The Red Glaive

Caius had been right. The Scar was a sight to behold. It was massive fissure cared deep and wide into the earth for hundreds of miles. At its widest, it nearly reached five miles. A shallow river weaved through the great ravine. The group made their way down carefully and continued along the river. A few hours onto their trip, Reimar pointed at a towering statue of the Colossus carved onto the cliff face. “We’re about to cross into Mollia.” he said.

For the first time in her life, Aeria had left Durus. It was strange crossing over, like peeling away a cobweb from her skin. She asked Caius if he felt anything but he only looked at her like she was insane. The journey through the Scar had been mostly quiet, both Caius and Aeria in awe of the massive cliffs on either side of them. Any spoken voice echoed for miles.

In the days of the old kings, the Colossus of Durus and the Leviathan of Flumina waved a savage battle there, Reimar explained. The Scar was a result of said battle and both gods returned to their realms in a draw. Only the Scar, the death they had brought to mortal men in the scuffle, was left.

The Night Road went around the Scar, but Reimar explained that the river kept the night devils away for the most part so they would be safe. They moved quickly through the Scar, only stopping to rest every other day so the going was rougher now, and was made worse by the constant humidity at the bottom of the Scar.

On one particularly hot day, while they rested the horses and both Reimar and Aeria lay lazily by the bank, Caius suddenly stood and began undressing.

“What, what are you doing!” Aeria stood panicked.

“It’s fucking hot.” Caius grumbled and shoved past Aeria undressing fully as he reached the water’s edge. Aeria turned beet red and looked away but only after getting a good look.

Aeria sat down next to Reimar facing away from the water. The red refused to leave her face.

“Look at you blushing like maid.” Reimar said laying down. “What do you expect to do once you’re in training? You all share a communal bath house.” Aeria had never given it much thought, she would cross that hurdle when it came. “You should join him, you reek.” Reimar said. Aeria wanted to bathe, they hadn’t got the chance since before they descended into the Scar.

“But what will he see?” Aeria asked nervously. She knew how to cast the glamour and understood it only in the most basic of forms. She had cast it to change her gender, but as far as she was concerned it only worked on her face and voice.

“If your spell is strong enough, he’ll probably see wee little Ariel hanging between your scrawny legs.” Reimar said his hands resting behind his head. Aeria frowned.

“And what will you see?” Aeria said with narrowed eyes. Reimar picked up the black jacket of his glaive uniform and dropped it over his face.

“Nothing.” he said.

Aeria felt filthy, she wanted to bathe and the humidity didn’t make that any better. Reimar said he wouldn’t look and she believed him, yet it still felt strange. Caius would see a boy, she hoped, but somehow it just felt wrong for her to see him without permission. Especially after he had been so kind to her.

Worst of all, Caius was so pleasant to look at. She couldn’t help herself. Reimar had reprimanded her when too much of herself began to leak through her glamour. She wouldn’t last this way with Caius around her all the time being charming and naked. Maybe that was what Reimar had intended; to use his handsome son to shatter her glamour and make her fail.

“Ariel!” she could hear Caius from behind her. He seemed to be in a much better mood. “The water is so good! Come and join me!”

“I’ll pass!” Aeria shouted back.

“Go.” Reimar ordered from beneath his coat. “I can smell your stench from under here.”

Aeria stood and walked to the water’s edge. Well into the river, Caius was diving deep into the water. Each time he emerged he breathed in deeply and ran his hands through his soaking hair to pull it back out of his face. Aeria sighed, the water looked so fresh.

Hesitantly, she pulled her shirt over her head exposing her breasts then quickly glanced back at Reimar. He was napping under his jacket. “Hurry up Ariel!” Caius shouted from the deep and waved at her. She looked down at her chest; he didn't see them and she sighed in relief. She pulled off her bottoms after and stepped into the water.

She jumped, small goose pimples forming on her skin in surprise at how cold the water was against her skin. But it was better than the thick air outside, so Aeria slowly waded into the water looking at the crystal clear water to avoid stepping on sharp rocks. Aeria was thigh high into the water when it suddenly occurred to her how quiet it had become and she glanced up to find an empty river.

Under the water, something clenched tight around her ankle before pulling her under. The cold water was a shock to her system and her arms failed underwater trying to grip onto anything to keep her from getting dragged further. Water rushed down her throat and up her nose. She could only stand when felt her ankle being released, she pushed against the rocky bottom with bare feet and rushed to the surface.

Caius popped out from the water’s surface already laughing. “You were taking too long!” he said between laughs.

“Idiot!” Aeria screamed and started to cough on the water that lingered in her lungs. Caius started to pat her on the back when he saw her face start to turn red with the strain. Aeria felt the water eject from her mouth.

“Are you alright?” Caius asked concerned, his hand lingering on her shoulder. The river shimmered in his emerald eyes, water dripped from his wet hair onto thick shoulders, down his chiseled chest and over his rock hard abs.

“No thanks to you!” Aeria said swatting his hand off her and turning away from him. His hand burned hot where he had touched her.

Caius wrapped an arm around her neck and dragged her under again. Aeria pushed against the bedrock and righted herself when Caius let her go. She emerged from the water angrier than before, “Are you trying to kill me!”

“Show me what you got little man.” Caius dared her and Aeria lunged for him but he raced out of the way making Aeria flop onto the water’s surface.

It didn’t matter that Aeria was completely nude in front of another man. Caius only saw Ariel and he was his equal. The played by the river in their short moment of respite from Reimar’s ever watching eye. At one point, Caius leaped out of the river and climbed bareback on Big Red galloped the nimble footed horse into the river. Fable followed despite not having Aeria on his back.

It was like she was a child again, wrestling Vidal and Jarv Ney to the mud while their siblings watched. It wasn’t until well into the afternoon when the sun began to slowly vanish behind the cliff face of the Scar that Caius and Aeria finally grew tired enough to exit the water. They sat by the water’s edge drying off.

Aeria’s hair had a tenacity of it’s own, it had already grown past her ears from when she cut it. She wondered how long her locks would take to dry if she hadn’t cut it back in Duowell in her failure of an attempt to fool Reimar. It didn’t matter anymore, her glamour was working.

“Ariel.” Caius said as he watched the fire of the sunset reflected off the river’s surface. Aeria sat next to him, her legs against her chest and her head resting on her knees. “I’m glad you’re here.” he said.

Aeria watched him closely. His gaze never broke from the river. It had always been him and Reimar and Reimar wasn’t exactly the friendliest of people who kept conversations to a minimum. It must’ve been extremely lonely for Caius just the two of them traveling together with no one his age around to talk to. Hell, it was the trip Aeria had imaged for herself had they not gone to get Caius in New Atmos. She was glad that Caius around.

“Me too.” Aeria said honestly as the sun set over the horizon.