together and Ember quietly rehashed the situation. They both felt like they should be more aware of the conversation, especially being that they were in an entirely unfamiliar place with entirely unfamiliar people, but the warmth was getting to them. As Quinn started to drift off to the sound of soft murmurs and crackling fire, she felt Desiree wind their hands together. Her friend’s presence made her feel safe, and she allowed herself to fall into sleep’s comforting embrace.
The sunny weather held, and Desiree and Quinn made excellent time. Several hours after leaving the eerie scene of the lake, the dense woods began to thin out and Desiree announced that they were coming close to Levamen.
Levamen sat in an old forest in the southeast of Artemae, close to the border to the south with Sinder. The town itself was rather small, but it was well known as a good stop for traders travelling from one capital to the other, and therefore it was prosperous and always full of gossip. The people were well fed and content, and there was rarely any illness. In fact, the people of Levamen lived longer lives than the people in any other part of Artemae, even the capital itself with all of its prestigious healers tending the ill King. This was speculated to be the work of Ember Mae, though people of the village rarely talked about her. She was known by many of them, but they protected her privacy with fierce determination and loyalty.
As they approached the little town, Desiree described it to a curious Quinn. “There are houses on both sides of the road – they look old, but most seem to be in good shape. There are a few large intersections ahead of us, and we’re nearing the part of the road where it turns from dirt to stones. The land to our left is covered in houses and small stables, and the land to the right seems flat and used more for farming. I’d bet that there is a lake somewhere farther on to the right. I see a few people outside, either walking along the road or gardening, but not many children. They’re watching us.”
Indeed, the villagers were watching Desiree and Quinn pass with open curiosity, and Desiree realized what a strange sight they must have made. People travelled this road often, but two young women on one horse, both wearing high quality but torn and weary clothing, was not a common sight. She ducked her head, wishing she had a cloak so that she could pull up the hood. Instead, she let her tight curls fall into her face and felt Quinn do the same. She doubted that these people had heard about the attack on Mulciber yet, but she felt nervous. She wondered again if her sister was alive or dead.
They meandered on for a while longer, neither knowing how to find Ember but both too skittish to dismount and ask someone for help. Just as Desiree was contemplating just stopping at the next inn before it got dark, a girl stepped in front of them, stopping Jack. She looked like she was maybe fourteen or fifteen, and she had chin-length blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Her head barely came up to Jack’s shoulder, and he clearly didn’t feel threatened by her presence. That or he was too tired to care.
“Are you looking for someone?” the girl asked, looking concerned. She seemed sincere, and Desiree felt the weight of exhaustion on her shoulders. “Yes, thank you. We are trying to find the home of Ember Mae.”
The girl demeanor instantly shifted, and she looked wary. “What do you need from her?” she asked suspiciously.
Desiree didn’t know quite how to answer. “We… we just need her help. She knows me, I’ve come to her before. She saved the life of a friend of mine and she told me to come to her if I ever needed her again. I’m taking her up on her offer.”
The girl nodded slowly, still looking unsure. “I’ll take you to her, but if she asks that you leave, then you will obey,” she said sternly. Desiree nodded wearily. “We would never go against her request,” she responded. The girl then smiled. “My name is Ella Harding. Follow me, and keep up.”
With that, she turned and took off at a quick jog down the road. Desiree spurred Jack into a trot to keep up. “Does she seem alright?” whispered Quinn. “She’s about my height and younger than you,” responded Desiree. “I think we can take her.” Quinn snorted.
Ella Harding led them down the main road through town, and then turned right toward the lake which was exactly where Desiree had guessed. She jogged along the shoreline for many minutes, Jack a few yards behind her the whole way, until they were about one third of the way around it. Then, she suddenly veered right and disappeared into the dense forest. It was getting dark, and Desiree could barely see her. If it weren’t for occasional flashes of light hair, they would have gotten lost. They clambered to the top of a small hill, and suddenly the trees thinned immensely. Following Ella on a barely visible path, they finally came upon a house.
It was two stories, made of stone, and it had a garden in the front. That was about all Desiree could see, and that was what she quickly communicated to Quinn, who nodded nervously. They both felt butterflies in their stomachs as adrenaline once again flooded their overwrought systems.
They dismounted, and Ella took Jack and held him as they walked up to the door. Desiree and Quinn took a deep breath in unison, and then Quinn raised her hand and knocked three times. For a moment, there was silence, and then they heard one set of soft footfalls. The door opened, and Ember Mae stood before them.
She was exactly as Desiree remembered. She was tall, about Quinn’s height if not even a bit taller, and trim and athletic. Her hair was thick and pure white, braided and hanging down her back, and her eyes were a bright, unnerving green. She was wearing a pair of tight black riding breeches and soft black leather boots under a close-fitting tunic that came to halfway down her thigh. A belt sat around her waist, and on it was a small sheath containing a dagger with a peculiar blue-grey stone hilt. The light of a fire in a large hearth poured out from behind her, illuminating her hair so that it seemed to glow around her striking face. Her eyes widened for a moment at the sight of them.
“Mary Desiree Brogan,” she said, drawing out each syllable. Despite her unique appearance, she had the accent of a common merchant. “I only see you if someone’s life is in danger.” Then she turned away from Desiree and eyed Quinn closely. She didn’t react in any visible way to the appearance of a member of royalty on her doorstep, and Desiree wondered for a moment if Ember recognized her. Quinn was silent and tense, eyes staring blankly at the source of the light.
“I take it there has been some trouble at Mulciber, then?” Ember questioned. Quinn didn’t know whether or not the remark was directed at her, but she nodded anyway. “There was a raid,” she said quietly. Ember didn’t look surprised. “Ships came from the North and the Navy was nowhere to be seen. The castle has been badly damaged, and I do not yet know the fate of the King.”
Ember stared at her motionlessly for a moment, and then turned to Ella. “Rub down their horse and put him in the stables with the others, will you?” she called. Ella nodded and replied, “Do you want me back tomorrow?”
“Yes, please. Keep an ear out for news from the capital and keep us updated. If anyone asks, these two are here for a healing and nothing else.” Ella nodded again and walked off toward a small stable barely visible around the side of the house. Desiree was reluctant to let her waltz off with their only means of transportation, but she knew that they had to trust Ember, and Ember seemed to have faith Ella.
Ember stepped to the side and motioned them into the warm building. They stepped into a small foyer that opened up into a deceptively large main room illuminated by a fireplace surrounded by a few comfortable looking chairs and two long couches. There was a kitchen toward the back with a huge window blacked out by a curtain, and above them was a sort of hayloft-turned-bedroom with a ladder leading up to it. It was a very strange little house, but it was warm and comfortable and the two women had not slept in nearly two days.
They all settled into chairs around the fire at Ember’s request, and the white-haired woman leaned forward and clasped her hands together between her knees. “Tell me everything,” she said, looking at Quinn. Desiree nudged Quinn’s knee with her own.
“Well, as I am sure you know, my father has grown sickly in these past few months,” Quinn began, unknowingly mirroring Ember’s body language, “and I knew that this was not an illness that would pass. He is old, and he has never been healthy. I helped to care for him, despite his grievances, but when I tried to comfort him with the knowledge that Artemae would be safe in my care, he seemed troubled. This continued for some weeks, and I had the growing suspicion that perhaps I was not his desired heir after all. He and I have never agreed on decisions regarding our people, though I never thought that he disapproved of my opinions so much as to deny me my place on the throne. I knew that if my hunch was true and he was planning on keeping me from the crown, then it would go to my cousin, Oliver.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of him,” interrupted Ember. “Bit too absorbed with himself to put much thought into his people, if the gossip is true. I take it the thought of him as King was somewhat unsatisfactory to you?”
“Quite,” Quinn replied grimly. “Our nation is in a time of crisis – there have been more raids in the past ten years than ever before, entire cities are being burned to the ground, the watchers are scattered and powerless, bounty hunters are arresting whoever happens to displease them, and half the nobles on the King’s Council are being controlled by whoever the hell is playing dictator in Alsius up in the North, which I still know nothing about!” For once, the ever calm princess looked frustrated. “My father finally told me yesterday morning that if he has his way, I will never be Queen, but Oliver is going to do nothing at all to clean this up, and I just can’t stand to watch more and more civilians be killed for absolutely no reason. I hate myself for it, but I would rather see Oliver dead than watch this happened.” She ducked her head and forcefully quieted herself. “I asked Sir Scott Watson to kill him.”
“You were going to assassinate your own cousin,” Ember said. To Desiree’s relief, her face did not look dark or angry. She looked thoughtful instead, and sympathetic.
“My people are more important than my morals,” Quinn said. She reigned herself in a bit more, and her face arranged itself into its usual calm expression. “But now my home has been attacked before any of my plans could get off the ground, and I don’t know what to do.”
“You were smart to come here,” said Ember. “I have no doubt that whoever attacked Mulciber intended to kill you as well as your father. Does anyone know that you survived?”
“Scott does, but Desiree tells me that no one else saw us leave. They’ll notice that my horse is gone, though they may think that someone else took him in their hurry to flee.”
“You’ll lie low here for a while,” said Ember. “The villagers will do what they can to protect us. They may not know who you are, but they are loyal to me and very wary of bounty hunters and soldiers. We will wait for news of whether or not your father has survived and what Oliver is doing, and then we will make a new plan. For now, just rest.”
Her voice was low and soothing, and Quinn unconsciously relaxed deeper into the comfortable chair. The warmth and quiet were affecting both her and Desiree, and she knew that they would both have to sleep soon whether they wanted to or not. Then she heard the door open.
Desiree and Quinn both shot out of their seats, but Ember put a gentle hand on Quinn’s shoulder and gestured for Desiree to sit back down. “We have visitors,” she called to the figure in the doorway. The figure strode into the light of the main room and Desiree saw that it was another woman, dressed similarly to Ember. In terms of their looks, however, they couldn’t have been more different. The stranger was only a little bit shorter, but she had deep copper skin and her hair was raven black. Her face was extremely sharp and angular, high cheekbones framing dark, deep-set eyes. She was athletic like Ember, but even slimmer, almost boyish with barely a hint of womanly shape. “I see,” she said with a voice like whiskey.
“This is Juvenis Rexroth,” said Ember, smiling as the newcomer sat down in the last empty chair. “She’s the other occupant of this hut. You can trust her, I give you my word.”
Desiree nodded at Juvenis warily, and Quinn just kept looking in Ember’s direction. Juvenis walked silently, and she couldn’t tell where she was seated.
Desiree and Quinn felt themselves begin to fade off again as Ember and Juvenis bent their heads together and Ember quietly rehashed the situation. They both felt like they should be more aware of the conversation, especially being that they were in an entirely unfamiliar place with entirely unfamiliar people, but the warmth was getting to them. As Quinn started to drift off to the sound of soft murmurs and crackling fire, she felt Desiree wind their hands together. Her friend’s presence made her feel safe, and she allowed herself to fall into sleep’s comforting embrace.