The Red Glaive
VI
Aeria sold the Baron Stone’s saddle to the first merchant she came across the Night Road. She sold it cheap to keep him from asking any questions of how she got it then used the coins to buy a simple leather saddle and a wool dress. She kept her mother’s necklace, being made of copper it wasn’t worth much anyway. She discarded the slip somewhere along the way to the capital, she never wanted to see it again. With her simple gear she blended in with all the travelers so the way there was easy.
It took her just over a two weeks, to reach the Duowell, the Durus capital. As a child she had traveled there with Patton Ney to buy pesticide for Folly’s fields. White locusts had decimated his crops that year so it was a bad time in Cypress Grove for everyone. Ney’s boys had made the trip feel short for Aeria as they goofed around every chance they got.
Ned’s boys never treated her any different even after her sisters had made it a mission to win the boys’ attention. They all wanted Walther Ney, the eldest, who they said was most handsome, but all Aeria saw when they talked about him was the young man who always came up with hilariously inappropriate nicknames for his siblings and would always remind them that he was was “first out of the womb” leading to some entertaining squabbles. She’d miss them terribly.
Aeria remembered the way to Duowell from that trip with the Neys. It was easy, the Night Road lead directly there.
Despite having visited the capital in the past, when she first gazed over the city she could do nothing but stare in awe. Small square buildings littered the landscape for miles. A great river cut the city into three separate areas with a massive lake where it forked. In the center of the lake, on an island sat the great castle of the Lord of Duowell, ruler of Durus. Three long bridges connected it to the rest of the city.
Aeria never saw the inside of the castle. She entered the city with all the merchants and managed to secure a stall for Fable for the month and slept by him hidden under the hay. Aeria could eat at the soup kitchen run by the temple. What little coin was left to her she used to buy food for Fable. It wouldn’t last, Aeria had to find another means of feeding herself.
When Alita had left, she had left with Rudy the blacksmith which was strange since Alita never mentioned him or showed any indication that she might’ve had any kind of feelings for him. Maybe she just took the first out she saw. Alita had been smart to leave with someone who could support her. Blacksmiths were always valued in Durus and not doubt he would’ve found work.
Aeria had hoped that maybe she could find her sister in Duowell, it seemed like the only logical place to run away to, but she visited over 35 different forges looking for Rudy in those first couple days to no avail. The city was just too massive and stuffed to the brim with people.
Worse yet, almost a week after her arrival, while eating her meal in a soup kitchen she spotted Dorian Stone atop a white stallion followed by his paid knights. A thick scar above his eye. Aeria hid under the table. Dorian stayed atop his his horse as if stepping the same ground as the starving would somehow dirty him. He marched his horse straight to the soup master who was still serving food to the needy.
“I’m looking for a girl.” he said to the soup master sternly. “She has black hair and eyes like the blood moon.” Aeria’s heart stopped and a nervous hand reached up to the small pendant around her neck. Despite the fact that no one would recognize her. Her hair looked brown because of all the mud that had caked on it from sleeping in a stall and wherever she went she walked her eyes down to avoid attention.
She couldn’t go back. Seeing Dorian so close once again filled her with fear and her hands began to tremble against the leg of the table.
“Have you checked the whore house son?” the soup master said unamused and undisturbed from his task. His brown robes dragged over his feet. He wasn’t a temple priest, just a common man seeking to atone for his sins by helping the needy.
“Don’t you talk to me like that filth.” Dorian spat. “Don’t you know who I am?”
The soup master eyed Dorian then the mark of his father - a round black circle surrounded by colorful gems - embossed onto the chest piece of all his knights. “A little young to be Barrett Stone, so I’ll assume you’re his son.”
“Then you should treat me with more respect, my father paid for this temple.” Dorian said with a sneer. His family paid for that temple and a great many other buildings in Duowell, Aeria found during her stay in the city. Wether the Stone family was richer than the Lord of Duowell himself was a popular debate at the tables of the soup kitchen.
“Then it’s your father how deserves that respect not his entitled shit son.” the soup master said filling another bowl. Even from under a table, Aeria could see Dorian gnashing his teeth together. He clicked his heels to his horse’s side and the horse took a step forward. Dorian then whipped the reins to the side and pulled his horse in a tight circle. It’s hind legs hit the scalding pot, knocking it over.
Everyone at the tables had now turned to face them and eyed the hot soup now spreading into the pavement. The soup master finally turned to face him, irritation now bubbling across his features.
“One more word peasant and you’ll wish you hadn’t crossed me today.” Dorion looked down at the man and raised a hand. His knights got off their horses and unsheathed their extravagant swords.
“You little bastard.” he said annoyed. Dorian motioned his knights forward, their shiny armor sparkling the sun. “You know, I had hoped to do my service in peace.” the man said unfazed by the approaching knights. “But I guess a little excitement couldn’t hurt.” Then he raised his hand and closed around something no one could quite yet see. Then he unsheathed a sword from thin air.
A rush of murmurs echoed through the tables. Glaive they whispered and the knights faltered. Glaive, the word echoed within Aeria like a heart beat giving her new life.
Dorian’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t hurt a living being.” he said.
“Our code forbids us from causing harm to human beings you’re right, but do you really expect me to stand still while your knights have a go at me?” the glaive said with a crooked smile. “How much do you pay your knights boy?” The knights looked at each other nervously. “Not enough I bet.”
“I’m make sure Lord Whittal hears about this.” Dorian said.
“Excellent, tell him it was Reimar who sent scurrying about with your tail between your legs!” he said loudly.
Dorian didn’t say anything, he wheeled his horse in a circle then galloped out of the courtyard. His knights followed suit after climbing awkwardly onto their steeds.
Aeria could breathe again and climbed out from under the table. Those around her stared at her strangely, they hand’t seen her go under. Aeria could only watch the man who had served her meal, he was like the glaives that had charged valiantly into the night to take on the night devils that had been pursuing her. He was a glaive and stood fearlessly against Dorian Stone.
She didn't want to be afraid anymore. Aeria knew one thing for sure; she wanted to be fearless too. She would to join the Red Glaive.
It took her just over a two weeks, to reach the Duowell, the Durus capital. As a child she had traveled there with Patton Ney to buy pesticide for Folly’s fields. White locusts had decimated his crops that year so it was a bad time in Cypress Grove for everyone. Ney’s boys had made the trip feel short for Aeria as they goofed around every chance they got.
Ned’s boys never treated her any different even after her sisters had made it a mission to win the boys’ attention. They all wanted Walther Ney, the eldest, who they said was most handsome, but all Aeria saw when they talked about him was the young man who always came up with hilariously inappropriate nicknames for his siblings and would always remind them that he was was “first out of the womb” leading to some entertaining squabbles. She’d miss them terribly.
Aeria remembered the way to Duowell from that trip with the Neys. It was easy, the Night Road lead directly there.
Despite having visited the capital in the past, when she first gazed over the city she could do nothing but stare in awe. Small square buildings littered the landscape for miles. A great river cut the city into three separate areas with a massive lake where it forked. In the center of the lake, on an island sat the great castle of the Lord of Duowell, ruler of Durus. Three long bridges connected it to the rest of the city.
Aeria never saw the inside of the castle. She entered the city with all the merchants and managed to secure a stall for Fable for the month and slept by him hidden under the hay. Aeria could eat at the soup kitchen run by the temple. What little coin was left to her she used to buy food for Fable. It wouldn’t last, Aeria had to find another means of feeding herself.
When Alita had left, she had left with Rudy the blacksmith which was strange since Alita never mentioned him or showed any indication that she might’ve had any kind of feelings for him. Maybe she just took the first out she saw. Alita had been smart to leave with someone who could support her. Blacksmiths were always valued in Durus and not doubt he would’ve found work.
Aeria had hoped that maybe she could find her sister in Duowell, it seemed like the only logical place to run away to, but she visited over 35 different forges looking for Rudy in those first couple days to no avail. The city was just too massive and stuffed to the brim with people.
Worse yet, almost a week after her arrival, while eating her meal in a soup kitchen she spotted Dorian Stone atop a white stallion followed by his paid knights. A thick scar above his eye. Aeria hid under the table. Dorian stayed atop his his horse as if stepping the same ground as the starving would somehow dirty him. He marched his horse straight to the soup master who was still serving food to the needy.
“I’m looking for a girl.” he said to the soup master sternly. “She has black hair and eyes like the blood moon.” Aeria’s heart stopped and a nervous hand reached up to the small pendant around her neck. Despite the fact that no one would recognize her. Her hair looked brown because of all the mud that had caked on it from sleeping in a stall and wherever she went she walked her eyes down to avoid attention.
She couldn’t go back. Seeing Dorian so close once again filled her with fear and her hands began to tremble against the leg of the table.
“Have you checked the whore house son?” the soup master said unamused and undisturbed from his task. His brown robes dragged over his feet. He wasn’t a temple priest, just a common man seeking to atone for his sins by helping the needy.
“Don’t you talk to me like that filth.” Dorian spat. “Don’t you know who I am?”
The soup master eyed Dorian then the mark of his father - a round black circle surrounded by colorful gems - embossed onto the chest piece of all his knights. “A little young to be Barrett Stone, so I’ll assume you’re his son.”
“Then you should treat me with more respect, my father paid for this temple.” Dorian said with a sneer. His family paid for that temple and a great many other buildings in Duowell, Aeria found during her stay in the city. Wether the Stone family was richer than the Lord of Duowell himself was a popular debate at the tables of the soup kitchen.
“Then it’s your father how deserves that respect not his entitled shit son.” the soup master said filling another bowl. Even from under a table, Aeria could see Dorian gnashing his teeth together. He clicked his heels to his horse’s side and the horse took a step forward. Dorian then whipped the reins to the side and pulled his horse in a tight circle. It’s hind legs hit the scalding pot, knocking it over.
Everyone at the tables had now turned to face them and eyed the hot soup now spreading into the pavement. The soup master finally turned to face him, irritation now bubbling across his features.
“One more word peasant and you’ll wish you hadn’t crossed me today.” Dorion looked down at the man and raised a hand. His knights got off their horses and unsheathed their extravagant swords.
“You little bastard.” he said annoyed. Dorian motioned his knights forward, their shiny armor sparkling the sun. “You know, I had hoped to do my service in peace.” the man said unfazed by the approaching knights. “But I guess a little excitement couldn’t hurt.” Then he raised his hand and closed around something no one could quite yet see. Then he unsheathed a sword from thin air.
A rush of murmurs echoed through the tables. Glaive they whispered and the knights faltered. Glaive, the word echoed within Aeria like a heart beat giving her new life.
Dorian’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t hurt a living being.” he said.
“Our code forbids us from causing harm to human beings you’re right, but do you really expect me to stand still while your knights have a go at me?” the glaive said with a crooked smile. “How much do you pay your knights boy?” The knights looked at each other nervously. “Not enough I bet.”
“I’m make sure Lord Whittal hears about this.” Dorian said.
“Excellent, tell him it was Reimar who sent scurrying about with your tail between your legs!” he said loudly.
Dorian didn’t say anything, he wheeled his horse in a circle then galloped out of the courtyard. His knights followed suit after climbing awkwardly onto their steeds.
Aeria could breathe again and climbed out from under the table. Those around her stared at her strangely, they hand’t seen her go under. Aeria could only watch the man who had served her meal, he was like the glaives that had charged valiantly into the night to take on the night devils that had been pursuing her. He was a glaive and stood fearlessly against Dorian Stone.
She didn't want to be afraid anymore. Aeria knew one thing for sure; she wanted to be fearless too. She would to join the Red Glaive.
♠ ♠ ♠
