The Red Glaive

The tunnel led out to a narrow alleyway between the Silver Oasis and the Ivory Bastion. Once they emerged from the pitch black tunnel Aeria was acutely aware of how close she and Valor were in the alley way. The soft chime of the oasis in the background was replaced by the dead silence of the night.

“Maybe we should go back, if anyone sees me. . . “ Valor said, looking over the corner of the alley.

“Is your knightly order that strict?” Aeria asked but Valor didn’t say anything. Different orders had different rules. Aeria knew that some had honor codes so strict they might as well be an order of monks. “I can give you a new face. Temporarily that is.”

“How?” he said the hope returning to his eyes. Aeria smiled. Typical knight never bothering with womanly white magic.

“I can work a decent glamour.” she said, she had more than enough experience now having to make her own glamours on a nearly nightly basis before she used Adelaide’s spell. “Here, it works better if you already look the part.” she said taking off her cloak and handing it to Valor. “The more convincing you look and act the more likely the glamour is to work. So try to be less knightly.”

“Is the magic not. . . ” his words fell short when he saw the green velvet dress Aeria wore underneath. “I thought I had you figured out.” She had forgotten she was wearing it, but didn’t stop to dwell on it. She was already welling up her magic. Building it slowly like in incoming tide. Who was he going to be? Someone who would wear a cloak, Aeria decided. Then she brushed her fingers in front of his face as she felt magic slowly leak out of her fingertips like thin spiderwebs clinging to his face.

It had been months since she had last cast a glamor but she felt rusty. It took much longer than she expected to get the glamor to set, even after adding layer after layer. By the time she felt confident that the glamour would last she was already feeling weak. It must’ve been the glamour combined with the rapid tunnel she had made that her feel so weary.

“Will it work?” Valor asked when she stepped back. She nodded softly, feeling drained. “You sure?” But all it took was a lone man to pass by, look at them, and a utter a small sisters before continuing on his way. “Sisters?” Valor said dismayed. “I look like a woman?”

“A glamor works like a suggestion I suppose.” or a lie, “You’re a wearing a cloak so people assume you’re sister and don’t look any further.”

Valor laughed. “Then lets go!” he said excited.

“Actually. . .” Aeria said slightly embarrassed that she felt so weak. “I think I’m hungry.” she hoped that eating something would restore her strength. There was only one place she could think of that served decent food.

The city was asleep, hardly anyone ventured out at night, though when they arrived at that familiar seedy night district the volume of people picked up. Valor walked around like a child, amazed by the sheer volume of people walking about at night and stopped to stare in wonder at the many establishments settled there.

As soon as they entered the Solid Steam eyes feel on her and she stupidly forgotten that she wasn’t Ariel anymore. Ariel was a regular and no one would bat an eye when he walked in, but Aeria was a woman and someone new. It wasn’t like there wasn’t any women there at all, but the vast majority of the people who filled the Solid Steam were regulars and they recognized a new face - an easy face - when it walked in.

Worst of all, Caius sat in one of the alcoves whispering sweet nothings to the pretty blond on his lap. Aeria froze in her steps. The thought of him seeing her, even though he didn’t really know her, as a woman and wearing a frilly dress terrified her more than realized and tied her stomach into knots. She didn’t want Valor to know him either, even though to the unsuspecting world he looked like a cloaked sister.

“I’m not that hungry anymore.” she said quickly and ushered him out. Aeria looked up at Valor but he stared intently into the opened doors of the Solid Steam and all the people making noise in there. She realized then that she had brought him to a district where a majority of the poor spent the last of their coin on their on entertainment so that they could relax after a long day of work.

But Valor came form wealth, the clothes he wore under the cloak was proof enough. She was suddenly ashamed to have brought him here. Would he think less of her now? When his eyes finally caught hers he smiled and she knew he didn’t care.

“I know of a place.” he said just as group of street children raced by. One of them stopped and held out a hand to Aeria knowing that a sister didn’t carry coins. Aeria grumbled and pulled out her thin coin purse from her sleeve so that those little extortionists wouldn’t try to pick their pockets later.

Before Aeria could stop him Valor gladly dropped a gold coin in his hand. Aeria stared wide eyed, it was what she got in a month for her allowance. The boy still stared at Aeria expectantly before realizing what he had and scampering off to whatever street they would spend the night.

“They will tell the big men where got that gold coin.” A voice echoed in her mind, she spun around but Aeria couldn’t spot Arsene anywhere. There was a group of ravens on the roof far away. Perhaps he was testing from how far he could her him. But she didn’t say anything back hoping he wouldn’t follow her the little precious time she spent with Valor.

Valor took her to a district she didn’t know, on the other side of Ivory Bastion where there was a quieter night life. Where the buildings were made coated in a fine layer of white alabaster instead of leaving the red brick exposed, where wealthy nobles dined extravagant dinners and no matter where you went you could hear soft music playing somewhere just out of sight. People stared at them here too, her green dress not quite extravagant enough to match and Valor disguised as a sister.

Undaunted, Valor marched straight up to a building where delicious smells slowly wafted out form within. The valet out in front stopped him. “I’m sure you have more important matters to attend to.” he said blocking Valor’s path.

“Let me through.” Valor said dismayed. Already the city guard had appeared from nowhere ready to swoop down and drag them away if the peace was disturbed, but Valor didn’t seem to notice.

“They will rest take you both in if you don’t stop him.” She could barely hear Arsene’s voice. It sounded as if he was far away or in another room and she couldn’t see any ravens nearby.

Aeria gently touched his arm and he let her led him away.

In the end they ended up sitting outside on a bench despite the nasty stares they got from the nobles. “Guess things didn’t turn out how I expected tonight.” Aeria said ruefully.

“It’s not so bad, I get this night with you.” he said wrapping an arm around her and Aeria felt the warmth of touch rushing through her and the comfort he brought that confirmed that he could in fact keep her safe if she left with him. Not that she would.

“Valor.” she called softly and he turned to look at her. Perfect blue eyes stared back her and they gave her the reassurance she needed before she leaned up and kissed him. She didn’t care if it was impolite, it was what she wanted right then and there and she didn’t need the magic of the pool to give her the courage to do it. He was the only one who she felt comfortable enough to do that with.

And as if to prove her right, Valor kissed back intensely and she knew it wasn’t enough. She wanted more of him, all of him. She ran her hands through his hair tugging softly in places and pulling his hood back as she went. He pulled back briefly only to lunge at her neck, kissing the soft skin of her neck sending a jolt of electricity rippling through her body making her gasp and when her eyes opened briefly and there was a stranger staring at them curiously.

“Valor,” Aeria called placing a soft hand on his chest pushing slightly; she could feel his heart beating wildly beneath. Reluctantly, he pulled away and followed her gaze towards the man in a knight’s tunic and glimmering eques flasks on his belt staring at them. She could read it in the man’s face, him puzzling why there there was a poor woman - by his standards - kissing a sister. Unless it wasn’t a sister under that cloak. She could feel her magic wavering. “Your glamour is fading.” Aeria said, shocked that had lasted such a short amount of time. Magic exhausted she felt it leaving her, the last of the magic she had pooled fading from existence and leaving her all the more tired.

Visibly shaken, Valor quickly pulled the hood over his head, took Aeria’s hand in his and ran. Aeria kept up as best as she could in her heavy dress. It must’ve been a knight he knew for him to run so quickly. Someone who knew was supposed to be in the Silver Oasis. The knight was shouting something behind them, as they raced over the cobblestones out of the expensive district.

Ahead of them they saw a flash of white and Valor dived into the nearest alley way. Then to cover the bright green emerald of her dress, pushed her against the wall camouflaging them against the dark red of the brick with the brown of his cloak. It wasn’t a perfect match but it was enough for them to blend in.

A rider rode past on a grey horse, and in that brief second Aeria saw the pale yellow hair of Valor’s friend. Valor stood still, perhaps thinking that his friend was coming back, but Aeria stood still because of the close proximity they now held. She wasn’t afraid, though her hands were a little clammy and her heart couldn’t be stilled.

Madame Salver had always told her to be coy, but she couldn’t do that when he, for that moment, utterly hers. How could she coy when all she wanted was to be near him, touch him? Aeria reached up and kissed him, on the neck this time, just as she had done to her and she felt him shiver in her arms. His hands pulled back before they wandered, touching every part of her leaving a trail of fire as they went.

“Elyon,” he breathed out, and she stopped. It wasn’t her name. She regretted it now more than ever and wanted to tell him otherwise. But something stopped her yet again. “What’s wrong?” he said putting his hand against her cheek. How could she trust someone whole heartedly, yet not trust him with that? As if her name gave him something over her. A final dam she had built before all her truths came flooding out.

“We should get back.” Aeria said.

“I want to show you something first.” He said and Aeria nodded.

Before they left their small alley Aeria refreshed his glamour. She welled up her magic allowing it build before starting but felt the weariness set in much quicker this time and she worked slower. She had only set a few layers when she heard Arsene’s voice yet again. Loud and clear this time he said, “The big men are coming!”

Aeria stopped and looked down the alleyway just as two men appeared at the end, one carrying a sickle the other cleaver as if they couldn’t afford to get a proper knife. Valor quickly placed himself between her and them. He was a knight after all.

“Heard there was a sister giving out gold,” said the cleaver man.

“Yeah, we’d like some of that.” said the other. Neither Aeria nor Valor had any weapons, but Aeria wasn’t afraid, she knew how to disarm someone. They had practiced it repeatedly in the training grounds with every kind of weapon because as glaives they were not to kill anyone.

“There’s none of that here for you.” Valor said, his voice dignified and cold. She knew then that she hadn’t placed nearly enough magic into Valor’s glamour because she felt it shatter in an instant as something shattered deep within her.

“You!” the sickle man cried before running away shouting a series of panicked ‘No’s’ as he went. They seemed to know him somehow but Aeria gasped clutching her chest and crouched down. But there was no pain, just that strange hollowness where something she never knew she had once lay.

Valor looked back at her just as the cleaver man shouted. “I’ll take all your fucking gold.” and swung blindly in the narrow alley. Valor reeled back, but Aeria was crouched low behind him making him fall over. She felt like a rag doll being pulled roughly up to her feet by her hair and Valor stood too, but then froze. There was a cleaver at her throat and the man was breathing heavy in her ear despite having only swung once and his breath was rancid with alcohol. The blade was dull but he was pressing it so hard into her neck she was sure it would bruise.

Aeria knew she overpower him. He was just as heavy as Caius and she had practiced using his own weight against him, and yet if she did Valor would know. He would question why she could flip a man twice her size with ease.

“I’ll skin the bitch, just to see you squirm.” The man said viciously, she felt him start to cut, and she knew she had to stop him.

But she didn’t have to do anything, from a sky a black shadow flew down and dove straight at the man’s face cawing loudly. He screamed but let go of Aeria to bat at Arsene with the cleaver still cawing loudly and Valor was already charging forward, but Aeria was on the ground her hands feeling the wonderful warm earth beneath her fingers. Then with single push she made the ground uneven beneath the man noticeable only if you were looking as it changed.

The man tripped over his own feet and the cleaver flew out his hands. For a second, it looked like it might fall on him but Arsene plucked from the air before flying away with the massive cleaver in his beak. The man stared him bewilderedly, then at Valor who was helping her to her feet, then down the street at the sound of people racing over, and took off, stumbling, after his friend.

She didn’t have to say it, but she got the feeling Arsene knew how grateful she was. “I was a great warrior once.” Arsene said but Aeria could almost laugh at the little annoying bird. “You’ll see.”

“I don’t feel so well.” Aeria said about the weariness she felt in every bone in her body. Valor, who stood by mouth of the alley contemplating wether to give chase or not, turned to look at her and his face went pale.

“You’re bleeding.” he said hollowly. She reached up and felt a cut, smaller than her pinky finger in length right at the base of her neck on the left side. It wasn’t a clean cut, the dull blade torn at the skin instead of slicing cleanly and a trickle of blood spilled out threatening to stain Adelaide’s dress. Aeria caught it before it touched the golden trim. It was nothing, just a small scratch really, it would probably scar if she didn’t return to the shrine soon enough, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to waste any of her time with Valor, she had Adelaide’s salve anyway.

That didn’t stop him from wiping away the blood the the sleeve of his good coat. Then he pulled out a red handkerchief, neatly folded, from his pocket. Only it wasn’t a handkerchief, it was too thick for that, and it sizzled with familiar magic. Her magic. She was glad that at least that had lasted this long, but even that was fading.

“I meant to return it to you, I guess now is as good a time as any.” he said pressing the torn piece of scarf against the stinging wound. A token had to be returned as proof of safe venture. Aeria winced slightly when the fabric touched her skin, but had to be done and she had had worse.

Outside knights on horse back raced by chasing after the man who’d brought a cleaver. One one stopped to look at them somehow drawn to their tiny hiding place in the dark. His hair shinning like pale gold in the moonlight, Valor’s friend looked at them in the alleyway. He shook his head and whirled his horse away after their assailant.

“I want you to keep it anyway.” she said after the sound of clacking hooves vanished. She held it against her neck keeping pressure. He smiled and kissed her gently on the lips as if he was afraid to further agitate the tiny wound on her neck.

“Do you feel better now?” he said after he pulled away. But she still felt like she was half asleep.

“No,” she said and Valor looked concerned all over gain. She laughed lightly. “The magic I used tonight is tiring me more than I thought it would.” she answered honestly. “I feel like I need to sleep.” It felt so good to finally tell him the truth. “But I really don’t want to.” she said blushing fiercely despite her fatigue or maybe because of it. Then looked down at the scarf to see that the wound wasn’t bleeding as much anymore and to hide her face. It took more for her to say words than to do actions she found out.

Aeria could touch him now, kiss him even and she knew that was alright because they both craved it. But to tell him, just how much she craved him, to physically utter those words, that was another matter entirely.

“There still something I want to show you.” he said and Aeria nodded and absentmindedly began to build her magic again for a quick glamour, only to find there was nothing to well up anymore. Valor’s hands caught hers stopping her. She supposed it didn’t matter anyway, they already knew he was out. “Can you walk?”

“Yes.” Aeria said then took a step and realized how wrong she was. She leaned against the wall resisting heavy eyelids. She didn’t want to sleep but the magic had drained her so viciously and fiercely it was difficult to fight off.

Valor wrapped his arm around her and knelt down low to the ground letting her rest. “It’s alright there’s always next time.” and Aeria smiled knowing that there would be a next time and shut her eyes to allow the sleep to come. She felt his lips on hers just as she drifted off.

Only she didn’t rest. It felt like a blink and when her eyes opened she was somewhere she didn't know and she still felt so tired, and despite wearing her cloak again felt terribly cold.

The room she was in was massive and brilliant sun light was magnified through the adorned stained glass windows so bright she had to shield her eyes. She just wanted to sleep. She crawled out of the massive canopy bed pushing aside the thin curtains the had been closed around it, then using the tall bed frame spires to lean against Aeria studied at the room closer for a warmer place to sleep.

It had to be a dream. The room was so grand there was no way it could be real. Everything was accented with either gold or silver and encrusted with shinning gems that looked diamonds only diamonds didn’t shine that bright. Above a crystal chandelier refracted the light into a thousand tiny rainbows before spreading the light throughout the room.

Nearly every inch of the floor was covered in rugs and thick tapestries hung on windowless walls. The stained glass windows reflected a rainbow of colors back into the room, then there right beneath one of the colorful glass windows a little space not covered by rugs gleamed at from behind one of the sofas. The white stone beneath shone red from the window above it.

Groggily, Aeria made her way to the little spot, passing Arsene silently watching her from atop a gilded chair. She could hear voices, speaking loudly in another room but Aeria laid down, felt the warmth of the stone and earth beneath her, the heat of the light pouring in from the window, and fell asleep.

It silent when Aeria woke again, it didn’t feel like she had slept at all. There was a strange blue light pouring in from the windows making everything cold again and that familiar soft chime lingered in the air. Aeria stood, but Arsene was gone. The room was different. The same but somehow different. There was only one door now though she was sure she had seen two before.

She pushed it open and found Valor and his friend whose name always escaped her. They stood still, frozen really, Valor’s friend’s mouth was open as if he was peaking while Valor looked him, frozen in a silent debate. Somehow, Aeria understood that they weren’t in any danger, that she was witnessing a moment locked away in time.

There was another door, identical to the one she had just come through and when she looked the way she had come the door she had come through was gone. There was only forward. Before she moved on she put her hand to Valor’s cheek and felt the warmth he radiated just to be sure.

The next room was dark but not dark enough for Aeria to make out Caius sitting on the edge of the bed shirtless with the pretty blond pulling her dress over her head exposing plump breasts and perfectly pale skin beneath, both of them frozen in that moment just like Valor and his friend.

The door was there again, the very same she had come through. Onward and on the other side she found herself in a dungeon in front of Telfer’s cell who lay on his cot failing to fall asleep. Then another door and Adelaide was sleeping soundly and alone in a gilded bed, Niko slept slumped over a desk his candle about to go out, Elyon tended a to a man’s broken finger, and Videl was in the the stable brushing a fine paint mare.

Then her father was there, sitting behind his big desk his face buried in his hands. Aeria wanted to stay, to share that moment with him forever but as much as it hurt she had to move on.

She opened the door one last time but was met with a vast void filled with blue and crystalline particles floating in the air. And when she looked up she could see the surface shining down on her like the surface of a lake. When she looked down she saw a path there cutting through the void that she hadn’t noticed before leading to floating pavilion where she could see someone standing there.

It was like sleepwalking but being aware of it. She continued forward until she stood right next to this stranger. He was tall, taller than anyone she ever knew and wore a black robe but not regular black. Black like staring into an empty space filled with absolutely nothing. Nothing could be distinguished in that black cloth, not a seam, or pleat, or fold. It seemed to swallow the light itself. But his robes were open at the front, exposing the pure white skin of the stranger’s chest. On his shoulders black feathers poked out of his cowl.

Aeria studied his white face, square and severe, and the pitch black of his eyes, but deep in the center of the blackness of his eyes there were stars.

“Arsene?” she called and he smiled.

Then a flurry of black feathers rushed at her she raised her arms to defend herself but nothing came. When she opened her eyes she was back in the Silver Oasis laying not the blanket Valor had enchanted with the sun shining brightly in the sky.