Michellin

Wanderers

The three Amrians threw themselves into the fight, like it had only been just yesterday all three fought together on the same battlefield. Kire’s Ring flashed blue as she hacked through the mutated canines as fast as she could. Ed guarded her flank, his skills with the blade honed by his years. He had been, after all, one of Kire’s first swordmasters, and he had absorbed the Raielwen’s skills during his time with them. Narda took up the rear guard, her battle axe cleaving through the pack that had circled the group, stopping their attempts to herd them in and trap them. “Forward!” Kire yelled back to Ysaryn. The Gemini signature was strong, filling her senses, but something else, some other sensation, came at her in waves. Familiar. Kire’s eyes widened. Portal winds.

Ed decapitated a wolf that had gotten too close to Kire. “Do you feel it? Where?”
“To the right.”
Kire pushed forward, and Ed and Narda cut through the wolves, picking up her slack when she paused to ascertain the direction of the energy signature. Ahead of them the ground sloped, and the trees around the base of it would help funnel the wolves or force them to break their swarming. Before Kire could point it out, a loud shriek rent the air. “Ysaryn!”
“On it,” Narda grunted, making her way back quicker to the men, hacking the nearest ones with her axe and clearing the way for the two of them, filling the space Zeke left now that he was occupied with carrying Ysaryn. “If you need to fight, I can carry her,” she said, her back to them as she guarded them from attacks.
“If she’s compromised, take her back to the cliffs,” Kire yelled over her shoulder. What she heard in reply instead was a string of angrily shouted Elvish. Kire frowned. “What did she say, Ed?”
Ed, despite the situation, barked out a laugh. “You really don’t want to know.”
“Fine. Nard, grab her, we’ll make a run for the slopes. The rest of you cut a path through.”

Without another word, the giantess grabbed Ysaryn and hoisted her over her own shoulders, then followed Kire to the incline she had pointed out. Ed ran ahead, clearing the way, Kire taking up rear guard this time. The trees grew close together here, and Narda had to cleave through some obstruction with her axe until she went through. Kire lagged behind, dealing with the wolves until everybody behind her had made it through the narrow passages through the trees and onto higher ground. After a while, however, the wolves, still snarling, began to slink off. “Wish we had a fire going,” she muttered under her breath, picking off the remaining wolves now that they too had to pass through a tighter space. “See anything?” she called out as she made her way towards them.
“Well,” Ed said, transfixed, as they stood on the crest of the small hill. “Found your gate.”

Below them, the twisted thicket spread out, but just beyond this grove was a bright blue glow, a disk of swirling light as tall as Narda and as wide as three people side by side. The light flickered, the size fluctuating smaller and larger, casting shadows on the surrounding trees and giving off the illusion of movement.
Kire gaped at it for a moment before turning to check if more animals would attack, her blade stained with their corrupted blood. No animals went forward. That can’t be good.

Wanderers

Kire nodded at Ruli’s question, then turned when they heard Ysaryn and Zeke join them. Ruli was right about her mood; she was raring for a fight. Admittedly, Ruli was also right about Kire knowing exactly how that felt, but she wasn’t going to say that to him. “Believe me, I don’t want to linger any longer than I have to near a world gate,” Kire said to Envy.
Narda grinned at the Kartaian. “Save a cigarette for me,” she called, before taking Ysaryn’s hand. Kire and Ed took Ruli’s, and a heartbeat later, they were gone.

It was still a little dark and chilly when they emerged in the woods. Kire gestured westward, about to give instructions when Zeke had beat her to it. “You two are a lot alike,” she commented to Ed quietly, before she turned to the rest of the party again, hearing them bicker behind her. Ed raised a brow, having heard the conversation in Elvish at the start of it. “Lovely. We haven’t even found the gate yet,” Kire muttered softly, then, louder for the others, “tell me again why I brought the rest of you along?” She turned, speaking in Taakalon to Ed and Narda before taking the lead. Narda fell back, guarding their rear, while Ed stayed by Kire’s side.

They kept heading west, Kire silent, paying attention to any magic signatures just as she had when they were looking for the wards around Lithilote. But like Aera mentioned, after a while of trudging through the woods Kire started to feel something. She pointed at an angle southwards and continued on. Nothing had assailed them yet. Somehow this just made Kire more wary.
“What do you feel?” Ed asked.
“Tingling. And my nose itching. And my nape. Like someone is pointing a knife at it.”
Not twenty minutes after that, Kire stopped mid-step. Behind them, the forest appeared the same, but not far ahead, the trees grew closer together, twisting, some intertwining so close to each other they blocked out ways forward. A cold breeze blew through them, and Kire’s face twisted in disgust. It smelled like the mines, except, unlike Gavin’s previous signature or Ikegai’s, this one had the strong smell of decayed earth. “See a way in?”

They found a grove of trees that weren’t too tangled up with each other. Kire silently checked on the rest of the party before proceeding, hacking at errant vines that were in the way. “Try not to touch anything,” she said, as they ventured further into the grove.
“Kire,” Ed murmured, gesturing at her. When Kire looked his way, her eyes widened. Both cousins touched their noses.
“Shit.” Kire wiped the blood that had trickled out of her nose with her sleeve, then checked to see if any had fallen to the ground. Ed had done the same, and both were relieved to see that they hadn’t spilled any blood yet onto the soil. The bleeding would stop soon, she knew, but seeing as it was only the Wyverns whose bodies reacted in this manner only served to confirm that this was true Gemini magic behind these twisted forms.
Narda saw it too. “Every time a Wyvern enters Gemini territory in Amria, that happens,” she explained to those near her. “Holdover from older, deadlier times, when they’d erect more potent versions of the wards.”

Animal sounds echoed throughout the forest, but they seemed unnatural, echoing as if from some faraway place. Though it had begun to grow lighter in the woods outside, in here it was as if they were stuck in eternal dusk. Kire found something propped against a tree ahead that looked to be rusted metal. When she approached, she recognized a breastplate with the Wyvern insignia on it, though more disturbing was the fact that it wasn’t so much propped against a tree as stuck in it, as if it had melded with the wood. Kire’s eyes followed the lines and grooves on the bark, her mind picturing faces in the whorls where there weren’t any. She glanced at Ed as she straightened up again and saw a look on his face that she had seen on her own as well. “It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “You didn’t abandon them.”

Ed nodded, his expression grim. Kire was about to continue forward when she saw shapes ahead, the smell of decay wafting towards them, not unlike the smell of the dolls. Only these had the decaying smells of the forest mixed in with the taste of rust in her mouth. Red eyes peered from the shadows that advanced, and as they drew nearer, Kire could see what they were more clearly. Wolves. Only they looked sick, rotting in places. While some looked like they were mutated canines, there were a few whose bodies didn’t look quite right hunched on all fours, as if they had been forced into these shapes by pulling their bodies apart and putting them back together. In some of them, she caught the glint of metal; a few had pieces of armor still wrapped around their bodies.
“Here’s your fight, Ysaryn,” Kire growled, her sword in hand, getting ready. The wolves snarled and leapt at them.

Wanderers

“Everyone calls you Ruli? I thought your nickname was ‘Grumpykin’,” Kire said in between sips of coffee. “You look better.”
Ed offered an amiable smile in response, though his gaze was scrutinizing Ruli as he spoke. “Glad to finally meet you under better circumstances. These two call me Ed.” He likewise didn’t offer his hand.
Kire’s nose wrinkled at the memory of the seaweed homebrew she had tasted. “She did. I just had a sip. That’s—it’s—very—”
“Terrible,” Narda put in with a chuckle. Kire looked around as if expecting the elf to hear the insult to her drink and give her a beating. Kire finished her current cup and went to get food, hoping to wash down the taste.
“Be careful what you wish for,” she said as she ate. “Where is she right now? I can tell her I’d spar with her afterwards, if everything goes smoothly today. But there is a strong chance we’d find something at the gate, even if it had been dormant these past nine months. Magic that powerful always leaves some sign or other. There were reports of a great fire, or a flash like lightning, the day Ed and his soldiers had supposedly died, and rumors of swathes of Gemini-occupied territory being occupied by monsters.” She sipped from her mug, then thought it over. “Once, a whole town that had sheltered the Gemini had gone mad. Not that different from what happened to Cordon three months ago. You never know with gates.”

The other Amrian soldiers arrived for their breakfast, each one giving a polite bow to the former Empress, who greeted them in turn. “I think I can finish transporting them in two trips. Leaves me—two, maybe three portals just in case, depending on what we encounter at the gate.”
“Is Envy awake? He told me he’ll be seeing us off when we go to the gate,” Narda asked Ruli; Ed grinned knowingly at her.
“He should be; it’s not too early, I think,” Kire said, thinking aloud. “As soon as they’re done with their breakfast, we’ll move. Gods, I hope it isn’t going to be like the mines at least.”
Kire clearly was eager to get on with the day. The moment it was clear that the rest of the Amrian soldiers had finished with their breakfast and have sufficiently woken, Kire got up and went to gather them. Ed, having just finished his own meal, followed along with Narda. “Be back in two shakes,” Kire said to Ruli. “Whoever’s coming along, we’ll meet them at the main cave.”

Now that they were all refreshed, and Kire was at a hundred percent, bringing the remaining seven was easier. Having been forewarned, Elva, Janes, and the attendants were able to receive them smoothly. “And Ed?” Elva asked, even though she already knew the answer.
“I promise, after one more bit of business,” Kire replied with a grin.
She reappeared in the cavern with Ed and Narda standing by. At Kire’s behest earlier, the giantess held onto the map they were given by their guide, and Kire spread it out on the floor, mouthing Aera’s instructions as she scanned the markers the princess had placed on the map. West, then angle southwest.

Wanderers

Narda grinned at Envy as she smoked beside him. Like Edward, Envy had a manner about him that was both kind and authoritative, though he seemed more paternal than the Amrian. She had yet to see the elf angry or in a darker mood, though, which made his remark about inhibitions a curious one. She could easily see how Kire would gravitate towards Envy, given the way she and the Wyvern cousins had lost their parents. When Envy asked to have his cigarette lighted, and offered one for her, Narda gladly took him up on it. She sat back beside him as they smoked, lazily watching the smoke rise with each exhale.

“It can be lonely, yes. Even before the usurpation. But like you, we draw strength from each other.” She replied after a pause. “I don’t know if she had told you about this, but the last time the Gemini tried to open a world gate, it created the Black Storm, which killed many people besides those sacrificed to the blood ritual. Kire’s parents perished, along with some other members of the Wyvern family. That’s how the crown was passed to her, and why the remaining cousins are close to each other. I met the Wyverns sometime later after that, at a dark point in all our lives, when we’ve all had to step into the roles we were to inherit, grappling with losses. It does help a lot, yes, to have such friends as they. And our shipmates, too—they had all come from dire situations, and so found a new family onboard. But sometimes, when a strong bond was formed out of loneliness, there are days when the darkness can get too heavy, and all that you can do for each other is to be lonely together.”

Narda chuckled, shaking her head. “Forgive the rather melancholy response. Lives as long as ours, you accumulate as much sadness as happiness. The former, sometimes a smidge more than the latter. So I say, fuck the fates, eh? I try to take what happiness I can get. My friend Kire—and most of her family—they don’t quite know how to do that part yet. Not even Edward, who seems the most even-tempered of the lot.”

She enjoyed the conversation a while more until it was time for them both to retire to their own quarters. She took his hand as they walked back out to the cave, chuckling again at his remark about how much energy they needed to sustain themselves with their size. “I will have to come back to Amria, but I will definitely pester Kire to let me visit.” She smiled warmly when she felt his hand grazing her arm, and grinned when he took her hand to kiss it. “Good night, Envy. I will look forward to your send-off, then.”

The next day, Narda was glad to note the storm had passed. She rose early, as usual, and had expected to be the first one up. But when she stepped out of her room, Edward had just come from the bath. “Good morning, milady,” he said with a grin as he dried his hair. “Did you enjoy Envy’s company? You seemed rather charmed by him yesterday.”
“He is charming,” Narda replied, returning his grin. “Walk with me? It’s a lovely day.” The both of them didn’t need to ask when Kire would rise; given how tired she had been from yesterday’s portals, they had expected her to sleep deeply. Besides the fact that Kire was, well, Kire. Edward obliged, and after he tossed his towel quickly into his room, they walked out to greet the sunrise. “Can’t sleep much?”
Ed shook his head. “Not for lack of trying. I hadn’t been able to ask yet, how is your family? Does your father still rule the Wild Meadows, or has the lordship passed to you?”
“Ha! It should have, but the old man doesn’t know how to retire. I am in no hurry; the raids we conduct with the crew keep me plenty busy.” They spoke in Taakalon, with Narda catching Edward up on other news from her side of things. “Will you look at that. Lovely view, don’t you think?” They stared out at the sea, illuminated by the early sun. “Let’s hope they have coffee in the dining hall.

By the time they had refilled their second cup and were halfway through breakfast, Kire finally joined them, a little bleary eyed. “That seaweed taste from Ysaryn’s drink—it’s stuck in my mouth,” Kire said, going straight for the coffee, her face looking rather dejected at the thought of having woken up with that being the first sensation she had registered. Ed and Narda shook their heads as they made room for Kire to join them.

Wanderers

Narda chuckled. “A very big surprise,” she replied. “And considering that we age quite slow, it took, hmm, two decades before the growth spurt took effect. My mother, bless her sweet heart, she was particularly concerned about how I would marry. The men mostly feared me, you see. But it is a good advantage to have. Separates the wheat from the chaff, as they say.”
“Their loss, my good lady,” Ed put in with a wink.
Narda laughed, then nudged Envy. “Oh, don’t you worry, you’re tall enough for me. Just the right size,” she said playfully. Kire almost coughed out the pork she had swallowed.

The Amrians continued their meal as the rest of the elves finished theirs and left. Kire pondered Envy’s question. “I would love to visit when I don’t actually have some pressing matter to ask your help with. Can’t have you thinking I’m only dropping by when I need something. And you can keep Narda, by all means,” she added.
The giantess snorted. “I would love to not see your face and hear your whining for a few months. Envy is already much better company. Finally, someone I can talk to without having to look or bend down,” she teased back, ruffling Kire’s hair with greasy fingers, earning her a few curses from her friend.
“It might be a while though,” she answered after grumbling at her giantess friend for a bit. “I can imagine the family needs time together once Ed returns. And it depends on the status of our stalemate with the Gemini. We might get ready for the big push soon.”
“And then you’ll decide if you’re keeping the throne,” Ed said. Kire turned to him, brows raised. “Your people are loyal, as you’ve seen from our soldiers here, and we both know you have nothing but their best interests at heart. But your armies can’t fight for someone with weak resolve.”
“My resolve isn’t weak. I fully intend to take back the empire,” Kire said firmly. Ed raised a hand.
“I know, Kire. I didn’t mean to question that. We’ll speak of that later, when we’ve come home.”

They finished their meals, though Narda took her time. Kire and Ed told Envy a more detailed recounting of their time in Lithilote as they ate. Afterwards, Kire stretched, then stood up. “Thank you for the lovely meal, Envy. Ed and I have to go gather the others so I can take them back, along with the fallen. After that, I’m going to need some rest. Old man here needs his beauty sleep, too.” Ed shook his head at the teasing.
“I’ll stay here,” Narda said. “Don’t much fancy walking out there in this weather.” Kire nodded, and the cousins approached the other three Amrian soldiers, speaking to them in Taakalon. They nodded, then left the chamber to gather their comrades, Kire and Ed following behind. Narda watched them leave before returning to her meal. “For a man who has lost his city and more, you are holding yourself together very well. Not many can say that with pride,” she commented to Envy. “It’s a lonely position to be in, I imagine.”

Kire and Ed were back in the caves, waiting for their soldiers. Soon, the first eight who would be making the journey with her tonight showed up, bowing to the Empress. After asking after their wellbeing, Kire told them what the portal would feel like, warning them that it was a totally different kind of discomfort to Shadow-walking. There was some apprehension after that description, but none voice it out loud. When they said they were ready for it, Kire called three to her side, two to one coffin, while she and the third shared the load for the second. They disappeared in a blue flash, the other soldiers gasping. Several minutes had passed before Kire returned. “Elva and Jan rounded on me,” she said. “But Elva’s happy, even if she was grumpy about the sudden guests.” The next two trips went more smoothly, now that Elva and her attendants were ready to receive them. Elva had asked about Ed, and Kire promised to deliver him with the rest of the soldiers tomorrow. When Kire left, Elva was already fighting tears.

“How are you holding up?” Ed asked as soon as Kire returned. The Paladin was catching her breath, a hand held up to give herself a moment.
“I’m fine. Little winded, a little headache, but other than that, I’m good. And you?”
“It still feels a little—unreal,” he admitted. “Come on. I need an actual drink, and I want to check on the rest of them before we turn in. The others gave me directions to the other dining hall.”
“Gods, yes.”

Though the rain had let up a little, they were still soaked by the time they reached the other hall. Only a few more soldiers were still there, though they, too, looked like they would turn in soon. After getting used to the nocturnal schedule of the Raielwen, then suddenly interrupting that with a hike through the outskirts of Lithilote and enduring Shadow-walking, they were exhausted despite their excitement. Kire could smell the seafood and fondly remembered Ysaryn’s cooking. The Wyverns talked to the remaining soldiers and told them that the first transport was a success, and after that let them go about their business again or to go sleep.

Wanderers

Ed and Narda both turned to Kire, who turned beet-red at Ysaryn’s description of drunkenness. “Shall I tell her?” the giantess said, and Kire spat off a few curses in Taakalon to tell her, no, Nard should not tell whatever embarrassing story she was gleefully reminiscing at the moment. When Ysaryn forbade her to drink more, Kire frowned, but nodded. It wouldn’t do for her to act a fool in front of her soldiers, anyway. For good measure, though, Ed took the cup from her with a sly grin.
“You, my good man, have more discipline that the Wyvernling,” Narda replied to Envy with a laugh.

The Amrians fell silent, however, when Ysaryn and Envy began conversing in Elvish, followed later by a tense exchange between them and the other Shadow-Elves. Kire didn’t need to understand the language to know they were upset. Her gaze shifted to her three Amrian subjects, who had grown quiet, too. They seemed to be listening; while not proficient like Ed, they would have recognized the language and some of the sentiment behind their statements. “What are they talking about?” Kire whispered in Taakalon.
“They were talking about Rulitus and the magic suppression. They are upset that Ysaryn was caged. She and Envy are telling them to stop their complaints.” Ed paused, then turned to his cousin. “So which one of them was responsible for capturing her and making them slaves? Ikegai, or the Gemini?” His voice was calm, but Kire could sense the intent behind the question.
“Ikegai. Wholly him. He had already allied himself with native slaver scum here, too.”

Ysaryn had disappeared, and Kire sighed. “Not entirely, no. I did not like the wards, myself. They siphoned all my energy away and made me all stupid. I had to leave my Ring with Ruli just so they can let me move around without the bracelets slowing my body and mind.”
“Her people’s anger is understandable,” Ed said to Envy. “Anyone who has known chains wouldn’t be happy about their Chief’s daughter being restrained. Our friends back home can attest to feeling similar.” Narda grunted in agreement to that.

“No, you’re not prying,” Ed said in response to Envy’s question about magic. “We can’t do what Kire could do, but it is understood that magic is lying dormant within our bloodline. In varying degrees, this is true for every Amrian, though it manifests differently. The Gemini have an affinity for blood magic, as you perhaps already know. But it takes hard work from sorcerers, hedge witches, alchemists to make magic work back home, minus the benefits of a gods-given trinket like the one my cousin has. Tradition believes magic went to sleep the day the Wyvern warlords killed off the last dragon of Amria many, many generations ago.”
“Same goes for me,” Narda said as she continued to eat. “I’m an aberration. They say giants—even taller than you or I, Envy—roamed Amria when gods, dragons, and all manner of mythical beasts roamed the world aplenty. To get someone as tall as I am in my family is very rare. Not as impressive perhaps as claiming blood descent from actual fucking dragons though,” she added, grinning at her two companions.

Wanderers

"You have my word, nothing will happen to Gavin," Kire put in. Ed frowned again.
"Is he the Gemini?"
"Mmhmm. But Ed--"
"I know." Ed sighed. "I'm not going to charge at him. We'll talk about him another time, though I surmise we will meet him soon. Are you taking him back to Amria?"
Kire shook her head. "He doesn't want to yet."

The smells of meat greeted them as they approached the dining hall, and Ed's stomach immediately growled. The women laughed, and Ed chuckled along with them. "I missed meat more than I thought," he said sheepishly. The three Amrians inside immediately rose to their feet upon seeing them; Kire gestured for them to be at ease and resume their meal.

At Envy's request, Narda grinned and linked arms with him. " Don't know about you, but this is the first time I get to walk arm in arm with somebody," she said, as she carefully led him to an unoccupied spot, sitting beside him. Kire and Ed, after getting their portions, sat not far from the other two. Before they could begin, Ysaryn burst in with what Kire assumed was drink. She was back in her usual garb, and her relief showed in her wolfish grin.

"Seaweed?" The Amrians gave the bottle a wary glance, with Kire blushing a bit at Ysaryn'd description of her. "Yes, I can't be too drunk for that," she affirmed.
"Mmhmm." Ed looked skeptical as he ate. "None of you also need to see her drunk."
"Shut up," Kire hissed, feeling her ears go hot as her blush spread. She looked at the bottle. "Just a taste."
"And so it begins," Nard said, grinning. She turned to Envy. "You don't drink, or perhaps just for tonight?"
Kire, beside her, sniffed the cup where Ysaryb had put a little liquor. She took a sip, swallowed immediately, then coughed. "That--that's strong," she said in between coughs. "And it tastes a bit familiar. Can't place it. Maybe just seafood."
"Ha! Ysaryn knows you pretty well!" Nard thumped Kire's back.

Wanderers

Narda grinned, satisfied with Envy’s answer. “Unless that pork is made out of vegetables and fruit, I do not mind it at all,” she replied, her remark making Ed and Kire chuckle. The three first watched as the soldiers followed Aeron and Rab, before turning to Envy again.
“House near the crest of the cliff, with gardens,” Kire said, tucking the map carefully against her. “Got it. We’re ready when you are.”

The three followed Envy as he led them to where food and drink were. Kire could see the day had started to wear Ed down, with the relentless pace Cohnal kept during their trek to the borders, and with all the overwhelming events leading up to their return here to the cliffs. “You alright, old man?” Kire said, grinning. “Just to be clear, Envy, we don’t mean you. Ed here’s a century and twenty.”
“Never better,” Ed said, scoffing, “it’s like I’m thirty again. And if I'm old, you are, too!” Nevertheless, when Kire linked her arm with his, he didn’t complain. Narda, meanwhile, stayed by Envy’s side.
“My cousin here’s gotten quite cozy with the princess, too,” Kire remarked, touching the brooch with curiosity and not a little teasing. “She seems to like him well enough; her smiles are different. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you learned Elvish just to charm her. Sorry, Nard. Women just find Ed irresistible.”
“Alas, whatever will I do,” the giantess said, shaking her head, though she had a smirk on her face. “Fear not, I will survive. I’m sure I will find someone quite worthy to warm my bed, if they could manage to fill it,” she added with a laugh.
“Lithilote is beautiful, though. If not a little too cold for my liking,” Kire put in. “It feels as though they are always in mourning, even at night when most of them are awake. And I don’t like that they don’t trust Ysaryn.”
“You can’t expect a people to get along just because they share origins,” Ed said softly. “Wyverns and Geminis don’t get along too well, either.”
“….Yeah. About that…”Kire’s voice trailed off, a shadow of worry on her face, remembering how Narda had reacted. Ed narrowed his eyes at his cousin.
“Mm. I’ve kept my promise, and will continue to keep it, with regards to the boy. I’m sure Ed will have a better temper,” Narda put in, before addressing Envy, “and speaking of which, I should like to properly apologize for the rough start the other day.”

Wanderers

The Amrians were silent as they made their way to the borders with Cohnal at the lead, somber despite the elf hurrying their pace. They will get their proper rites back home, at least, Kire thought. Ed, too, was wrapped up in his own thoughts. The weight of the dead as they carried the coffins reminded him that his own brother had been dead for months now. His thoughts went to Elva, then. Like the rest of the Wyverns, she was strong in her own way, and as a healer she had held life and death in her hands many times. But he could only imagine what it had been like to lose both her brothers at once, along with the seat of power.

Now and then, the Wyverns and Narda would make sure to look over their people to see if they were keeping pace, knowing some of them, like Ed, were also still suffering some residual pain from healed injuries. But the soldiers had known difficulty before, and despite the nine-month absence didn’t keep idle. Even if their bodies had slacked, their resolve to leave and bring their brothers home was enough to keep them going.

After the long journey to the spot Aera had indicated, Kire was about to turn to Ruli when he had vanished without warning. Ed glanced at her, and Kire could tell he had already begun to form an opinion of her friend. Wait, she mouthed at him, as she took the map from their guide. A blink later and Ruli did return, though even without his warning they could tell what weather they were to expect. While Kire took the Ring from Ruli and slipped it onto her finger, grateful to finally feel it on her skin again, Ed was the only one of the Amrians to chuckle softly at Ysaryn’s remark.

Half of the group was already gone. Kire was part of the first group; though no longer a stranger to Shadow-walking, she, too, had to catch her breath.
“Well,” Ed said, hands on his knees. “That was—something.” Kire had told him how it would feel, and earlier he had relayed it to the soldiers, but nothing could have prepared them for the shock of the darkness.
“Everyone alright?” she called after making sure Ed was alright, her voice raised over the roar of rain and thunder. The next groups appeared not long after, and Kire checked on them the same way.
At the sound of Envy’s voice. Kire turned, striding towards him in case the soldiers got startled. “Very happy,” she said, grinning, gesturing for Ed to join her. Ed, after recovering from the shock of Shadow-walking, took in the strange sight: he seemed to be an elf, but definitely different from any elf he had encountered so far. His eyes only briefly went to the clothing, not wanting to be impolite, before realizing that the tall elf seemed to be blind. “May I introduce to you Edward, the Captain of the Guard of the Capital, my cousin and, now that he has returned to us, still the eldest surviving Wyvern. Ed, this is Envy, our most generous host and—I suppose we could call you the patriarch? Of the inhabitants of Ziad.”
Ed had softly elbowed Kire at her comment about his age. “Well-met, Envy of Ziad. My eternal gratitude for sheltering me and my people,” he said, glancing at Kire to silently check that he hadn’t missed any titles. When Envy told him Kire had been worried about him, he smiled. “She must have missed me picking up after her mess.”
“I did, indeed,” Kire said in retort, but nevertheless she wrapped an arm around her cousin and squeezed in an affectionate hug.

“Ach, this weather,” Narda said, shaking her head, as Envy called Rab and Aeron inside. Kire grinned, seeing how the two enjoyed themselves—the most she had seen either of them do so, in the short time she’d known either of them.
“Really, Envy, this is very generous of you. I’m in your debt,” Kire said, while Narda and Ed translated what the Kartaian had told them to the rest of the Amrians. The apprehension in their faces quickly turned to delight at the thought of a warm fire, a hot meal, and a roof over their head. Turning to her subjects, Kire said in Taakalon, “Before I take the first half of you home, we will eat together and, if our hosts have it, drink together, to celebrate our meeting, and to celebrate our fallen.”
“Pace yourselves,” Ed remarked with a playful smirk. Narda chuckled at that. “We’ll get settled first in our temporary lodgings, and then later we will meet to dine.”
“Will you be joining us?” the giantess asked Envy. “We have not had proper conversation, and as your guest, it would be remiss if I leave without having a sit-down with you.” Ed and Kire glanced at Narda then at each other, grinning.
“Come, come, let’s not keep Aeron and Rab waiting.”

Wanderers

Ed smiled fondly at Aera. “Rewarding, indeed. I am glad you had been lucky to find that friend, then. Thanks to him, I’ve had the honor of knowing the Lady Aera.” He peered at her hand, curious, as she produced the brooch with the moon flower embossed upon its face. He took it gently from her palm, examined it as he listened to her words, then looked up again to meet her gaze. “I will treasure this always, my lady,” he said softly in Elvish, pinning the brooch before clasping his hands together behind him. “In Amria, court custom usually dictates that a gentleman kiss a lady’s hand in greeting, gratitude, or farewell. But I would rather not be impudent.” He touched his hand to his chest as he bowed before Aera.

Meanwhile, the Amrian soldiers not only looked excited at the prospect of going home, but doing so in the company of the Empress herself. When questioned, most couldn’t wait to see their families and provinces, while a few were raring to rejoin the fight and avenge their losses. “You can’t even stand for too long without your left knee shaking!” they’d cajole one of the soldiers, who laughed off the remark.
“Don’t care, and don’t embarrass me in front of Her Highness! Beggin’ your pardon, my liege,” he added with a brief bow to Kire.
“Our first stop is the Northern Hold,” Kire said, smiling. “Lord Edward’s sister the Lady Elva is holding the fort there, and while I’m sure the elves here had treated you with the best care at their disposal, I’m sure my cousin will still want to look everyone over and see if there’s anything she can do for you.”

“Your Majesty,” another said, one of the few who wanted to get back into the fray, “would you need more soldiers to accompany you to the gate? We may not have magic, but like the Countess and your friend,” here she gestured at Zeke, “some of us are still able enough. We’ve done nothing but sit on our haunches for nine months, Your Grace.”
“I appreciate that. Truly,” Kire replied, “but it is my duty to bring you back to Amria, and it is your duty to return. When we are all home, we have a bigger fight to rejoin. And speaking of rejoining,” she said, spotting Edward approach. Her eyes went briefly to the brooch pinned to his collar. “Are you sure you want to come back?” she said, teasing Ed a bit.
Ed rubbed his nape with a grin. “More than anything. Aera’s fetching our guide. We’ll be off soon.”