Raven's scribbles

[RaeTheRaven]

I just got the urge to write the past couple of days. This summer, I went backpacking through the mountains for a few days. It was a breathtaking experience (sometimes quite literally). And at one point, we were hiking up to a ridge and were planning to walk along the ridge for a time, but rain was coming and it got very windy towards the top. So much so that I nearly got toppled over a number of times despite the 15kg that were strapped to my back. We ended up deciding not to climb all the way to the ridge in the interest of not being blown off a mountain side. But as I was trying to decide what I wanted to write, that experience came to mind. And what follows was kind of born out of it. I don't really know where (if anywhere) it's going, but I'm enjoying writing it for now. Perhaps I'll post some more of it here as I write... if I end up sticking to it. 

EDIT: So, I'm quite enjoying writing this for now, so I think I will make it a slightly more permanent habit (for how long, we shall see). I will post scenes as i write them in this thread and when I complete a chapter, I will add it to the OP (provided there isn't like a word limit or something, idk).

Chapter 1

Spoiler

The wind howled amid the barren rocky peaks. The sky was grey and it was getting dark swiftly, although it was only a few hours past sunrise. Ari couldn’t remember how long she’d been walking. She had not dared to stop during the night, save for a few quick bites of food. If the storm caught her on the ridge, she would die. Her feet felt swollen and raw, the wind felt like sharp icicles on her face and it had been hours since she’d last felt her fingers. But she’d kept walking.

As far as the eye could see, there was barren rock, dotted here and there by a lone heather bush. She had no idea where she was or how much longer until there was a safe way down. She knew she would not last much longer. Just one more step. Ari kept chanting the words to herself like a prayer. But with each one, her strength faded, until finally, a rock came loose under her foot. She hit the ground hard and slid down the ridge. She scrabbled at the ground, trying to find some purchase, but her hands would not obey her. 

The boulder caught Ari in the side first, or else it might have all ended there. As it was, the impact drove the breath out of her as a couple of her ribs cracked. The pain barely had time to register before her head hit the rock as well and consciousness faded from her. 

 

Ari woke up to the sound of crackling fire. Sarai must have lit a fire in her room before dawn. Were the days so cold already? Surely not, it was high summer. Ari could hear Sarai moving down in the kitchens, hear the clanging of pots and kettles. But how could she? Her room was nowhere near the kitchens. And was that the wind she could hear outside?

Ari opened her eyes. It was dark, the only light coming from a small fire some feet away. She didn’t recognise her surroundings. Panicked, she tried to sit up and cried out as pain speared through her right side. Ari lay back down panting on what she now identified as a cot made of leathers and furs. The clanging she had heard earlier stopped and in its place came the sound of approaching footsteps. A woman crouched before Ari.

“Your ribs are broken.” She said by way of greeting. 

Ari tried to sit up again, braced for the pain this time. With a grimace, she managed to prop herself up on her left hand and looked at the stranger. She was not old, but her face was harsh and grim. She wore sturdy, warm clothes, but they had seen much wear. 

“Who are you? Where am I? What happened?” 

The woman shrugged. “Found you on the rocks. Almost left you for dead.”

Vague memories of biting wind and endless walking amid barren rocks stirred in Ari’s mind, but they kept slipping out of her grasp. With another grunt of pain, she managed to shift herself so that her back rested against the wall.

“What is this place?” 

“Cave.” 

“Do you live here?” 

The woman snorted. Instead of answering, she stood up and went to the fire. She returned a few moments later with a steaming cup, which she handed to Ari.

“Thank you!” Ari wrapped her chilled fingers around the cup and inhaled the fragrant steam. It smelled like heather. The woman nodded and returned to the fire where a pot boiled gently. Ari took a small sip of the tea as she watched her stir some herbs into the pot. 

“What’s your name?” asked Ari after a few moments, to break the silence more than anything. She had never liked silence. “I’m Arianne, but you can call me Ari. Everybody does.” She added, when the woman gave no reply. 

The woman gazed at her for a long moment. “Jed.” She finally said. 

“Oh, that’s a pretty name. Is it short for something?”

Jed gave no reply, but continued stirring. 

“I don’t remember how I got here.” Ari spoke again a few minutes later. “I… I remember I was trying to get to Watergate… I could see the clouds gathering behind me and I tried to cross the mountain before the storm reached me…”

Jed looked at her, frowning. “On your own?”

Ari shrugged and nodded.

Jed’s eyebrows raised. “What’s a child like you doing travelling alone? You can’t be older than 10.”

“I’m 11.” Ari said. “And I’m visiting my brother. He lives in Watergate.” Ari bit her lip. It wasn’t entirely a lie. Eli’s last letter had come from Watergate. That was half a year or more ago, but Ari’s only hope was that he was still there. Although, if word of what had happened at Riverwatch had reached him, perhaps he would want to go see it for himself. Perhaps she should have stayed and waited for him there.

Jed gave her a sceptical look, but did not press any further. She returned to stirring the pot, occasionally taking a sip and adding pinches of dried leaves or salt.  Half an hour later, she seemed to finally be satisfied with the contents of the pot, much to Ari’s relief. Her stomach was hollow and aching and her mouth watered at the smell of fish and herbs wafting from the pot. 

They ate in silence out of wooden bowls, Ari’s thoughts still on her brother. Her journey now seemed nothing short of folly. But she could not have remained at Riverwatch. She would not have survived long if she had. Nothing lived there anymore. 

 

The next few days passed in a haze of pain and boredom. The wind howled outside as the storm raged. Jed had proven not to be very good company. She communicated mostly with grunts or looks and when she had to speak, she used as few words as possible. Ari’s attempts to engage her in any real conversation had been fruitless. Her only respite from the boredom were the few empty pages left in her sketch book.

The cave they were sheltered in was deep, but narrow. Jed had hammered metal spikes into the rock and hung an oiled skin across the entrance, to keep most of the wind and rain out. They ate fish stew with root vegetables and drank heather tea. Ari had learnt that Jed lived lower down on the mountain and this was one of a few shelters she kept stocked with some supplies against the need to spend several days up on the ridge. 

The rain finally eased on the evening of the third day. Jed, was sitting at the back of the cave, whittling what was shaping up to be a hawk. She had already made a small wolf and a small horse, which she had allowed Ari to play with. Ari was propped up against the cave wall, using one of her last stubs of charcoal to sketch Jed. She was so absorbed in her drawing, she didn’t notice the lessening of the rain until Jed set down her figurine and whittling knife and walked to the cave entrance. She pulled aside the oiled skin to reveal a patch of watery blue sky. 

“The rain stopped!” cried Ari. She rushed to get up from her cot, forgetting about her ribs for a moment. “Aah!” she gasped, as the pain speared through her right side once more. Ari ignored it, joining Jed by the cave entrance. “We can finally leave!”

Jed shook her head. “Tomorrow. It’s a half a day’s journey at least until we reach my home. And with those ribs, you’ll be moving slowly.”  

Ari groaned, but knew the truth of Jed’s words. The rest of the evening passed in silence. Ari thought she might forget how to speak if she spent much longer with Jed. 

The following morning, they set out, leaving most of their belongings in the cave. 

“Focus on carrying yourself down the mountain.” Jed had said when Ari went for her bag. She had left her own large pack leaning against the back wall of the cave, taking only a small bag in which she stowed some food and water. 

“But what about…” Ari protested.

“It will go nowhere. We can return for it another time.”

Ari reluctantly dragged her bag to the bottom of the cave and tucked it underneath the oiled skin that had been their door and which was now covering what was left of the firewood. She was soon glad she had listened to Jed however, as every step down the steep mountain side sent sharp jolts of pain up her side. 

Around midday, they stopped in the lee of a large boulder and made a small meal of dried fish. As they were eating, a hawk circled above them a few times before landing in front of Jed, who seemed unsurprised. She offered a strip of fish to the bird, then stroked the feathers on it’s chest, murmuring in a language Ari had never heard before. 

“Is he yours?” she asked.

“Notus belongs to himself. He is my friend and brings tidings.”

“Oh.” Ari wasn’t sure what she meant. She could see no note anywhere on the bird. Jed spoke once more to him in that same strange language. This time, Notus let out a few chattering sounds in response. Jed nodded, and responded as if she could understand him.

“You can talk to him?” Ari asked before she could stop herself. Jed didn’t answer. “But… but people can’t talk to animals! Only…” Ari’s eyes widened as realisation hit her. “Only the elari…” Jed still gave no reply, but Ari was sure she was right. She gazed at the woman with a mixture of fear and excitement. “I’ve never met an elari before. Master Lyko says there are very few of you left. He says you’re dangerous and strange. You can talk to animals and call down fire from the heavens and steal the souls of those who look into your eyes for too long and that you live for hundreds and hundreds of years feeding on the souls you’ve stolen. Is it true that you have to eat a human heart once a month to survive? And that you all have an animal characteristic, like a tail or horns or…”

She trailed off at the look on Jed’s face. 

“Fear not. I have no taste for the hearts of girl-children.” Jed didn’t smile, but Ari thought she could detect a quiver of amusement in her voice. Ari smiled with sheepish hesitation and was sure Jed’s lips twitched in return.

“I’m not afraid. If you wanted to eat me, you wouldn’t have saved me.”

Jed made a sound that might have been a grunt of assent or a snort of amusement. She spoke a few more words to Notus, who had been helping himself to some more fish. 

“Can I pet him?”

Notus cocked his head, eyeing Ari. After a few long moments, he flapped his great wings and leapt, landing in front of her. He whistled softly at her as he settled his wings. Ari reached out hesitantly and touched the tips of her fingers to his chest. The feathers were soft and warm.

“He’s so beautiful!” she whispered, in awe. 

Jed snorted as Notus preened. “Don’t encourage him. He already thinks highly of himself.”

“How can he understand me?” 

“He is elarien.” Ari had never heard the word before. “Friend of the elari.” Added Jed before Ari could ask. “Come. We still have a long way to go. We’ve rested enough.”

Chapter 2

Spoiler

Jed’s home turned out to be a simple cottage, like the ones down in the village at Riverwatch. Ari had never been inside one of those, her father did not think it proper for his children to be too familiar with the common folk, but she had seen them from the carriage a few times. Unlike the cottages in Riverwatch, Jed’s home was perched on a large plateau on the side of the mountain, just where the wide merchants road veered east, towards the Old Pass.  

She was surprised by how pleasant it was inside. The furniture was modest, but welcoming somehow. Not like the great halls at Riverwatch, with grand domed ceilings and gilded furniture meant to impress and intimidate. Nor even like her own room, much too big for her to own, the walls still feeling cold and barren no matter how many drawings she’d put up on them. 

The simple wooden furniture bore signs of age and use, but looked comfortable and inviting. The floor was bare of any carpets and covered in scuffs around the legs of the table and chairs. By the fireplace stood a single armchair, its tapestry so worn, it was hard to tell what colour it had been originally. It reminded her of the rooms by the kitchens where Sarai and Peter and little Kip lived. There as well she had felt like the rooms were somehow an extension of those who lived there. Kip had also had a collection of wooden figurines, although perhaps not so finely carved as those on Jed’s mantle. They had played with them together. Ari looked away from the mantle, a heaviness settling over her. She blinked away tears, hoping that Jed hadn’t noticed. 

If she did, she made no comment on it. She led Ari into the bathroom where a tub was full of steaming, fragrant water. 

“You’re covered in blood and dirt.” Jed handed her a towel, nodding towards the tub. “And the hot water will soothe some of your aches. There are some clothes over there,” she pointed towards a small cabinet at the bottom of the room. “Perhaps a little big for you, but they should do.”

Ari wondered how the hot water had got there when they had just arrived after days away. The house was small enough that she would have heard if there was anyone else there. But she felt too tired, too worn even to ask questions. Instead, she began to peel her clothes off. Jed left her to it and soon Ari was soaking in the tub, savouring the heat. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt truly warm. It seemed like her foray onto the mountain had lasted a lifetime. 

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she was greeted by the delicious smell of stew. As they ate, Ari felt her spirits lift slightly. Enough to allow her curiosity free reign at least. 

“How did the hot water get there?” she asked when her bowl was empty. “And how come it didn’t get any colder? Master Lyko said sometimes, there are hot pools in the mountains, but how did it get in the tub?”

Jed nodded. “There is a hot spring nearby. The water is drawn from there.”

“But how?”

Jed shook her head. “Enough talk. Time to rest now. Come.” Jed stood and beckoned for Ari to follow.

Ari thought the few sentences they had exchanged since arriving at the cottage hardly qualified as talk, let alone enough of it, but she knew by now she would get nothing more out of the woman. With a sigh, she followed her into a small bedroom. There was nothing but a bed, a wardrobe and a nightstand in the room, and there was barely any space to stand between the bed and the wall. With a nod Jed left, closing the door behind her. 

The exhaustion that had been temporarily driven away by the food crashed over her once more. Ari clambered onto the bed, which was narrow, but the linens were soft and the blankets warm. Soon, she was asleep. 

 

The weeks passed, turning into months and Ari settled into a new routine with Jed. There was always work to do around the cottage. Whether it was tending the vegetable garden, foraging for plants and berries, cleaning or mending something around the homestead. As her ribs healed and she recovered from her ill fated trip into the mountains, Jed gave Ari ever more things to do.

“Earn your keep.” She would tell her whenever Ari groaned or pulled a face at the day’s chores. Though Ari did not mind, not truly. Despite complaining, she was glad to keep busy. 

Jed was an elari craftswoman. She made everything from trinkets and clothing to weapons and armour, and imbued them with magic. She was often away, up on the mountain or else in the vast pine forest that lay beneath them, looking for the materials she needed. Though these were not wood or cloth or stone or metal, as Ari had expected. The people who gave her their custom usually brought those materials themselves. Instead, Jed’s workshop was full of strange things: flower petals and leaves, feathers and teeth, bones and bits of fur, strangely shaped pebbles and fragrant tree bark. Even stranger then these were the vials of coloured sand that lined an entire wall of shelves. Jed could capture in sand things that had no form or substance, like the cry of a kestrel or the heat of a fire. 

Ari had not believed her until one evening, curiosity led her to open one of the vials. She picked one that contained bright orange sand. She shook the vial tentatively, but nothing impressive happened. It seemed to be just regular sand, except for its colour. With slight trepidation, Ari tugged at the cork. As soon as it came out, she dropped the vial with a cry of pain. It shattered, and where the sand touched the wooden floor, it smoked and charred. Luckily, it had been a small vial and only a little sand remained in it, though it had been enough to scald her hand. 

Ari had expected Jed to be angry, but to her surprise, she simply frowned slightly before handing Ari a broom and dustpan. She quickly brushed away the remains of the vial and the sand, which had lost its bright orange hue and looked like perfectly ordinary sand. The following day, Jed gave Ari some tools and a couple of wooden boards and told her to replace the floorboards the sand had damaged. Ari spluttered in indignation. How was she to know how to replace floorboards? 

“Learn.” Was all Jed said in response to her protests. 

It took Ari three days to complete the task. The first day, she simply sat, fuming, in the workshop, throwing dirty looks at Jed whenever she was around. Jed said nothing, but when it came time for dinner, she did not call Ari to eat as she normally did, nor did she set any food for her on the table. She ate by herself, saying nothing at all, though she did not protest when Ari fetched herself some of the roast hare and parsnips that were the day’s dinner. Supper passed in a similar fashion and by then, Ari’s indignation had turned to shame. She would have preferred a scolding or even a beating, to such silent disappointment. That night, Ari resolved to at least try the following day. 

She woke up early and ate a hurried breakfast of porridge with honey and berries (she made the porridge herself), before rushing to the workshop. She looked from the tools, to the floor, wondering how she could remove the damaged board. She recognised the hammer and nails and the crowbar, she had seen Peter use them around Riverwatch Manor, whenever something needed fixing. There was also what looked like a metal skewer with a grooved tip and a wooden handle. She had never done anything like this before. She had never even held a hammer before. Her father would have had a fit at the very thought of his daughter handling such tools. Weren’t hammers for hammering things in, not pulling them out? 

Ari picked up the hammer and gave the floorboard a tentative whack and then promptly felt foolish. She spent the morning hammering, clawing and swearing at the damaged floorboards. But although her fingers were now full of splinters, and the the floorboard looked even worse than before, it resisted all her attempts to pull it out. Although Ari thought, it does look like it came out a little bit. Around noon, Jed entered the workshop just as Ari kicked the floorboard in frustration. Jed looked at her for a moment, taking in the scattered tools and her dishevelled appearance. She said nothing, but when hunger drove Ari to the kitchen half an hour later, there was a bowl of soup waiting for her on the table. 

“Come.” Jed said when they finished eating. Ari followed her into the workshop. 

“Watch.” Jed picked up the strange metal skewer and four nails from the toolbox. The nails were strange, with grooves running down their shaft. The top of the nails was also grooved and Ari saw that the tip of the skewer fit in the grooves on the top of the nail. 

“This is a screwdriver.” Jed said, waving the skewer-like tool. “And this is a screw.” She showed her one of the strange nails.

“I’ve never seen one before. Peter had tools too, but he didn’t have one of those.”

Jed nodded. “My people invented it.”

Ari’s eyes lit up. “Oh, is it magic?” She had only seen a few of Jed’s magic-infused creations, but they had all been exciting in their own way. 

Jed frowned slightly. “Not in the way you might think. Your people could craft such tools too, if they knew how. But knowledge is its own kind of magic.”

“Oh… what’s it for?”

In response, Jed placed the screw an inch or so away from one of the board’s corners and began to twist it with the screwdriver until it had sunk about half an inch in. She repeated this for the other three corners. She then used the crowbar to tug at the screws one by one. Slowly but surely, the board lifted enough that Jed was able to fit the head of the crowbar underneath it and pull it out. She then took one of the new boards and showed Ari how to nail it into place. When she was finished, she handed the tools to Ari and went back to her own work. 

Ari spent the rest of the afternoon prying our the remaining damaged boards. It was difficult, but oddly satisfying work. By suppertime, she had managed to pull out all of the damaged boards, though she had been too exhausted to begin nailing in the new ones.

On the third day, she finally finished replacing the damaged boards. She rushed to find Jed, excited to show off her accomplishment. It earned her a nod and even a rare smile.

“What have you learnt?” Jed asked her.

“How to replace floorboards.” 

“Did you learn nothing else?”

Ari frowned, thinking. “It… it felt good… to fix what I broke. And also to do things myself. I was never allowed to at home. Father said it was not proper for…” Ari trailed of, biting her lip. She had so far avoided talking about Riverwatch or her family and was not keen to be asked questions about it. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want Jed to know she was the daughter of a Lord. In any case, her father wasn’t a Lord anymore. He wasn’t anything anymore. Only ashes, like the rest of Riverwatch. 

But Jed did not ask. She simply nodded and returned to work. 

Chapter 3 - trigger warning: there is a PTSD flashback in this chapter

Spoiler

It was Jed who first brought up Watergate. Nearly two months had passed since that stormy night on the ridge. Ari had just finished soaking in the hot tub after a long day’s work in the garden and sat curled up in the armchair next to the fireplace with her sketchpad. Jed was sitting at the kitchen table, whittling. 
“Let me see your ribs”. Jed told her suddenly. 
Ari looked up from her sketchbook, surprised. It had been weeks since her ribs had really bothered her, save for the occasional twinge if she made some sudden movements or exerted herself too much. 
“They don’t hurt anymore.” Ari said, but she got up and showed her anyway.
Jed probed her side with gentle fingers for a few moments, before nodding. “They look well enough for travel. Is it still your wish to go to Watergate?”
Ari hesitated. She wasn’t sure. She wanted to see Eli, of course she did. But she wasn’t even sure he was in Watergate still. And he would undoubtedly want to know what had happened back home. He would ask for details, he would make her remember, make her relive… She stopped her mind from going there. 
“I… I don’t know if my brother is still there. He’s… he’s in the navy.” The words were barely audible. She didn’t want to have to admit this, but what choice did she have? Surely Jed would now suggest she return back home. She would ask her where her parents are, why she’d left home and then…
But Jed did not ask. She nodded again. “Very well. We can send a letter with the next merchant that comes this way and inquire after him.”
Ari was relieved and very keen not to dwell on the topic. “I’ll go write it now.” She said, rushing to her bedroom. She did not return to the living room for the rest of the evening. 

 

The topic didn’t come up again for several more weeks. It was a brisk autumn afternoon when the merchant’s cart stopped in front of the cottage. Ari had spent a rare, chore-free day. Jed had gone down to the forest to look for some materials and she had not left any instructions for chores, as she normally did when she was away. So Ari had been free to play with Notus and practise riding Slate, Jed’s great silver mare.
As they were making their way back home Notus gave a piercing cry and flew off towards the road. Slate followed, as if some understanding had passed between the two animals, though she was careful to keep her stride smooth so Ari wouldn’t fall. They reached the road just as the cart entered the perimeter of Jed’s homestead.
Ari saw Notus land on Jed’s shoulder with a cry of greeting as the woman swung down from the cart to open the gate. The cart was pulled by a shaggy donkey who trudged along with an air of boredom. Slate stopped by the entrance to the cottage and Ari slid off her back. She stood awkwardly by the mare’s side, unsure if she should go greet them at the gate or wait for them. She was spared from making the decision by Jed.
“Go light a fire in the kitchen, child!” She called, as she closed the gate behind the cart. “And one in the hearth too! I’ll take Slate to the stables.” Ari rushed inside and set to lighting a fire in the kitchen stove. It took a few minutes to clean out the ashes from the night before and pile up the firewood as Jed had taught her. When she was done and the fire crackled merrily, she filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. Finally, she turned to the hearth and lit a fire there too. Jed rarely let Ari light a fire in the hearth when they used the stove. She claimed the stove provided “sufficient warmth” on its own, though Ari heartily disagreed, particularly on stormy nights. 
Jed walked in a few moments later, the merchant trailing after her. “Ah, good. The kettle is boiling. Come in.” She gestured for the man to take a seat then turned to Ari. “Fetch some cups and the biscuits we baked last night. Then you may join us, or do as you wish until supper.”
Ari did as she was told. She set the biscuits and tea on the small table by the hearth and then pulled a chair for herself, feeling a little guilty. She knew she should go brush Slate down, but she was simply too curious about the stranger. She would go a bit later. Slate would understand. 
“So, what news, Finley?” Jed spoke as if she had not spoken to the man in many months, which Ari thought strange, since they had ridden in the same cart here, probably for miles and miles. 
The merchant shook his head. “Ah, Jed…” he shook his head again. “Nothin’ but ill news I fear.”
“Come now, Finley. You’ve been tight lipped with me all afternoon.”
Finley sighed. “I’m fond of you Jed, or I wouln’ have come at all… what with…”
“Speak plainly, man!”
Finley shifted uncomfortably. “Well you see now… don’ go thinkin I’m bigoted like… but a man’s gotta make a livin’…” he shifted again, not meeting Jed’s eyes. “Folk are scared what with… ever since Riverwatch you know… folk think… well they think it was your kind what did it.”    
Ari felt a lump of hot lead drop into the pit of her stomach at the mention of her home.
Jed’s brow furrowed and Ari could have sworn her eyes flickered towards her for a brief moment, though she couldn’t know. She couldn’t.

“What do you mean? What happened at Riverwatch?”
Ari’s ears began ringing. No no no no no! Not here, not now. She couldn’t do this now. 
“You don’ know? I know you’re far away from everythin’ here, but even still… I thought you must know surely…” Finley shook his head sadly. “Burnt to a crisp. Naught left but obsidian and ashes of the manor and the whole town besides. Even the walls melted… you ever been to Riverwatch? Great big walls of granite, forty feet tall if an inch… and ten feet wide… all gone… What could do that? Nothin’ I ever heard of to be sure… and no one got outta there to tell the tale.” He shook his head again.
Ari clasped her trembling hands and stood. “I have to go brush Slate.” Her voice was thin and strained to her own ears. She hoped the others would not notice or think it strange. Especially Jed. She fought to keep her pace steady as she left the cottage. Once the door shut behind her, Ari broke into a run towards the barn, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. By the time she reached Slate’s stall, her breath came in harsh, jagged gasps. She grabbed the brush and started rubbing down the mare frantically. She wheezed, every breath coming harder than the last. She couldn’t breathe… she choked on the stench of charred flesh mixed with smoke and soot and a whole city burnt in mere moments. Ash covered everything she could see, mottled grey and white. She could feel it beneath her feet, thick enough that it was a little springy. What had it been before it was ash? Or who? Was it her father’s remains that now clung to her boots like freshly fallen snow? Or little Kip’s? Or Mother’s?
She reached down and touched it, soft and still warm beneath her fingers. Oddly comforting amid the horror of her own thoughts. Nothing moved, save hands, tracing patterns in the ash. She knew them to be hers, though it felt as if they moved of their own accord. The silence was broken only by her ragged breaths and the pounding of her heart, each beat louder than the last as if to declare that at least she was still alive, at least one heart still beat amid the desolation. And if only it could beat loud enough, it might beat the terror and the grief away.
A loud snort; warm air tickled her face. Ari blinked, startled to find Slate’s big nose nudging her gently on the cheek. Slowly, she returned to the present. She realised it was not ash her hands were buried in, but the mare’s dappled coat. The floor was covered in nothing more sinister than hay and the cake on her boots was reassuringly manure scented. The pleasant barn smells of horse and leather chased away memories of acrid smoke and the molten ruins of her home. Her breath began to ease. 
Ari picked up the horse brush. She must have dropped it at some point. She began brushing Slate once more, silent tears sliding down her face with each stroke. It felt good to cry, somehow. Like a boil being lanced. When she finished grooming Slate, the mare lay down. Her eyes were now level with Ari’s. They looked at each other for a few moments and somehow, Ari understood the invitation. She curled by Slate’s side, leaning against her warm flank. She wept until her tears ran out. Finally, exhaustion dragged at her consciousness and she fell asleep to the steady sound of Slate’s breathing. 

 

When Ari woke, the sun was already high in the sky. She watched dust swirl in a beam of sunlight as the events of the previous evening came back to her. Jed must have carried her back to her room. She felt hollow and still exhausted, though it must be close to noon. Jed would have normally woken her by now. Even when her ribs had been broken and she could barely move, Jed had woken her up shortly after dawn every day. She must now think Ari weak, to allow her to sleep so late. 
Ari wiped her eyes furiously and flung herself out of bed. She stomped into the living room as Jed entered, carrying an armful of firewood.
“Good morning.” Jed said.
“It’s almost noon! Why did you let me sleep so late?” 
Jed paused, taken aback. “You… seemed tired.”
Ari didn’t know where her anger came from. “I’m NOT tired! I’m FINE, I’m…” tears gathered in her eyes and threatened to spill. “…fine.” She whispered the last word, the anger gone as suddenly as it had come. 
Jed looked at Ari for a long moment, frowning. Ari looked away, ashamed.
“Very well. Come help me with the firewood then.” 
The rest of the day passed in a frenzy of activity. Sweeping the floors, mending the straps of a saddle bag that had worn through, darning a pair of socks, greasing the door hinges. Every time Ari finished a task, Jed would give her a searching look and Ari was sure she was about to ask her about the previous night. About Riverwatch and her past. But instead, she set Ari on some other task and the knot in her stomach loosened slightly, only to tighten again as the anticipation of impending questions grew once more. When they sat down to eat supper, Ari could stand it no longer. 
“I was born in Riverwatch.” She blurted.
There was a silence that seemed to last an age, before Jed nodded. “I had guessed as much.”
Ari swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “I saw it all… it all burned… houses and people and… everything. My… everything.” The last word was a sob. She had almost said “my parents” but could not bring herself to say the words out loud. 
A few more moments passed in silence. “How did you get away?” 
Ari shrugged.
“Did you see what caused it?”
The memory of the cloaked man in her father’s study made her shiver. His voice had been like spiders crawling on the back of your neck. “There was a man… a strange man. I couldn’t see him, he wore a black cloak with a hood. He spoke to father, a few hours before… I think… I think he did it… made it happen... somehow.” 
“Did you see him do… something?”
Ari shook her head.
“Then why do you say he did it?”
She shrugged again. “There was something wrong with him.”
This time, the silence lasted much longer. Jed looked deep in thought, her half eaten meal forgotten. When she finally spoke again, her voice was weary.
“I think… I must go see the elders of my people.” Jed sighed. “And I think it best if you come with me. This news… it is troubling.”
“Your people? Where are they?”
“Our dwelling is hidden. We do not often let strangers in. It is safer that way… but in this case… you must tell them what you know. After that, we can arrange for you go to Watergate and find your brother.”
Ari couldn’t help a surge of excitement in spite of everything. “Silverspyre.” She whispered in awe. “The hidden city of the elari. Master Lyko said it was a myth. It really exists?”
Jed nodded. “A city… yes, perhaps it could be called that, though it is not like any city you may have seen.”
“What’s it like?”
“You will see. Come, finish your supper. We must leave soon. Tomorrow or the day after. We will need to be well rested for the journey.”

 

Edited February 9 by RaeTheRaven

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

Oooooooo I like this a lot!

[RaeTheRaven]

2 hours ago, The Wandering Wizard said:

Oooooooo I like this a lot!

Thank you sir.  I may have written some more. I will edit the original post for the sake of keeping it all in one place.

[The Sibling she/her]

Nice! The imagery is really good! Hiking always inspires me to write. It's the only time that I'm not distracted by other stuff.

[RaeTheRaven]

12 minutes ago, The Sibling said:

Nice! The imagery is really good! Hiking always inspires me to write. It's the only time that I'm not distracted by other stuff.

Thanks!

I know what you mean. One of the many amazing things about that trip was that I was able to just disconnect my brain for a week and just focus on walking, taking in the scenery and picking an absurd amount of blueberries.

[The Sibling she/her]

Just now, RaeTheRaven said:

I know what you mean. One of the many amazing things about that trip was that I was able to just disconnect my brain for a week and just focus on walking, taking in the scenery and picking an absurd amount of blueberries.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. (I just literally ate an entire bowl of blueberries)

There's definitely something to be said for leaving behind all the distractions of life and just walking. I'm glad you had an amazing trip. 

[RaeTheRaven]

A bit of a shorter scene today. I'm not sure if I'm happy with it or not. It feels like not a whole lot happens. But at the same time, it just sorta felt like the story needed it, idk. 

Spoiler

Jed’s home turned out to be a simple cottage, like the ones down in the village at Riverwatch. Ari had never been inside one of those, her father did not think it proper for his children to be too familiar with the common folk, but she had seen them from the carriage a few times. She was surprised by how pleasant it was inside. The furniture was modest, but welcoming somehow. Not like the great halls at Riverwatch, with grand domed ceilings and gilded furniture meant to impress and intimidate. Nor even like her own room, much too big for her to own, the walls still feeling cold and barren no matter how many drawings she’d put up on them. 

The simple wooden furniture bore signs of age and use, but looked comfortable and inviting. The floor was bare of any carpets and covered in scuffs around the legs of the table and chairs. By the fireplace stood a single armchair, its tapestry so worn, it was hard to tell what colour it had been originally. It reminded her of the rooms by the kitchens where Sarai and Peter and little Kip lived. There as well she had felt like the rooms were somehow an extension of those who lived there. Kip had also had a collection of wooden figurines, although perhaps not so finely carved as those on Jed’s mantle. They had played with them together. Ari looked away from the mantle, a heaviness settling over her. She blinked away tears, hoping that Jed hadn’t noticed. 

If she did, she made no comment on it. She led Ari into the bathroom where a tub was full of steaming, fragrant water. 

“You’re covered in blood and dirt.” Jed handed her a towel, nodding towards the tub. “And the hot water will soothe some of your aches. There are some clothes over there,” she pointed towards a small cabinet at the bottom of the room. “Perhaps a little big for you, but they should do.”

Ari wondered how the hot water had got there when they had just arrived after days away. The house was small enough that she would have heard if there was anyone else there. But she felt too tired, too worn even to ask questions. Instead, she began to peel her clothes off. Jed left her to it and soon Ari was soaking in the tub, savouring the heat. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt truly warm. It seemed like her foray onto the mountain had lasted a lifetime. 

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she was greeted by the delicious smell of stew. As they ate, Ari felt her spirits lift slightly. Enough to allow her curiosity free reign at least. 

“How did the hot water get there?” she asked when her bowl was empty. “And how come it didn’t get any colder? Master Lyko said sometimes, there are hot pools in the mountains, but how did it get in the tub?”

Jed nodded. “There is a hot spring nearby. The water is drawn from there.”

“But how?”

Jed shook her head. “Enough talk. Time to rest now. Come.” Jed stood and beckoned for Ari to follow.

Ari thought the few sentences they had exchanged since arriving at the cottage hardly qualified as talk, let alone enough of it, but she knew by now she would get nothing more out of the woman. With a sigh, she followed her into a small bedroom. There was nothing but a bed, a wardrobe and a nightstand in the room, and there was barely any space to stand between the bed and the wall. With a nod Jed left, closing the door behind her. 

The exhaustion that had been temporarily driven away by the food crashed over her once more. Ari clambered onto the bed, which was narrow, but the linens were soft and the blankets warm. Soon, she was asleep. 

 

[RaeTheRaven]

I'm starting to get somewhat of an idea of where this story is going. I'm having a lot of fun writing it so far. Today it got its own scrivener project  I haven't got a title for it yet though. I think I will continue posting scenes here as I write them, and then update the OP with complete chapters.   Those will probably be a little bit more polished than the individual scenes.  


Here is today's scene. It's a bit longer than I was expecting it to be, but I quite like it. I actually had to google how to remove floorboards... Also, the first chapter is finished and now available for perusal in the first post.

 

Spoiler

The weeks passed, turning into months and Ari settled into a new routine with Jed. There was always work to do around the cottage. Whether it was tending the vegetable garden, foraging for plants and berries, cleaning or mending something around the homestead. As her ribs healed and she recovered from her ill fated trip into the mountains, Jed gave Ari ever more things to do.

“Earn your keep.” She would tell her whenever Ari groaned or pulled a face at the day’s chores. Though Ari did not mind, not truly. Despite complaining, she was glad to keep busy. 

Jed was an elari craftswoman. She made everything from trinkets and clothing to weapons and armour, and imbued them with magic. She was often away, up on the mountain or else in the vast pine forest that lay beneath them, looking for the materials she needed. Though these were not wood or cloth or stone or metal, as Ari had expected. The people who gave her their custom usually brought those materials themselves. Instead, Jed’s workshop was full of strange things: flower petals and leaves, feathers and teeth, bones and bits of fur, strangely shaped pebbles and fragrant tree bark. Even stranger then these were the vials of coloured sand that lined an entire wall of shelves. Jed could capture in sand things that had no form or substance, like the cry of a kestrel or the heat of a fire. 

Ari had not believed her until one evening, curiosity led her to open one of the vials. She picked one that contained bright orange sand. She shook the vial tentatively, but nothing impressive happened. It seemed to be just regular sand, except for its colour. With slight trepidation, Ari tugged at the cork. As soon as it came out, she dropped the vial with a cry of pain. It shattered, and where the sand touched the wooden floor, it smoked and charred. Luckily, it had been a small vial and only a little sand remained in it, though it had been enough to scald her hand. 

Ari had expected Jed to be angry, but to her surprise, she simply frowned slightly before handing Ari a broom and dustpan. She quickly brushed away the remains of the vial and the sand, which had lost its bright orange hue and looked like perfectly ordinary sand. The following day, Jed gave Ari some tools and a couple of wooden boards and told her to replace the floorboards the sand had damaged. Ari spluttered in indignation. How was she to know how to replace floorboards? 

“Learn.” Was all Jed said in response to her protests. 

It took Ari three days to complete the task. The first day, she simply sat, fuming, in the workshop, throwing dirty looks at Jed whenever she was around. Jed said nothing, but when it came time for dinner, she did not call Ari to eat as she normally did, nor did she set any food for her on the table. She ate by herself, saying nothing at all, though she did not protest when Ari fetched herself some of the roast hare and parsnips that were the day’s dinner. Supper passed in a similar fashion and by then, Ari’s indignation had turned to shame. She would have preferred a scolding or even a beating, to such silent disappointment. That night, Ari resolved to at least try the following day. 

She woke up early and ate a hurried breakfast of porridge with honey and berries (she made the porridge herself), before rushing to the workshop. She looked from the tools, to the floor, wondering how she could remove the damaged board. She recognised the hammer and nails and the crowbar, she had seen Peter use them around Riverwatch Manor, whenever something needed fixing. There was also what looked like a metal skewer with a grooved tip and a wooden handle. She had never done anything like this before. She had never even held a hammer before. Her father would have had a fit at the very thought of his daughter handling such tools. Weren’t hammers for hammering things in, not pulling them out? 

Ari picked up the hammer and gave the floorboard a tentative whack and then promptly felt foolish. She spent the morning hammering, clawing and swearing at the damaged floorboards. But although her fingers were now full of splinters, and the the floorboard looked even worse than before, it resisted all her attempts to pull it out. Although Ari thought, it does look like it came out a little bit. Around noon, Jed entered the workshop just as Ari kicked the floorboard in frustration. Jed looked at her for a moment, taking in the scattered tools and her dishevelled appearance. She said nothing, but when hunger drove Ari to the kitchen half an hour later, there was a bowl of soup waiting for her on the table. 

“Come.” Jed said when they finished eating. Ari followed her into the workshop. 

“Watch.” Jed picked up the strange metal skewer and four nails from the toolbox. The nails were strange, with grooves running down their shaft. The top of the nails was also grooved and Ari saw that the tip of the skewer fit in the grooves on the top of the nail. 

“This is a screwdriver.” Jed said, waving the skewer-like tool. “And this is a screw.” She showed her one of the strange nails.

“I’ve never seen one before. Peter had tools too, but he didn’t have one of those.”

Jed nodded. “My people invented it.”

Ari’s eyes lit up. “Oh, is it magic?” She had only seen a few of Jed’s magic-infused creations, but they had all been exciting in their own way. 

Jed frowned slightly. “Not in the way you might think. Your people could craft such tools too, if they knew how. But knowledge is its own kind of magic.”

“Oh… what’s it for?”

In response, Jed placed the screw an inch or so away from one of the board’s corners and began to twist it with the screwdriver until it had sunk about half an inch in. She repeated this for the other three corners. She then used the crowbar to tug at the screws one by one. Slowly but surely, the board lifted enough that Jed was able to fit the head of the crowbar underneath it and pull it out. She then took one of the new boards and showed Ari how to nail it into place. When she was finished, she handed the tools to Ari and went back to her own work. 

Ari spent the rest of the afternoon prying our the remaining damaged boards. It was difficult, but oddly satisfying work. By suppertime, she had managed to pull out all of the damaged boards, though she had been too exhausted to begin nailing in the new ones.

On the third day, she finally finished replacing the damaged boards. She rushed to find Jed, excited to show off her accomplishment. It earned her a nod and even a rare smile.

“What have you learnt?” Jed asked her.

“How to replace floorboards.” 

“Did you learn nothing else?”

Ari frowned, thinking. “It… it felt good… to fix what I broke. And also to do things myself. I was never allowed to at home. Father said it was not proper for…” Ari trailed of, biting her lip. She had so far avoided talking about Riverwatch or her family and was not keen to be asked questions about it. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t want Jed to know she was the daughter of a Lord. In any case, her father wasn’t a Lord anymore. He wasn’t anything anymore. Only ashes, like the rest of Riverwatch. 

But Jed did not ask. She simply nodded and returned to work. 

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by RaeTheRaven

[RaeTheRaven]

A very short scene today. 

Spoiler

It was Jed who first brought up Watergate. Nearly two months had passed since that stormy night on the ridge. Ari had just finished soaking in the hot tub after a long day’s work in the garden and sat curled up in the armchair next to the fireplace with her sketchpad. Jed was sitting at the kitchen table, whittling. 

“Let me see your ribs”. Jed told her suddenly. 

Ari looked up from her sketchbook, surprised. It had been weeks since her ribs had really bothered her, save for the occasional twinge if she made some sudden movements or exerted herself too much. 

“They don’t hurt anymore.” Ari said, but she got up and showed her anyway.

Jed probed her side with gentle fingers for a few moments, before nodding. “They look well enough for travel. Is it still your wish to go to Watergate?”

Ari hesitated. She wasn’t sure. She wanted to see Eli, of course she did. But she wasn’t even sure he was in Watergate still. And he would undoubtedly want to know what had happened back home. He would ask for details, he would make her remember, make her relive… She stopped her mind from going there. 

“I… I don’t know if my brother is still there. He’s… he’s in the navy.” The words were barely audible. She didn’t want to have to admit this, but what choice did she have? Surely Jed would now suggest she return back home. She would ask her where her parents are, why she’d left home and then…

But Jed did not ask. She nodded again. “Very well. We can send a letter with the next merchant that comes this way and inquire after him.”

Ari was relieved and very keen not to dwell on the topic. “I’ll go write it now.” She said, rushing to her bedroom. She did not return to the living room for the rest of the evening. 

 

[RaeTheRaven]

So, it's been like 4 months and I've written several chapters of this, but here is chapter three. I've also put this in the OP.

Trigger warning, there is a PTSD flashback in this chapter. 
 

Spoiler

It was Jed who first brought up Watergate. Nearly two months had passed since that stormy night on the ridge. Ari had just finished soaking in the hot tub after a long day’s work in the garden and sat curled up in the armchair next to the fireplace with her sketchpad. Jed was sitting at the kitchen table, whittling. 

“Let me see your ribs”. Jed told her suddenly. 

Ari looked up from her sketchbook, surprised. It had been weeks since her ribs had really bothered her, save for the occasional twinge if she made some sudden movements or exerted herself too much. 

“They don’t hurt anymore.” Ari said, but she got up and showed her anyway.

Jed probed her side with gentle fingers for a few moments, before nodding. “They look well enough for travel. Is it still your wish to go to Watergate?”

Ari hesitated. She wasn’t sure. She wanted to see Eli, of course she did. But she wasn’t even sure he was in Watergate still. And he would undoubtedly want to know what had happened back home. He would ask for details, he would make her remember, make her relive… She stopped her mind from going there. 

“I… I don’t know if my brother is still there. He’s… he’s in the navy.” The words were barely audible. She didn’t want to have to admit this, but what choice did she have? Surely Jed would now suggest she return back home. She would ask her where her parents are, why she’d left home and then…

But Jed did not ask. She nodded again. “Very well. We can send a letter with the next merchant that comes this way and inquire after him.”
Ari was relieved and very keen not to dwell on the topic. “I’ll go write it now.” She said, rushing to her bedroom. She did not return to the living room for the rest of the evening. 

 

The topic didn’t come up again for several more weeks. It was a brisk autumn afternoon when the merchant’s cart stopped in front of the cottage. Ari had spent a rare, chore-free day. Jed had gone down to the forest to look for some materials and she had not left any instructions for chores, as she normally did when she was away. So Ari had been free to play with Notus and practise riding Slate, Jed’s great silver mare.
As they were making their way back home Notus gave a piercing cry and flew off towards the road. Slate followed, as if some understanding had passed between the two animals, though she was careful to keep her stride smooth so Ari wouldn’t fall. They reached the road just as the cart entered the perimeter of Jed’s homestead.

Ari saw Notus land on Jed’s shoulder with a cry of greeting as the woman swung down from the cart to open the gate. The cart was pulled by a shaggy donkey who trudged along with an air of boredom. Slate stopped by the entrance to the cottage and Ari slid off her back. She stood awkwardly by the mare’s side, unsure if she should go greet them at the gate or wait for them. She was spared from making the decision by Jed.

“Go light a fire in the kitchen, child!” She called, as she closed the gate behind the cart. “And one in the hearth too! I’ll take Slate to the stables.”

Ari rushed inside and set to lighting a fire in the kitchen stove. It took a few minutes to clean out the ashes from the night before and pile up the firewood as Jed had taught her. When she was done and the fire crackled merrily, she filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. Finally, she turned to the hearth and lit a fire there too. Jed rarely let Ari light a fire in the hearth when they used the stove. She claimed the stove provided “sufficient warmth” on its own, though Ari heartily disagreed, particularly on stormy nights. 

Jed walked in a few moments later, the merchant trailing after her. “Ah, good. The kettle is boiling. Come in.” She gestured for the man to take a seat then turned to Ari.

“Fetch some cups and the biscuits we baked last night. Then you may join us, or do as you wish until supper.”

Ari did as she was told. She set the biscuits and tea on the small table by the hearth and then pulled a chair for herself, feeling a little guilty. She knew she should go brush Slate down, but she was simply too curious about the stranger. She would go a bit later. Slate would understand. 

“So, what news, Finley?” Jed spoke as if she had not spoken to the man in many months, which Ari thought strange, since they had ridden in the same cart here, probably for miles and miles. 

The merchant shook his head. “Ah, Jed…” he shook his head again. “Nothin’ but ill news I fear.”

“Come now, Finley. You’ve been tight lipped with me all afternoon.”

Finley sighed. “I’m fond of you Jed, or I wouln’ have come at all… what with…”

“Speak plainly, man!”

Finley shifted uncomfortably. “Well you see now… don’ go thinkin I’m bigoted like… but a man’s gotta make a livin’…” he shifted again, not meeting Jed’s eyes. “Folk are scared what with… ever since Riverwatch you know… folk think… well they think it was your kind what did it.”    
Ari felt a lump of hot lead drop into the pit of her stomach at the mention of her home.

Jed’s brow furrowed and Ari could have sworn her eyes flickered towards her for a brief moment, though she couldn’t know. She couldn’t.

“What do you mean? What happened at Riverwatch?”

Ari’s ears began ringing. No no no no no! Not here, not now. She couldn’t do this now. 

“You don’ know? I know you’re far away from everythin’ here, but even still… I thought you must know surely…” Finley shook his head sadly. “Burnt to a crisp. Naught left but obsidian and ashes of the manor and the whole town besides. Even the walls melted… you ever been to Riverwatch? Great big walls of granite, forty feet tall if an inch… and ten feet wide… all gone… What could do that? Nothin’ I ever heard of to be sure… and no one got outta there to tell the tale.” He shook his head again.

Ari clasped her trembling hands and stood. “I have to go brush Slate.” Her voice was thin and strained to her own ears. She hoped the others would not notice or think it strange. Especially Jed. She fought to keep her pace steady as she left the cottage. Once the door shut behind her, Ari broke into a run towards the barn, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. By the time she reached Slate’s stall, her breath came in harsh, jagged gasps. She grabbed the brush and started rubbing down the mare frantically. She wheezed, every breath coming harder than the last. She couldn’t breathe… she choked on the stench of charred flesh mixed with smoke and soot and a whole city burnt in mere moments. Ash covered everything she could see, mottled grey and white. She could feel it beneath her feet, thick enough that it was a little springy. What had it been before it was ash? Or who? Was it her father’s remains that now clung to her boots like freshly fallen snow? Or little Kip’s? Or Mother’s?
She reached down and touched it, soft and still warm beneath her fingers. Oddly comforting amid the horror of her own thoughts. Nothing moved, save hands, tracing patterns in the ash. She knew them to be hers, though it felt as if they moved of their own accord. The silence was broken only by her ragged breaths and the pounding of her heart, each beat louder than the last as if to declare that at least she was still alive, at least one heart still beat amid the desolation. And if only it could beat loud enough, it might beat the terror and the grief away.

A loud snort; warm air tickled her face. Ari blinked, startled to find Slate’s big nose nudging her gently on the cheek. Slowly, she returned to the present. She realised it was not ash her hands were buried in, but the mare’s dappled coat. The floor was covered in nothing more sinister than hay and the cake on her boots was reassuringly manure scented. The pleasant barn smells of horse and leather chased away memories of acrid smoke and the molten ruins of her home. Her breath began to ease. 

Ari picked up the horse brush. She must have dropped it at some point. She began brushing Slate once more, silent tears sliding down her face with each stroke. It felt good to cry, somehow. Like a boil being lanced. When she finished grooming Slate, the mare lay down. Her eyes were now level with Ari’s. They looked at each other for a few moments and somehow, Ari understood the invitation. She curled by Slate’s side, leaning against her warm flank. She wept until her tears ran out. Finally, exhaustion dragged at her consciousness and she fell asleep to the steady sound of Slate’s breathing. 

 

When Ari woke, the sun was already high in the sky. She watched dust swirl in a beam of sunlight as the events of the previous evening came back to her. Jed must have carried her back to her room. She felt hollow and still exhausted, though it must be close to noon. Jed would have normally woken her by now. Even when her ribs had been broken and she could barely move, Jed had woken her up shortly after dawn every day. She must now think Ari weak, to allow her to sleep so late. Ari wiped her eyes furiously and flung herself out of bed. She stomped into the living room as Jed entered, carrying an armful of firewood.

“Good morning.” Jed said.

“It’s almost noon! Why did you let me sleep so late?” 

Jed paused, taken aback. “You… seemed tired.”

Ari didn’t know where her anger came from. “I’m NOT tired! I’m FINE, I’m…” tears gathered in her eyes and threatened to spill. “…fine.” She whispered the last word, the anger gone as suddenly as it had come. 

Jed looked at Ari for a long moment, frowning. Ari looked away, ashamed.

“Very well. Come help me with the firewood then.” 

The rest of the day passed in a frenzy of activity. Sweeping the floors, mending the straps of a saddle bag that had worn through, darning a pair of socks, greasing the door hinges. Every time Ari finished a task, Jed would give her a searching look and Ari was sure she was about to ask her about the previous night. About Riverwatch and her past. But instead, she set Ari on some other task and the knot in her stomach loosened slightly, only to tighten again as the anticipation of impending questions grew once more. When they sat down to eat supper, Ari could stand it no longer. 

“I was born in Riverwatch.” She blurted.

There was a silence that seemed to last an age, before Jed nodded. “I had guessed as much.”

Ari swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “I saw it all… it all burned… houses and people and… everything. My… everything.” The last word was a sob. She had almost said “my parents” but could not bring herself to say the words out loud. 

A few more moments passed in silence. “How did you get away?” 

Ari shrugged.
“Did you see what caused it?”

The memory of the cloaked man in her father’s study made her shiver. His voice had been like spiders crawling on the back of your neck. “There was a man… a strange man. I couldn’t see him, he wore a black cloak with a hood. He spoke to father, a few hours before… I think… I think he did it… made it happen... somehow.” 

“Did you see him do… something?”
Ari shook her head.

“Then why do you say he did it?”

She shrugged again. “There was something wrong with him.”

This time, the silence lasted much longer. Jed looked deep in thought, her half eaten meal forgotten. When she finally spoke again, her voice was weary.

“I think… I must go see the elders of my people.” Jed sighed. “And I think it best if you come with me. This news… it is troubling.”
“Your people? Where are they?”

“Our dwelling is hidden. We do not often let strangers in. It is safer that way… but in this case… you must tell them what you know. After that, we can arrange for you go to Watergate and find your brother.”
Ari couldn’t help a surge of excitement in spite of everything. “Silverspyre.” She whispered in awe. “The hidden city of the elari. Master Lyko said it was a myth. It really exists?”
Jed nodded. “A city… yes, perhaps it could be called that, though it is not like any city you may have seen.”
“What’s it like?”
“You will see. Come, finish your supper. We must leave soon. Tomorrow or the day after. We will need to be well rested for the journey.”

 

Edited February 8 by RaeTheRaven

[RaeTheRaven]

Spoiler

They spent the following day preparing to travel. Jed gave Ari a sturdy leather backpack to replace her broken satchel. It had straps that could fasten around her hips and across her chest, which made it much easier to carry than her satchel had been. Ari packed all her belongings carefully: her sketchpad, a small figurine of herself with Notus on her shoulder that Jed had whittled for her, a couple spare sets of clothes and a simple necklace of painted wooden beads on a leather thong. The only thing she had of home. She never wore it, for fear of losing it. She tucked it securely into an inner pocket of her pack, one that could be buckled shut. 
They packed food to last them a month, though Jed hoped it they would not need that long to reach the dwelling of the elari. To Ari’s surprise, Jed packed a bow and a quiver full of arrows, as well as two great hunting knives. 
“The road my prove perilous.” She said in response to Ari’s questioning look. She then handed Ari a smaller dagger in a tanned leather sheath. “Let us hope you will not need to use it.” 
Ari stared at the weapon wide-eyed. She had always wanted a dagger, like her brother had. Father had never allowed it, saying it was no thing for a girl to have.

They set out the following morning. Slate had heavy saddlebags slung across her back, carrying most of their food. 
“Where’s her saddle?” Ari asked.
Jed shook her head. “The saddlebags are heavy enough. I want her to be able to carry us both, and swiftly if the need should arise. For now, we walk.” 
With a brief pat on Slate’s neck, Jed set out at a steady pace. Slate followed at her side, without any lead or reigns, rubbing her nose affectionately against the woman’s shoulder. Ari hurried to catch up. 

Their journey lasted nearly three weeks altogether, and was largely uneventful, although Ari could sense a restless unease whenever they ventured into towns or villages. News of Riverwatch had spread and people were afraid.  
The first town they passed through was only distinguishable from a village by the wooden palisade surrounding it. As they approached the gate, Ari saw a number of merchant stands. 
“Talismans! Talismans to ward off demons and elari! Come get your talismans and rest easy tonight!” one of the merchants cried. 
“A talisman for your child, good woman!” he cried as they walked past him. “Only five copper pennies! A trifle for the safety of such a sweet girl!”
Jed frowned slightly, but to Ari’s surprise, she pulled out five copper pennies and exchanged them for one of the man’s talismans. It was a simple leather thong, not unlike the one tucked away in Ari’s pack. A single wooden bead hung from it, carved with all manner of strange patterns and symbols that Ari didn’t recognise. 
Several other merchants tried to entice them with talismans, protective clothing and healing potions, all for only a few coppers. Which, they assured whoever would listen, was a small price to pay for their safety and peace of mind. Jed did not buy any more trinkets, however, and walked swiftly past them.
“Do they really work?” Ari asked doubtfully when they were out of earshot. 
Jed snorted. “They work to empty the pockets of the gullible, the naive and the fearful.”
“Then why did you buy one?”
Jed shrugged. “Perhaps the talisman does not ward off demons and elari, but it might do a good enough job of warding us against unwanted attention. We have been marked as fools, and so no one will pay us much mind, save perhaps to wonder if they could sell us any more worthless trinkets.”
Ari looked around, and sure enough, what had at first been curious glances from locals at the passing of strangers, now turned into head shakes at the sight of the necklace clutched in her hand. With a slight smile, Ari put it around her neck. 
They slept at an inn that night. The conversation in the common room was subdued, people gathering together in twos and threes and murmuring. From the snatches of conversation Ari caught, they were all talking about Riverwatch. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch every time she heard the name, but she managed to keep the memories at bay. By the sound of it, it was as Finley had said. People believed that the elari were to blame for what had happened, and were full of fear and hatred. 
Jed bade Ari eat swiftly. “It is unwise to linger here too long.”
Ari looked around nervously. “Is there any way to tell?” she whispered. “What you are.”
Jed pursed her lips. “There are ways to tell. It is unlikely that anyone here has the knowledge or ability to, however.”
“How—”
“Enough. This is not the place for such topics.”
Ari nodded, and focused on finishing her meal quickly. 

 

[RaeTheRaven]

Spoiler

They arrived at the elari dwelling one chilly morning in late autumn. The sun was pale and watery as it fought to rise above the mountain peaks. But the sky was cloudless and the air was still. They had travelled nearly the entire length of the mountain range that marked the northern border of the land, walking as close to the roots of the mountain as they could. That morning, it seemed they were finally going to attempt to cross them. After a quick breakfast, Jed had set course for a nearby pass. 
At first, Ari was confused that when they stopped a mere two hours later. Jed usually kept them marching until noon. Then she noticed what looked like a tall and narrow cave entrance not far from where they had stopped. It was barely more than a crack. Ari could fit in, perhaps, but it looked too small for Jed, and Slate would certainly not be able to pass through. This did not seem to concern Jed, however, as she strode confidently towards it, beckoning Ari to follow.
“What—“
“Shh, not now.”
As they approached the opening, Ari heard a strange sound coming from inside. It was somehow like the howl of the wind in the mountains and the murmur of water on rock at the same time. Ari tried to peer into the crack. There was no wind, and she could see no water. A few moments later, she heard a similar sound, only this time it was coming from right next to Ari. She looked round and realised Jed must have made it. The sound echoed through the mountain pass for several long heartbeats. When it died down, Ari returned her gaze to the crack in the cliff face. To her astonishment, it had widened. It was now wide enough for a horse drawn cart to pass through. At the mouth of the opening, stood the strangest man Ari had ever seen. 
He was incredibly tall, ten feet or more perhaps, and so thin, Ari wondered how he did not collapse under the weight of his own body. The skin on his face and hands was mottled grey and brown, almost blending in with the rock. Ari felt Jed’s hand on her shoulder and realised she had been staring, open-mouthed. She let herself be led by Jed towards the strange man and the opening in the rock, trying not to look like she was gawking. As they neared him, Ari realised his skin was covered in scales. 
“Fali, ta une hor a bith chaidh.” The man said in a language Ari did not know. 
“Umadh malach.” Jed responded in the same tongue, before switching to Common. “You have heard of Riverwatch?”
The man nodded, his expression grave. 
“We have some information. We have come to speak with the Elders.” 
For the first time, the man looked at Ari. His eyes were mottled grey, almost the same as his skin. They had no whites, and the pupil was a vertical slit, like that of reptiles. He examined her for a few moments. Ari felt the urge to hide behind Jed. 
“Notus said you were travelling with a companion.” He said at last. “He did not say it was a child.”
“We can speak more inside, Nathair.” 
“Very well. Segil will have let them know of your arrival by now. There should be a hot meal waiting.” 
With that, Nathair turned on the spot and led them through the opening in the cliff. They followed him into what appeared to be a long corridor, the only light coming from the opening behind them. Ari wondered if anyone had brought a torch or lantern. Nathair did not seem to have one, but perhaps with his strange eyes, he could see in the dark. 
They walked in darkness for a few long minutes. Ari had grabbed Jed’s hand and was holding tight. Gradually, Ari noticed a brightening in their surroundings. At first, she thought her eyes were simply adjusting to the dark, but as they walked further, she realised that there was light coming from… somewhere. Seemingly, the walls themselves emanated a diffuse, blue tinted glow. Soon, it was as bright as day. Perhaps a somewhat overcast day, but more than enough to see by, nevertheless. Footsteps echoing, they continued walking. 

Another scene today.