The Red Glaive

Every day, more and more giggling girls arrived at the training grounds. Many adepts tried to gain their attention but they only cared about the future knights across the way. They seem to notice too as they began to flaunt their skill with sword and shield or on horseback. Caius was initially interested and was the only one brave enough to approach them but he was quickly rebuffed. They were noble ladies, they had said, and they didn’t associate with common folk. Caius returned with a scowl.

Just a single day after they had received their familiars, Niko was the first to guess his familiar’s name. Aeria had been with Coyne so she hadn’t seen it happen. She only came to know when she found her friends in the library and lynx purring loudly on the chair next to Niko. “She says her name is Bara.” Niko said.

“She told you? I thought we were supposed to guess it.” Aeria said clutching tightly to her own skull in her pocket.

“I guess I heard her say it to me.” Niko said and both Caius and Telfer continued to pester him about it, but Aeria only squeezed tighter and heard distorted whispers in her ears.

Neither Caius, Aeria, or Telfer were the next in calling forth their familiars. Nanbe and Eddval Talon came after summoned up an owl and a mouse respectively. They, along with Niko, were the first to be sent out on patrol. After that, if they weren’t turning with Rector or with their masters or in lecture with Tarda, all the adepts were holding their black skulls desperately trying to get the names. Aeria tired and she wished she had asked Niko more before he left because she was making no progress.

To make matters worse, on the weekend when everyone had the additional time to guess their familiar’s name Aeria had to go to the shrine. Despite Aeria taking her little crow skull with her to the shrine, Elyon gave her absolutely no time at all to herself. If she wasn’t healing someone she was making a flask, and if she wasn’t making a flask Elyon was teaching her songs and prayers to help her channel her gift. Aeria only haphazardly song a few songs but none made her feel any stronger.

By the time Aeria returned to the caverns, five more adepts, Brecht and Friehei included, managed to call upon their familiars. Telfer was among them as well and he paraded about the dimly lit caverns with his small doe bounding behind him. “Neith” he called her. Despite the fact the he could dismiss her at any moment, Telfer insisted on having her around at all times and when Aeria, Caius and Telfer were together Telfer would sit to the side talking to Neith though neither Aeria nor Caius could hear what she said.

“Do you think she says anything about us?” Caius asked that night.

“I don’t think so.” Aeria said. All she could do is hope that none of these creatures could see past her glamour. Magic called to magic, and they were made of magic. Surely they could see sense something wasn’t normal with her. But nothing really came of it, no one confronted her and her pendant hadn’t gone hot not once.

“What do you think you’ll get?”

“A crow I’m sure.” Aeria said holding her skull. “See the beak.” It wasn’t curved like a hawk’s beak or angular like that of a sparrow’s.

“Niko’s skull was small, I thought for sure he’d get a house cat.” Caius said holding his skull. It looked like some kind of dog.

“You think you’ve got a dire wolf skull there?” Aeria joked. She knew they roamed the ice caps of Glacies and were exceedingly rare. None had been seen in years.

“A dire wolf?” Caius smiled at the idea. “Are they big enough to ride?”

“I don’t think Big Red would appreciate that very much.”

“Do they though?” Caius asked seriously.

“No, I don’t know. Maybe?” Even in the dark of their room, Aeria could sense the excitement from Caius. Sure enough, later that evening, Aeria awoke to Caius calling her name.

The second he saw his friend stirred, Caius began, “Set, his name is Set! Ariel get up!” She felt something land on her and when Aeria looked all she saw was a furball of reds and browns and a narrow muzzle with red brown eyes peering back at her. Aeria yelped and leapt out of her bed, throwing her her blanket over the creature.

Caius laughed. “He’s laughing at you.” he said. As a small red and white face peered from under Aeria’s blanket. Then the ears emerged and the neck and eventually the whole body to reveal a red fox. It’s black paws turned in a circle before he lay in tight ball atop Aeria’s discarded blanket. “He called you a brute.”

“Fantastic.” Aeria said before turning on her heel and leaving. There was no sunlight in the caverns but Aeria knew it was the dead of night by the shut doors of the rooms where the adepts slept. They were only ever shut when they slept.

Niko had Bara and Telfer had Neith. Now Caius had Set. The small black skull weighed heavy in her pocket. All the adepts had received their familiar. She was all that was left.

Aeria went to the empty shower room and decided to take use the empty room for herself. It wasn’t like she’d be able to go back to sleep anymore with Caius whispering things to Set all night. It seemed that’s all everyone wanted to do now.

Aeria turned on the water and waited until there was steam coming from the water before jumping in. She placed the small black crow skull on the shower shelf.

She didn’t tell Telfer, or Niko, not even Caius, it embarrassed her, that when it came with her ability from the Colossus she was falling remarkably behind. She could move a larger stone now but everyone else in that class with Master Coyne, would pull up pillars from the Earth, that included Brecht and Loris. Even in the the training grounds with Overseer Rector, she was now the smallest.

When she came down from Durus to Durmenda and picked up Niko they were roughly the same. Now Niko had put on a lot of muscle though his time in the training ground and even though she had put just as much time, possibly even more, as he had, Aeria was now smaller than he was. Even training with the heaviest sword on the grounds was enough to close the gap. And now Aeria was the only one without her familiar.

As Aeria washed her hair she realized how long it had become. She hadn’t cut it since she arrived to Lux Aeterna, now it was well past her shoulders and into her back. For a brief moment, she thought about cutting it again but part of her told her to keep it. Caius and Niko hadn’t cut it since they arrived either and both their locks were starting to grow unruly. Telfer was the only one among them who liked to trim it every so often to keep it short. The more she thought about it the more she couldn’t bare to part with it again.

What was she thinking? She began to wonder if she had gone too far out of her league. Perhaps she wasn’t cut out to be in the Red Glaive. She couldn’t just scrape by in the the Red Glaive. The Red Glaive weeded out the weak, if she was weak, surely, she’d be killed in the field. Maybe it was better if she left.

But where would she go?

Aeria couldn’t go home. Even if running away was what was best for her, she was too ashamed to face her father. Barrett Stone must’ve withdrawn his offer when his wretched son didn’t get his arranged marriage. It was nearly winter again and the impact of her departure was sure to be felt in the Grove. Would people starve because of her choice?

Was the lake frozen over yet? How were Patton Ney and his seven sons faring? And what about Chayne Folly and his fields? Had he found away to grow enough for everyone? And Madame Salver? What was left to her now that she had no more daughters to raise?

Aeria hadn’t cried in a long time, but alone in that shower, she felt like crying. The water in the shower was running hot on her head but she didn’t care. She felt horrible for putting all the people she cared about what they were about to go through. All that she could pretend she could be a Glaive.

But Dorian Stone was a horrible man, she constantly told herself to justify her actions and leaving her family to suffer in her stead, but braver women had been married to worse.

No, she couldn’t go home. Where then? Adelaide was sure to give her shelter, for a while, but Aeria couldn’t stay there forever. There was the Shrine, but that was no better than a prison.

The water grew scalding and Aeria turned it off immediately. But the heat wouldn’t leave her head. Then the whispers came, like they did when she fist pulled her skull, only this time it was a if a thousand people were whispering in her ear just out of sight. Her head hurt and when she looked at the skull, sitting idly on the shelf, the black holes of it’s eyes looked alive. She took it in her hand and when she did those whispers got louder, her head rocked, and she fell to her knees.

The voices continued, all of them, screaming at her. Who am I? she heard that voice in her head, who’s was it? Her own? She couldn’t tell. That voice remained, persistent and louder than the rest, repeating over and over again. “Arsene.” Aeria managed to repeat and the skull in her hand began to change as Aeria dropped it.

Black bones seeped out of the blackness of the black glass, a spine and ribs then muscles and veins, cartilage and skin then finally a plume of black feathers. It happened in a matter of seconds before a Raven stood before her, it’s feathers darker than black. “A raven.” Aeria said sitting back.

Arsene cocked his head to the side. ”Were you expecting a Finch?” Aeria’s breath caught in her throat.

“What?” Aeria reached up to the pendant around her neck. It was ice cold. Arsene hopped on Aeria’s knee.

”You’re not fooling me with that magic spell, I can see you.” he said in her head. Not a single crack appeared and a million things raced through her head. Did her glamour fade? Not possible, it couldn’t be.

“How?” Aeria said, then suddenly felt exposed. She stood and took a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her like blanket.

”I’m older than the magic you used.” the black raven said perching on the stall dividers. Then ruffled his feathers and stretched out his wings. ”It’s been a long time since I was called, it’s nice to meet you.”

“What? Wait, do the others know too?” Aeria exclaimed.

“They do.” Arsene piped. ”But they won’t tell.”

“How can you be so sure!” Aeria said. Was there a punishment for pretending to be a man in the Red Glaive? She didn’t think so. She only knew that women weren’t allowed. “If I’m discovered-“

”They wont tell!” Arsene said with a loud kraa. ”They are forbidden.”

“By who?”

”You’re not leaving the Red Glaive are you?” Arsene said suddenly. ”You’d have to return me after I worked so hard to make you hear me above the others.”

She didn’t want to leave. But she knew that the way things were going she wasn’t going to be the very good at being a Glaive. Everyone had to hold their own and she was terrified the she wouldn’t be able to. Something like that could cost someone their life.

”I choose you because I see strength in you.” Arsene said. ”You might not see it, but I sure do.”

“Strength.” Aeria scoffed. “I’ll never be as strong as Caius, or Niko. I’m just a stupid wo-

”Quiet! Someone’s coming.

A few seconds later Caius appeared with Set at his feet. The red fox sat by the door silently and stared at Aeria and Arsene. It was strange now that she knew he could see her for what she was.

“I was going to come get you, but Set told me to wait. Are you all right?” Caius said. Arsene cawed, calling attention to him. “You did it! What’s his name?” he asked as he the black raven flew and perched itself on Caius’ shoulder.

“Arsene,” Aeria said slowly.

“But you are alright, right?” Caius asked again.

”You’re not in the Red Glaive all alone you know.”

He was right. If she left now everything would be for nothing. Besides, it not like Caius would let her quit after everything.

“I am.” Aeria said smiling. As long as she had her friends by her side she felt like she could overcome anything.