Ardent_Tears

Patreon Insights: Magic Part 3 - Genesis

Yesterday I touched on the Divine and their role in Resonance. I also touched on genesis, or more accurately abiogenesis which happened in much the same way that it was theorised to have happened on Earth, though with a few extra pushes and guidance along the way. That is not what I'm going to be talking about here. If anything, Genesis is a wee bit of a misnomer as we're going to be talking about how the different races came to be and none of them were created in the sense people typically think when they here the word. This is because all the races came into existence through process of evolution with some of them also experiencing Resonant Metamorphosis. This is true for all life on Illyria. The focus of this Insight will be on Resonant Metamorphosis and what exactly that means for both live on Illyria and the Divine.

To start off, Al'duur and Humans are not the result of any true Resonant Metamorphosis beyond the subtle influences of the Heart of the Sun, the Goddess, and Illyria. They instead evolved naturally from a common ancestor after the two groups were separated by tectonic activity and an ocean. As is typically the case, the Al'duur and humans evolved in accordance with their environment and the influence of the prime deity that watched over them.

So what about the other races? Well in the time that Ardent Tears is set, we have three more races on top of those already mentioned. The Kairosi, Miriel, and Ferran. There are two mechanisms in which these races came to be. The more common of these two mechanisms is being God-touched.

For a race to become God-touched, a few things need to be in place before anything happens. First, a god needs to have ties to the group in question. The group in question cannot already be God-touched or Moon-touched. There is a catalyst for the change. For the sapient races, they usually have their own gods that have a more defined relationship with them, which fulfills that criteria. The second criteria is usually a simple binary case, but it gets a little more complicated when mixed race individuals are in the equation. My general rule of thumb is that someone that is less than 1/4 God-touched, they can become fully God-touched but any traits from their God-touched ancestry are lost.

The last criteria is typically due to the group's existence being threatened in some way. This is due to such events having a profound effect on the god and the Resonance they share with the group in question. This is especially true if the group is sapient. If they are wiped out, the god will become less defined, but if they survive the Resonance will be stronger for triumphing over disaster.

At this point, the god has a choice. They can either let the event that is acting as a catalyst pass, or they can tie themselves to the group in much the same way that the prime deities did in the beginning. To do this is risky business as it makes the god mortal in that they will cease to exist if the group dies out. On the flipside, the god will become much more powerful if they survive. Alas, if the group is sapient, they must consent or seek out the change for the Resonance to be strong enough for any changes to occur.

Once the process starts, the group starts changing to adapt to whatever environmental pressures they are experiencing as a result of the catalyst that is in play. The change isn't immediate and may even take several generations to reach it's conclusion, but the moment it starts, the group is now a distinct race/species and can be considered God-touched. Additionally, any changes that do occur won't necessarily follow the same logic as evolution. Some adaptions might skip a few steps or jump to a completely different approach to the problem. Some changes may not even strictly directly benefit the race, at least not immediately. Whatever happens, however, you will still be able to recognise what the race was before being God-touched.

The example I'll be using for God-touched races is the Kairosi. If you would prefer to wait for more details about the Kairosi to be given in story, skip ahead to (end of spoilers).

So the Kairosi were originally a group of desert nomads on the southern continent which is now known as Terian'el (in Ferran, Midiran, and Særan that is), which translates to the Ashen Eye. This name alludes to the catalyst for their transformation. The desert in the centre of Terian'el is seismically active and above a super volcano. A series of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the area around 5000 years ago resulted in a great storm that engulfed the desert and prevented anyone from escaping. As I'm sure you can imagine, this gave rise to an environment that one wouldn't exactly call hospitable.

Many people died as a result of the storm, but the Kairosi persevered and reached out to their God. When all seemed hopeless, they persevered and their God answered their prayers. The first change that occurred was that they became resistant to the noxious gasses that were being produces. They also stopped growing quite so many terminal hairs. This soon led to them adapting to the immense heat and restricted access to water. Kairosi barely sweat. Instead, their cells are able to function at higher temperatures than one might expect. Alas, this did affect their ability to adapt to the cold which is why you won't see many in cooler environments.

After those initial changes, the Kairosi started to transform to be more in line with the Kairosi of today. Their skin darkened to the point of being like obsidian The reason for this was two-fold. On one hand, they were producing more melanin to deal with the increased levels of UV that was breaking through the ash clouds as a result of damage to the ozone layer. On the other hand, the ash and soot was fusing with their genetic makeup in a way that made their flesh much hardier than most other people. The best way I could describe what their skin feels like is pliable glass.

The other main change that Kairosi experienced was to their eyes. To protect themself from the ash, they acquired a nictitating membrane or third eyelid like you might see in many birds, reptiles and amphibians. This membrane is notably more translucent than is typical which grants them improved vision whilst blinking, though it isn't perfect.

There are other small details about the Kairosi that I could include here, but I'll leave that for the story proper.

(end of spoilers)

Now before I move on to the Moon-touched I will say how the gods know making a race God-touched makes them mortal. To put it simply, Kairosi and Miriel aren't the only God-touched races/species to have ever existed. They are just the only human-derived races known to be still alive.

Anyways, moving on we have only one human derived race that is Moon-touched by way of the Ferrans, though there are many more Moon-touched species. Like with the God-touched races, Moon-touched go through a series of rapid changes, though these changes lack the guidance of a catalyst. This is due to what causes a race to become Moon-touched. 

In short, a creature that isn't already Moon-touched or God-touched becomes Moon-touched when it is bathed in the shadow of a double solar eclipse. Physically speaking, this should be impossible as the moons are never new at the same time. At least, they shouldn't be. What allows this to happen is our old friend Resonance and the union of the Goddess and the Heart of the Sun. Because of this, Resonance would conspire to bring the moons and sun together for a brief moment every few thousand years. When this happens the orbits shift until the moons are new at the same time in such a way that double eclipse occurs. After the eclipse, normal orbits are slowly restored.

During a double solar eclipse, Resonance goes out of whack in the area covered in the shadow cast by the moons. It is this Resonance that causes the the chaotic changes experienced by the Moon-touched races. Unlike the God-touched races, however, the lack of guidance with the Moon-touched results in there being a chance of some of the changes being incompatible with life. The changes aren't completely random, however, as members of the same group will experience the same changes. It is possible that they will gain properties and traits that are associated with other nearby creatures, which is part of the reason the Ferran have feline qualities.

The other big factor with in Moon-touched transformations is local myths and folklore. As mentioned yesterday, the combined zeitgeist of the two realms plays a big role in Resonance. Because of this, certain aspects from various myths and legends play are added to the potential changes that can occur. However, because of the chaotic nature of the event, this changes aren't always applied to the creatures that these myths are based on. This is what led to the strange and terrifying abilities of the Vhoraks. It is also worth noting that Moon-touched are not explicitly tied to a god, though they typically develop a stronger connection to any the Goddess and any combination of the other two prime deities.

With all that said, in spite there being key differences in how God-touched and Moon-touched come into existence, once all is said and done, they are much the same. They can both reproduce with their parent race, but not any other races that are derived from the same parent. A mixed race individual can only reproduce with another person of a different lineage as long as one side only possesses at most 1/4 Moon-touched/God-touched blood. This limit of 1/4 is also the go to baseline for determining if an individual can be become fully Moon-touched or God-touched. 

It is worth noting that this is only an estimate and there are other factors at play. For example, Rowan and her family are not eligible and neither will their immediate descendents. Granted, now that I am trying to come up with examples where the 1/4 mark holds true, I'm drawing blanks. They aren't super rare, but most are either not important in the grand scheme of things, are yet to be revealed, or are sitting squarely in spoiler town. I guess in this instance, you'll have to take my word for it.

Anyways, after that slight gaffe, I'll move on to one point that I haven't really addressed. Towards the start I stated that being God-touched was more common. If you look at the five humanoid races, this seems obvious, but if you analyze what I've said in the paragraphs that followed, you might have a few questions. For one, how could enough gods take the risk of bonding with a group for God-touched to be more common? And two, how could there have been enough events to serve as a catalyst for God-touched to be more common? The answer to both is "not enough". 

Why then did I say they were more common? Semantics and perspective, really. Due to the fact that there has been only one double solar eclipse in recorded history with the second most recent one being alluded to almost a thousand years after the fact in a language that is no longer spoken or understood, most Illyrian scholars see it as a one off event. A group becoming God-touched, however, has been recorded many times since it was first observed. Furthermore, the most recent example of a group surviving the God-touching process was a lot more recent, with it being dated to just over 237 years before Rowan was born. There have also been a few cases since then, but none that have survived to the present day.

So as you can see, I was approaching it from the perspective of of an Illyrian scholar. As the author and creator of this world, I will admit that their are significantly more Moon-touched races/species around today. Even when you take the only the most recent double solar eclipse, they are the majority. To be fair, though a lot of the older examples of Moon-touched races/species have evolved a fair bit since their initial transformations, but they are still classed as Moon-touched.

Now, before I conclude this Insight, I was to talk about the one super-continent sized exception to these mechanisms. Dreis, the supercontinent to the west where the Al'duur evolved is a special case. In part due to the influence of the Heart of the Sun, but also because of the overwhelming concentration of Resonance Crystals on the continent, the creatures that evolved there started integrating the crystals into their biological make-up. This has resulted in them gaining some unusual qualities that don't necessarily align with what one might expect from the specific crystals that have been integrated. It is also why Al'duur are so large in comparison to humans and the other races, despite a common ancestor and why they cannot reproduce with humans. 

As for why this makes Dreis a special case in regards to the mechanisms discussed above is due to how the Resonance Crystals interact with the Resonance of a Double Solar Eclipse or a god trying to bond with a group. Basically, the Resonance Crystals within the fauna and flora of Dreis effectively create a form of destructive interference when interacting with these processes. As such, the Resonance fizzles and no changes can occur. When this happens the fauna/flora also lose access to any special abilities granted to them by the Resonance Crystals for the duration of the event, but they do return.

Of course, now that I've teased more about Dreis, I will now refuse to touch upon it until we eventually visit there in the far future or I decide to do another Insight on one of the creatures or plants that can be found there. Is this me being a wee bit of a troll? Maybe, but it was relevant to the Insight and it is something I can point to if it seems like I'm pulling stuff out my arse when we get to Dreis. Anyways, it is now time to...

Run awayyyy!!!

And to also apologise for this Insight being super late as a result of my ADHD meds and DnD.

Patreon Insights - Magic Part 2 - Resonance

It's a little late but here is my deep dive Insight into Resonance. As I mentioned yesterday, Resonance is essentially the result of metaphysical interactions between the physical and divine realms causing a feedback loop. Now admittedly, explaining exactly what that means in detail is going to be a challenge. I understand the mechanics as well as anyone can, but a lot of what Resonance is and how it works is highly abstract despite being the basis of a hard magic system. As such it's fairly challenging to explain it in a concise manner that is relatively easy to understand. Even so, I am determined to give it my best shot, so here goes.

First, I think I will start with how Resonance came to be in the world. To do this we need to venture back in time a fair ways to around 500 million years after the birth of the solar system where our story takes place. At this point, the divine realm and physical realm were fairly separate and distinct. The physical realm at that time was much like ours. The divine realm, however was a place where concepts, possibilities and ideas took form. Alas, with the universe still young and nothing  to focus and solidify these ideas besides physical laws, many of these entities were weak and lacked sapience.

Two of these entities, however, had a slight head start and found themselves drawn to our solar system. Why exactly this solar system? It was the one that had the highest chance of creating life at the time which was the idea they represented. To be more exact, it was at this point that the initial chemical reactions were happening that would lead the way to first single-celled organisms. These entities knew instinctively that the existence of life would make them more real and that was something they craved. With this in mind, they reached and reached until they were no longer entirely in the divine realm, but more in the liminal space in between realms. 

Without the security of the divine realm, they started falling apart. If they stayed in the liminal, they would cease to be. Alas, they didn't know the way back, so they had no choice but to carry on and anchor themselves into the physical realm. The one that went to become the Heart of the Sun succeeded first. The other tried to anchor themselves to the planet with the potential for life. They failed and instead became bound to the two moons that were forming around the planet. It wasn't what they were seeking, but it was enough to save them from annihilation.

Now at first glance, this might not seem overly important, but it changed everything. With two entities entities from the divine realm anchored in the physical realm, there was now a direct bridge between the two realms.  It was this bridge that enabled the metaphysical interactions that went on to create Resonance. Furthermore, the genesis of life and beings that could experience the world helped solidify the various entities in the Divine Realm. In time, life also gave rise to new Divine entities.

Each one of these factors contributed to the existence of Resonance but there was one last step to make it a universal reality and that was the union between the Goddess and the Heart of the Sun which created their daughter, Illyria. Illyria was a divine being that was born into the physical realm. Of course, she is still all of those things, but it was her birth that that created Resonance Crystals whilst also changing the very nature of life on the planet to make it slightly divine.

So, with me having now explained the origins of Resonance, I'll fastforward back to today. With us back in the present, I feel like there is one question about Resonance that I have to answer. Why do the same/similar metaphysical interactions have the same/similar results and why those specific results? To those of you asking this question, I very much understand why. As it stands, the abstract system I have presented doesn't exactly suggest consistency or predictability beyond the name "Resonance".

My answer lies in the idea of the shared zeitgeist or collective consciousness of the two realms. The initial interactions resulted in effects that were related and within said zeitgeist and as these effects were discovered and witnessed, their existence was anchored within the zeitgeist. As the zeitgeist belongs to everyone, it doesn't depend on an individual being aware of what could happen for it to happen. This is why Resonance is as consistent as it is. Of course, there is still some slight variance, but the only way for significant change would be to fundamentally alter the zeitgeist, which is, as I'm sure you can imagine, nigh impossible.

As for what is possible with Resonance, you will need to read and find out, but rest assured, I intend to be consistent with how I use it. If Resonance is used in a way that is easily repeatable and there is no reason why people wouldn't try and repeat it, they will try.

With that said, I will end this insight here as it is already late and I need to start planning out the next one. I look forward to you all joining me tomorrow.

Patreon Insights: Magic Part 1 - An Introduction

As promised, here is part one of my series of insights into the magic of Ardent Tears.  With this being just an introduction, I won't be doing a full deep dive like I did yesterday for my inspirations, that'll come later, but I do hope to give you a basic rundown of all the magic systems at play.

First we have Resonance which is the system from which all other systems are derived. This may sound counter to what I said yesterday, as I said that Ardents were the start of it all and were at the heart of everything. That's still true, but this introduction is from the perspective of the world as opposed to the order in which things came to me as I designed the world. It's kind of like how in Pokemon, Rhydon was the first pokemon designed, but Bulbasaur is 0001 in the Pokedex and Mew is supposed to be the ancestor of all pokemon.

Anyway, back to Resonance. What is it exactly? Well as I said before it is the primary magic system of the world and all other magic systems are in some way related. Alas, that doesn't really tell you much about what it does or how it works, so here goes. At its core, Resonance is a term used to describe the metaphysical interactions between the physical realm and the divine realm. In short, when something happens in the physical realm, there is a reaction in the divine realm. Of course, the reverse is also true. For this to become Resonance, however, there needs to be a feedback loop of sorts. Something happens on one side which triggers a reaction, which also triggers a reaction, and that continues until we see a tangible effect. This is Resonance. If you still want to know more about Resonance, I will be covering it in detail later on in this series.

Next I'll touch on Resonance Crystals. Resonance Crystals are a class of crystalline object that is able to consistently trigger a certain type of effect through Resonance. Common examples include Light, Heat, and Sound, but there are many more and some that are yet to be discovered.

Alongside Resonance Crystals we have Gifts which are even more ubiquitous. Gifts are the result of Resonance caused by the alignment of the Sun, Moons, and Illyria at the time of a person's first breath. They get their name from them being the Heart of the Sun's and the Goddess' gift to life on Illyria. Most gifts you will see mentioned in the story are those belonging to humans, Ferrans, Miriel, and Kairosi. These are all Gifts of the Goddess. Al'duur have a different set of Gifts that are instead granted by the Heart of the Sun. This has been the case since humans and Al'duur diverged all those years ago.

Now it's time for Ardents and Stoics. I'm not going to say too much about them because I'll be here all day if I do. What I will say is that, in overly simple terms, their abilities come from the Resonance that results how they respond to emotional stimuli. And with that said, I will move swiftly on.

After Ardents and Stoics, we have the strange magic of the Al'duur. Al'duur cannot become Ardents or Stoics as they are blessed by the Sun, not the Goddess. What they got instead was an innate understanding and talent for Resonance Crystals and the ability to use them to make magical scars and tattoos. The most notable example of this are Rowan's slave scars.

I still have a fair bit to cover, but I'm going to end this introduction here and leave Soulforging, Genesis, and the Mark of the Goddess for their own deep dives.

Patreon Insights: What Inspired Ardent Tears?

The answer to this question is in some ways, fairly simple; Ardent Tears started as a way for me to explore my BPD and to channel it into something that didn't add to the stigma. It's true that was the start of it all, but looking at the question again, I feel this is only a small part of the true answer as well as one that is probably lacking context for a lot of people. With that in mind, I intend to go into a more detailed analysis of what inspired Ardent Tears and the context behind that inspiration. Be warned, beyond this point there may be some spoilers for the Book 1 Preview as well as some of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Books, though I will try to keep any such spoilers to a minimum.

So to start this deep dive, I will go back to my initial answer. To add some context, BPD stands for Borderline Personality Disorder (sometimes more accurately called Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), and it is a disorder that is primarily characterised by intense and highly reactive or unstable emotions. It is also commonly confused with Bipolar Disorder because of the acronym and the propensity towards mood swings. While it is true there are similarities, they operate in different ways and have different secondary symptoms associated with them. It is much of these secondary symptoms and behavioural patterns that have resulted in a lot of the stigma towards BPD and the people that have it. If you wish to know more about the stigma and the reasons behind it, I ask that you do some research into BPD yourselves as I want to limit how much attention I draw to the stigma beyond acknowledging it.

Now you may be wondering why I went into as much detail as I did (even if I was only scratching the surface). The reason is simply by giving that specific context, you know how the magic system came to be focused on emotions and why it's at the core of the story. Of course, there is still more to this high school English literature essay into the depths of my mind so I won't dally around until the cows come home.

I've always loved fantasy and by extension, storytelling, ever since I was a wee lass. Of course, I'm still a wee lass, but I'm older now and that love brought me towards the magic that is worldbuilding. Seeing the worlds that fantasy and sci-fi authors created filled me with such wonder and I wanted to do the same for others as well as myself. It started with escapism and semi-lucid dreaming after my mum died, and then it transitioned into tabletop roleplaying and writing, but it was still enough. It was at this point that my desire to explore my BPD and my love of fantasy and worldbuilding came together.

In the weeks and months that followed, I had an absolute plethora of ideas that I tried to utilise in a way that I hoped was at least somewhat coherent. I failed. My prose was lacking and there was no logic behind any of what I had written, only fervent enthusiasm. So I put the notion of writing something about BPD and emotions to the side and almost forgot about it entirely. Instead I worked on other projects like making my own language and coming up with campaign ideas for RPGs or trying to improve my art skills.

During this time I also discovered Sanderson and I was introduced to the idea of Hard Magic Systems. Before then, all my favourite fantasy series utilised softer magic systems be it Lord of the Rings, the Belgariad, or the Wind on Fire trilogy. I still love those books and wouldn't change the magic in them for the world, but something about Sanderson's approach to magic clicked with me and the idea to take BPD and make a magic system inspired by it, as opposed to just having a main character with BPD, was born.

In time, this idea expanded and I started drawing upon various inspirations such as Tolkien and Sanderson as I started crafting a world. I even started adapting my previous conlanging projects for this world I was creating, and as I worked, a story started taking shape in my mind. Alas, it was all still kind of nebulous at this point. Fortunately, my interest in conlangs led me to Artifexian, an amazing youtuber that has a suite of videos on worldbuilding from a galactic scale to a planetary scale. For most storytellers, putting as much thought into your solar system is largely unnecessary, but for me, the numbers and mechanics of my solar system inspired the whole concept of Resonance and the Sacred Primes which was key to the creation of my world's belief systems as well as giving me a way to justify having other races in my world without falling on generic fantasy tropes.

Anyway, I was now cooking with gas and everything was coming together. Before long my initial idea for the magic system gave rise to the Ardents. Alas, the original incarnation of Ardents gave rise to a system that felt like it was missing something. Even with me taking inspiration from Mistborn by tying an ability to each emotion just as Sanderson attributed different abilities to the different metals, Ardents alone lacked the dynamic punch of Allomancy. As I looked into it more, I realised the problem was that I only had one half of the picture. Why have a system based on emotions that doesn't also capitalise on a lack of emotions?

As I'm sure you've realised, Stoics were my answer to this problem. By pairing Ardents and Stoics I was able to achieve that same dynamic feeling that I got from pushing and pulling from Allomancy or the abilities of the Knights Radiant. Likewise it spoke to me of the narrative dynamic of Allomancy and Hemalurgy or the two sides of the force but without tying it to good and evil.

Before I move on to the last part of this deep dive, I want to mention one last way Mistborn inspired the magic system in conjunction with my BPD. In Mistborn, Allomancers awaken their powers in a process called "snapping" where a traumatic event pushes them over the edge. Similarly, BPD typically develops in response to trauma or abuse from childhood or early adolescence. For me it was the death of my mother and how my grief manifested. With this in mind, I had the idea to do something similar. Like with BPD, emotionally significant events increase an individual's chances of Awakening, but it isn't required. My experiences with BPD are also partly responsible for Hæra's death being a factor in Rowan's Awakening.

And now that I've spent way too long talking about my magical inspirations, I want to touch on why I decided to make Rowan bisexual and polyamorous. The first reason is because I am both poly and bisexual and I wanted to write what I know. The second reason is because I feel there isn't enough good bi representation in fiction. The third and final reason is because I wanted to show that poly doesn't necessarily mean generic harem. While I have nothing against the harem genre, there are too many tropes associated with it that I don't want to touch and it is also not very representative of polyamory. In my honest opinion at least.

With that said, I want to end this deep dive talking about what inspired me to release Ardent Tears as a web serial. I was introduced to webserials back in uni by a friend as part of a small reading club thing we had going on. Through his unintentional recommendation, I started The Wandering Inn by pirateaba and fell in love. It isn't for everyone and the length can be intimidating, but it resonated with me. Through TWI, I was able to connect with other people in the web novel sphere and I finally had the motivation and encouragement to start putting my ideas to the page.

One of the people I met on the TWI server was MelasD and while I don't talk to him as much anymore, he helped me massively in the beginning as he invited me to TopWebFiction and gave me my first big shoutout. For that, I am eternally grateful. I also found my way to the server for Beneath the Dragoneye Moons by SelkieMyth. To this day Selkie continues to be an inspiration in the way he fosters the community he has created. He has played a big part in keeping me writing and is likely to remain one of my top inspirations in the web novel sphere alongside pirateaba for a good while longer.

Having now acknowledged what I feel is the final piece of the puzzle, this deep dive is nearing its conclusion. So let me ask the question again. What inspired Ardent Tears? Everything. I know that probably comes off as somewhat pretentious, but it's true. Ardent Tears has been inspired and influenced by so many facets of my life from everything I've discussed here, to my mum and my family, to many more things that are too personal to share in a semi-public forum.

I know reading all this may make some people a little bit concerned in regards to Rowan potentially being a self-insert. For those that are worried about this being the case, I understand and also promise you that she isn't. Yes, she does share certain traits with me as she is a vehicle for me to explore those parts of myself, but she is also very much her own person. She is poly, yes, but in a very different way to me. She has BPD, yes, but she expresses it in a very different way to me. She is bi, yes, and I admittedly don't have much to say in that regard. I could go on, but that's not going to convince anyone. Instead, I'll do my best to show it in the story.

Now before I waffle on any further and go on yet another tangent, I want to thank all of you for reading this overly wordy self-analysis of mine as well as all the people that have inspired me. For the authors I've mentioned, check them out if you haven't already. I also hope you'll join me tomorrow for the next Patreon Insight which will be the start of a series on magic. Hopefully, it will be a wee bit more concise than this one.

Update and Plans for the Patreon until Book 1 is released.

Hello everyone. First off, I want to apologise for neglecting patreon. It isn't fair on any of you that have been supporting me all this time and I want you to know that I appreciate you all. I was hoping to have Book 1 by now but my editor has unfortunately been experiencing some health difficulties and as she is doing it as a massive favour to me, I don't wish to push her and make things worse. Furthermore, I also want to have a new cover for my rerelease and I don't have the funds right now to pay for the commission. Again, this is something that is largely out of my control as the money for the commission is coming from a workplace injury claim at my old job from almost 3 years ago and they are unsurprisingly dragging their heels and trying to pay as little as possible. Even so, it's taken far longer than I could have expected and I am glad beyond belief that my union is covering the legal fees. Fortunately (and unfortunately), I got an update from my solicitor saying that my old job is going to consult the medical experts regarding our latest offer. If they fail to respond to the offer, it goes to court.

So, what does this all mean? Well unfortunately it means that Book 1 is still a ways off, but I will be doing everything I can to make that as small a wait as possible. In the meantime, I'm going to be focusing more directly on Book 2 which I've been avoiding, in part because of my ADHD (which I'm now being fully medicated for), but also because I didn't want to get too far ahead. This is admitted, a stupid reason, especially as my lack of a backlog before is a significant part of why I suffered from burnout with the original release and why, in some places at least, the quality could have been much better.

As for what I'm going to be make up for the lack of content on patreon, from tomorrow until the release of Book 1, I plan on releasing a series of Patreon Insights and other extras. I'll be releasing them on weekdays and I'll be covering things such as my inspiration for Ardent Tears, the various magic systems, the history of the world, and other little tidbits about myself as a storyteller and a worldbuilder, as well as the world I've created.

I know this isn't necessarily what you all signed up for, but I hope you at least find it somewhat interesting. With all that said, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for the first Patreon Insight.

Announcement: Book 1 Preview is Live!

As I announced a while back, I have been working on editing and reworking Book 1 of Ardent Tears. Well, I'm finally fulfilling that promise, be it several months later than I originally intended. My mental health took a big hit and I lost all momentum. I've also been recently diagnosed with ADHD which has been eye-opening and it also explains a lot of the challenges I've been having alongside my BPD. It's not an excuse, but it does mean that I'm in the process of getting treatment for it which should help massively in the long run. 

Alas, getting the diagnosis was not enough to get my momentum back. No, that came from a new member of the community who has been a massive help in engaging with the story in a new and fresh way. I'm hoping that I can spread this engagement to the rest of you with this new and exciting step into making Ardent Tears be the best story it can be. To that end, I am releasing the first 8 chapters of the rewrite (plus prologue) to all my patrons. There have been some fairly hefty additions and a lot of improvements so I'm sure you'll enjoy the fresh experience.

I'm going to be continuing to work on Book 1 and this time, I pretty much guarantee that the wait until the next update will be significantly shorter.

I am also switching to the new subscription system for my Patrons so no risk of double payments if you pay after the first. New patrons will now pay based on the day they signed up. Existing patrons will not be effected by this change.

Lastly, here is a treat for everyone in the form of a preview for the world map that I'm working on.

For those that want to find the link to the story posts, you can find them here in the Table of Contents, or you can go here for the prologue

Chapter 8: Bloodmoon

Rowan’s mood improved little as evening approached on the day of the eclipse. If anything she felt confused and conflicted and her mood was a cacophony of emotion. If only apologising were easy. If only things had never gotten to this point. Such thoughts flooded her mind and she knew it wasn’t that simple and her determination to make amends did little in the face of fear and overwhelming exhaustion.

Had she been more cognisant, she may have put some more faith into the eclipse and into her prayers to the goddess. Instead, she waited, trying to write up an apology, and growing progressively moodier in the absence of sleep.

After what felt like an eternity, the sun set, and Rowan felt her heavy eyelids drifting towards slumber, yet she was unable to take the final step and then…

*Knock!*

Rowan’s eyes shot open and she was suddenly very alert.

“Rowan, we’re leaving,” Hæra’s voice came from the other side of the door.

In her sleep-deprived state, Rowan had forgotten that they were going to the waterfront for the eclipse and she wasn’t happy; why couldn’t they just say their prayers at home? Even so, she tried her best to hold back her complaints. Voicing them would only spread her misery further.

It seemed almost impossibly late as they stepped outside with a half-asleep Tehri in Hæra’s arms. Rowan last remembered the sun setting, but now only stars and the soft glow of the moons lit the canvas of the night sky.

What made it all the stranger was that she couldn’t even remember falling asleep. Her exhaustion had reached the point where it felt like she had done little more than blink before being called by her mother. She half expected that she would blink again and they’d be by the lakeside.

Alas, the Goddess wasn’t so merciful that She’d deprive Rowan of a good nightly stroll. She did, however, miss fairly decent chunks of the walk and within seven good blinks, they were already nearing the lakeside.

On their arrival, Rowan caught a glimpse of the twins further to the west. For a second, Rowan and Kiriin’s eyes met, only for Kiriin to immediately turn away with a tear glistening in the moonlight.

That sight alone almost broke Rowan and her mood started to crumble. Through the tiny fissures came the ever-intrusive words of dismay and self-doubt as they bombarded what remained of Rowan’s failing shield.

Seeing her daughter’s pain, Hæra did what she could do to ease her suffering. At first, Hæra’s words did little to pierce Rowan’s prickly shell, but the barrier she had put up was not equipped to contain all her emotions at once.

So it cracked.

And then it exploded.

Rowan’s poorly contained feelings came flowing out and Hæra listened to every word. When it was over, she took the crying Rowan into her arms and sang her a lullaby of Ferran old.

♫Hush now little one
the day is won
Sleep now little one
The sun is gone

Mama’s here
to wash away your fear
Mama’s here
to wipe away your tears♫

Rowan was roused by a voice calling out from amongst the townsfolk; the eclipse had begun. Warily she opened her eyes and looked up to the crimson moon as it underwent totality. In that frozen moment, the witching hour of the eclipse, Rowan prayed to the Goddess and to her ancestors so that she might make amends.

However, what should have been a moment of silence was broken by screams and shouting to the west. A wave of fear suddenly spread through the lakeside congregation. Pandemonium soon followed as people began to flee back into town. Amidst the thundering footsteps, Rowan caught the sound of hooves from the direction of the screams.

Something was very wrong, yet it felt like they were frozen in place, unable to retreat and Tehri remained in a deep slumber. Instead, they clung together as the townsfolk began to stampede around them. It was absolute chaos and Rowan couldn’t begin to fathom why; it had been so peaceful.

Amidst the chaos, Rowan strained her eyes, trying to see what was happening past the mass of bodies to the west. Through a fortuitous break in the crowd, Rowan saw the riders in the distance, weapons in hand and bodies dropping all around them.

Fear gripped her heart as she tried to tell her mother what was going on. As she drew Hæra’s attention to the riders, she saw the twins fleeing with their parents.

They seemed to be making good headway when Kiriin fell behind and tripped. Rowan cried out as only Kyr seemed to notice. He called after their parents, only for them to remain completely oblivious in their fear-gripped retreat.

Rather than follow them, Rowan kept her eyes locked on Kiriin, praying for her safety until she let out a visceral cry with a look of horror on her face.

Fearing what had caused Kiriin to cry out, Rowan looked towards Kyr. By some miracle, he was unharmed, but his face shared the same look of horror as Kiriin’s.

That could only mean…

Rowan kept her head turning towards the town.

What she saw was a new kind of chaos.

The attackers had swept round and intercepted the retreat. Yet they weren’t just cutting people down. True, a lot of people were cut down with swords and stabbed with spears, but a considerable number were captured with nets and bolas and an even larger number were either let past or herded back into the oncoming horde.

Rowan caught the horror of it all in her throat as she realised that the trampling probably caused more death than the raiders themselves.

Still, in spite of the chaos, Rowan forced herself to carry on the search for what the twins had seen. It didn’t take long for her to find the tragic nightmare before her. It took another few seconds for her brain to process it.

One of the raiders had struck the twins’ father. He lay there dying in his wife’s crying arms, a discarded spear rammed deep into his chest.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rowan saw Kyr running towards them. He wasn’t fast enough. Even as he called out, a raider galloped past him with a brandished sabre. Rowan’s heart stopped for a second, but it soon became clear that Kyr was not the target. Not this time at least.

Even with that small comfort, however, Rowan didn’t realise the true target until it was too late and Mrs. Dalaan’s head landed several feet away from its collapsing body.

Rowan threw up the instant she processed the sheer horror of what she had just seen. One hand drifted up to wipe away the vomit from her lips and then went down to the dagger strapped to her leggings.

She wanted to hurry over to the twins, to hold them in her arms, but she couldn’t leave her family. She was too afraid that they would suffer the same fate if she left so she instead huddled close to them, praying that the raiders wouldn’t notice them.

Hæra was trying to wake up Tehri with great difficulty, but it was futile. Not even the calamity and chaos all around them were enough to wake her. So they waited, hoping the opportunity to flee would find them.

It took what felt like minutes, perhaps even longer, for the area around Rowan and her family to clear. They had little choice other than to wait for that eventuality. When it did finally happen, they were presented with the chance to run without fear of being trampled.

However, with the fall of one risk, another rose. They were no longer surrounded by the people that had been keeping them hidden from the raiders. With no one to conceal them, Rowan feared that it was only a matter of time before they were targeted.

“Ma!” she cried in her fear, “we’ve got to go.”

Hæra looked around in response to Rowan’s cry. “We’ll run east. Pray that we make it to the river before we’re seen,” she said quietly, taking Tehri up into her arms.

Rowan wanted to suggest that they run north to the lake, but far too many people had had the exact same idea, so they went east as Hæra instructed.

They kept low as they ran, their Ferran eyes helping them navigate through the darkness. The guilt from leaving the twins was tearing at Rowan’s heart.

She longed to take them with her, but she could only spare them a single glance. She saw Kiriin fall down a second time, this time at the hands of a weapon. Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked back. Kyr was nowhere to be seen and Rowan was too distraught to notice Kiriin struggling.

As grief and despair misted up Rowan’s eyes and ate away at her, a sharp rock bit deeply into her calf. She couldn’t help but cry out in pain, causing Hæra to turn back and see her daughter’s bleeding leg. She placed Tehri down and ripped off her sleeve, hoping to bind the wound and stem the flow of blood.

Unfortunately, Hæra wasn’t the only person to hear Rowan’s cry. Two of the raiders broke off from a larger group and started riding towards them bearing the visage of demons and armed with sabres.

It was Hæra who saw the raiders first. She placed herself between them and her children. “Stay back!” she shouted.

The raiders paid her no heed as they continued their charge with grim intent. It became clear that they wouldn’t stop, if anything Hæra’s actions only seemed to hasten them, so she prepared to fight.

She knew she had no chance of winning, but she could at least create an opening for Rowan and Tehri. “Get ready to take Tehri and run,” she whispered, “I’ll be right behind.”

“I can’t leave you, Ma! My legs, they aren’t working,” Rowan whimpered back.

Hæra could feel Rowan’s fear, it was palpable, so this time she turned to face her. “You’ve got to be strong, Rowan. I know you’re scared and in pain, but Tehri can’t protect herself right now.”

She was running out of time. The raiders were almost upon them, so she did the only thing she could. She attacked first.

The raiders were completely unfazed by Hæra’s charge, knowing it was futile. They did not, however, expect her to leap up into the air with terrible force.

She crashed into one of the raiders and knocked him off of his horse. He landed with an unpleasant crack, his body spasmed once before becoming still, whilst Hæra’s arm snapped backward as she landed.

The other raider stopped and whistled, looking almost impressed.

With one threat down and the other now fixated on Hæra, she cried out, “Go now, Rowan! Run!”

Rowan lifted Tehri into her arms and staggered away as fast as she could. She only hoped it was fast enough. Yet for all she tried, she felt like she was only going slower and slower. Tehri was too heavy and the gash on her leg was sapping what little energy she had left.

It was almost too much. Rowan wished that Tehri was awake so that she could run on her own, but at the same time, she was glad that Tehri couldn’t see the horror and carnage that surrounded them. Alas, wishing in either direction wasn’t going to help Rowan one iota. All she could really do was stagger onwards with just under a mile to the river.

It didn’t take long for a series of whistles to find Rowan’s ears. They were coming from behind her and within a couple of moments more sounded from towards the town. Rowan feared that they might be signalling each other.

Please don’t be calling for backup. Please!

Rowan could feel her heart tighten with trepidation. She couldn’t take another step. Not with her mother in peril. Instead, she kept low, trying to keep her and Tehri out of sight.

After what felt like an eternity, Rowan heard some footsteps approaching her.

Fear stopped her heart for a second as she froze completely.

Slowly, she turned to face the person who the footsteps belonged to, fearing the worst. Instead, she saw a miracle.

Rowan could barely believe her eyes as Hæra stumbled towards them. Despite all the odds, she had survived, though not without cost. Hæra’s right arm hung limply and her left hand was mangled beyond repair. Furthermore, she had a deep cut across her left eye that was bleeding heavily.

“Ma!” Rowan exclaimed, tears in her eyes. “What happened? Your hand? Your eye?”

“It’s okay, Rowan, don’t cry,” Hæra smiled warily, “I’m here now. I said I would be, didn’t I?” She wrapped her one working arm around Rowan and Tehri and hugged them as best as she could manage.

Rowan cried heavily in her mother’s embrace. She hadn’t lost her. The nightmare wasn’t becoming a reality. She had hope. Hæra hummed softly to her. It was a comforting sound, and one that made Rowan deaf to the sound of the approaching raiders.

Suddenly, Rowan found herself and Tehri pushed back as the raiders galloped towards them. Hæra followed, putting all her weight into pushing them away. By chance, the raider charging forwards with a brandished sabre hadn’t anticipated Hæra’s move, resulting in a much shallower cut across her back.

Her luck didn’t last, however, as Rowan tried to run away with Tehri again, only to be caught by a bolas cast by a raider from the south.

Hæra’s face was aghast as Rowan fell with a yelp. ”No!” she cried.

Once again, the tides had turned and once again, Rowan’s hope crashed back down into the depths of despair. They had been caught with no more chance to escape, her mother had been seriously hurt and she had failed to protect Tehri.

This can’t be happening… It’s all my fault.

Tehri felt so far away. Rowan had dropped her as she fell and now the distance between them felt insurmountable as Rowan tried to crawl towards her.

In her despair, Rowan barely noticed the raiders dismounted. One of them grabbed her by the hair and another intercepted Hæra.

Tears streamed down Rowan’s face as the raider forced her to look at Hæra. They whispered to Rowan, “Skulking kittens need to be punished,” with a snarl, “Now be a good girl and watch, little kitten.” The raider gave a nod and the other took a knife from their belt and pulled Hæra back, exposing her throat.

For a brief moment, Hæra broke free. “Be strong Rowan. I’ll — always be — by your side. I love…” All too suddenly, it was over. The raider was back in control and with grim determination, they slowly drew the blade of the knife across Hæra’s throat, its edge biting deeply into her flesh and severing arteries. Blood sprayed from the open wound like a fountain as Hæra dropped to the ground.

Crash!

The world fell around Rowan, her mother’s blood dripping from her face like tears. She sobbed and sobbed. “Ma,” she said, almost choking on her tears, “don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone.”

The raider let Rowan crawl over to Hæra’s side. Tears and blood mixed and crystallised as they fell on her limp body. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ll be a good girl, just please… Don’t go…”

“It seems like our work here is done,” the raider snarled, seemingly satisfied by Rowan’s despair. “It won’t be long before this kitten breaks.”

“What will Awaken on the other side, I wonder.”

“As do I,” the raider smiled as the Witching Hour came to a close. “Time to sleep, little kitten.” The raider struck swiftly, knocking Rowan out.

*****

At least several hours had passed by the time Rowan came to, woken up by a throbbing pain coming from her calf and a dull ache from her neck. She opened her eyes to a sunlit, forest clearing somewhere near a mountain range, though she couldn’t tell which one.

She wasn’t alone in the clearing; there were a number of people who appeared to the raiders that attacked Næmyris. Furthermore, there were roughly two dozen people from Næmyris tied up alongside her, all of whom appeared to be no older than seventeen.

The scene was a painful reminder of the attack, of all the loss Rowan had suffered only hours before. Grief struck her right to the core. She prayed that it was all a nightmare, that she would wake up in bed. Alas, she knew it was futile; everything felt too real, visceral even.

Rowan looked for familiar faces amongst the captives, hoping to find Tehri or the twins. She recognised a couple of them from her local neighbourhood, some that she was relatively friendly with such as the granddaughter of the old couple that always handed out sweet treats to all the children and the butcher’s nephew. The others she recognised from around the town, though she didn’t know them personally. It was clear, however, that neither Tehri nor the twins were in sight.

As Rowan confirmed her fears, loneliness weighed heavily on her heart. She cried out in despair, only for no sound to escape her small body. With the exception of the raider keeping watch over the captives, no one paid heed to her silent cry. Instead, the raiders engaged each other in conversation, seemingly discussing a captive that Rowan couldn’t see.

“She’s too young for the good lords and ladies. Last time we brought a child, they had him killed on the spot for not being worth their time,” the one closest to Rowan was saying.

“Should we kill her now, then?” a Ferran raider asked.

“That’d be a waste. I’m sure that we’d find a buyer for her if we looked around,” a third raider responded.

“That could work,” the first raider piped up. “I know a few people in The Azure City that might be interested, especially with how docile she is when she sleeps.”

The last comment caught Rowan’s attention. She looked over to the raiders and by chance saw a struggling young girl with strawberry blonde hair between them. It was Tehri, there was no mistaking it. Before, Rowan had been too detached to care about the prospect of the mystery girl being killed or sold to a pervert in a foreign land. However, with the realisation that it was Tehri that they were talking about, she found her conscious self crashing back to the here and now.

The thought of what might happen to Tehri made her angry, yet the bindings prevented her from acting. Then she remembered the dagger her brother had bought her eleventh birthday. She could still feel it strapped to her leg. They didn’t know that she was armed. Or perhaps they didn’t care. With how many there were, that didn’t seem too unlikely. Even so, it gave her a little spark of hope.

I can save her! Please just give me a chance.

If only she wasn’t being watched. All of her plans collapsed if she was seen breaking loose, so she waited and contemplated on the rest of her plan. As she did so, the conversation between the raiders continued. “We can’t sell to perverts. She’d be better off dead.” The Ferran raider said, seeming repulsed by the idea.

“Stop trying to be all moral, Dan. We kill and torture people for hire,” the third raider laughed.

A fourth one interjected, “Leave him be, Malin. He’s overly sensitive about anything that isn’t directly involving blood,” a familiar-sounding voice purred. It belonged to a young woman with long, raven black hair and fair skin. Unlike the voice, Rowan couldn’t recognise the woman’s appearance.

It wasn’t until she spoke again that Rowan was able to identify her. “Personally, I think we should keep her. The little kitten was holding onto her so dearly before we killed its mother. We could use her to break the kitten.” There was a cruel, sadistic glee to her voice and Rowan knew that she was the one.

Rowan’s anger exploded and heat began to radiate from her body. Slowly the heat concentrated around her wrists and ankles. One of the raiders noticed something was awry and asked if the others smelled burning. None of them seemed to notice the smell as they finished the conversation. After some further back and forth, they decided to kill Tehri in order to reduce the number of mouths to feed and people to watch over. From what Rowan could hear, it sounded like they planned on making it seem like an animal had killed her to help hide their tracks.

Two of the raiders, including the woman with the raven hair, dragged a struggling Tehri out of the clearing. As they left, the anger continued to build up deep within Rowan’s very being. Slowly at first, but nothing could hold back the flames once they had been stoked.

Not even ten minutes had passed when Rowan’s anger erupted from her very being, causing her bindings to violently combust. She barely noticed how the fire had burned away at the flesh of her wrists and ankles. She didn’t care. The only thing that was on her mind at that moment was killing that woman and saving Tehri.

The raiders that had remained in the clearing to keep watch over their catch were caught completely off guard by the seemingly spontaneous combustion. Knowing that she had mere seconds to act, Rowan bolted after the raiders that had spirited Tehri away.

She bounded through the trees at a speed she didn’t even know was possible. Her anger elevated her strength to new heights and left behind a trail of fire in her wake. In the middle of a leap, Rowan drew her dagger from its sheath, ignoring the shouts behind her.

In less than a minute, Rowan was hot on the tail of Tehri’s captors. The closer she got to them, the louder her run became as her sadness and despair were dominated by anger and the will to protect her sister. As she was almost upon them, the raven-haired woman turned to face the approaching storm. Rowan gave her no quarter, not even a second to react, as she lunged at her.

The woman’s gambeson offered little protection against the thrust of the dagger as its fine point penetrated through the layers of cloth and slipped past the ribs.

The thrust didn’t stop there; Rowan was going too fast. She couldn’t stop her momentum from carrying her forwards. An audible crash soon followed as the two of them went flying into a tree.

Rowan clambered back up to see the woman lying dead against the tree, her face contorted in shock. The dagger had been driven deep into her breast.

Rowan tried to pull the dagger out, but the impact had caved in the woman’s chest cavity and lodged the blade straight into bone. Even with her enhanced strength, Rowan wouldn’t be able to free the blade in any reasonable time.

Left with little choice, Rowan took hold of the first weapon she saw, drawing the woman’s sword free. It felt unwieldy in her hands; the hilt was too large for her and the balance much further down the blade than she was used to. Still, it was her only option for defending Tehri. Knowing what she had to do, Rowan turned to face her opponent.

The other raider had drawn his own sword, looking notably more competent with it than Rowan. He stood in a low guard, waiting and ready for her to act. She knew that she couldn’t act rashly against a more experienced opponent despite how much she wanted to in her hate-fuelled rage. Instead, she played it as slowly as she could, placing herself between him and Tehri whilst keeping the point of her sword level with his chest.

With her offhand, Rowan pulled her necklace free from her neck. She then weighed her options and decided to take an incredible risk. She turned towards Tehri to cut her free of her bonds and place the necklace in her hands.

The risk paid off as the raider’s caution had held him back. Turning to face him again, Rowan spoke to her sister. “Tehri, I want you to run. Please. Try and find a town or a village. Get home to Da. Go to Tyris in the capital if you need to. A-a-and Tehri — I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you when you felt so alone. I won’t ask you to forgive me, just live!”

Tehri looked up to Rowan, her expression suggesting she hadn’t quite processed what had just transpired. “S-s-sis?” she stammered as Rowan started engaging the raider.

“Go now! I’ll protect you and I promise that I’ll be back with you before you know it,” Rowan said to Tehri as she attempted to parry the raider.

Still in shock, Tehri struggled to her feet. She still hadn’t processed what was going on, just that fear was gripping her heart. The only words she could manage in response were, “I’m sorry too.”

“Go!” Rowan cried, begging Tehri to run.

Hearing the plea in her sister’s voice, Tehri turned away. Before fleeing, she said a few simple words in farewell. “I love you, Sis.”

Tehri’s parting words struck Rowan to the core as they resonated with her mother’s last words. Anger started slipping away, only to be replaced with courage reinforced by love and hate. In that instant, while she may have been alone, she had not been abandoned.

The pain in her leg became a distant memory and Rowan felt her strength surpass the heightened limits that had been granted by her prior anger.

With her resolve tempered, Rowan rushed her opponent with an overwhelming burst of speed. The raider only just managed to bring his sword up from his low guard to block the attack.

His rapid reflexes barely managed to save his life as the sword managed to offset her balance and edge alignment. Even so, she managed to blow through his guard.

As her blade struck his core, it twisted in her hands from the poor alignment. With her momentum, she was once again reminded that her newfound strength was more than she could handle. She had committed to her attack, so she had no choice other than to keep moving, each step causing her balance to deteriorate further.

She fell, dropping the sword as the raider gasped for air.

Rowan struggled to recover from the force of her own attack. The window of opportunity was fading quickly.

It was not enough.

Despite her best efforts, the raider had recovered and was upon her. She struggled free of his grasping claws, not caring that her clothes were being torn.

Her hand found a chance rock in the undergrowth as he grabbed hold of her leg and started pulling her back.

She couldn’t let him get on top of her again. He was far too heavy, weighing considerably more than three times the amount that she did. So she took a chance and threw the rock.

It missed, but it was enough to knock him off balance.

Rowan kicked him to the ground and pounced. She wrapped her small hands around his neck and squeezed as hard as she could.

As she strangled him with all her might, the remnant of her anger returned to burn his flesh.

Unfortunately, Rowan hadn’t realised that she was losing strength. All too quickly, however, she found herself growing tired and her grip began to weaken.

Taking advantage of Rowan’s weakened state, the raider threw her off in a last-ditch effort before drawing his knife. Back in control, he drove his knife into her abdomen, just above the hips.

As the blade bit into her flesh, Rowan winced in pain, which was only made worse as the raider suddenly collapsed on her. His gambeson was quickly becoming wet from blood as he lay there, almost as if had been stabbed in the same place as Rowan.

Unable to move, Rowan heard footsteps in the distance. The other raiders were upon her. “She’s a feisty one,” the raider called Malin scoffed. ”The good lords will pay excellent money for her.”

“What about the other one?” another raider asked.

“Let her run. A fledgling Ardent with this much strength is easily worth a dozen potentials. Now get the chains; she is not to go unwatched for the rest of the way to the coast.”

Two of the raiders rushed on back while another two grabbed Rowan firmly by the arms. At this point, she was too weak to fight back. Back at the clearing, she was chained up in a way to prevent her from getting any leverage from her muscles.

She noticed that a couple more people had escaped in the confusion she caused. Knowing that she had been able to help people escape in addition to protecting her sister, gave her some small satisfaction which kept her going as the raiders placed a canvas sack on her head and threw her over the back of a horse before gathering the remaining captives and riding out.

Chapter 7: Despair

Every day of that entire winter, Rowan felt like she had been blessed by the Goddess. That was the only way she could explain the happiness she felt. The days she spent with Kiriin were particularly special. Add in the excitement from the week between seasons where news of the upcoming crimson eclipse arrived from the Grand Temple in Midiris along with Rowan's upcoming trip with her father, and you had a recipe for an amazing year.

With everything going on, however, Rowan opted to focus her attention on her fourteenth birthday and her trip to Tærin City with her father as it was quite literally just round the corner. In addition to the imminent nature of the trip, Rowan's main reason for focusing on it came from the fact that she was being given the opportunity to choose one of her own gifts and she was at a complete loss for what she wanted.

Of course, she was also looking forward to spending some quality time with her father. He was so often busy with work and went on business trips throughout the year, so time with him was special.

This was especially true now that she was older. In the years after Tehri was born, Rowan would often play in his store while he worked as Hæra was often busy looking after Tehri. For a while, some of his customers even saw her as an adorable little mascot. Unfortunately, that was no longer viable as she had grown a lot since then and was often very busy herself.

Rowan was also particularly excited to get away from Næmyris for a few days, considering how rare such an occurrence was. The last time she went any further than the forest was when Tyris was granted the rank of Junior Captain in the Navy just under four years ago.

She envied her brother and father for how much grander their worlds must seem from all of their travelling, though she understood the reasons why she could so rarely travel.

Tehri was unfortunately not the best at travelling long distances, especially with her tendency towards a weak constitution, and Rowan wasn’t old enough to accompany Gyren alone when he went off on his more distant business ventures.

This time, however, it was her turn to go on a grand adventure, one that would take several days if everything went according to plan.

Rowan spent much of the time before the trip talking to the twins about what she should get while she was there.

There was much to consider and much to be excited about. Should she buy any souvenirs while she was there?

What would Kiriin like? Or Kyr?

Would buying souvenirs be weird, considering the reason for the trip?

These were all questions she could obviously only ask herself, but the twins were still a great help. It was also significantly less awkward than it could have been considering the strange relationship dynamic between them.

Rowan was sure Kyr knew at this point, but any reaction he may have had was overwhelmed with excitement.

With only a day before her departure, Rowan sat drinking tea with the twins at their house for a last-minute planning session.

“You should ask for a sword!” Kyr announced enthusiastically to the girls as they just gave him the flattest of looks.

“She already has a sword, Kyr,” Kiriin reminded him.

“Well yeah, but she probably won’t get that one until she’s much older,” Kyr explained.

“That’s not the point,” replied Kiriin with an exasperated sigh. "Plus, swords are expensive.”

“Kiriin’s right, I don’t need a sword,” Rowan added. “Especially when we already have the practice weapons that Tyris gave us.” She spoke in a neutral tone so as to not give the impression of favouritism.

“What about a knife?” he asked.

Rowan patted her thigh. “Already got one.”

“Right,” Kyr said in a rather deflated manner.

“You really do carry that around everywhere, don’t you?” Kiriin interjected.

“It’s useful to have around and I like it.”

“Even if… Ouch!”

Kyr didn’t get to finish whatever he was going to say due to Kiriin elbowing him firmly in the ribs.

Rowan laughed with mirth “What about a teddy bear? Da wouldnae be expecting that.”

“Yes!” Kiriin exclaimed. “A big fluffy one. Maybe a Giant Mandra?”

“That would be absolutely perfect!”

“Why would you want a teddy bear? Doesn’t sound very useful.”

“Stop being such a bore, Kyr,” Kiriin laughed. “Teddy bears are cute.”

“And cuddly.”

“Presents don’t need to be useful.”

Kyr was blushing with embarrassment as Rowan and Kiriin chided him playfully.

“There’s no need to blush, Kyr. We’re only teasing. Isn’t that right, Kiriin?”

“Well, sorry,” Kyr interjected before Kiriin could answer, “but I’m clearly not needed here. I’m sure you two would much rather be alone with how in sync you are.” He punctuated his remark by standing up suddenly and turning to leave the room.

“That’s not what we were saying,” Rowan objected.

“I don’t want to hear it!” he interrupted before fleeing.

“Kyr!” Kiriin called after him. “I’m so sorry, Rowan. This is why I didn’t want him to know.”

Kiriin then went after her brother, leaving Rowan alone in the room. She said her goodbyes not long after that, and while the day had ended on a sour note, she’d still had tremendous fun.

The air was crisp as she walked home. It was a beautiful evening, all things considered, and Rowan felt as if there was little that could get in the way of her excitement. With a burst of joy, Rowan opened the front door of her house.

“I’m home!”

Her words were meant for no one in particular, but Tehri had just so happened to be in the middle of walking down the stairs. “So you are,” she responded distantly, her face haunted by a deep melancholy.

Rather than be phased by her little sister’s sadness, Rowan gave her a smile. “Good evening, Tehri. You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

It was a simple response, yet one with a hollow depth and complexity. Tehri was anything but fine. It was as if she had gone to the absolute bottom of depression, reached the other side, and sunk right back down again; a profound despair that Rowan couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“Are you sure?”

Rowan didn’t need the answer. Something about Tehri’s sadness resonated with the core of her being and she could feel it seep through the cracks. Her heart ached, and all of her excitement bled away.

Rowan didn’t understand why it was hitting her so hard. She had barely thought about or even interacted much with Tehri for pretty much the entirety of winter. Even as Rowan recalled how Tehri had been, those memories paled in comparison to what she saw now.

Loneliness. Tehri’s affliction was becoming clear to Rowan now, a deep all-consuming loneliness had been weighing deeply on her heart.

How had she not seen it?

Her eyes had been open but blind to see what really mattered. Perhaps she may have if she had taken the time to look instead of turning her back on Tehri.

She had walked forwards with her own life and then blamed Tehri for being unable to keep up. What had happened to being a good older sister and helping Tehri when she stumbled through life? In hindsight, it was all so obvious, and Rowan didn’t want to believe it. She fled to her room and tried to hide from the revelation.

Ignorance was bliss, knowing was a nightmare.

*****

Sleep failed Rowan that night. No matter how far she ran, Tehri’s haunted loneliness caught her. Because of her somewhat poor constitution and strange moods, Tehri had never had many friends growing up. Not many people understood the pendulum-like nature of her moods, the depression, and the mania, especially children.

When Tehri was depressed, she tended to be withdrawn and rather apathetic, not really wanting to spend time with anyone, and the lack of a smile was never too welcoming.

Then there was the mania, which was arguably harder to deal with, especially if it happened directly after a depressive episode. To see someone go from despair and sadness to having boundless energy and a lack of inhibitions to stop them from acting on some of the thoughts that had struck them while they were down was a terrifying sight.

Yet, despite all she suffered, she still had the support of her family, and she had friends in Rowan and the twins. It wasn’t the same as friends her own age, but it was enough for Tehri, and Rowan had taken that away from her.

Guilt played a scornful melody on Rowan’s heart. She had failed as a sister. She had failed Tehri, and no one else could see it. Tehri probably hated her now, not that Rowan would blame her, she’d probably feel the same way in her shoes.

Already, a small part of her being, down in the depths of her soul, hated herself for abandoning Tehri, but what was she to do? Could she have done anything differently? Probably. Definitely. Not that it mattered now. She had already failed. Her thoughts kept coming back to that, like a circle. She needed to break free, but was she even deserving of that? Of being forgiven?

No!

Even so, Rowan had to make things right, for Tehri’s sake.

*****

After what felt like an eternity, the sun crept over the horizon, and Rowan stepped onto the boat with her father to the dissonant sound of birdsong.

“I know it’s early, Rowan, but it’s almost twenty leagues to Tærin. I’m sure you’ll be able to sleep on the boat, and this way, we can get a nice meal at the inn when we arrive.”

Rowan nodded glumly as they found some seats. Gyren wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she slowly drifted asleep, her guilt no longer enough to hold back her exhaustion. She eventually woke up a few hours later at around midday with her head resting on her father’s lap. It seemed as though he hadn’t even moved whilst she had been sleeping. He smiled down at her. “Feeling better?”

Rowan nodded in response, and she even felt that it wasn’t even that much of a lie. While it was still true that she felt pretty awful, a small speck of not-so-bad shined within, like a lone star amidst the sablest of night skies.

After a moment, Rowan decided to speak up and ask her father a question. “Am I a bad sister?”

“No, of course not,” he responded. “What’s brought this on?”

“Tehri’s depressed because of me.”

“That’s nonsense. We don’t know why she goes through her phases like she does.”

“But they never last this long,” Rowan said sadly.

“That doesn’t make it your fault.” Gyren sounded confused as he tried to rebut Rowan’s feelings of guilt.

“I made it worse by not spending time with her. She’s lonely, Da.”

“She is? How do you know that? Did she say something?”

“I felt it clear as day. It was like a terrible abyss. I can still feel it, and I know it must be so much worse for Tehri.”

“I can see why you feel it’s your fault then, but it sounds like you were just overwhelmed with empathy.”

“Like an Ardent,” Rowan muttered under her breath without even realising.

“What was that, dear?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Rowan responded with a confused look on her face.

The conversation didn’t progress much further after that, so instead of letting it drift into an awkward silence, they had a light lunch. They then spent the rest of the journey playing Ruun and a few other board games that were available for use on the boat.

They arrived at Tærin Port as the sun was setting, which was admittedly rather early at the beginning of spring. With a chill in the air, they made their way to the Twin Moons Inn, a rather wealthy establishment decorated in both blue and red. It was a design familiar to most of the larger cities on the island. Despite its splendour, however, it still paled in comparison to an inn of the same name in the capital.

When they eventually finished their dinner, it was clear that it would be too late to do any shopping, so instead, they decided to just go for a walk. It was a welcome distraction as they explored the city. Rowan was surprised by how different it felt. They were only twenty leagues away from home, yet it felt like a completely different world to her.

She actually found it intimidating with how much stone there was in the city, especially with the towering walls. That isn’t to say the city was grey. In fact, the stone buildings in the wealthier districts were surprisingly colourful as it seemed like each one was painted in a myriad of different styles and fashions. Unfortunately, some of them clashed rather badly as the owners apparently had no regard for their surroundings.

The city also seemed to have an aversion to greenery. Which is to say that there was a severe lack of trees or gardens. Much more value was placed on efficiency and packing in as much real estate as possible. It made sense with the walls making it difficult to expand outwards, but the few trees and feeble attempts at gardens didn’t quite cut it in Rowan’s eyes.

There was, however, one part of the city that truly impressed her, and that was Fountain Square at the centre of the Commercial District. True to its name, a fountain sat in the middle of the square, and it was clear that it was the pride of the city. The craftsmanship was flawless, and they had somehow managed to keep it in a pristine condition for whoever knows how long.

It had been made to show a beautiful depiction of a family of Tærans, the mythical race of people that the river and, by extension, the city had been named for. The Tærans were believed to be the original inhabitants of Llen Færa and the surrounding islands long before the humans and Ferrans arrived.

The spectacle of the fountain and the distraction of exploring the town definitely helped Rowan sleep that night. When she woke up the following morning, she thanked the Goddess that her sleep had only been restless and not haunted by nightmares. A part of her was even excited to go shopping after breakfast, though her heart still ached.

Breakfast that morning was short and sweet as they got ready to hit the town. Just before they finished, Rowan made a passing comment on how she had joked about asking for a teddy bear before disregarding the idea. Gyren hadn’t really reacted much to the suggestion, so she let it lie. He did, however, remind her that they had to meet with one of his associates at the Fel’Daarin Trading Company before they went shopping.

Rowan blanked out most of the meeting. She was sure it was riveting, but she just wasn’t in a state of mind to take much of anything from it in. Fortunately, all she had to do was look cute to help endear the chief manager of the trading company’s local branch.

All in all, she could have probably done a significantly better job in that regard, but that required a degree of energy and upbeatness that she was somewhat lacking at the time. She still put in the effort to hold a smile and to come across as being at least slightly curious.

Somewhat fortuitously, there was something of note to help in that regard by way of the chief manager’s surprisingly androgynous assistant. While a degree of androgyny wasn’t exactly unusual, that degree was pretty much unheard of amongst humans and Ferran.

The only clue Rowan had into the reason for it lay in the form of a soft violet tint to their skin which indicated Mirieli ancestry. Rowan had never seen a Miriel before. She had, however, read about their reflective, silvery skin, which obviously didn’t describe this individual, but that made sense, considering it was written by a human. Rowan’s eyes saw what humans’ could not. Plus, they were clearly not full Miriel, but they were close enough for it to show in their complexion.

Alas, a chance not quite meeting with another mixed-race individual of different ancestry was not quite enough to occupy Rowan’s mind for long in her current mental state. All in all, it just served as a momentary observation that she stored away for later use.

As such, Rowan spent much of the hour in which the meeting took place doing little more than twiddling her thumbs and wishing that they could be out shopping in the city. Thankfully, she didn’t need to wait for a truly unbearably long time for her father to announce that it was time to leave. From the smile on his face, the meeting was a success, though Rowan sensed it could have gone better.

When they finally left the Trading Company a few minutes later. Rowan felt like it was time for her own mercantile adventure. The first few shops were a bust; nothing in them called out to Rowan especially.

The artisanal bookstore was particularly depressing with its overly dressed-up books that seemed good only as tacky decorations for scholarly posers. Rowan was half convinced that was the only way those books were getting sold as the contents left a lot to be desired. Who wants to read about dangerous solutions that clearly don’t work for non-existent issues?

Rowan was starting to lose hope in the merchants of Tærin City and their wares when they arrived at a quaint Jeweller’s shop by the river. Unlike some of the stores from before, the jewellery on display was presented in a modest fashion and was clearly of very high quality. A set of earrings in particular caught Rowan’s eye. They reminded her of Kiriin, despite being a very different style. Still, the three rubellite studs, spiralling sapphire arrow, and amethyst flower cuffs called to her.

She also had another genius idea whilst browsing the store’s wares and when she heard that the attached silversmith took commissions, she knew exactly what she needed to do. After purchasing the earrings, Rowan took her father next door to order a pair of silver filigree bracelets.

While they would take some time to complete, Rowan hoped that she would be able to share them with Tehri when they were done; a peace offering to help bridge the gap between them.

After that, they visited a couple more stores and bought a few more things. When they eventually returned to the inn at the end of the day, Gyren surprised Rowan by giving her a small teddy bear. “I thought it might help,” he said softly as he handed it over.

Rowan hugged it close to her chest and cried a little bit. And then it was time to sleep. Tomorrow, their journey would come to an end, and they would return home. As Rowan lay in bed, she realised she was once again alone.

After a full day in the company of her father, being apart from him hurt even more. She clung tightly to her new teddy bear to try and banish the heavy burden of isolation and the rising feeling of nausea.

She clamped her eyes shut, hoping it would disappear. Instead, she only felt more anxious as voices from the common room echoed all around her. They spoke to her, and filled her head with dread. To Rowan, they were a chorus that sang a grim lullaby as she fitfully drifted off to sleep.

That night, Rowan lived through some of her greatest fears. Everyone was leaving her, walking away as if she didn’t even exist, or worse, in spite of it.

No matter how far she chased after her friends or family, even her enemies, they just drifted further and further away into a deep, impenetrable fog. All the while, the voices chanted within her mind, telling her that this is what she deserved, that it was only a matter of time.

As she reached the fog, the voices twisted into a cacophony, and the scene before her eyes shifted. Rowan saw herself crying in a field of blood, as her friends and family were killed again and again and again.

“Don’t let it end like this.”

*****

Since that night, Rowan barely slept, and what little sleep she did get was marred by the most horrific nightmares. Even so, she was still able to smile on her birthday, if only barely. And then spring passed into summer. Rowan kept her torment a secret from her family, fearing how they might respond, but they weren’t idiots. They could see the pain in Rowan’s eyes, and they did their best to help. It only made things worse.

On the night before the eclipse, Rowan felt like her head was imploding. It was too much, and when Kiriin tried to comfort her, she felt broken. Instead of feeling exhilarated when Kiriin kissed her, she felt sadness. Instead of feeling joy when Kiriin confessed her feelings, Rowan could only feel like it was a lie. Instead of responding with her own true feelings, Rowan lashed out.

She didn’t want to be alone, but her nightmares had convinced her that she would lose everyone, so she had started pushing them away, to make it quick, and then she couldn’t lose them anymore. It only made her feel worse, but there was no stopping it now, was there?

“Don’t let it end like this.”

There it was again.

Chapter 6: Happiness

“Love is an incredible feeling.” A simple conclusion that Rowan came to as she approached her destination, a secret rendezvous with Kiriin. Some would call it a date and Rowan was inclined to agree. It had only been a couple of weeks, so she was very much still riding that high; she planned to ride it forever.

Before long, Rowan’s eyes fell onto the lupine guardian statue that marked her meeting place with Kiriin, only to find her golden-haired partner in crime to be markedly absent. She sighed in relief. Leaving early had had the desired effect of not leaving Kiriin waiting. That would’ve been the absolute worst!

“Boo!”

Rowan practically leapt out of her skin at the sudden greeting, much to the alarm of everyone else waiting around the statue.

“Well hello to you, too,” Kiriin smiled as she leant in from behind Rowan.

“Where were—when did you?” Rowan spluttered.

Kiriin slid her arm into Rowan’s and laughed. “You really should have expected that I’d do something like that,” she said.

“That’s not fair!” Rowan complained back.

“Come on. Let’s go before we create too much of a scene.”

And just like that, Rowan was being swept away to their first destination, wherever that may be.

Kiriin led her towards the bustling centre of town where everyone was getting ready for the Solstice Festival, despite it being a Day of Rest. With there only being a day left until the festivities began, however, it was somewhat understandable.

Even Rowan was feeling the pressure. She had bought most of her gifts for everyone, but she still had to buy one last special gift for Kiriin. It was going to be a challenge to get it done in time with Kiriin being right there. Distracting her was not going to be easy. Well, distracting her and being free to do what needed to be done to be more precise.  Whatever she ended up doing, she was determined to make a quick peck on the cheek part of the plan.

Alas, they reached the central market in a matter of what felt like seconds, and Rowan was forced to put on her improvising hat, which is to say, an absolutely adorable tam hat that she just had to try on.

Wait, why was she the one getting distracted? Things weren’t exactly going according to her nonexistent plan. Moving swiftly on…

And just like that, Rowan’s misdemeanour was quickly forgotten and the couple returned to the renowned pastime of window shopping. Rowan’s eyes darted around like a crazed berserker, trying to see anything and everything that would make for a good gift, whilst also trying to have fun with Kiriin and not let anything slip.

After what felt like hours, Rowan found her prize; a pair of twin crescent earrings. Kiriin had been wanting to get her ears pierced for ages and these in particular would look absolutely stunning on her. Now all that remained was buying them on the down low. Of course that was significantly easier said than done, especially without a distraction.

“Think, Rowan, think!” she muttered quietly to herself.

“Did you say something?” Kiriin asked with a delicate smile.

“Nope, no, nothing at all,” Rowan replied, perhaps a little too quickly.

However, rather than question her further, Kiriin just took hold of her hand again and ushered her away. Back to window shopping, they went. Rowan was left at a complete loss for what to do next. Kiriin wasn’t giving her an inch, let alone the mile she felt that she needed.

It was almost twenty minutes later when the natural flow of their meandering guided them toward the exit of the square. And just like that, it was behind them. Rowan had failed. That was the prevailing thought flying around her head at least.

Somewhat fortunately, however, she wasn’t given time to dwell on it as the sound of a crying child and crying wares reached her ears. Rowan and Kiriin were pushed aside from the path of an approaching wagon and ahead of them lay quite a commotion.

A young boy was strewn across the ground amidst a small smattering of crates that had fallen beside him. Rowan rushed to his side to see if he was okay with Kiriin in step right behind her.

“Sami!” she called out softly, crouching down beside the crying boy. He was clutching at his knee which appeared to be bleeding slightly. Rowan recognised him as the nephew of one of her father’s merchant friends. “Sami, look at me. Are you okay?”

The boy looked up hesitantly, his face caught in a slight grimace of pain hidden behind a look of faltering bravery. “R-rowan?” he sniffed.

“That’s me! Come on. Let me see that knee of yours.”

Sami slowly pulled his hands away to reveal the graze he was hiding. It was as Rowan suspected, not too bad, all things considered, likely due to his woollen leggings taking most of the beating. Still, the wound was covered in gravel and dirt. Fortunately, Rowan had a waterskin in her satchel along with a fresh handkerchief.

“Okay, Sami, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to clean the cut on your knee. It’ll probably sting a wee bit, but it will help in the long run so you’ve got to be brave, okay?”

Sami gave her a wide-eyed look before nodding his assent. Rowan washed away the gravel as quickly as she could without causing Sami too much pain and distress, and like an absolute trooper, he held in his tears.

“There’s a good boy,” Rowan smiled. “You did great. Now, how should I reward such a brave boy? Oh, I know! Here’s a little something to treat yourself from the market.”

Sami looked at the coins Rowan pushed into his hands with surprise. “Isn’t this a bit mu…”

Rowan shushed him quietly and then leant in to whisper, “That’s because I need you to do something for me.” She went on to explain how she needed to buy the earrings without Kiriin noticing and asked if he could do it for her. He nodded enthusiastically and ran off like he’d never been injured in the first place.

At roughly the same time, Kiriin had finished helping the shopkeeper whose wares had been knocked over. “Nicely done,” she laughed with just a hint of mirth.

“Likewise,” Rowan returned in kind. “Shall we be off then?”

“No time like the present.”

*****

They were halfway to where they were planning to spend the rest of their date when Sami came running up to them with some winter fruits as a thank-you for cleaning up his knee. He did his best to surreptitiously hand over the earrings with the fruits.

“Smart lad,” Rowan thought to herself with a smile before handing a frostberry over to Kiriin. She then slid the earrings into her pockets as Kiriin chowed down. A few moments later they waved goodbye to Sami and made their way to the Lunar Hearth Cafe for a late lunch and some mulled cider.

It didn’t take too long to get there. Little more than ten minutes to be more exact. And they were greeted by a friendly server who took them to a small booth near the warm hearth for which the cafe was named. The scent of mulling spices filled the air as they approached and solstice decorations charmed the eyes.

Rowan slid into the soft velvety chair that presented itself before her with a sigh of pure bliss. They had been on their feet for an age, and whilst Rowan didn’t hate it, far from it in fact, nothing beat sitting down on a comfy chair after a busy day.

Kiriin was slightly more demure as she sat down across from Rowan, but her face spoke the same truth as Rowan’s sigh. Seeing that neither of them were ready to order or anything, the server left them to just sit there for a few minutes as they basked in the warm comfort and each other’s company.

After a short— potentially long— while, the server returned with some water and a few complimentary snacks to tide them over as they went through what was on the menu that day. Rowan eventually settled on the fish and root vegetable soup, whereas Kiriin went for the steak pie. Then to top off their orders, they both got a large cup of mulled cider, which is to say, the less alcoholic option. They weren’t allowed the stronger stuff until they turned seventeen at the earliest.

While they waited for their food and cider to arrive, Rowan slipped off her left sheepskin boot, wiggled her toes, and reached out to poke Kiriin’s leg. The reaction that followed was priceless. Kiriin practically jumped out of her chair; payback for earlier.

Alas, Rowan’s victory was short-lived as the return attack soon followed. Despite her best efforts, she started losing ground, and before long she could do little more than giggle.

“Kiriin, stop! That tickles!” she laughed.

When the tickling only continued, Rowan pulled her feet up and leant over to kiss a very distracted Kiriin. It would have been a masterful play, had it not been for the timing.

“Fish soup for the enthusiastic young lady,” the server announced as Rowan held the kiss.

In just mere seconds, Rowan’s face turned a brilliant crimson as she was frozen in that eternal moment of embarrassment until a similarly rosy Kiriin pulled away.

“And the steak pie for you, young miss,” the server then directed at Kiriin as Rowan finally fell back into her seat.

Rather than say "thank you" to the server, Kiriin articulated her gratitude through a series of awkward hand flailing and nonsensical sounds that were somewhat lacking in discernable vowels. Meanwhile, Rowan just sat there completely frozen. The server thankfully did not add any further to the awkwardness and promptly left the two of them to their food.

After a few moments alone together, Kiriin soon regained a semblance of composure. She looked across the table towards the still-blushing Rowan and smiled awkwardly at her.

“We should probably dig in before it gets cold,” she said, breaking the silence.

Rowan wordlessly nodded and fumbled for her spoon. When she finally took that first sip of the soup, all of the awkwardness that lingered in her bones slipped away and was quickly replaced with delicious glee and the biggest smile.

“Wow!” Rowan stated as she set her spoon back down.

“It certainly is something, isn’t it?” Kiriin replied.

She could say that again.

The two of them went on to savour their food and the mulled cider. Neither of them was willing to let a single drop or crumb go to waste. When they were finished, all they could do for the first few minutes was sigh in contentment.

The sighing couldn’t last forever, however, and this time, it was Rowan that broke the silence. “You know what,” she said, “if I could, I would reconfigure my dessert stomach so that I could eat another serving of that soup.”

“But what if dessert is just as good?” Kiriin wisely responded.

“You’ve got a point,” Rowan answered, now glancing towards the display of cakes and various other delectable treats. They might even have Alyren Raindrops on the menu.

“You’re drooling, Rowan,” Kiriin teased.

Rowan quickly wiped her mouth. “No, I’m not!” she protested.

“You totally were! Not that I can blame you; that Twilight Cake looks good enough to kill for.”

“Should we then?”

“We totally should.”

In an instant, dessert was ordered and Kiriin pulled something out of her bag.

“So Rowan, I know it’s a little early, but I got this for you.”

She handed over the loosely wrapped package to Rowan with a rosy-faced smile.

“You shouldn’t have,” Rowan responded as she gingerly accepted the gift with a blush of her own. Of course, her comment wasn’t going to stop her from opening it right then and there. The loose wrapping was soon off and Rowan’s jaw hit the table.

“Mother’s eyes, when did you?” Rowan’s question trailed off as she marvelled at the tam hat that had distracted her so easily little more than a couple of hours ago.

“Well, you know,” Kiriin replied, dancing around the question.

“Tell me!” Rowan pleaded.

“I will if you kiss me.”

“I am not going to tempt fate!”

“Then I guess you’ll never know.”

“Fine! But not here. I’ll give you lots of kisses later if you tell me now.”

“Easy, Rowan. I was just teasing you.”

“Oh.”

“It was while you were trying it on. It just looked too cute on you so I knew I had to get it for you.”

Rowan once again turned crimson. “Stop it!” she said bashfully.

“It’s true!”

“Yeah? Well, take this.” Rowan reached into her coat pocket to grab the earrings and thrust them into Kiriin’s hands. “These are for you.”

After the momentary surprise from Rowan’s sudden outburst faded, Kiriin unfolded the small tissue wrapping that hid the earrings from view.

Kiriin's face opened up brightly like the first blossoms of spring when she saw the earrings.

"They're beautiful, Rowan!"

To punctuate her appreciation, Kiriin practically leapt over the table to hug Rowan. Thankfully, this time the server didn't make an inopportune appearance, though the two of them did get a few looks from the other patrons.

When she returned to her chair, Kiriin held up one of the earrings to her ear. "How does it look?" she asked.

"Perfect," Rowan answered with a smile, though it soon turned into a frown. There was something off about Kiriin's tone. "You knew!" Rowan exclaimed suddenly, the accusation echoing slightly throughout the room.

"I did not!"

"Really?"

"Well, not exactly. I mean, I knew that you asked Sami to buy something, but I didn't know what."

"If you say so."

Kiriin nodded and shifted over to sit next to Rowan.

"I do say so," she whispered into Rowan's ear, "and I love them."

A chill went down Rowan's spine as she heard those words. She was drawn to them. So much so that she turned in to face Kiriin. They were so close that their noses were almost touching.

"Just kiss already!"

The girls almost jumped out of their seats at the sudden and somewhat assertive imperative. Kiriin twisted around and Rowan looked past her to spy the perpetrator. An elderly gentleman sat there staring at them with a lady of a similar age.

"Don't stop now dearies," the old woman added, "this is the most fun we've had all year."

In an awkward mix of embarrassment and incredulity, the two girls just started laughing into each other's shoulders. The result was a beyond strange set of emotions, quite a few of which were very much conflicting.

For Rowan, she actually kind of liked the attention. At the same time, she didn't appreciate being blindsided by voyeurs. Back to the positive side, the positive affirmation of her relationship with Kiriin made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Still, there was a time and a place, and this was not it. Thankfully, the server seemed to agree as they asked the couple to leave the girls alone as they brought over the desserts. For that, and the delicious desserts, Rowan considered them forgiven for their earlier indiscretion.

Following the server’s gentle scolding, the elderly couple left the two girls alone as they devoured their decadently moreish desserts. When nothing remained, they paid for their food and took their leave.

They were greeted by a somewhat melancholic breeze as they stepped outside; a sign that their date was coming to its natural end. Rather than part then and there, however, they meandered to the halfway point between their two homes.

Still, even with their maze-like path, they found themselves nearing the end of the road. Rowan squeezed Kiriin’s hand as they approached, not wanting to part with her. The feeling was so strong that she refused to take another step.

“Rowan?” Kiriin asked.

“I don’t wanna!”

Kiriin went on to question Rowan’s sudden protest when Rowan spied a familiar face in the distance. Through her burgeoning tears, she asked, “Is that K…?

Before she could finish the question, Kiriin pulled her out of sight and up against a wall. She fell in close to Rowan, practically face to face.

“Kyr doesn’t need to know about us,” Kiriin said, almost pleading with Rowan.

“Why not?”

Rather than answer Rowan’s question. Kiriin kissed her deeply. As Rowan’s gift activated in full force in the face of Kiriin’s passion, Rowan’s questions and worries slipped away. It didn’t matter that Kiriin wasn’t ready to tell Kyr. What mattered is that Kiriin loved her and that she loved Kiriin. That would remain true even if they weren’t physically together.

As Kiriin continued to kiss Rowan, Rowan returned the kiss in kind. The feeling of her lips lingered even as Kiriin pulled away and retreated into the street. It wasn’t the goodbye that Rowan expected, but it certainly left her satisfied.

*****

"Welcome back, dear,” Hæra greeted Rowan. “How was your date with Kiriin?”

Even the idea of forming a coherent sentence in light of such a question was lost to the wind. “M-ma-my what now?” was pretty much the limit of what Rowan could muster.

“Your date with Kiriin. It’s taken you long enough to get to this point and I want to hear all the juicy details.”

“You knew?”

“Of course, I knew, dear. I knew that you and Kiriin were a thing the moment you came home the other week with that massive grin on your face.”

“Wait, what?” Rowan tried to interject.

“I mean, it was only a matter of time with how hard Kiriin was crushing on you and you clearly just needed that little push.”

“How could you even know that?”

“Who do you think gave Kiriin advice on how to catch your eye? I was originally content to remain impartial on the matter, but she was so earnest in her request.”

“B-b-buh?”

“How about a cup of tea to help you regain your composure?”

Rowan just nodded in response and five minutes later, she was sitting in the living room with her mother and a nice hot fruit tea. After the first few tentative sips, Rowan looked up towards her mother. “You don’t think it’s weird?” she asked.

“Why would I think it’s weird?”

“Because most relationships are between people of opposing genders?”

“Oh, Rowan. That’s true, yes, but the inverse is far from unusual. From my experience, a significant number of people have some measure of attraction to people of the same gender. For some, it’s one gender or another. For others, it’s multiple, much like yourself. And for yet another group, it’s none at all.”

“Hang on a second!” Rowan wasn’t about to let that remark slide.

Rather than let herself get distracted, however, Hæra just continued. “As a matter of fact,” she went on to say, “before I met your father, I wasn’t against the occasional fling with a pretty lady.”

“Ma!”

“It’s true. There was this one time…”

“I don’t need to hear it!”

“Well, if you’re not going to tell me about your date…”

“Fine! I’ll tell you!”

*****

Love life interrogations aside, the rest of winter carried on with much of the same date-filled bliss. To make things even better, spring was soon approaching, which meant Rowan’s birthday was just around the corner. Well, not quite, but it was close enough for her to start getting excited.

This was especially true one particular afternoon as her father had made it clear that he had something to tell her when he got home from the shop. Rowan was of half a mind to go directly to him and get the information early, but she didn’t want to disturb him whilst he was working.

As such, she was forced to wait. To pass the time, she paced and danced around in the living room with Tehri curled up silently in the corner, doodling away. At first, Rowan considered chatting with her for a bit, but she seemed to be focused on her art.

When the door opened a while later, Rowan leapt with glee, only to be slightly disappointed to see her mother enter the room instead of her father, and then instantly feeling bad for it.

“Well, hello to you too, Rowan.” Hæra laughed. “And to you as well, my dear little Tehri.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you that look. I just…”

“No worries, dear. I know you’re excited about the news that your father has for you.”

The assurance made Rowan feel a little better. Good enough for her curiosity to return at the very least.

“Can’t you tell me?” she asked.

“I could, but it would be best coming from him. It’ll be worth the wait, I promise. If you still can’t wait, I’ve got some other super exciting news to tide you over.”

Rowan’s eyes brightened.

“Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”

“I will if you stop jumping around like that.”

“Okay!”

As part of her immediate compliance, Rowan let herself drop straight to her knees from the middle of a jump. She was still squirming with excitement as Hæra gave her a heartwarming smile, however. There was a limit to how much energy she could contain. Still, it was enough to satisfy her mother.

“So, I was helping out at the temple and news came in from the capital that we’re going to be getting a total crimson eclipse this coming summer.”

That was indeed big news. Rowan had only ever been to one eclipse before and she could barely remember it. What she could remember, however, was that it was a magical experience. The fact that it was a crimson eclipse made it even more special, not least because her name shared a common root with Rowan’el, but also because of the supposed affinity her family had with the moon and her own future as an Ardent.

Alas, the excitement was quickly redirected as the door opened a second time and Gyren entered the room. With impressive feline grace, Rowan was back on her feet in an instant.

“Da! Tell me! Tell me!”

“Easy there, Rowan,” laughed Gyren, “let me sit down first.”

“Fine!”

Rather than sit straight down like Rowan had done just moments ago, Gyren took the time to give Hæra a kiss and to ruffle Tehri’s hair first. Rowan was not happy. Well, not exactly; she was ecstatic, but she was also growing ever more impatient.

After taking his time to sit down, Gyren started speaking in an overly relaxed tone that failed in every regard to convey the gravity of the situation. “It would seem that Rowan is in a rather enthusiastic mood, wouldn’t it, dear?” he said to Hæra.

“I just told her about the eclipse,” Hæra smiled back.

“Ah, yes. That must be it.”

“Da!”

“Yes, my sweet little princess?”

“You promised you’d tell me the thing when you got home!”

“I did?” Gyren teased. “Right, yes! That thing.”

Rather than continue, Gyren let silence fill the room.

“Da?”

This time, tears started to well up in Rowan’s eyes.

“Oh, dear,” Hæra said, stepping in to wipe away the tears. “I think that’s enough teasing for now, don’t you, Gyren?”

“Indeed,” Gyren replied, adopting a more serious tone. “I’m sorry, Rowan, I didn’t mean to make you upset or anything.”

Rowan just sniffed in response.

“I know it won’t make it up to you, but the thing that I wanted to tell you is that I have a business trip in Tærin City coming up before your birthday and I want to bring you with me. That way you can pick a present for yourself that you wouldn’t be able to get here. How does that sound?”

“Good,” admitted Rowan begrudgingly. She didn’t appreciate the teasing, but the promise of a trip away from Næmyris was not an opportunity that Rowan was willing to pass on. Such events were few and far between at the best of times and it was always with the whole family. This was practically a solo adventure; another sign that she was growing up.

Even between the occasional tear, life was good.

Chapter 5: Love

Two and half years had passed since Hæra had told Rowan the truth about her long-lost twin sister, Rina. That, in and of itself, was quite the shock. However, it also held a deeper meaning; that Rowan had lived meant that she would one day Awaken as an Ardent.

That is to say that her Awakening was all but guaranteed. There was, however, a small sliver of uncertainty that Rowan was determined to overcome. She would not let Rina’s death be in vain.

With that in mind, she had tried to learn as much as she could about Ardents from Master Idyr. Unfortunately, his understanding of the subject was somewhat limited.

He still knew more than the average person, but his education was flavoured largely by his specialty in Resonance. Such expertise was great for learning about how Ardents could amplify the emotions of others or how their power came from the way their emotions Resonated with the Goddess and their soul.

He even went into how Resonance would continue to build up a person’s soul until it was too much for them to contain. At that point, the only thing that was needed for them to Awaken was some kind of catalyst to push them over the edge.

Of course, when it came to asking him what that catalyst might be, he had no idea. Fortunately, he had the good sense to know his limitations, so he offered to ask his various academic contemporaries for different studies on the matter.

Inspired by his suggestion, Rowan also turned to her father. Thanks to his business, he could purchase books from all over and he had his own sea of contacts and associates. Granted, it wasn’t the easiest of endeavours for him, far from it, but he did his best.

Between the two of them, however, they were highly successful. So much so that by the time of Rowan’s thirteenth birthday, she had a veritable wealth of records on the subject. It wasn’t all useful.

Even so, Rowan found it difficult to even scratch the surface of what she had. The literature was just so dense and difficult to read, and a lot of it felt incomplete. Rowan surmised this was likely due to how rare Awakening was. It was rather difficult to study a group that was a fair bit less than a percent of the population at the best of times.

Once Rowan managed to get into the meat of her reading, however, she was able to learn some fairly significant tidbits about Ardents and Stoics.

One particularly noteworthy fact that she found to be rather interesting was that the vast majority of Ardents and Stoics had their Awakening before their seventeenth birthdays. By the age of twenty-three, it was almost completely unheard of. For some reason, as you got older, Awakening became increasingly less likely.

It took Rowan significantly longer to find a potential answer to her question. Seeing it sent a chill down her spine. So much so that it actually gave her second thoughts about forcing the issue.

No one should need to go through that.

To make matters worse, it wasn’t even a guarantee. Rowan pushed those thoughts away as she looked for other ways to encourage her Awakening.

Of course, Rowan had done much more than just studying since that emotional Midsummer’s Day. First and foremost was the time she spent with Hæra, learning to sing and dance. It had come to mean the world to her and not just because of the precious time it gave her with her mother.

Rowan also valued the strength, flexibility, and athleticism that dancing offered her, and she really enjoyed singing. The strong, slender form that she was developing from all the exercise she was doing also proved that her Ferran ancestry was holding fast.

Her development from all her training was most apparent in her legs as her muscles grew more in density than in size.

Of course, she did much more than just train with her mother. With the twins reaching adolescence just after the solstice, they had started joining her in the forest. Between the three of them, they found various ways to take full advantage of the arboreal wonderland.

The three of them were especially fond of stealth tag as it let each of them be creative in playing to their strengths. What made the game so engaging is that they each had ways of excelling in either role.

Rowan had her speed and mobility which gave her a massive advantage when it came to navigation. Kiriin’s growing mastery of her Gift and stealth, in general, made her exceptionally difficult to track. And Kyr’s strategic acumen helped him plan his way to victory, no matter the scenario.

With such qualities in mind, the game became an ever-growing arms race and the finish line was far beyond the horizon. The arms race could also be seen in the training regimen Tyris had given them.

In just two and a half years, they made significant progress in the areas they chose to specialise in. So much so that they were able to further personalise their approaches to training

Rowan, for one, had started capitalising on the explosive strength in her legs as she focused on outmanoeuvring the twins with speed and power. The strategy was particularly useful when she was able to rush them down before they could take the initiative. Her plan was to combine all of her strengths with her preference for light, nimble weaponry into her own style.

Unfortunately, the increased intensity of her fighting style made it significantly more draining in longer fights. That isn’t to say she wasn’t working on her stamina as well, just that it was falling behind and that it wasn’t an issue that the other two had.

Kyr in particular almost never worried about getting overly tired in a fight. Part of this came from his overall focus on strategy and his martially analytical mind. Rowan could almost see the cogs turning whenever they sparred. It was as if he was approaching it like a game of Ruun.

There was also the fact that he approached combat in a particularly defensive fashion. This approach was largely reinforced by his preference for weapons with significant reach, such as greatswords and polearms.

His defensive style eventually evolved into what he liked to call an offensive defence. On his path to this strategy, he even managed to get the idea that spinning around whilst using a greatsword was a good trick.

Rowan thought it was rather silly, but he swore it was effective when you were outnumbered. Of course, it wasn’t something they could easily test as it was just the three of them and it wasn’t effective against either of the girls’ styles.

Kiriin especially shot down any ideas of testing out the technique in a beautifully literal fashion during the previous summer. Instead of saying anything when Kyr suggested it for the last time, she just placed her hand on her bow and smiled.

Rowan’s heart skipped a beat when she did that.

It was a testament to all the hard work Kiriin had put into her training. There was just something about it that inspired Rowan.

It wasn’t just archery that Kiriin excelled at, her skill with daggers, knives, and short spears was unparalleled. Between the three of them, at least.

Kiriin had also started training with the hunters and rangers to further develop her Gift beyond what she could get from playing in the forest. Rowan felt like she was falling massively behind with the development of her own Gift.

On top of all the training and studying she had done, Rowan also noticed the years brought other noteworthy changes. Her body had started to mature, and she even managed to grow a wee bit taller, though she was still dwarfed by Kiriin and Kyr.

Thankfully, with Bragi out of the equation, Rowan had grown to be much happier, and she liked how things changed. Granted, the compliments that she had been getting from Kyr, and Kiriin for that matter, certainly helped.

If anything, she couldn’t help but glow upon being given the compliments, even if she didn’t completely understand the reason for the sudden influx of them.

That isn’t to say that growing up was all good. For one, she had to suffer through growing pains without any of the actual growing.

Then there was also the start of her first cycle. Seeing the blood was enough to cause her to freak out despite the fact that she knew it was coming. The cramps that played percussion to the melody of blood certainly didn't help either.

In time, the pain became more bearable for the most part. Some months were especially bad and there was still a tenderness to both her body and heart that the inevitable flow of her cycle never ceased to bring.

There were other issues that Rowan had noticed during those years. Unfortunately, these issues were even worse than her period or any other factor of growing up.

As Rowan grew more independent, Tehri started distancing herself from her, and Rowan couldn’t fathom why. It wasn’t as if Tehri was also going through the same changes, she was still a couple of years too young for that, but it was like she was an entirely different person.

It was painful to see.

Rowan even missed Tehri’s manic episodes. It beat seeing her depressed and feeling so far away.

In the beginning, Rowan tried talking to Tehri. She was receptive at first, but as Rowan spent more and more time out of the house, Tehri stopped responding.

For months, Rowan tried to think of a solution and each one crumbled before her eyes.

Rowan considered asking her parents for help after a while, only to decide against it. This was her problem and she didn’t want to burden them with her pain.

After a few more attempts, Rowan came to one final solution to the problem. All she had to do was pull away. It was easier than the pain of failing to get closer, even if it meant losing her little sister.

Alas, Rowan’s solution was far from perfect. All too frequently, her thoughts would return to the matter and whether or not she was doing the right thing.

Such an occasion struck as she took to the frozen streets of Næmyris. Despite having a destination in mind, she found herself meandering more than a particularly adventurous river.

She felt lost. Like the path she took, her thoughts wandered. It was as if she was trapped in a labyrinth. Even so, she couldn’t let herself be defeated by regret. Especially as there was still a chance that she didn’t need to do anything to fix the issues with her and Tehri.

Time was said to heal all wounds, after all.

Rowan held onto that thought as she tried to focus on the actual task at hand. Her wandering thoughts had taken her somewhat off course, but she was able to navigate the way back on route to her destination. There lay the road to her much-needed distraction.

She ventured out west into the sea of snow and ice that coated the fields and grasslands outside of Næmyris. Onwards she trekked until she arrived on the precipice of a great boreal war.

Needing a brief moment before stepping into the fray, Rowan clapped her hands to her face in an attempt to centre herself.

“Right! That’s enough wallowing for me!

“I hope.”

Rowan closed her eyes and stepped over the crest of the hill she was standing on. When she opened them again, they fell on a giant snowball fight between the twins and some twenty others from their class.

To a casual observer, the ten to one disparity would seem to be massively unfair. Such an observation would be true from a certain point of view. Just not to the viewpoint of the aforementioned casual observer.

Whilst it was true that the larger group had strength in numbers, Kiriin and Kyr had spent the past two years honing their Gifts and a whole suite of complementary skills. Add on to that the experience they had with their training and Kyr’s fondness for strategy, the reality of the situation was clear.

One by one, the larger group fell to either Kyr’s unrelenting assault or Kiriin’s stealthy blows.

Even without any strict rules on how to be victorious, they were losing.

They just didn’t have the requisite skills to bring their advantages to bear. Even the ones with the relevant Gifts were lacking. In the face of overwhelming strategy and preparation, they crumbled. The only reason they hadn’t lost yet was that their numbers gave them the chance to recover.

Even so, they could only take so much punishment. They would all fall without aid.

Rowan was there to be the wildcard they needed.

She had only a few moments to process the situation before Kyr noticed her.

Three snowballs were upon her in the blink of an eye.

Kyr had bunkered down with a veritable mountain of snow beside him. In the days leading up to the battle, he had created his fortress and armed it with countless spheres of perfection.

Rowan couldn’t lament her own inability to prepare for long. She had to dodge.

Left.

Rowan was on the move.

She couldn’t see Kiriin.

The focus was back on Kyr. He was capitalising on his offensive defence perfectly. The only snowballs that went past his defences were the ones he threw himself.

Rowan saw her impromptu teammates try to focus him down. In that moment, Kiriin revealed herself.

One.

Two.

Three.

Down they went.

It all happened so fast, that Rowan could barely track what had happened. Already Kiriin was fading out of view. Her soft white furs blended in almost perfectly with the surrounding snow and the speckled greys added texture and broke up her silhouette.

Rowan felt Kyr lining up a shot on her as she tried to track Kiriin. She had to move again, even if it meant losing sight of her.

The need to come up with a solid plan of action was rising. Keeping track of both of them at the same time was nigh impossible. That left her with only one real choice.

Focus on them one at a time.

Granted, doing so would leave her open to attack from the other, but it was better than nothing. All she had to do now was decide which one had to fall first.

She didn’t give it much thought. Kyr was the only logical answer. Keeping track of Kiriin whilst dodging him would be a fool’s errand. He, on the other hand, had a static position.

Her team failed because they were slow. Rowan would not make the same mistake.

As she weaved through the crossfire, Rowan quickly formulated a plan. She knew that making snowballs would be more than just a little bit stupid. She’d be a sitting duck if she tried and she couldn’t do what she needed to with them.

At first, Rowan made it look like she was going to try and go after Kiriin. Then, out of nowhere, she turned on her heel. She capitalised on her superior speed, smaller frame, and lighter clothing to charge Kyr.

Keep moving. Left. Right. Jump. If I stop, Kyr will hit me.

Rowan did all she could to move as unpredictably as she could, zigzagging at seemingly random intervals, and in fluid motions she slid, jumped, and rolled, her silhouette bearing no consistency of form as she ran.

The closest Kyr came to hitting her was the odd glancing blow, and within the blink of an eye, she was upon him.

In the last few seconds of her charge, Rowan accelerated to a significant speed, and at the lip of Kyr’s fortified trench, she flipped over him, spinning in the air.

As she landed, she used her full momentum to carry on spinning, her foot striking the mountain of snowballs, causing it to collapse on an unsuspecting Kyr.

In just those few moments, all of Kyr’s preparation was brought crashing down. His classmates had already started making their way toward him with predatory looks in their eyes. In the time it would take him to escape the snow, they would be upon him, and he was without any snowballs to defend himself.

Rowan took a second to bask in her initial victory, a rising laugh washing away the thoughts that had been plaguing her. She couldn’t bask forever, however, as Kiriin was still at large.

With her gift and choice of clothing, Kiriin was practically invisible to the average human, especially when she remained still. Fortunately, Rowan was far from being just an average human, particularly in the eyes’ department.

Her eyes were much like those of her Ferran teammates, capable of seeing a greater range of colour as well as that pale violet that was invisible to the other races. It was that particular perk that gave her the edge she needed; the furs and snow reflected it in different ways and in different shades.

Without the threat of Kyr, Rowan could look out for those subtle differences, and before long, she broke through Kiriin’s camouflage. Alas, finding her was only the initial challenge.

The chase was on.

Kiriin was on the move before Rowan could even catch her bearings. Rather than give Kiriin the chance to hide again, Rowan bolted after her. In a straight foot race, that would have been enough. With the need to focus on where Kiriin was going, however, Rowan was forced to keep a much slower pace than she normally would.

Before long, Kiriin added a new element to the chase as she turned west toward the forest and the setting sun. Rowan had to shield her face against the blinding luminescence of the sun as it gazed straight into her eyes.

Her pupils narrowed to little more than a razor’s edge as she squinted fiercely towards the treeline. She almost lost Kiriin to the sun. Fortunately, Kiriin had forgotten to give her shadow the memo as it stretched out toward Rowan.

Before long, however, the shadow was consumed by one much, much larger. The ever-stretching shade of the forest was almost as blinding as the sun.

In the seconds it took for Rowan to readjust to the significantly more manageable dimness, Kiriin was gone.

The chase was at its climax and Kiriin was gone.

A flash of white told Rowan where.

She had slipped beyond the trees.

Rowan was on her tail in an instant. She refused to lose Kiriin in her verdant playground.

Before she could get far, however, Kiriin erupted out from behind a particularly large oak with a snowball in each of her hands.

The first snowball was flying toward Rowan’s face before she could even blink. That she managed to dodge it was a miracle and one she wasn’t confident she could repeat. Rather than leave it up to chance, she tackled Kiriin before she could throw the second one, sending her hat flying several feet away.

With the hat gone, Kiriin’s hair flared out, and her hazel eyes twinkled mischievously. From her vantage point, she looked down at Kiriin triumphantly, only for her heart to skip a beat as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She didn’t know why, but the soft blush on Kiriin’s cheeks painted her in the most beautiful light.

Rowan instinctively leaned in closer, quickly noticing the faint smell of perfume; Kiriin almost never wore perfume. Even if it was only for the briefest moment, she was absolutely stunning.

In Rowan’s moment of pause, Kiriin closed the gap, and their lips touched.

That brief moment extended into an eternity.

A kiss had never felt special before, but this time, Rowan’s heart wouldn’t stop racing, and from the sound of it, so was Kiriin’s. Furthermore, the kiss lit a small flame within her heart that invigorated her very being, and all her fatigue slipped away.

Rowan was feeling the power of her Gift for the first time, and it was magical.

But what does this mean? I can’t have feelings for Kiriin, can I?

The eternal moment passed, and the kiss came to a close. They lingered ever so briefly, and their noses bumped together softly. Giggling filled with mirth soon followed as they smiled at each other and rolled around in the snow.

Suddenly, Kiriin sprayed Rowan in the face to hide her reddening face.

Instead of retaliating in kind, Rowan leaned in for a kiss of her own.

When Rowan eventually pulled back, she opened her eyes to see Kiriin sporting a blush as deep a red as Rowan’s crimson locks. “Y-y-you k-kissed me,” Kiriin stammered.

“You kissed me first.”

“Well, yes. But. Well. You see. You were really cute and really close, and I hoped you wouldn’t mind and and…” Kiriin struggled to find the right words to convey her feelings, and in the end, they failed her. “Gah, I’m so embarrassed!”

It was rare to see Kiriin so flustered. In fact, Rowan was sure that this was yet another first, and it tugged at her heartstrings. ”I didn’t mind. You surprised me, but I really didn’t mind. I actually kind of liked it.”

Kiriin let out a large sigh, “I’m so relieved. I was scared you might reject me because I’m a girl or because maybe someone else had caught your eye.”

“Wait! Does that mean?”

Kiriin nodded.

This time it was Rowan’s turn to blush a deep crimson as the realisation struck her. “I think I like you too.”

“If you’re sure,” Kiriin responded hesitantly

“I am.”

A simple admission, but one with a significant meaning to the two adolescent girls. It didn’t matter to Rowan that Kiriin was a girl, nor would it have mattered if she was a boy. What mattered was that it was Kiriin, as it was Kiriin that had touched her heart.

The pair soon walked back to the others after they had collected themselves. They agreed to keep it a secret for the time being, in part to minimise any teasing, and also because it made it feel all the more special.

By the time they returned, Kyr was, in a sense, free from his snow tomb, though it seemed like he was wearing it more than anything as the snow clung to his clothes.

“What took you so long?” His question got little in the way of a verbal response. Instead, the girls awkwardly looked away from each other, trying their hardest not to blush. “Fine! Don’t tell me then,” he sulked, kicking at the snow as he stomped away.

Chapter 4: Heartflame

The afternoon following Rowan’s confrontation progressed with everyone busying around her like bees. Hæra gave her advice on other options she could take in the future, suggesting that a defensive approach may be more prudent.

Rowan couldn’t help but roll her eyes in response as she knew her mother would have acted in much the same way had it been Bragi’s father, if not worse.

Actually, the more Rowan thought about it, a similar exchange between the two of them would border on cataclysmic. They hated each other with an untold passion that their children could only emulate. But Hæra wanted to at least put on a show of being a responsible adult and performance was her specialty.

While Hæra talked to Rowan, Gyren went to find their family doctor, Doctor Bræn. When Gyren returned with the doctor, he immediately got to work, making sure Rowan’s injuries weren’t any worse than they appeared.

“From the look of things, you’ve got two bruised ribs. Fortunately, the swelling isn’t too bad, and there aren’t any signs of serious internal trauma. I’ll need to go back and get the requisite medicines so that we can have you healthy in little more than the blink of an eye.”

Rowan was surprised her ribs weren’t broken, as every movement caused pain to shoot through her body. If bruised ribs felt this bad, she could only imagine how much worse things would’ve been had they actually broken.

Doctor Bræn also pointed toward her ankle. “I’ll also bring something for the ankle. Looks like you took a nasty fall.”

Even though she knew he was just doing her job and looking after her, it felt like she’d been called out for not reporting the injury sooner.

Unsurprisingly, Hæra and Gyren were quite put out that Rowan hadn’t told them about that particular accident, sharp glances thrown her way, but they chose not to comment on it.

Satisfied with his exam, Doctor Bræn left to retrieve the supplies for her. When he returned, he gave her some rather strong pain medication and a poultice to be used on both her ankle and ribs.

“The job is all done. She should recover just fine in no time. If you need me again, you know where to find me,” he said, waving goodbye and departing.

After the doctor left, Hæra soon followed suit to talk to the Town Council so that she could settle the whole An’Teag issue once and for all. She also had to ensure that Rowan wasn’t unjustly punished for the confrontation with Bragi.

Gyren had to return to his store as well, so the responsibility fell on Tyris to be the watchful big brother. He spent that time telling Rowan and Tehri stories of legendary Ardents and Stoics.

Rowan was fascinated by stories that she was sure were heavily embellished; there was just simply no way a Stoic Kairosi Fire Monk could devour a blazing inferno single-handedly no matter how strong they were. Tehri, on the other hand, was markedly less interested, so Tyris tried to engage her in a Ferran game called Ruun. What amazed Rowan almost as much as the stories is that it actually worked.

As afternoon said its goodbyes and evening came waltzing in, Rowan came to the conclusion that it was a good day. Compared to the last encounter she’d had with Bragi, she was feeling ecstatic, over the moon even. For the first time in her short life, she had won against her great and terrible tormentor, and it was a victory to end the war.

Though, something did confuse her about the blow she had given Bragi. When the rumour mill delivered the news of what had actually happened when his crotch popped, all the men around her turned dead white.

*****

Rowan expected to be out of action for a few weeks at least due to her ribs. However, Doctor Bræn’s poultice worked miracles and Rowan was active within a few days. Not only did the poultice bring down the swelling, it also did wonders at clearing up the bruising.

Unfortunately, she still hadn’t fully recovered and had been banned from visiting the forest until she had been given the all-clear from the doctor. She was still free to be physical in other ways as long as there was little risk of any blunt-force trauma to her ribs, but she was still rather disappointed. That is to say, right up until she came to a realisation; she could still, in theory, learn the basics of how to fight with a sword or some other weapon if she could convince someone to teach her.

Following the fifth day of recovery, Rowan hunted down Tyris to try and persuade him that giving her lessons was an excellent idea. It turned out that this battle would be just as hard as her last conquest against Bragi as it turned into a war of attrition.

Tyris’ resolve was ironclad. Rowan found it admirable, though she totally wasn’t jealous. That is until his resolve finally broke after a week of Rowan chipping away at it.

“Come on, Tyr!” Rowan sighed indignantly. “It’s been a week already; what’s the worst that could happen?”

“You could get hurt again, make your injuries worse.” Tyris’ voice was wary as he responded. He had forgotten how insistent his sister could be.

“We both know that’s not gonna happen if we’re only practising the basics.”

“What about sparring?” Tyris asked. ”That’s an essential part of learning.”

“Who says we need to spar until I’m ready?”

Tyris wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he tried a different argument. “Well, you still don’t have your strength back.”

“Do you want me to do a handstand?” She had responded before Tyris even finished his sentence. “I’m fine. Honest.”

“What about…”

“Irrelevant. I’ve heard all of your arguments, and you won’t change my mind. I’ve seen you doing exercises outside, and they aren’t that far off dancing in terms of intensity. You do know that Ma let me start back up with my dance lessons over five days ago, don’t you?”

She took a second to breathe after that to see if Tyris would respond, but he knew she wasn’t finished. Smiling to herself, Rowan revealed her trump card.

“I’ve also seen enough of your routines and exercises to try it myself, but that would be incomplete and probably be beyond my level, especially without any fundamentals. Now that would be dangerous. So doesn’t it stand to reason that I should have someone teach me so that I don’t mess up?”

Rowan felt a little guilty using that line as it was a touch on the manipulative side, but she felt it was important that she started young. Furthermore, she knew if she waited until she was fully recovered, Tyris would have likely already left.

“Fine!” he sighed in exasperation. “But only under a few very important conditions. First, we clear it with mother and father. If you can’t convince them, you haven’t convinced me yet. Second, we will only cover the absolute basics and fundamentals until you have recovered more. I will talk with Doctor Bræn to work out suitable parameters. Thirdly, I insist that Kiriin and Kyr partake in the training as well. That way I can trust that you will watch each other and keep each other safe. Plus, having people to train with is the best way in my opinion.”

Rowan nodded in acknowledgement of all three of Tyris’ conditions. They made sense, and she was only responsible for fulfilling two of them.

To Tyris’ surprise, Gyren took more persuading, but Rowan knew it would play out that way. Hæra just needed to hear the points in a concise manner and get Tyris’ assurances. Gyren, however, hated the idea of either of his daughters getting hurt.

Rowan felt like he worried too much at times, but she loved him all the more for it. Even so, he relented, and the twins didn’t need any persuading. Neither did their parents, except for requiring that it didn’t get in the way of school.

*****

Rowan’s excitement for the upcoming lessons continued to grow like a rising crescendo, right up until it came crashing down as Tyris began his first lecture. What made it even worse was the smug grin he gave her as he went into proper safety measures. For those first few hours, she would have rather been lectured at by Master Idyr. At least he wouldn’t be rubbing it in her face.

Fortunately, it didn’t take Tyris too long to move on to the more interesting aspects of martial theory. So much so that Rowan was able to start absorbing information. It still sucked that there weren’t any practical elements in the beginning, but Tyris was being overly careful to not strain her.

That over-protectiveness lessened with each day, to the point that Tyris brought in some practice weapons for them to try out. Rowan could only guess where he had managed to procure so many as he had acquired at least one of almost every commonly used weapon in the Midiran military, as well as a couple of the less commonly used ones. The only exceptions were some of the longer battlefield polearms.

The initial idea behind Tyris bringing the weapons in so early was to give everyone a feel for them. This was made possible by each one having comparable weight and balance to their combat-ready counterparts. Granted, the rounded mace and warhammer may well have been combat-ready, all things considered.

Alas, actually learning how to use the weapons beyond the basic theory was not yet on the agenda. Before that, Tyris wanted to focus on stances and footwork. At first, Rowan felt that the whole exercise would be trivial, considering how she danced almost every day. It took a fair while to correct her of that notion, as Tyris couldn’t utilise the age-old tactic of “push them over”; at least, not whilst Rowan was still recovering.

The way he got around this restriction was through self-sacrifice, also known as teaching by example. He emulated Rowan’s movements and had all three of them take turns at knocking him off balance. He then repeated the exercise, but with proper footwork. The lesson was painfully clear; Tyris could feel the bruises already.

Fortunately, Rowan’s experience did let her quickly adapt from the open and fluid motions she was using to the tighter, more efficient movements and lower centre of mass required of good martial footwork. With that in mind, she still had a slight dancer’s flair. No amount of lecturing from Tyris would strike it from her style. He also didn’t complain too much as she still progressed a fair bit faster than the other two, at least in this aspect of their training.

Once Tyris deemed that Rowan was ready, he had them introduce various weapons into their routine. Spears, swords, and shields were amongst the first he had them train with. He wouldn’t shut up about the importance of shields and spears. To be fair, he had a point. Spears weren’t the most popular weapon throughout history for nothing, and shields could protect most of the body when used correctly. The reach advantage offered by spears was particularly useful for Ferran’s with their shorter stature. That is, when they weren’t using bows.

From the get-go, Kyr looked like a natural once he had a weapon in his hands and he was able to train with it. It was Rowan’s first time really seeing such an overt application of his Gift. As an Elite, his ability to learn martial skills, be they practical or theoretical, was greatly enhanced. Rowan wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, but that was the general idea at least.

Strangely enough, however, Kiriin was falling behind. She should have been right up there with Kyr. They were twins, after all, and twins almost always had the same Gift as it was based on which lunar month a person was born. The only exceptions were when someone was born during a double lunar eclipse or during the transition between lunations.

It was in following that line of thinking that Rowan realised Kiriin’s great deception. The twins had been born at the end of the third crimson lunation of The Warrior. So much so that the transition must have happened as the two were being born.

In hindsight, it all made so much sense. Rowan had ignored the possibility as she had always believed the transition happened during the middle of the night and the twins were born solidly during the day. It was such a narrow understanding that refused to take into account the Resonance between Illyria and the Goddess via the moons.

Of course, that was only the strictly academic reason why it made sense, but it didn’t explain why it should have been obvious. No, that came from the Gift that followed immediately after the Elite and the simple fact that Kiriin was bloody brilliant at sneaking around. She had the Gift of the Stalker and it explained her ability to blend in perfectly.

Unfortunately, the lack of a supporting Gift or any significant observational experience left Kiriin falling behind the others. It didn’t help that Tyris’ lessons on weapons opened up significantly after they moved on from the basics of swords and spears.

She didn’t let herself get overwhelmed by decision paralysis, however. Instead, she opted to focus on only a few weapons that Rowan felt complimented her Gift quite nicely, namely bows, daggers, and short spears.

Specialising in archery was clearly cheating as Tyris refused to let Rowan use a bow until she was fully healed. Even so, she didn’t mind too much. Not only that, seeing Kiriin work so hard ignited her own competitive spirit. It got to the point that Tyris had to stop her from pushing herself beyond her limits.

On the flip side, Kyr was notably more level-headed in his approach. He focused on giving each weapon a go and looking into their pros and cons, both from a theoretical and a practical standpoint. In time, this led to him working out what he wanted to focus on.

He had a clear preference for two-handed weapons, especially spears and longswords. He also lamented rather loudly that they didn’t have any greatswords or halberds to train with. It took Tyris pointing out that he would need to be a fair bit stronger to be able to use such weapons effectively for him to shut up about it.

Compared to Kiriin and Kyr, Rowan took a much more haphazard approach to finding what she wanted to focus on. At first, she tried, somewhat foolishly, to be the best at everything. Such was the path of a competitive Rowan.

After Tyris scolded her for going overboard, she just followed her heart. It was a surprise to no one that she had a fondness for bladed weapons. This was particularly true of the willow leaf sabre with its resemblance to Elan Fiir, the family sword.

Of course, she didn’t just limit herself to a single weapon. She did, however, make sure that she specialised in weapons that went well with a more fluid fighting style. At least, that was the driving force behind most of her choices, which were almost all swords.

The rest of her choices were more practical, even if she was still guided to them by her heart and a desire to be able to defend herself. The first of these choices came in the form of knife fighting as she was determined to carry around her dagger at all times; not least because it was a useful tool.

Secondly, she wanted to practise fighting whilst unarmed. The altercation with Bragi made it clear that she needed some kind of backup for whenever she was in a position where she couldn’t run away or use a weapon. This was just another way for her to put faith in her legs.

Lastly, Rowan made plans to practise archery once she was fully healed, and not just because she was jealous that Kiriin could do something that she couldn’t do. Not at all. Such thoughts never once popped into her mind. How could they? They couldn’t. She was far too busy looking forward to seeing how they would all improve in the future.

They’d be able to go all out with their training once she was fully healed. Well, almost all out.

*****

Towards the end of the month, just before the Solstice, Rowan finally asked the question that had been bugging her ever since she read his letter to her on her birthday. Why had he decided to pass on the right to inherit Elan Fiir to her, and why then? Hæra had explained it, but she still didn’t understand that well.

“Why, you ask?” he responded. “That’s a good question.” Having responded, Tyris paused dramatically, causing Rowan to sigh and palm her face, an act which caused him to deflate a little bit. “Well, I’ve got a couple of reasons, I guess; the first of which is fairly easy to explain.”

“Okay?” Rowan said expectantly.

“So first of all, the blood of our Ferran ancestors is strong in you, stronger than me or Tehri for sure. Neither of us inherited the Ferran eyes, after all, and I know for sure that I couldn’t deliver a kick like you did to Bragi. Does it not make sense then, that you should inherit the sword?”

“Maybe? I don’t see why that’s relevant.” Rowan was still rather confused by his reasoning.

“Resonance, my dear Rowan!” Tyris exclaimed with an uncanny enthusiasm. “Elan Fiir was forged from the crystallised tears of ancestors, so it stands to reason that the stronger our connection to the bloodline, the stronger our Resonance to them and the sword. I think that is the key to drawing upon the sword’s power. Are you following?” he asked, taking a moment to catch a breath and make sure he hadn’t lost Rowan.

She nodded, so he continued, “Right! Second reason: you wear your emotions on your sleeve, Rowan, much like the Ardents that the Naliir of old were known for. You have their strength. It is my hope that, one day, you will embody the legacy of our ancestors, my little crusader.”

Tyris’ explanation left Rowan’s jaw hanging. She wasn’t sure of how to respond, especially as something seemed odd about his tone when he mentioned Ardents. Kyr and Kiriin were also listening with bated breath. After a moment, Rowan finally responded. “Aren’t I a wee bit young for such lofty expectations?” she asked.

“Perhaps. However, I believe you are strong enough to bear it on your little shoulders. There is another factor that I’ve yet to mention that makes you rather unique. You see, a few very important factors aligned on your birthday to create a special kind of Resonance that is extremely rare. Primarily, both of the Goddess’ Sacred Primes were in Resonance. I swear, the only way it could have been more perfect would have been if it were a double eclipse…”

As Tyris rambled on, Rowan stared at him blankly. “I didn’t understand a word you just said,” she stated flatly.

“Sorry, let me explain. On your birthday, several Resonance Factors came into alignment. The most important of these Resonance Factors was tied strongly to the Resonance of the Goddess’ Sacred Primes of three and eleven. I’m sure you can already see how it being your eleventh birthday is significant. So then we have the second Factor — you’re still confused, aren’t you?”

Rowan nodded.

“Is it the Resonance Factor?”

She nodded again.

“Well, that complicates things slightly. So Resonance Factors are the metaphysical interactions that allow for especially strong Resonance to occur. These Factors can then further Resonate with each other to amplify the effect even more. Does that make more sense?” Rowan nodded for the third time before letting Tyris continue. “In the correct circumstances, Resonance Factors can fundamentally change the world. Nations have collapsed and races have been born because of the proper Resonance Factors aligning.

“Anyway, I think that covers the basics of Resonance Factors. If you want to know more, I recommend asking Master Idyr, but it should suffice for now. I’ve already covered the first factor, and the second is somewhat related as we were born eleven years apart. The third and final factor lies in the fact that you are mother’s third child”

“Wait!” Rowan suddenly interjected. “What do you mean? Tehri is Ma’s third child, isn’t she?”

Tyris flashed a look that made it clear that he had said something he shouldn’t have. “You should ask Mother about that,” he responded, trying to cover for the mistake. “Now, that’s enough long-winded explanations. It’s only a day until the Solstice and then I’m leaving, so back to the lessons we go.”

Tyris moved on without finishing his explanation and instead left Rowan with even more questions. And while the twins engaged in the renewed lessons with enthusiasm, Rowan couldn’t shake Tyris’ words. What did he mean by ‘third child’, and why had he mentioned Ardents in such an odd tone? She wished that she could ask her mother, but she was busy preparing for the Solstice Festival.

*****

Over the next day, Rowan found her mood dropping to a new low, even rivalling Tehri’s demeanour for most of the past couple of weeks. Because of what Tyris had said, she was sure that her family had been keeping some great secret.

It hadn’t been the first time that Rowan picked up on something odd when Ardents had been mentioned; there had been the look her mother had earlier that week amongst other times. Then there was the heavy implication that she had an older brother or sister that she knew nothing about. As she thought about it more and more, dark and horrible thoughts clouded her mind.

Why? Why haven’t Ma and Da told me anything? Did I do something? Am I the reason that they aren’t around? Did I hurt them? Is it Bragi? Please don’t be Bragi. Does that mean that Ma was unfaithful?

No! She wouldn’t do that!

But, what then? Did Bragi’s Da hurt her? Ma did say that bad people sometimes forced themselves on others. He could have. He does hate half-breeds.

The thoughts were driving Rowan to the brink of despair, and tears flooded her eyes. No matter what she did, she couldn’t make them go away; they just kept getting worse and worse. As evening approached, she found the relentless doubts and thoughts to be unbearable. Rowan struggled to think of any options that would help.

In the end, she hoped that asking her mother would at least answer a couple of her questions. She found Hæra practising a song for the dance around the bonfires at the end of the festival. When Rowan entered the room, Hæra turned quickly and hurried over to Rowan when she noticed her red and puffy eyes.

“What’s the matter, dear? Are you okay?”

“It’s my head,” Rowan explained, tears in her eyes. “I cannae stop my thoughts from racing. No matter what I do, I keep thinking awful things like maybe Bragi’s Da hurt you a really long time ago, and— and—” Rowan’s voice trailed off into a sob.

“What made you think that?” Hæra asked, looking rather concerned.

“Tyris mentioned that I was your third child, and I thought maybe Bragi— I mean, it would explain why you hate them, and they already hate us. And then I thought if that wasn’t true, then maybe I did something wrong and, because of that, I’m not allowed to know about my other big brother or sister. Maybe I hurt them?” At this point, the tears in her eyes were flowing free.

Hæra quickly brought the sobbing Rowan into her arms as she tried to comfort her. “Oh, Rowan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think keeping this secret would hurt you so much. I should have known. I thought that if you knew, you would blame yourself. Perhaps if I’d told you when you were younger, it wouldn’t have been so heavy a blow. I can’t promise that knowing the truth will make you feel any better, but you deserve to know. Are you okay with that?”

Rowan nodded meekly and buried her face into Hæra’s shoulder. “Now, before I tell you, know that it wasn’t your fault and, no matter what, I love you. We all do.”

“Mhmm.”

Hæra started to stroke Rowan’s hair as she began to explain the truth behind the long-kept secret. “Your father and I have been holding onto this secret since you were born. The truth is that you weren’t alone. Just before you, your twin sister, Rina, was born. I still remember the day. She was much quieter than you were, but she was still a healthy little girl and, in any other family, she would have remained that way. Unfortunately, we aren’t any other family.”

Rowan looked up when her mother paused, waiting for more. When nothing came, she cleared her throat and said, “Meaning?”

“Long ago,” Hæra started again with a sigh, “something happened to one of our ancestors following a double solar eclipse. By all accounts, it was a freak occurrence, something that should’ve been impossible, and it caused all manner of changes and bizarre Resonance to the area that was touched by the totality of the eclipse. That’s what led to the birth of the Ferran.”

“Isn’t that just a legend? Aren’t we supposed to be God-touched like the Kairosi and Miriel?” Rowan asked.

“The event was well recorded at the time, and we weren’t the only thing that was changed. Everything in that area was. From the animals to the trees, to the land itself. The Resonance was just that powerful. The progenitor of our lineage and a few others saw that power and sought to harness it somehow. I don’t know the details surrounding their ritual, but it worked. Everyone involved was imbued with the essence of Rowan’el, as were their descendents.

“Even now, it affects us. Because of that ritual, our bloodline is known for producing incredibly strong Ardents, as are the others, though I don’t know if any have survived to this day.”

“That cannae be the full story,” Rowan interrupted.

"Of course not. Let me finish next time. Anyway, as a secondary effect of the ritual our connection to the Azure Eye was also damaged by the ritual. Since then, there hasn’t been a single Stoic born of our bloodlines. Everyone who Awakens in our family always does so as an Ardent.

“Alas, this brings us to why your sister isn’t with us. You were identical twins, and when one identical twin has the potential to Awaken, so does the other. However, this is guaranteed to result in an Ardent-Stoic pair. It’s random which one ends up as which, but it is set in stone long before they Awaken. In yours and Rina’s case, she was set to be the Stoic, and the Resonance of that potential and our bloodline caused her body to quickly deteriorate. She passed away a few months later.”

There were a couple of tears twinkling in Hæra’s eyes as she finished explaining. It was a lot for Rowan to take in; she felt like her world had simultaneously been shattered whilst also being cleared of the haze that had plagued her for the past day.

Rowan cried for the sister she never knew she had and smiled for the future she was now determined to live for the two of them.

“Thank you for telling me, Ma,” Rowan finally said after she finished crying.

“I should never have kept it a secret from you,“ Hæra responded, wiping away Rowan’s tears, “I only hurt you more by doing so.” She then smiled at Rowan. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up and ready for the Festival. We’ll sing and dance together in memory of your sister.”

Rowan nodded quietly as Hæra carried her through to the bath. It was at times like this that Rowan was reminded of how surprisingly strong her mother was. Barely two fingers taller than five feet and slight of build, she had no difficulty carrying Rowan with a gentle grace, and while Rowan was small, she was still only a foot shorter than Hæra.

Like a river, Rowan let the bath wash away her worries, and the scent of roses soon warmed her heart. It was time to get ready for the Festival.

Rowan stood in her room wearing a beautiful white dress that fell just above her knee. It was held with a belt around her waist, and in the right light, she was positively incandescent.

About her feet, she wore sandals that wrapped around her ankles. As always, her neck was graced by the twin moon pendant which was even more meaningful to her now as she felt it represented her and Rina. To complete her ensemble, she wore her hair in a loose ponytail held by the hair clip she had received from Kiriin and Kyr.

All in all, she barely recognised herself. Especially since Hæra had insisted on doing her makeup. She looked in the mirror and smiled, her rosebud lips and large violet eyes shining.

She was ready to leave.

*****

The sun had just started to set when Rowan and her family arrived at the park outside of town where the festival was being held. To Rowan’s young eyes, it almost looked like the entire town had gathered around the unlit bonfire, though she knew how unlikely that was. Some folk preferred more private celebrations and others were too old, young, or unwell to attend. Not that it made the event any less awe-inspiring or jubilant.

The sound of music filled the air as children played and adults made merry with wine and ale, while a troupe of fire dancers dazzled any and all spectators as they made their offering to the sun, the Heart of the Father.

To any other in attendance, the Festival wasn’t much different from how it usually was. To Rowan, however, it was near overwhelming. With how her emotions had been bombarding her heart, everything was infinitely more intense. She couldn’t help but stare into the flames in breathless wonderment.

Rowan was snapped out of her bedazzlement by a hand landing on the top of her head. A slight turn to look over her shoulder revealed Tyris, his hand unmoved.

“Why is your hand up there?” she asked, somewhat confused and unaware as to how long she had been in a daze.

After a moment of letting the question hang, he responded dramatically, “I merely noticed my dear little sister entranced by the flames. I took it upon myself to bring you back from the land of dreams. Now fly, little robin, and dance the night away.”

He looked down towards Rowan to see the effect his words and melodramatic delivery had had on her. She blinked a couple of times in response, caught completely off guard by her brother’s melodramatic outburst.

His words were so completely unexpected and outrageous, that she couldn’t help but laugh. With her silvery peals of laughter, Rowan’s emotions flowed free, and she found herself somewhat grounded. She smiled and went searching for Kiriin and Kyr before Tyris started another embarrassing tirade to encourage her to have fun.

Amongst the setting sun, Rowan danced her heart out with Kiriin and Kyr and then her family. She danced with wanton abandonment, and she flowed with the grace and fluidity of a river, caring not for pain or exhaustion. In that eternal moment, there were no sad memories, no hateful words, only the warmth and joy of friends and family, both living and dead, remembered and forgotten.

When darkness finally descended on Næmyris, the bonfires were lit, and Hæra started to sing the Lament of the Sun God, marking the last phase of the Festival. Hæra’s song reached everyone and resonated deeply with Rowan who chose to dance alone, though only in a sense. In truth, she was dancing with the memory of Rina and their unspoken and renewed bond.

As Rowan danced, the Lament of the Sun God evolved into a new melody with a profound emotional complexity and a deep sadness layered into the song. To most, it was merely a beautiful song; to Rowan, it was a lament for her lost sister. As her mother sang the final song of the night, Rowan danced with glistening tears that seemed almost like crystals in the light of the fading bonfires.

An eternity passed and the lament came to a close. The bonfires were little more than embers, and everyone had stopped dancing. After a night full of music, it was eerily sombre. The townsfolk that still remained started to slowly drift off back home.

Rowan, however, was dead on her feet, completely exhausted from the night’s festivities. She tried to walk towards her family only for her legs to fail her. Tyris caught her just in time and brought her into his arms.

There, she fell asleep as he carried her home with the rest of the family in tow.

Chapter 3: Payback

A couple of months had passed since Rowan’s birthday, and the summer solstice was fast approaching. Now officially an adolescent, Rowan was embracing her newfound freedom, namely being allowed to go further afield without supervision. Beforehand, she was only allowed within the confines of the town and its immediate surroundings.

Now, however, she could venture out a good few miles as long as she let someone know where she was going and she brought enough food and water. There was also the slightly more annoying requirement that she had to be home before it got dark. She understood why, but it meant that she had to be super careful of when she left as it could get dark in no time at all. Granted, staying out that late wasn’t a regular occurrence as it meant not getting to play with the twins, but it did happen occasionally.

Out of all the places that were now in Rowan’s range, the nearby forests to the west of Næmyris were by far her favourite. They had always been there, painting the horizon in a most intriguing fashion. In a way, they had a similar picturesque quality to that of Lake Emyr, only with significantly more novelty. There was also a degree of risk and excitement that came from the vast woodland.

Of course, a lot of that risk was concentrated much further in towards the mountains, and the hunters and rangers did their part to keep the edge of the forest relatively safe. The rangers in particular did the Goddess’ work as they also made sure to mark areas with particularly dangerous flora, and they all had a degree of first aid training.

That didn’t stop Hæra from being anxious about Rowan’s safety, especially after she was almost shot by a startled hunter one time. It took a significant amount of arguing and bargaining with her parents to be allowed back after that until one day they relented without warning. Rowan wasn’t about to complain, but she did occasionally feel like she was being watched whenever she went back to the forest.

Rowan would venture into the forest at least once a week, drawn to the large oak trees that were perfect for climbing. She was determined to become stronger, and amongst the primordial oaks, she had found the perfect playground to do so.

Just outside the forest, she could run around to her heart’s content without fear of running into anyone or anything. Of course, that was just the start of what she could do there. If she wanted more of a challenge, all she had to do was step inside the forest and tackle the undergrowth. Then there was all the climbing that she could do; the gnarled oaks were perfect for it. The next logical step after that was as clear to her as the verdant canopy before her. Taking full advantage of it, she would leap from tree to tree for hours on end.

The cherry on top of the whole package was that there was no one around to see if she ever embarrassed herself, something she had been especially thankful for earlier on; tripping and getting a bloody nose was not fun. On the flip side, there was always someone relatively close by if she ever hurt herself or put herself in danger. The rangers had even made sure to give her a whistle so that she could call for help if she needed it.

The idea of playing out in the trees grew on Rowan significantly over the course of those few short months. The progress she was making became the melody to the songs that Hæra had sung to her throughout her life, that she would one day grow to be a match for any Ferran.

Already, Rowan could jump further and run faster than anyone else even close to her age. She wasn’t quite there when it came to competing with adults, but she could give the non-Ferrans a run for their money.

The improvements to her core and upper body strength were equally impressive. She was still petite and her muscles were more toned than they were big, but she was much happier with her size now, and she didn’t want bulging muscles. She was destined to be lithe and agile, and she was starting to realise that that was what she wanted to be.

This particular summer’s day, Rowan was partaking in her favourite exercise at the time. She was high up in the trees, high enough that many would consider it dangerous, not that she cared too much.

That isn’t to say she didn’t try to be careful, but most of the time, she felt like she did a lot better and made better progress when there was a notable risk factor involved.

Soon.

Soon she would be strong enough to stand up for herself, she was confident of that.

The wind brushed through her hair as she leapt from branch to branch with tremendous speed and an impressive sense of balance. There was a strange grace to her movements that was difficult to place. It was so unlike her usual fluid steps that had ofttimes been described to be akin to the dancing of leaves on a gentle breeze. This was more focused, like a river determined to find the most natural path to its final destination. Except, Rowan had no particular final destination. She was finding her path in the moment until it was time to stop. As fast as she moved through the trees, any distraction to her focus had the potential to be catastrophic.

However, as her confidence grew and she continued through the trees, her mind began to wander. Only slightly at first, not enough to cause her concern or slow her pace, but that small sliver of distraction was dangerous. Her confidence brought that small part of her mind to think about Bragi, one of the main reasons she wanted to get stronger. Thinking about him hurt right down to her core.

Remembering all the times he had bullied her was like tearing open an old wound. She didn’t understand. How could he hate her so much? Why? Because of her heritage? That made no sense, even if he had almost managed to convince her. It wasn’t like he hated Ferrans, and he certainly didn’t hate humans, yet he seemed to think that together, they were worth less than the sum of their parts.

Each moment, more and more of her mind was being devoted to thinking about Bragi and each moment, she remembered a different time he had bullied her. With each memory, her confidence slipped away until finally, she arrived at the memory of just a few months ago.

It was the last time she had seen him, as he and his friends had been sent to assist the farmers with planting that spring. It was also his first time getting so violent as to draw blood. Sure, she had been bruised every so often, but never this. It was as if he wanted to break her down before she reached adolescence. He had failed, but the cracks were starting to show again.

Almost unconsciously, Rowan reached towards her scarred brow. At this point, very little of her mind was being devoted to the task at hand. Snap! Rowan landed on a branch far too narrow to support her, and she found herself plummeting to the ground.

“Eek!”

Rowan cried out as clarity came rushing back. There was no hindsight. Rowan didn’t have time for hindsight. She managed to find her feet just as she hit the ground. Instinct took over as she used her forward momentum to collapse into a roll. Thanks to that, she was able to save herself from a significantly worse fate.

Thankfully, due to the soft undergrowth, she didn’t seem to be too badly injured barring a graze down one leg and what would likely end up being a fair bit of bruising. She sighed in relief before noticing a ranger rushing towards her.

“Little Miss! Are you okay, little Miss? Are you hurt?” There was an uneasiness to his voice, as if he wasn’t used to speaking with people, and it was further marred with panic as he reached into his pack.

Rowan felt like she must have injured herself more than she had realised because she could swear that the ranger was upside down. “I’m not sure,” she responded hesitantly.

“It’s okay, I have some bandages and medicine.” His voice began to calm down as he started to take control of the situation. No longer filled with unease, he sounded kind, and he had a deep, aged tone weathered by experience fitting his years, though it was clear from his expression that no amount of experience had prepared him for this. He gave Rowan what he hoped was a comforting smile. “Let’s get you upright.”

Rowan found herself being gently adjusted into a sitting position. She had rolled between the roots of a tree and ended upside down with her back against it. The ranger started tending to the cut on Rowan’s leg. He was old, much older than Rowan would expect for one of the rangers. The local rangers tended to be younger folk, still in their prime, but this man was a veteran of the wilds with his leathery sun-touched skin and callused hands.

“Thank you,” Rowan stammered awkwardly.

“It’s okay, my dear,” the ranger responded calmly as he cleaned Rowan’s leg. He was notably less nervous now that he was on task.

“I don’t mean to… Ow!” Rowan whimpered as the ranger touched a damp cloth to her leg. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”

“Me? You can call me Rodaan. I live out here in the woods as a caretaker of sorts.”

“Hello. I’m Rowan.”

“So I’ve heard.” That surprised Rowan, but before she could say anything, the old man continued. “The youngins asked me to keep an eye on you in case you hurt yourself or one of the animals or something.”

Rowan pouted. “You can’t just explain why like that without giving me the chance to ask!” she complained.

“I can’t?” Rodaan responded with a confused expression.

“Of course not!” Caught in the moment, Rowan had seemingly forgotten what had led her to this point and was instead swept up into her own flow. “How else am I supposed to feel satisfied by the answer to my question if I never get to ask the question?” Rodaan didn’t really know how to respond to that. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before Rowan came to some kind of realisation. “Hang on a second! What do you mean you were asked to watch out for me?”

“The youngins, they said a little girl called Rowan might come to play in the forests and that it was my turn to watch her if she did. To be honest, I don’t know why I said yes, but I’m glad I did. The youngins are never prepared for emergencies like this.”

“This was nothing. Just a wee little fall. Honest.” Rowan tried to sound earnest as she failed to downplay her fall. She was lucky it had been as minor as it had been considering how significant a fall it actually was.

“Nonsense!” he scolded her before his tone turned melancholy. “You could have been gravely injured or worse. Please take better care of yourself.”

It seemed weird for a complete stranger to show such concern, but he did, and Rowan didn’t want to respond in bad faith. “I’ll do my best,” she said sincerely.

“Good. Now, I think it’s about time you go home, don’t you?”

“Yes!”

The old man helped Rowan up and guided her back to the edge of the forest. As Rowan walked back to the town, he mumbled to himself with a tear in his eyes, “I wonder if my little girl would have grown up to be like her.”

*****

Rowan wasn’t sure what to feel after her strange encounter with the old ranger. Yes, she was disappointed in herself for messing up and she still hurt from the memories of Bragi. Yet the conversation itself had been pleasant, even if slightly awkward.

So her mind, unsure of what to settle on, drifted from emotion to emotion. Maybe she’d be able to see the twins. They had been especially busy that week studying for tests, but they usually had some free time to play before dinner. The thought tinted her emotions with excitement for the rest of the way back into town.

In what felt like no time, Rowan found herself firmly in the Field District on the South-Western side of the town. It was quiet. Everyone was either working the farms or doing business in another part of town.

Knowing that she wouldn’t be in anyone’s way, Rowan took a second to catch her breath. In her moment of rest, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She was being followed, she was sure of it. In her hopes of seeing the twins, Rowan had taken the faster path that went by way of the Farmers’ Road which ran right past the fields where Bragi and his friends had been working. Instead of bolting, she stepped behind a wall, praying that it was just her imagination. The longer she spent thinking about it and praying, the harder it was to deny the truth of the matter.

Now she heard three sets of lumbering footsteps coming in fast behind her.

If she was right, she knew she could easily outrun Bragi and his two human friends for sure, but what about the Ferran? Rowan had absolutely no idea, and that terrified her.

Should she hide? Or run? Confront them maybe? Not knowing what to do, she froze, leaning against the wall in panic.

“What am I doing?” she muttered to herself in terror. Feeling weak in the legs, she slid down the wall into a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible. There was no one around that could save her.

I’m a coward.

No! No, I’m not!

Or am I?

Go away! I’m not ready.

I have to be ready.

Has it all been for nothing, this training? This empty resolve?

No!

But I’m so weak.

Yes.

I want to be strong.

I am.

I’m not.

I’m lost.

I hate this.

Who am I?

I am me!

Who is that?

Rowan!

For what seemed like an eternity, Rowan’s subconscious battled with itself. She slapped her face with both hands and warily stood up. She was still afraid. Her thoughts were a mess. She wanted to run away.

But more than that, she wanted to be free of Bragi and his violent torment.

Rowan steeled herself for what was to come, her heart racing and adrenaline rushing through her veins. Instead of running away, she stepped out and turned down the street to approach her dreaded foe.

Bragi and his friends had bulked up notably since last time, their skin weathered and tanned from working the fields and lumber yards. The Ferran was still out of sight, though now Rowan could hear the sound of footsteps fast approaching from just ahead of where she had been hiding.

It took a moment for Bragi to notice Rowan. He had been too busy in his predatory pursuit of her to consider that she would willingly approach them. At first, his face opened in momentary surprise before it fell into a look of disappointment; it was as if Rowan had robbed him of the thrill of the hunt.

“So the half-breed chooses to reveal herself,” he growled. “And without her lackeys, no less. She must be feeling confident. Right, boys?”

The irony of Bragi referring to Kiriin and Kyr as ‘lackeys’ when he was surrounded by cronies was momentarily lost on Rowan as she was somewhat cowed by them jeering at her.

The moment of fear passed; Bragi was the only one who was truly dangerous. She put her foot down and spat at him through clenched teeth. “That’s rich, considering your friends seem incapable of any autonomous action or thinking,” she retorted bitterly.

Bragi’s lips flickered momentarily into a snarl before he composed himself again. His friends took a little longer to do the same. Rowan had always been so meek, an easy target, and typically only responded in an extremely quiet or self-deprecating manner.

“What a joke,” Bragi almost spat. “The brat thinks she can talk back now, does she? Because what, she’s got a little more freedom?”

The three of them started closing in on her as Bragi’s Ferran skulked in like a cat. Her chance to run away had vanished, not that she dared even think of trying, lest her tentative resolve crumble. They soon surrounded her. Not really thinking it through, Rowan tried to punch Bragi in the gut.

Unsurprisingly, he grabbed her by the wrist mid-swing and wrenched it aside with his vastly superior arm strength. Then with the other hand, he grabbed her by her hair and lifted her off the ground.

“That scar isn’t nearly ugly enough for vermin,” he growled. “Perhaps we should add to it.” He punctuated his remark by dropping her wrist and driving his fist into her stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs.

Tears started to pool in her violet eyes.

Bragi punched Rowan again, this time accompanied by the sound of  ribs straining from the blow. She winced and cried out in agony as pain shot through her. She struggled and then struggled some more in a futile attempt to wriggle free. She soon regretted the action. Her injured ribs shifted and her hair felt like it was being ripped from her head.

When she relaxed, Rowan felt the Ferran touch her, sending an uncomfortable shiver down her spine as he seemed to caress her lower leg.

“Look here, boss!” he snickered, sounding more like a hyena than a cat. “She’s got a midget knife strapped to her little leg.”

Bragi looked down to Rowan’s thigh where the dagger from Tyris peeked just past the hem of her tunic. “So she has.” He smiled and reached towards the dagger. Rowan tried to kick his hand away, but she couldn’t get a good angle. “Now, what can we do with this?”

Bragi held the dagger in his free hand, the one that had twisted her arm, while the other still held Rowan up by her hair. All of the colour drained from Rowan’s face, fear gripping her wavering heart.

This is bad! This is really bad!

Rowan’s thoughts were racing, mostly in terror. However, in the depths of her soul, one quiet thought Resonated within her.

Fight back, Rowan!

If she did nothing, Bragi would use her own knife against her. She had to fight back. In the blink of an eye, adrenaline coursed through her body, and she pulled her leg back and kicked with all of her might. Bragi had made the mistake of holding her in a way that directed her foot right between his legs. The kick landed with an audible popping sound.

In an instant, Bragi let go of Rowan and the dagger as he collapsed to the ground, face white with pain and hands going straight to his crotch.

Rowan flailed about as she fell and landed on her backside. Pain started to well up in her ankle from the strain of kicking Bragi so hard.

Just across from her, Bragi’s friends were horrified to see a bloody patch forming on his pants near his crotch.

“What did you do?” one of them cried to Rowan.

“He was going to attack me again,” Rowan responded in the levelest tone she could manage, “so I kicked him first.”

It was all she could do to contain all the emotions she was feeling as she clambered up and limped towards her dagger. A dark pit in her heart was tempted to go further, that the kick wasn’t enough to satiate her anger or drive away her fear. Rowan felt sick as she tried to rid herself of such dark thoughts. She turned away, hoping that not looking at them would help.

“I would go find a doctor if I were you.”

As she turned away, she noticed Kiriin running towards her. “Are you okay?” she asked, visibly concerned for Rowan.

“I’m okay,” Rowan wheezed. “It’s just a little bit of bruising.”

“You don’t need to push yourself in front of me. It’s obvious you’re hurt. What happened?”

“Bragi was going to ambush me with his friends. Instead of letting him get the drop on me, I confronted him first. He didn’t like that, so he started attacking me. Then he got my dagger.”

“That bastard!” Kiriin interrupted.

“I kicked him before he could do anything with it, and— well… then— then you appeared out of nowhere. Hang on a second! Why are you here?”

“Well, I may have bribed the younger kids with sweets and cakes to be my personal spy network just in case something like this happened. I came running as soon as word got to me.”

Rowan was quite surprised at that. She was almost speechless when she considered the full scope of Kiriin’s plan to help keep her safe from Bragi. “Well look at you, Miss Spymaster,” she said with no small amount of strain.

“I said don’t push yourself,” Kiriin scolded her. “Come on. Let’s get you home. Can you walk?”

“Probably not,” Rowan answered honestly.

“Well, at least it looks like you won’t need to worry about Bragi hurting you ever again. That kick had to have left a mark.”

Rowan giggled slightly in response, and then she coughed. Her body hurt all over, but at least this time she wasn’t on the verge of fainting. She considered that to be a win at the very least.

After some fussing, Kiriin offered her shoulder so that they could get to one of the main thoroughfares. There was no way that Rowan could make it all of the way home on a sprained ankle and with a couple of injured ribs. Thankfully, the height difference between them wasn’t so great as to make it too awkward.

They eventually were able to get help from a wagoner carrying pelts that had likely come in from the hunters. Rowan had hoped that the wagoner would drop them off at the edge of the River District. Then they would be able to walk the rest of the short distance back to Rowan’s home.

Unfortunately, the wagoner somehow recognised Rowan as her father’s daughter. Apparently, she worked for one of his suppliers and had seen Rowan at the store a couple of times, so she insisted on bringing her there.

As they pulled up, Rowan glanced into the store, hoping that Gyren hadn’t noticed them. She gave a sigh of relief when she noticed that he was engaged in conversation with a customer. She soon realised the folly of her hope while Kiriin and the wagoner rushed straight in to tell him that something was wrong.

Rowan palmed her face in mock despair as her father left his customer in the dust. He was always so protective when it came to his daughters. Still, it was enough to convince the wagoner that the situation was being dealt with, and she took her leave.

“Rowan! What happened to you?” he called out in an overly loud voice.

“Da! I’m right here!” Rowan complained. “You don’t need to shout”

“Oh, yes, sorry,” he said after calming down a little bit. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Meanwhile, Rowan took in a deep breath to respond, which wasn’t her smartest idea considering her ribs. “I kinda sprained my ankle and… I cracked a couple of ribs,” she answered quickly, not wanting to dwell on the subject. Then, looking to divert her father’s attention, she spoke up again. “Shouldn’t you finish serving your customer, Da? He’s not looking too happy.”

“No, you’re hurt. I can’t just leave you. If only I hadn’t sent Mana and Beren off on errands.” Gyren’s face was creased in worry and hesitation as he considered what to do. He relaxed after a moment or two when he finally relented. “You’re right, I can’t leave him unattended; not while I have my pride as a merchant, at least. Wait here, I’ll be right back. Make sure she doesn’t run away, Kiriin.”

“I’m not running anywhere, Da!” Rowan exclaimed in a somewhat exasperated fashion as her father hurried back into the store.

After five or so minutes, the customer had finished his business and left the store with Gyren following suit not long after. Before he had the chance to ask what had happened again, Rowan asked that they go home first.

She didn’t want to explain things twice, and she was still experiencing a fair bit of pain and discomfort. Understanding his daughter’s reasoning, Gyren closed up the shop, leaving a note for his employees to continue business as usual when they returned. Then, somewhat understandably, he picked Rowan up so that she wouldn’t need to walk the rest of the way home.

“Da, my ribs!”

“Oh, sorry.” Gyren adjusted his hold and carried her home as gently as he could manage.

In hindsight, Rowan realised that not letting her father take in the nature of her injury wasn’t exactly her smartest decision. Then again, she could say the same for much of the events that led her to be in such an injured state.

As he started to walk away, he turned to Kiriin and asked her to go find Hæra. In response, Kiriin rushed off in the opposite direction to The Crimson Drakiir Inn where Hæra had been performing over lunch.

Shortly after, they arrived home. Gyren fumbled with the door, trying to open it whilst still holding onto Rowan. His efforts went completely unneeded as Tyris opened the door.

Why’s he here?

Seeing Rowan, Tyris quickly moved out of the way to allow Gyren past, who made his way in so that he could lay Rowan down on the divan in the living room.

From where she lay, she saw Tehri peeking around from behind Tyris with mild disinterest. Rowan couldn’t help but feel like everyone was making too much of a big deal out of what was probably a minor injury.

*****

After twenty or so minutes of Gyren pacing frantically, Tyris watching confused, and Tehri sitting about listlessly, Hæra strode in with Kiriin in tow. Hæra sat herself on the edge of the divan next to Rowan, her stern expression a sign that Rowan would need to start explaining what had happened soon.

If she’d had it her way, she wouldn’t be explaining anything at all. Instead, she would rather have been resting in her room and forgetting it had happened, but she knew that wasn’t going to work, especially when Tyris broke the silence.

“So, my dear little Rowan, what happened?”

Rowan sighed deeply before explaining how Bragi and his friends had sought her out on her way home, seeking to ambush her; how they surrounded her and punched her to the point of cracking her ribs; and finally, how she kicked him.

For a reason Rowan didn’t quite understand, both her father and Tyris winced in pain as she described the popping sound that resulted from her kick.

While they were wincing, Hæra sensed that Rowan was hiding something, namely the part about Bragi having taken her dagger. It didn’t take long for Hæra to get the information out of her. Much to Rowan’s surprise, when she finished explaining, Hæra held her in a soft embrace, taking care not to cause her any pain.

The two men of the house soon recovered, and Tyris suddenly burst out laughing. “It would seem that our little Rowan acted like a champion, conquering a most dreadful foe,” he stated with what seemed like a flourish. For a soldier, he was awfully dramatic.

Hæra released Rowan and turned to Tyris. “She may have done so, but it should never have come to this. Had Sværig listened, he would know to keep his child on a leash. I have no choice but to get the Town Council involved before Sværig pleads his own case.” Hæra spoke in a serious tone, her accent getting stronger as it tended to do when she was angry.

Tyris was just about to respond when Rowan started complaining that they were talking about her when she was right there.

“Sorry, Rowan,” Tyris apologised. “We didn’t mean to. I must clarify, however, that the dreadful foe I was referring to was fear, not Bragi.”

“I wouldnae say that. I’m still practically shaking in my boots.”

“Don’t say that, Rowan,” Kiriin interjected. “I think you were really brave to stand up to them.”

“That’s because I didn’t have a choice.”

“You didn’t? I’m sure you could have easily gotten away from them once you knew that they were coming.”

“Well, yes. Maybe? I didn’t know where they all were, so they may have ambushed me or something. And even if I did get away, all it would’ve been doing would be delaying the inevitable. I just wanted it to stop, and I knew it wasn’t going to if I just did nothing. I guess maybe wanting and knowing that outweighed the fear? I cannae say more than that.”

“And so it should be!” said Gyren from across the room. “Conquering emotion isn’t about making emotions go away, assuming you aren’t a Stoic. It’s about acknowledging your emotions and not letting them defeat or overwhelm you. I’m sure that’s what Tyris meant.”

“Aye, Father, I did indeed. I must say though, dear Rowan, the way you described that kick, it reminds me of the strength I’ve heard fledgling Ardents are capable of.” The statement from Tyris seemed innocent enough, but Rowan couldn’t help but notice how her mother shot him a glance when he mentioned Ardents.

Chapter 2: Newfound Adolescence

Rowan woke up with a sharp pain above her left eye and a splitting headache.

Panic gripped her. She was confused and alone.

She looked around and asked herself, “Where am I? What happened?”

Rowan’s mind flashed back to the moments before she had passed out. Bragi had attacked her as she was making her way home with Kiriin and Kyr. He actually, physically attacked her as opposed to his usual verbal abuse and bullying. The combination of the rock hitting her and the biting cold had sapped away all her strength and the dark room where she had since woken up in felt unfamiliar in her dazed state. As the shock started to fade, she realised, “Oh! I’m home…”

The clarity from that realisation granted her some comfort, but it also raised a couple of questions such as, how long had she been out and how did she get home? The first question was certainly the harder of the two to answer, especially with the windows being closed and the fact that she was sorely lacking in any timekeeping devices. Clockwork on that scale was still very much a new and incredibly expensive technology.

Feeling like she had no other way, Rowan struggled out of bed and stumbled towards her window. As she drew back the curtain, Rowan was greeted by the soft blush of dawn painting the clouds.

The sight struck her to the core. It had to have been hours at the very least. Rowan’s head reeled from the thought of it. She suddenly felt very dizzy. The reality of what had happened to her assaulted her mind violently. Every word that Bragi said struck her like the rock he had thrown while the memory of Kyr and Kiriin lifted her up. It was too much for her as the feeling of nausea filled her and an unmistakably wet feeling trickled down her leg.

All things considered, it was a miracle that she didn’t collapse then and there. Instead, she managed to make it almost all of the way back to her bed. However, before she was able to get all the way, the world span around her and she tripped over her feet. She came down with a crash, half-landing on the mattress.

Barely a moment had passed when Hæra came running into the room, garbed in a silk robe and a face creased in worry. ”Rowan! What…” The question trailed off when Hæra saw Rowan half-draped over the bed looking pale.

Rowan was seeing double as she looked up at her mother. “I’m okay,” she said in a quivering tone.

“You most certainly are not!” she responded, her singsong voice marred by notes of blatant concern. “Trust your gods’ given metabolism to burn through that sedative. I thought it would be safe to check on Tehri while you were sleeping; you weren’t supposed to wake up for another few hours yet. Seriously, dear, it’s far too soon for you to be moving about.” Hæra walked over with impossibly long, gliding strides. It was then that she noticed Rowan’s little accident. “Oh, dear…”

Rowan turned crimson from embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled into her blankets, trying to hide the shame on her face.

“It’s okay, Rowan,” Hæra responded softly, “let’s get you cleaned up.” She lifted Rowan up softly and carried her out. It was an odd sight to see; whilst Rowan had clearly outgrown being carried by someone of Hæra’s petite stature, she was deceptively strong and managed it with only a little difficulty. She didn’t care that her robe was getting slightly damp from carrying Rowan; getting to the bath was more important. She passed by her bedroom on the way to ask a half-asleep Gyren to clean up the spill in Rowan’s room.

They soon arrived in the large and lavish bathroom. It was split into two halves, a dry entrance room for undressing and a wet room that held the actual bath. It didn’t take long to draw the bath. Næmyris was a rich town with a complex plumbing system and most of the buildings could access it. Rowan’s house also had the necessary Resonance Crystals to keep the water nice and hot.

Hæra started undressing herself and Rowan in the dry room and placed their clothes into a laundry basket while they waited for the bath to fill up. She also quickly checked the cut on Rowan’s brow to make sure it hadn’t gotten any worse. “I can’t believe that bastard did this to my baby girl!” she muttered to herself angrily.

“What was that, Ma?” Rowan asked quietly.

“It’s nothing, dear,” she covered up quickly. “Now let’s get you all cleaned up.”

They headed into the bathroom and Hæra sat Rowan down on a stool. Rowan yelped as a bucket full of water from the tub was dropped on her head. The soap came next as Rowan found herself lathered in silken bubbles; it was a pleasant, comforting experience. Then it was time for the water again. Another yelp. It was too hot for her. Or was it? It shouldn’t have been any different from how it usually was.

“Why’s it so hot?” Rowan complained with a slight note of confusion.

“I’m sorry, Rowan, I’ll try to be gentler,” Hæra assuaged softly. “Is this any better?” she asked after having adjusted the temperature.

“Much!”

In reality, it wasn’t that big of a change, but it made a world of difference to Rowan and she was soon sparkling clean. That could only mean one thing! It was time for arguably the best part of bathing; soaking in the actual bath!

Whilst Rowan sat in the bath, Hæra finished washing herself and then she hopped in beside Rowan. Rowan quickly settled against Hæra, her head resting on her mother’s chest. Hæra stroked her hair absently. It was a soothing gesture, one that Hæra knew would calm herself and Rowan right down and she wanted them both to be relaxed for what she was about to ask.

“If you’re okay with it, dear, can you tell me what happened?” she said as gently as she could manage.

Rowan paled slightly at the question. “It was nothing, Ma,” she mumbled quietly, half-mirroring the comment she had made earlier in her room.

“It’s okay, Rowan, you’re safe here,” Hæra smiled softly only to then mutter a little too loudly, “No bastard spawn of An’Teag will hurt my little girl while I’m around!”

For a brief moment, Hæra was akin to one of the great cats of the Ru’eni Empire or the mother bears of Northern Særis before she composed herself again. This is why she wanted to be as relaxed as possible; just thinking about the An’Teag family made her blood boil.

“Ah. Sorry, Rowan, you didn’t need to hear that. I just want to know what happened and make sure that you’re okay. You were out cold when the twins’ father carried you home. The doctor said you had lost a substantial amount of blood and that you were on the verge of hypothermia. You don’t have to tell me everything, just what you’re comfortable with.”

“It was Bragi, but you already know that,” grumbled Rowan, sounding a little hurt. It felt like her mother was asking for things she already knew.

“I heard as much from Kyr, but he ran off before I could ask for details, and watching over you was more important.”

Hearing that made Rowan feel a little better. She started to recall what had happened as best she could. She started right from the beginning and included far too many details from how she and the twins had been swimming in the lake, to how they skipped out on drying themselves, and finally about the moment that mattered, the actual attack. It took so long to finish her account that they had to get out of the bath before Rowan’s fingers shrivelled up like prunes. Hæra had just finished brushing her hair as she neared its end.

“There’s nothing wrong with having mixed heritage, Rowan. Bragi says that we have the worst of both halves; that our strengths have been diluted? Who made him or his father the expert?”

When Hæra said it like that, it actually made a little bit of sense. She carried on dismantling all of Bragi’s biting words. By the end of it, Rowan’s self-loathing was gone and she was finally able to let her tears flow, pain be damned. She was starting to feel better, so Hæra pulled her into a warm, comforting embrace.

“It’s okay my adorable little Rowan, I’m here. Just remember that you are my beautiful daughter and any spawn of An’Teag can’t hold a candle to you.” She smiled warmly at Rowan and started tucking her back into bed before mixing a light bluish powder into a glass of water. “Here, drink this. It will help you sleep,” she said, offering Rowan the glass.

Rowan gave the drink a dubious sip, not fully trusting the strange powder that had been mixed into it. “It’s bitter!” she exclaimed, almost spitting it out.

“I know dear, but you have to drink it all. You’ll have sweet dreams. I promise.”

Rowan felt like that may have been a bit of a white lie at the end, but she still braced herself for the bitterness and drank the water as quickly as she could. It didn’t take long for the medicine to kick in. Her eyes started to feel heavy as her mother hummed a relaxing tune. This time, Rowan drifted off not into oblivion, but into the realm of dreams, a multi-layered melody fighting away any nightmares that might have preyed upon her that night.

*****

Rowan remained bound to her bed for the better part of the day. That isn’t to say she didn’t have any company after she had woken up in the afternoon. The twins visited as soon as they were able and Hæra popped in regularly to check on her. That made her feel much better and the awkward highlight of her day came when Gyren came in to see her after he had finished work early. “Hello, my little princess! How are you doing?” he asked as he stepped into her room, his left arm concealed behind his back.

“Better, I think?” Rowan said contemplatively before looking affirmatively at her father with a smile. “Aye! Definitely better.” She was beaming as her father walked over to her bed, not bothering to comment on his concealed hand.

Gyren sat down and smiled at Rowan. “I’ve got something for you; a special little treat I found on my way home.”

Rowan practically glowed with excitement as Gyren pulled out a small box from behind his back. He removed the lid to reveal six bite-sized balls of sugary goodness. “These are all for me?” Rowan asked as she looked down at the sweet rainbow-coloured Alyren Raindrops in the box.

“Of course,” he confirmed, his eyes twinkling mischievously, “just don’t tell your mother.”

Rowan returned the mischievous look as she started reaching for one of the raindrops. “Don’t worry…” She was interrupted mid-breath by the sound of a throat being cleared from the other side of the room. They both looked guiltily to the doorway, where Hæra stood staring down at them with her arms crossed disapprovingly.

“Go on, you can keep talking. Just ignore me and I promise I won’t listen to your little secret,” Hæra told them with a completely straight face and a level tone.

“Well you see, dear, I was just thinking,” Gyren stammered, “that Rowan could…”

“Yes?”

Gyren trailed off and Rowan pouted at her mother. “It’s just a wee treat, Ma!” she complained, glancing down hungrily at her prize.

“You can have it when you’re better. If you have any now you’ll be running up the walls before nightfall; they make you far too hyper.”

“They do not,” Rowan mumbled sullenly.

Hæra walked over to the bed, still cowing her husband, and grabbed the box from atop the blankets, spiriting it away from Rowan’s grasp. Then, smiling mischievously, she popped a raindrop into her mouth and sighed euphorically as it started working its magic.

The sigh that followed from Gyren on the other hand, was filled with mock despair. “I should have expected that. You know, dear, you’re just as excitable on those as Rowan is.”

“Am I now?” Hæra responded in a flighty voice. In her bed, Rowan was rendered speechless by the exchange. Hæra turned briefly to Rowan. “Don’t worry dear, you’re not to blame here, “ she smiled at Rowan before giving Gyren a predatory look. “You, on the other hand, are in need of a scolding.”

Rowan knew what that look meant just as much as her father did. It was an adult look, and adult sounds would follow from her parents’ bedroom soon enough. She was rather proud of the fact that she had been considered mature enough to be given the all-important talk on relationships and growing up at a relatively young age; younger than the twins at least.

True to form, Hæra led Gyren out of the room, raindrops in hand. At the door, she looked at Rowan and apologised. “Sorry, dear. Dinner might be a little late tonight.”

Rowan had no real response to that, other than, “Okay.” Hæra closed the door and Rowan was alone again. Sulking slightly, her head hit the pillow and she tried to go back to sleep.

*****

For the most part, the week that followed Rowan’s injury was quiet. She was strong enough to walk about the house, but the medicine took away most of her energy. Hæra had cancelled the dancing component of their lessons that week and even Master Idyr had been taking it easy on her. It was frustrating; she was only a wee bit fatigued, not an invalid. What made everything all the worse was the simple fact that Tehri had recovered from her own bout of sickness.

Typically, Rowan would not begrudge her little sister’s improved health, however, she found her patience wearing thin due to a sudden explosion of energy from Tehri. The rational part of Rowan would have told her that it was only natural. Tehri had been bedridden for the better part of the month and had likely been feeling what Rowan was now, only more keenly. Rowan, however, was not in the mood to be rational. Tehri’s energy bordered on what lay beyond mania and it only served to rub salt into the wound.

This wasn’t Rowan’s first time seeing one of these episodes from Tehri. In actuality, Tehri had been having them, along with the complete inverse, for as long as Rowan could remember. Past experience, however, didn’t make it any easier for Rowan, or anyone for that matter, to deal with.

There were times when the manic episodes were less extreme. This was not one of them. When Tehri was like this, it was like she was operating at more than maximum energy and everything seemed all the more extreme.

For someone as young as Rowan, it was almost impossible to deal with. Usually, when it got to be too much for Rowan, she would go out and play with the twins. This time, she had nowhere to run.

To make matters so much worse, ever since her recovery and newfound abundance of energy, Tehri had seemingly forgotten the existence of personal space or the fact that Rowan was very much still recovering. She had taken it upon herself to spend almost every waking moment by Rowan’s side wanting to play, talk, run around, jump on her bed, or some weird combination of all four.

It got to the point where Rowan’s only respite was when their mother was around or by some miracle, something else had caught Tehri’s attention for a brief moment. Not even sleep could save Rowan, for in those days, Tehri was a stranger to anything resembling rest.

With Tehri zooming about life at a hundred leagues an hour, Rowan felt that her recovery would last an eternity. With her birthday just around the corner, it felt like hell. Thankfully, reality was a different matter. In the last few days before Rowan’s birthday, her mother had somehow found a suitable distraction and she was left to recover in peace. She still kept to her room right up until the day before her birthday when she was taken, half-asleep, to the doctor’s office to have her stitches removed.

Rowan yawned as the doctor walked in with a kindly smile to give her a check-up after his assistant had removed the stitches. He was an old man wearing dark red clothes and a brilliant white coat with equally white balding hair. “It seems that you are nearing the end of a full recovery, young Miss Rowan,” he said towards the end of his examination. “It is very apparent that your mother has made sure you’ve been taking your medication. Yes, very good!” He looked rather pleased with himself as he reflected on his handiwork.

“Is she good to go, Doctor?” Hæra asked with a look of trepidation.

“Yes. Yes, of course. As long as she doesn’t push herself too hard she’ll be near enough back to her young self again by tomorrow morning at the very latest.”

“Excellent! Thank you, Doctor.” Hæra smiled appreciatively at the old man.

“Thank you,” Rowan yawned a moment later, adding her own thanks to her mother’s.

Hæra stood up and helped Rowan out of her chair. At the door, she looked down at Rowan. “Could you be a dear and wait for me in the waiting room?'' she asked. “I have something I need to discuss with the doctor.” Rowan nodded slowly in acknowledgement and started walking to one of the chairs. “You can have an Alyren Raindrop when we get back home,” Hæra called after Rowan, who immediately perked up a little bit, and then closed the door.

Hæra smiled and turned to face the doctor. “Your fee?” she asked.

“It’s free of charge,” he said happily, seeming to enjoy the surprise on Hæra’s face.

“But, what about the medication? I know you…”

The doctor raised his hand, cutting Hæra off. “Consider it a birthday present. No child should miss their special day because of sickness or injury.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course. Now take young Rowan home and treat her. She has a big day tomorrow.”

*****

Hæra had insisted on Rowan having an early night on the eve of her eleventh birthday. She would wake up to the new world of adolescence and newfound freedoms. That was what she had expected at least, and her dreams that night were filled with wonder at how things would be different. What she did not expect, however, was how much the house could change in a single night. She woke to an enticing aroma that invigorated her down to her very bones. Rowan was about to run straight out of her room when she noticed the sign that had been left on the door.

Happiest Birthday to our Dear Little Rowan,

We know you’re excited so we have a couple of presents ready for you before you come downstairs. The first is a bath which will have you sparkling and full of joy. The second is a set of brand new clothes which we both know you will absolutely adore.

Love from Ma and Da.

Rowan wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of having a bath as a present. She continued to wonder as she dipped her toes into the water, not even realising that the alluring scent had guided her there. The warm water invigorated her in a way that was almost magical. The fatigue that had plagued her during her recovery was gone and she felt stronger for it. Once clean, Rowan stepped into her brand new clothes; a white tunic dress accented with gold trim around the hem and a red silken sash around the waist.

Walking out into the hall and down the stairs, Rowan was able to truly appreciate the transformation that had taken place throughout the house. Taking full advantage of spring, her parents had gifted her with the visage of first bloom. Rowan couldn’t help being anything but charmed by all of the tactfully placed flowers. They brought a wonderful sense of colour and fragrance to the house that was further enhanced by the brilliantly woven flags and banners that hung from the walls. Brightening the house even further were some gloriously scented candles and the glinting of silvery chains set with gems of crimson and azure placed amongst the myriad decorations.

It was perfect for all but one factor. Something was missing.

Tyris. Rowan’s brother was nowhere to be seen. News had arrived early that morning that his Division had been sent on an emergency deployment to assist against a group of raiders based around the volcanic island of Færich Lan. As such, his request for leave from the navy had been denied.

Even so, he didn’t intend to leave Rowan with nothing on her birthday, so he sent her a letter and a small package for her along with the news. Unfortunately, she was unable to open it immediately because of the, in her mind, stupid laws of tradition dictating that presents should be opened no earlier than the hour of the person’s birth.

Unfortunately for Rowan, she had a while to wait there as she was born in the early evening. Thankfully, the arrival of the twins and their parents just after breakfast served as a much-welcomed distraction. Rowan flew into Kyr’s and Kiriin’s arms excitedly as she said hello.

She then gave Mr and Mrs Dalaan a massive smile as she greeted them as well, only to have Hæra remind her that she should really be using Sama and Sera instead, but Rowan always felt that the Ferran titles were weird and overly familiar. If anything, Rowan felt that using their names would feel more natural to her, but that kind of address lacked the polite feel of Mr and Mrs and they didn’t seem to mind either. Rather, they took it with a smile of their own and the reveal of enough games to entertain a small army of children along with their own contributions to Rowan’s growing pile of gifts.

With the bountiful energy of morning, Rowan, Tehri, and the twins started with the notably more physical games under the watchful eye of Hæra. In one such game, a game of contortion and balance, Rowan became the undefeated champion until the others started cheating to gain the upper hand.

It was nearing lunchtime when they started to get bored of those games. As such, they started to shift towards more mind-focused games, though due to Tehri’s complaints, they made sure that there was still at least some physical component. During the first of these games, just past noon, Master Idyr appeared at the front door as if summoned by the inkling of an intellectual pursuit.

In his hands, he carried a heavy-looking box wrapped in cloth. Rowan didn’t even need to look at it to guess that an extremely dense, knowledge-filled tome lay inside. Hæra invited him in for some tea, but he declined as his own family was waiting for him.

Following lunch, the afternoon, much like the morning, was laden with fun activities as the children played game after game while the adults talked about life and the kids. Unfortunately, this led them to reminisce about all of the embarrassing things their children had done in the past, much to the chagrin of the young ones. One tale, in particular, had Rowan’s face turn almost as red as her hair as Hæra described in excruciating detail how Rowan and the twins were playing the part of legendary heroes fighting giant beasts, with a victorious Rowan claiming a kiss from both Kyr and Kiriin as a reward for the successful completion of her quest.

The embarrassing tales eventually came to an end as it struck the fifth hour since noon. Which meant that it was finally time for Rowan to open up her presents. Strangely enough, Hæra almost looked as excited as Rowan when she handed over the first present. Equally strange was how Gyren was the voice of caution, warning Rowan to be careful as she unwrapped it.

Begrudgingly, she paced herself as she slowly unveiled a lute. It was beautiful— Rowan didn’t know how else to describe it— with its three cursive knotwork holes and a floral filigree inlaid with gold and rose gold. It had rendered her speechless. In her hands was a work of art that she felt unworthy of handling.

“Well, that’s a stronger reaction than I expected,” Gyren spoke up, breaking the silence. “Wouldn’t you agree, Hæra?” he asked his wife who was still sitting next to Rowan, practically jumping with joy.

“Oh, aye. Definitely!” she responded, smiling gleefully at Rowan, “Though, perhaps we shouldn’t have started with the lute. But, look at her. I couldn’t resist this. Don’t worry, Rowan, this memory is the least I could give to my special little girl.” Upon hearing this, Tehri pouted slightly, to which Hæra erased without missing a beat by saying, “and so are you, dear little Tehri.”

Even amidst all the talking, Rowan still sat there speechless, unable to do little more than smile awkwardly with her mouth hanging slightly open until someone broke her stupor by placing the next present into her hands. Any other present, and she may not have realised, but the sheer weight of the package was beyond imagining.

It was the box-shaped present from Master Idyr and, as Rowan had predicted, it was an extremely large and intimidating leather-bound tome. The attached note said that it was a collection of academic records that Master Idyr had compiled himself from The Azure University. He apparently deemed it suitable reading material for one of her academic calibre. Rowan appreciated the compliment, but she felt that he might be overestimating her abilities just a wee bit.

The other presents soon followed. She received a really pretty hair clasp and rosewood comb from Kyr and Kiriin which she was adamant she would use regularly going forwards. From the twin’s parents, she was given some hair care products to go along with their children’s gifts and a few dancing accessories.

Then, out of nowhere, Tehri presented her with a piece of art that was beyond masterful. It was the work of a prodigy, showing a level of skill far beyond her years. The painting itself revealed a beautiful landscape featuring Rowan dancing alone in the shallows of Lake Emyr under the light of both moons, a scene she was sure had never actually happened.

Finally, after what had felt like an age, Rowan settled on the package from Tyris, the opening of which was no easy task. Rowan battled with it for ten minutes, refusing all aid, before she finally managed to breach the inner layers to reveal a petite dagger that was rather elegant in its simplicity.

The handle fit nicely in her hand and the blade was barely the length of her rather diminutive hand span. The blade was, of course, sharp. This was proven almost immediately by the beads of blood forming on her fingertip where she had tested it. That led to the immediate realisation of the irony of receiving a package that would have been much easier to unwrap if she already had the gift inside.

She was pulled out of her musings as a few drops of blood from her finger landed on the envelope still waiting on her lap. Reminded that there was still one last thing to open, Rowan placed the dagger aside and put her wounded finger into her mouth to help stem the bleeding. Then forgetting her previous lesson, she tore open the envelope to get at the letter inside and began to read.

“Dearest Little Sister Rowan,

“I’m sorry I’m unable to make your birthday. I tried to get the leave, only for it to fall through when a couple of merchant vessels went missing off the shores of Færich Lan. I won’t be able to visit now until the summer solstice I’m afraid, but make no mistake, when the holiday comes, I’ll play or train with you and Tehri as much as you want, even if my legs fall off.

Now I had hoped to do this in person. Alas, I’m forced to do it in writing. I, Tyris Amran Naliir, hereby relinquish my right to inherit the Naliir family sword, Elan Fiir. Furthermore, on the day marking her eleven years on this world, with the Goddess as my witness, I hereby name Rowan’efrii Alyris Naliir to be the one who shall inherit Elan Fiir.

Now until the time comes when you inherit that sword, I am giving you this dagger. It’s small, compact, and strong, just like my pocket-sized champion. I’m sure it will protect you well. Extend my love to everyone and remind father to give Tehri the sweets I bought her.

Your loving brother, Tyris.”

“Huh?” Upon finishing the letter, Rowan found herself completely and utterly confused. She was having difficulty understanding what her brother was trying to say. It seemed like he was relinquishing his right to inherit the family sword, but with his weird flowery language, he could have been saying any number of additional things as well. Also seeing her full name written down just felt wrong. Unable to find an answer herself, she looked to her mother, the current owner of the sword.

Hæra took the letter from Rowan and read over it once and then again, Rowan failed to notice the significance of the action. “It seems fairly clear to me,” she said after a moment. “Granted, he is speaking to our ancestors as much as he is to you. That’s why he’s using such colourful language; it’s ritualistic. Elan Fiir is a rather unique sword after all.

"It is the magnum opus of Tælla Naliir and forged from the crystallised tears of our ancestors after the tragedy of our exodus from Ferran. He was calling upon them to give you their blessing and acknowledging you as the heir to their tears. The timing and language all make for stronger Resonance in the ritual. Why he’s chosen to relinquish his claim to the sword though, I can’t really say.”

Whilst still somewhat confused, Rowan nodded her head blankly and accepted her mother’s explanation, not realising she hadn’t told the full story.

During the explanation, Gyren also gave the letter a read. As he reached the bottom, he struck his forehead with his palm. “How could I forget the sweets?” he asked himself, standing up suddenly.

The outburst caught Rowan, Tehri, and the twins completely off guard. Tehri in particular asked about the sweets with probably a bit too much enthusiasm. She darted to Gyren’s side and glanced over the letter. “This has too many big words,” she noted with distaste before reaching the bottom. Then, without pausing to even take a breath, she suddenly exclaimed, “Wooh! They’re for me!” Her excitement from the realisation had her bouncing up and down. “Can I have them? Can I have them?” she asked with boundless enthusiasm.

“After dinner, Tehri,” Hæra responded sternly.

Tehri’s excitement helped to distract Rowan from her earlier confusion and she once again let herself be swept into the joy of the celebration. By the end of the evening, she found herself positively exhausted. She said goodbye to the twins and bid her family goodnight, promising herself that she would be stronger in her adolescence, strong enough to stand up for herself.

Chapter 1: A Day In the Life

“Rowan!” a voice cried.

Rowan’s eyes shot open, her crimson hair catching the blush of dawn through the window. Rowan blinked once and then a couple more times in an attempt to rouse herself from her sudden awakening., “Is it morning already?” she yawned to no one in particular; her room was, after all, quite devoid of people despite being rather large.

Regardless of the wake-up call or the marked onset of morning, Rowan found herself wanting to instead snuggle into her blankets. She felt like she had only just fallen asleep and it was still winter, even if only just, so it was fine to sleep in, wasn’t it?

As Rowan settled back down, she noticed that the light in her room was unusual for morning or any time of day for that matter. She looked across at her bedside table and smiled at the strange array of glowing crystals.

“Did I really forget to turn you off?” Rowan asked the array, giggling to herself. It was a pretty thing, and unlike the ones that the twins had, it could change colour.

Rowan shifted the Resonance Configuration to the off position and once again, started drifting back to sleep.

“Wake up, Rowan,” the voice called again, “your father’s home!”

This time, Rowan practically leapt out of bed, invigorated by her father’s return. He’d been gone for months and she missed him dearly, a fact she felt very strongly she would need to rectify with all haste. Running out of her room, she nearly ran headfirst into a tapestry as she skidded past the stairs.

Her father was standing at the bottom of the stairs with an amused but welcoming expression. Caring little for the rosewood staircase, she practically flew down into her father’s arms.

Despite the significant size difference between the two, he still stumbled backwards and fell on his backside as he caught her.

Rowan’s mother gave them a somewhat exasperated look and thought that, despite how little Rowan took after her father, she really was his daughter. That wasn’t to say Rowan hadn’t inherited anything from him. She certainly had his dimples and freckles and her laugh was practically identical to his except for pitch.

She would never be as tall as he was, however, and he wasn’t even that tall, barely average for a human; Rowan was just small. It was a trait she had inherited from her Ferran ancestors through her mother. She had also taken her mother’s deep red hair as opposed to her father’s sandy blond.

Of course, Rowan’s actions would have been the same even if he looked like a Drakiir.

“Da! What took you so long? You’ve been gone forever!” Rowan’s voice streamed out with excitement as she embraced her father with shameless glee.

“I’m sorry, Rowan,” he muttered with a pained expression, though it wasn’t overly clear if that was due to the apology or his now definitely bruised behind. “The new contract took me all the way to Særis and you know how far that is.” Rowan nodded glumly in response and he started again, “Plus, I stopped by the capital to see your brother. He’s looking forward to visiting for your birthday.”

“He is?” She asked with a smile that quickly turned into a pout. “Wait! You’re trying to distract me. I haven’t forgiven you yet, but… I might change my mind if you got me a present…”

“Rowan!” chided her mother, looking slightly cross at her asking for presents before her father had even had the chance to relax.

“It’s okay, Hæra,” her father interjected, seemingly not bothered by his daughter’s attitude. Or perhaps it was because he knew how impossible she could be?

“You spoil her too much, Gyren,” Hæra sighed, her expression softening slightly.

“We both do, my dear. Now where is my other daughter?” he smiled.

“Tehri’s still sleeping,” Hæra responded, shaking her head. “She took cold on the last day of rest.”

“In that case…” Gyren lifted Rowan up with some assistance from Hæra and carried her to her room. “Get dressed,” he said, reminding her that, in her rush, she was still wearing the soft cotton shorts and shift that served as her sleepwear. “When you’re ready, come back down and I’ll give you your present.”

Rowan could barely contain her excitement as she wasted absolutely no time getting dressed. She was about to rush out again when she remembered that her mother would be cross if she didn’t put the extra clothes back into the armoire and chest of drawers, both made of mahogany imported from the rainforests far across the oceans to the south. After her brief tidying interlude, Rowan hurried back downstairs, making sure not to slide into the tapestry again. She was tapping her feet with anticipation whilst she waited for her father to come back down from seeing Tehri.

*****

Hæra shook her head and tried not to smile at her daughter’s infectious joy. She was always amazed to see how Rowan could seemingly conjure boundless energy out of nowhere whenever she was excited. Still, it was only a matter of time before Rowan started complaining about breakfast, so she led her to the table and started serving up a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Rowan happily obliged, though her feet were still tapping on the ground.

*****

Shortly after, Gyren walked back downstairs after having checked in on Tehri. On his way into the dining room, he kissed Hæra who was preparing a fresh bouquet for the table. Rowan noticed the cloth-bound package in his hands as he sat down. She looked at the package eagerly, trying to figure out what it might be. A book? A small one? No. Maybe? It didn’t look quite right for a book. She considered it more and came to the conclusion that it was most definitely not a book. However, she soon realised that her pondering was only delaying the reveal as her father was clearly waiting for her to finish her half-eaten breakfast. Upon noticing this, Rowan wolfed down what remained of her eggs and nearly choked on a piece of toast. Once she was done, she thanked her mother for breakfast and turned back to her father as the dishes were cleared away.

Gyren smiled at Rowan as he began to unwrap the package, revealing a beautifully engraved rosewood box. As Rowan’s cat-like eyes lit up, Gyren spoke up, “And here I was told,” glancing over at Hæra with a glint in his own eyes, “that not five minutes before I walked through the door, you were in bed snoring the morning away.”

“I do not snore!” Rowan protested, throwing a betrayed look at her mother.

“I said nothing of the sort,” Hæra said, throwing Rowan’s protest back around to Gyren. “He’s only teasing you.”

Rowan pouted, then frowned and finally smiled in a matter of seconds as Gyren slid the box over to her, paying no heed to his earlier comment. “Aren’t you going to open it?” he asked.

Not needing to be asked twice, Rowan undid the small metal clasp that was keeping the box held shut and slowly lifted the lid to see what was inside. Within the box lay a small and expertly crafted necklace. It featured two intricately engraved crescent moons made from silver, interlocking gracefully together. The left crescent was set with ruby and garnet and the right one was set with sapphire and lapis lazuli, representing the Crimson and Azure Eyes of the Goddess. Rowan found herself speechless.

“Do you like it?” Gyren asked with a smile halfway between smug satisfaction and awkward uncertainty. “I wanted to find something befitting my beautiful little princess and then I saw this and I was reminded instantly of your smile.”

Rowan blushed slightly from her father’s rather embarrassing form of address, which Rowan half reasoned is why he did it, not that she was going to give him the satisfaction. As quickly as the blush rose on her cheeks, Rowan stood up and ran around the table so that she could catch him in a mightily charming and adorable hug, not giving him the chance to see her rosy cheeks. She soon realised that giving him a hug to stop him from seeing her blushing face was kind of counter to her goal of denying him his satisfaction. Ah well…

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Rowan kissed him several times in gratitude and then she hurried onto Hæra to repeat the process. Then she ran to the door with her present. “I’m going to try it on right now!”

Hæra watched her leave, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. “So much for saving that for her birthday.”

“It’ll be fine. Plus, it wouldn’t be fair to give Tehri her present and have Rowan waiting for hers.”

*****

After the excitement of the morning, Rowan remembered glumly that she still had morning lessons. “I guess it’s just another normal day after all,” she sighed as she walked into the study and sat down, waiting for Master Idyr to arrive. She had a love-hate relationship with the study and the book-laden shelves within. It wasn’t like she disliked studying or anything. In fact, she actually kind of liked it, but her tutor was the best of the best and that came with certain expectations. At times, it felt like he enjoyed pushing her beyond all reasonable limits.

Rowan was leaning backwards in her chair, daydreaming while she waited as the door to the study opened. She yelped as she fell backwards, hitting her head on the floor. “Ow ow oww!” she cried, seeing stars.

“Good morning, Miss Naliir,” a distinguished voice greeted her as she rubbed her head. “I wonder as to what great font of wisdom inspired you to lean so precariously on your chair.”

Rowan looked up to the middle-aged man that stood in the door dressed in a scholar’s gown. He looked rather serious with his short dark hair, greying at the temples, and the pair of dignified spectacles about his brow. Though, Rowan kind of thought he sometimes looked like an evil genius when you also considered his rather well-groomed beard. He gazed down at Rowan with the look of an academic; unimpressed with her rather idiotic behaviour. She clambered up and brushed herself down before responding hesitantly, “Um, well… I was waiting and I kinda got distracted, then well, you know?”

“No, I do not ‘know’, Miss Naliir,” he scolded her with an unapologetic look. “And speak properly when you answer. Proper diction is the sign of a scholarly mind.”

“I was daydreaming, okay!” she admitted with an exasperated huff.

“If you had the time for daydreaming, perhaps it would have been better spent stretching your mind with some simple exercises in preparation for today’s lesson.”

“Sorry, Master Idyr,” Rowan responded with a smile, not wanting to get the lesson off to a worse start.

After a few quick exercises, the lesson began in earnest. The focus of their studies that day was on Resonance and the evolution of the other races, starting with the obsidian folk of Terian’el, known as the Kairosi.

The Kairosi were a nomadic people from a desert far to the south that is now called The Ashen Eye. They were originally human, however, a great volcanic storm nearly ended them. For three hundred years it supposedly raged, and the survivors were forced to plead with their gods for a chance. Only one had the courage to answer— at least that’s the explanation that was given in the book— and the people entered into a Harmonic Resonance Pact with the god, binding their essence to him, and his to them. The pact changed them, and the rapid, unnatural evolution let them survive the nightmare.

The lesson as a whole really drove home how much of a weird place the world was. Rowan had found it interesting and overall enjoyable, even if it was a little confusing at times. Then, right at the end, her opinion of the lesson came crashing down. While she had been concentrating, Master Idyr had written up a small test for her to take.

As Master Idyr started marking it, Rowan was reminded of the hate aspect of her relationship with her lessons. She really did like learning, even the harder, more complicated subjects. But Master Idyr was intense in the way he could lecture like no other and he always went a bit overboard with his tests in a way that always made her groan. Did he really have to set aside so much time for her? At that moment, Rowan felt strongly that she was far too young to be spending hours of her day studying. She still hadn’t had her eleventh birthday after all, and children should spend most of their time playing and having fun. Not that anyone would listen to a child who was still a month or so off from adolescence, especially not one whose opinion of studying was as fickle as hers.

It was lunchtime when Master Idyr left, leaving Rowan somewhat annoyed with herself as she knew she could have done much better on the test. Alas, she pushed her disappointment aside with the intent of replacing it with scrumptious food and excitement for what would follow lunch.

Rowan finished her light lunch before getting changed again for her singing and dance lessons with her mother. These lessons were typically amongst the better parts of the day, second really only to playing with the twins. Unsurprisingly, a big part of this was because she liked her mother significantly more than Master Idyr and it always led to important bonding between them. There was also the part about having private lessons from the world’s greatest ever bard 一 not that Rowan was biassed or anything.

The lessons took place in a room Hæra had had specially prepared for such purposes. A studio of a sort with smooth wood flooring and a wall of mirrors. It was weird for some to see such a large and mostly empty room in a merchant’s home, but they were blind to its benefits. The mirrors let you see yourself as you practised while the large open space let you dance without needing to worry so much about hitting anything. It also enabled Hæra to take on more students at a time and to additionally educate people on the proper flow of a dance floor. All that didn’t really matter to Rowan, as she only cared about the freedom that it gave her, an attitude that oft-times drove Hæra to mock despair. In reality, Hæra kind of envied her daughter’s attitude towards dancing.

The main focus of their lesson that day was dancing and it was exhausting. Sweat covered the floor by the end of the first hour. Hæra’s methods may have seemed odd to the dance instructors in Midiris or Særis, but such techniques would never work with Rowan. She didn’t exactly have the right temperament for formal dance. Instead, Hæra found it best to show Rowan how to move as opposed to the steps of formal routines. It helped that Rowan had a good instinct for how she should string her movements together.

Another hour later and the lesson came to its end. Rowan kind of wished it could continue longer, but she was sweating buckets and Hæra would need to look after Tehri; Rowan was also sure that her mother would be performing at one of the taverns or inns that night. The silver lining, of course, was that she would have the chance to go out and play for the rest of the day and it was about time for the twins to finish with their lessons at the schoolhouse. Hæra knew exactly what Rowan was thinking as she got ready to leave the studio. She wrinkled her nose, “Hold on, little miss. You don’t intend to go out looking like that, do you?”

Rowan looked back innocently. “Um… No?” she replied hesitantly as reality settled back in.

“I know you’ve been working hard and want to go play, Rowan, but you smell. You don’t want to scare Kyr or Kiriin away do you?”

“No,” Rowan sighed.

“Good! Now go get a bath and change into some fresh clothes.”

*****

Rowan stepped outside into the small garden in front of her house. Most would have considered it to be a rather unusual sight to have a garden in the centre of a town of this size, but Næmyris was proud of its greenery and in some cases, reddery. Rowan felt somewhat refreshed by the gentle breeze that whistled softly through the cobbled street. After a second of taking in the fresh air, Rowan slipped out of the garden and onto the street, weaving past the large adults and wagons that filled the town’s thoroughfares.

Rowan ran towards the schoolhouse that the twins attended. Unfortunately, the fastest, most direct route to the schoolhouse involved going through the town centre. She hated the town centre. It was too busy and the tall stone buildings always made her feel absolutely tiny. It was bad enough that she was already rather small for her age due to her Ferran blood and she did not like being reminded of the fact.

By the time Rowan had reached the schoolhouse, her mood had been somewhat humbled by the journey and it dropped even more when she realised that the large building was empty for the most part. Then she remembered that her bath had taken her past the end of the public school day. That meant that the search for the twins was on. Unfortunately, while there weren’t many good places to play in the town’s centre, the outer districts provided a lot more in the way of choice. Without any leads, Rowan would be overwhelmed with choices, so Rowan decided to visit the twins’ home.

The twins’ home was notably smaller than Rowan’s, but she liked it. It had a cosy feeling. Still, she felt a bit impatient when Mrs Dalaan, the twins’ mother, invited her in for tea.

“Um, thank you for tea, Mrs Dalaan, but I only stopped by looking for Kiriin and Kyr,” Rowan said politely.

“Yes, of course! I think they may have said something about going towards the Emyr Quarter,” replied Mrs Dalaan, looking slightly disappointed. “You’re welcome to come to dinner after you finish playing. They’d be absolutely delighted if you did!”

“I will, Mrs Dalaan!” Rowan said quickly, giving Mrs Dalaan an apologetic look as she left towards the Emyr Quarter, the name of which was either due to it being closest to the lake or for the town’s mythical founder back when it was a small collection of fishing huts and farms.

However, despite being the oldest district of the town, it was surprisingly open-plan and was known to the locals as being the town’s leisure district. As such, it had some of the town’s best inns and, more importantly to Rowan, the best parks and public gardens.

Thanks to the lead from Mrs Dalaan, Rowan was able to narrow down her search considerably. She ran past a group of chatting adults, barely noticing them; there was no time to waste.

Her first location was The Garden of Flames, named so for the red-leafed flora that was native to parts of the island. It was Rowan’s favourite garden by far.

The other gardens were perfectly okay, but this garden was like an exotic red flower in a sea of mundane green. It was also perfect for hide and seek, despite all of the twins’ complaining that she had an unfair advantage with her hair. Unfortunately, unless the twins were playing hide and seek then and there, Rowan suspected that they weren’t there. After a quick double and triple-check, Rowan left for her next location, feeling rather disappointed.

“I shoulda known I wouldnae find them in the first place I looked. Typical!” Rowan exclaimed with an audible sigh. She kicked at the ground as she left the garden.

Out of nowhere, a shiver ran down her spine, almost as if she was being watched, but the only people around were adults milling about their usual business. She pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside and ran onwards.

The next few locations caused similar feelings of futility with the twins remaining notably absent. The only silver lining of the search was that she hadn’t run into Bragi or his band of goons.

In the last of the parks, Rowan was close to giving up. She sat down forlornly with her head in her hands. “Why do I have to be the one looking for them?” she cried. “Why couldn’t they have come and found me?”

Rowan was too busy crying to notice the snapping of a twig or the sound of choked-back guilt that followed. Two arms wrapped around Rowan from behind and a cheek touched against hers. “Guess who!” the small girlish voice of the person hugging Rowan said.

“Kiriin?” Rowan replied hesitantly, lowering her hands too.

“The one and only!” the girl responded with the faintest hint of guilt. “You were taking a while, so I uh… came looking for you.” She quickly let Rowan go after revealing herself and smiled.

Rowan stood up and turned to look at her friend to make sure that she wasn’t seeing things. Long golden brown waves? Check! Hazel eyes? Check! Cutesy mischievous smile? Check! Satisfied that she wasn’t hallucinating, Rowan leapt at Kiriin. “It really is you!” she cried into Kiriin’s arms, snot dripping everywhere.

“Who else would I be?” Kiriin patted Rowan on the head. She was, after all, a few inches taller than Rowan, despite being younger and she refused to let it go to waste. Then she noticed the snot. “Ew, ew, ew! You’re getting snot all over me!”

“Sorry,” Rowan sniffled.

“Here! Take my handkerchief.”

Rowan accepted the cotton handkerchief and blew her nose heavily. She apologised again mid-blow. “I thought I might have missed you or maybe that you and Kyr didn’t want to play with me today.” Tears were welling in her eyes again as she tried desperately to not start crying again.

“Don’t be silly! We’d want to play even if the world was ending. We’re best friends for life, you know that!” Kiriin beamed at Rowan, hoping to lift her mood even a little.

Rowan smiled slightly.

“Let’s go find Kyr, okay? He’s by the lakeside.” Rowan nodded meekly in response as Kiriin took her hand and led her away. She was still half-convinced that Kiriin showing up was just her mind telling her to stop moping around. But her touch was real. Rowan wouldn’t doubt that, so she forced herself to smile. By the time they found Kyr, it was genuine.

Kyr was stepping out of the lake when they arrived, his brown hair even darker from wetness. Water glistened off of his chest as he strode towards them, trying to look impressive. It was cute, but somewhat ruined when he sneezed from the cold. The blush that followed only added to the effect and Rowan couldn’t help but laugh. The elder twin stood there looking somewhat dazed with embarrassment as Kiriin walked up and poked him. He yelped in surprise, but it was enough to bring him back into the present.

When they stood next to each other, you could really see the familial resemblance between the twins. True, they were far from identical, that would be a bit difficult with one of them being a boy and the other a girl, but it was kind of uncanny how similar the features were.

Kyr’s eyes were the same hazel as Kiriin’s and if you were to ignore their hair, you could almost mistake them for each other due to them being practically identical in terms of height and build. Kyr was only a little bit taller and Kiriin was likely to overtake him before long. But what really made Rowan laugh was how they both had their dad’s nose which she found to be surprisingly pretty.

After composing himself, Kyr looked at Kiriin quizzically. “What took you so long?” he asked. The question caught Rowan off guard and Kiriin’s expression was just as alarming. She looked… guilty?

“I can explain…” Kiriin stammered back.

“You were following Rowan the whole time, weren’t you?”

In hindsight, it was a pretty obvious conclusion, Kiriin’s timing had been too perfect, but it stung nonetheless. Rowan gave her a betrayed look and she looked guiltier by the second.

“I’m really sorry, Rowan! I didn’t know you would get so upset and…” Kiriin looked genuinely concerned at the pain she had caused Rowan as tears started to well up in her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d try so many places before here. I just wanted to surprise you…”

Rowan turned her back on Kiriin and started walking towards the lake. Kiriin was crestfallen at the thought of not being forgiven.

*Splash!*

All of a sudden, Kiriin was soaked from head to toe. Rowan was standing in the lake, half bent over with her arms outstretched to Kiriin. She was still hurt that Kiriin had played her stupid tailing game, but her earlier words to Rowan still rang true. They were best friends forever and Rowan refused to stay mad at her. As such, she decided that an ample surprise splashing was an adequate revenge. Whilst Kiriin still wore a mask of shock, Rowan hugged her, getting somewhat wet herself, but it didn’t matter. They were friends.

Everything settled down after that and any hard feelings were washed away with water and laughter. It was then that Kyr noticed the necklace hanging from Rowan’s neck. “Is that new, Rowan?” he asked.

Rowan blushed slightly as she placed her hand on it. “It is, aye. Da got it for me from Særis,” she smiled meekly. “Does it suit me?”

Kyr opened his mouth to respond, but Kiriin beat him to the punch. She looked at Rowan with only the slightest hint of a smile and without any hesitation, said, “Definitely. It looks very cute on you.”

The strange, matter-of-fact tone that Kiriin used caught Rowan completely off guard. “You’re teasing me!” Rowan accused, a rosy blush betraying her embarrassment at the compliment.

Kyr laughed. “If she hadn’t, I certainly would have. You’re too easy to tease when you leave yourself wide open like that.”

“You too!” Rowan flashed back with a harrumph. “Traitor!”

Despite her protests and embarrassment, Rowan was actually enjoying herself. She felt like she was at a point in the day where her emotions would stop swinging around like a pendulum and her mood would remain high. She was with friends after all. Best friends. And they were in a perfect place to play.

The girls stripped down to their shifts as was often wise when you wanted to play in water and didn’t have a change of clothes or appropriate swimwear. The lack of a towel, however, was an issue they failed to address as they started splashing around the water without a care in the world for the lake’s cold touch.

Evening came all too quickly, and with it, it brought a cold frost and the sound of growling stomachs. It had been a busy day for everyone, especially Rowan, and she was ravenous. When they realised how cold it was, they quickly threw on their clothes, lamenting their lack of thick, soft, fur-lined garments. They did, however, find themselves warmed by joy. True, there had been a couple of downs, but Rowan couldn’t deny that the day as a whole had been great.

Despite their hunger, they didn’t rush back. The three of them would have said that was because they were having too much fun in each other’s company and didn’t want it to come to an end. That would have only been half true as it wasn’t like they were to be deprived of each other’s company any time soon. Rowan had an invitation to dinner, after all. It was more that they were all a bit too worn out to hurry.

They were almost back when Rowan felt something in the pit of her stomach, not unlike the sensation she had when Kiriin had been following her. Realistically, that should have told her something, but she refused to let some feeling ruin her day. That was a mistake.

*Thump*

A small, sharp rock hit Rowan just above the brow. She staggered slightly, barely noticing what had hit her.

The assailant soon came into view. An adolescent boy stood there, a full head taller than Kyr, wearing a sinister grin and surrounded by his three cronies. He also had messy black hair that cast the rest of his face in shadow.

“Strike!” the boy snarled at Rowan.

Rowan looked at him blankly, still not quite processing what had happened.

“Hah! It seems that stupid half-breed is too much of an idiot to realise she’s been hit.”

The boy’s cronies jeered at Rowan as his words began to sink in. The words hit hard, harder than the rock perhaps, and they cut just as deep. He kept throwing insult after insult and Rowan ran away from each one as they hounded her every step into the depths of her mind. The twins came to her defence almost immediately, Kiriin checking to see if she was okay. Rowan didn’t notice. She was too deep into her own mind at that point and the boy had followed her in.

“Please, stop. Go away.” Rowan’s voice was small, barely audible and she wasn’t even aware that she was speaking.

“Hah! The runt wants us to stop? Who do you think you are, Rat!” The boy’s voice was filled with venom and fuelled with malicious intent. His foul hatred was genuine and the twins couldn’t bear to see it.

*****

Kyr clenched his fist and stepped forwards. He looked like he would start a fight if he needed to, not that he would stand a chance. He was outnumbered and all four of them were older, bigger, and stronger than he was. This included even the Ferran, whose race were known to be smaller than humans. In spite of that, he spoke up. “Back off, Bragi!” he growled, trying to sound intimidating.

Bragi laughed and swaggered towards Kyr. He loomed over him. “And what are you going to do if I don’t? Buzz off! This doesn’t concern you.” He shoved Kyr aside. Kiriin was trying her hardest to shake Rowan out of her stupor so that they could get away. They were running out of time as Bragi advanced. Kyr’s attempts to slow him down had failed. Only when Rowan was in his shadow did she start to come back to reality. Bragi was getting ready to grab her when Kyr charged him from the side.

*****

Rowan stumbled towards him and meekly grabbed his sleeve, “Kyr, stop!” she said, feeling incredibly faint, her words barely audible. “It isn’t worth it,” she coughed. ‘When did speaking become such a burden?’ she wondered, barely noticing the blood streaming heavily from her left brow as her vision began to blur.

“Hah!” Bragi exclaimed. “Even the little shit knows that she’s worthless.”

*****

Kyr turned red with fury, his fists clenched to the point of being bone white. He barely heard the thump behind him and he certainly hadn’t noticed that Rowan was no longer holding onto his sleeve. Kiriin cried out with all her might to get through to him.

*****

Rowan collapsed, her vision blurred and it sounded like her ears were filled with water. The ground beneath her was wet with her own blood and the chill of early spring was biting with the remnant fangs of high winter as it clung to her still-wet body and clothes. With the cold and blood loss, she was barely gripping onto consciousness.

The last thing that Rowan even noticed before slipping out of consciousness was the thudding of running feet and a voice crying out for help or something. She tried to hold on, only for the exertion to send her even quicker into oblivion.

Chapter 0: Eclipse

On the first night of summer, the townsfolk of Næmyris gathered by the lakeside. Moonlight glistened off of the gentle surface of Lake Emyr in a picturesque fashion. For many, it was a beautiful sight that spoke to the magic of the Goddess and her lunar eyes.

Of course, there was more to the gathering than just admiration of the world’s two moons. The real reason everyone had gathered, what made that night truly special, was that there was going to be a total eclipse of Illyria’s closest moon, Rowan’el.

The Goddess would smile on all of them as the eclipse brought her spiritual essence and the Divine Realm into harmony with Illyria and Her people. It was with that in mind that the townsfolk came together with their hopes and prayers on the tips of their tongues.

More than half of the town had made their way north to the lakeside, with many smaller gatherings happening throughout its various districts. With the sense of community and good cheer that came with the eclipse, practically everyone was feeling particularly blessed that night.

Alas, there were some who couldn’t see what made it quite so special; or more accurately, she didn’t want to see. Amidst the thousands of people present, a young girl looked up to the moon with weary eyes, its crimson glow catching on her brilliant red hair. She sighed audibly as she collapsed to her knees, catching the attention of the woman who sat next to her.

“What’s the matter, Rowan?” the woman asked, painfully aware of the fugue her daughter had been suffering for much of that year.

“Did we really have to come all the way to the lakeside, Ma?” Rowan responded with a hint of complaint in her voice.

“Yes, dear. How else am I going to thank her for my beautiful daughters or ask for her to help give you both back your smiles?”

The response came quickly, yet softly so as to not carry too far with the last part being practically inaudible, even to Rowan.

“We could have thanked Her from home,” Rowan yawned, “or at one of the smaller gatherings.” It wasn’t like she was being deliberately indignant, she just didn’t appreciate being roused from her attempts at slumber. She had, after all, been dragged halfway across town for something that she felt was highly unnecessary, especially in her somewhat depressed state.

Rowan’s mother shook her head with a slight frown. “You know why, Rowan. It’s like music. Together we Resonate, amplifying the voices of our spirits far beyond what we could manage by ourselves. If we want to be heard, it’s better we pray together. You should have covered all of this with Master Idyr.”

“We might have. Maybe I’d remember better if I was allowed my beauty sleep!”

“Quiet dear! You don’t hear Tehri complaining, do you?”

“Because she’s already asleep! She’s been asleep since before we even got here!” Rowan responded somewhat bitterly as she looked down at her sleeping little sister. The younger girl slept soundly, her head resting on her mother’s lap.

“So she is,” the woman responded, looking slightly put out at being reminded that her younger daughter was indeed sleeping in her lap. ”Still, as the older sister, you should be setting a good example for her.”

“It’s not like she’s going to wake up, regardless of what I do, so what’s the point? She could sleep through a thunderstorm! Not to mention how she probably hates me! Maybe if I act more outrageously, she’ll stop ignoring me so that I can be a role model. A-a-and…”

Rowan trailed off. She didn’t really believe what she said. If anything, she was to blame for the distance that had grown between them. At this point, all she was doing was venting her frustrations and sadness. She was exhausted and it was making her needlessly irritable. Her sleep had been highly restless for weeks now, and with the summer solstice fast approaching, she felt like it was only getting worse, as if the rising sun was beckoning something to awaken within her. She hated it. She didn’t want to be annoyed with her mother, Tehri, or her friends. And so she choked back a sob, angry at herself for disturbing everyone else’s peace.

For a moment, it looked like her mother was going to scold her for the outburst. Only, she brought her in for a comforting embrace and sang softly as she stroked Rowan’s hair.

♫Hush now little one
the day is won
Sleep now little one
The sun is gone

Mama’s here
to wash away your fear
Mama’s here
to wipe away your tears♫

Rowan cried in her mother’s arms, and as her tears streamed from her violet eyes, she found herself being lulled almost to sleep by the calming lyrics of the Ferran Lullaby that her mother sang. As Rowan’s eyes grew heavy, she heard people calling out that totality was nearly upon them.

As the eclipse reached its peak, time seemed to stop; a glimpse into the witching hour, the moment that Illyria and the Divine realm were almost touching. In the absolute stillness of that moment, the first screams carried far, only to be followed by the thundering of hooves.

Table of Contents

Book 1: Awakening

Chapter 0: Eclipse
Chapter 1: A Day In the Life
Chapter 2: Newfound Adolescence
Chapter 3: Payback
Chapter 4: Flame of Hearts
Chapter 5: Love
Chapter 6: Happiness
Chapter 7: Despair
Chapter 8: Bloodmoon
Chapter 9: The Caves
Chapter 10: Stoic Introductions
Interlude: A Silent Voice
Chapter 11: Pain
Chapter 12: Loss
Chapter 13: Ardent Awakening
Interlude: Aftermath
Interlude: A Voice Unheard
Interlude: Broken Silver
Chapter 14: The Plan
Interlude: Lordly Discoveries
Chapter 15: Pandemonium
Chapter 16: The Escape I
Chapter 17: The Escape II
Chapter 18: The Wind Rose I
Chapter 19: The Wind Rose II
Chapter 20: Midiris
Chapter 21: Reunion
Chapter 22: Elan Fiir
Chapter 23: Soulforged
Chapter 24: The Blush of Dawn
Chapter 25: The Ball (Censored)
Chapter 25: The Ball (Extended) (Paid Exclusive)
Interlude: A Voice on the Wind (Patreon Early Access)
Chapter 26: The Next Step (Patreon Early Access) 

Book 2

Chapter 27: Back to Basics (Patreon Early Access)
Chapter 28: Striking a Balance (Patreon Early Access)
Chapter 29: Closer (Patreon Early Access)

Big Announcement

Hello everyone, I've got big news for you all that I'm both extremely excited and nervous to share. To put it simply, I came to the realisation that we have already passed the perfect ending point for Book 1 of Ardent Tears. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that this is the end of Ardent Tears for good. Far from it. But it does tie in to the second part of this announcement. Ardent Tears in need of a fresh start. The events of these past few months have had a massive impact on my mental health and my ability to write at a satisfying pace. I do of course, want to resolve this issue so that I can get back to sharing with you all the story that I love and cherish.

With that said, I should probably say how I intend to do this. Well first off, I am in the process of editing Book 1 which spans from Chapter 0: Eclipse, all the way up to Chapter 23: The Next Step, along with all the Interludes up to that point. As part of the editing process, I'm also going to be expanding and improving on some of the weaker parts of the story..

In addition to editing, I am slowly working towards the resolution of the current arc of the story. After that, I'll be continuing to write chapters but I won't be releasing those chapters publicly until after I'm done with the edit. They will, however, be added to my Patreon backlog.

As for what will be happening once I'm done with the edit, I'll be re-releasing it on Royal Road and my website with a new cover and everything. Hopefully, this will give the story the fresh start it needs. I'll also be publishing the story as an e-book on Amazon.

Wish me luck!

Chapter 37: Sisters II

The shopping district was busier than it had any right to be as Rowan went about fulfilling her promise to Tehri. The scene caught Rowan completely off guard. Gone were the lifeless drones of the day before; they had been replaced by a swarm of busy bodies. The stark differences with everyone's behaviour was actually a little disconcerting. Even so, Rowan was glad to see the heightened spirits.

Rowan and Seres held Tehri's right and left hands respectively as they navigated the market square to ensure they didn't get separated. There was a lot going on in the plaza with merchants hawking their wares and the myriad townsfolk turning it into a place of mercantile flux. Not once, not twice, but five times were the three of them nearly separated, mostly due to the sheer chaos of it all, but also because of an unfortunate moment with a horse doing its business right in front of them.

With how packed the plaza was, there was almost no escape from the path of the dung and the flow of traffic was pushing them forwards. Rather than skirt around the sickly green obstacle before them, Rowan sped up slightly and hopped over the offending mass with Tehri and Seres being carried by her momentum. The bizarre and seemingly out of place maneuver managed to draw in a few distracted eyes, including those of the people immediately behind them, as made clear by the somewhat muted squelch and visceral swearing that followed.

At that moment, the girls came to a silent agreement that it was time to get out of there. The central market was just far too busy to do anything productive, let alone fun. Even trying to get away from the writhing mass of people was a total nightmare. Eventually, however, they managed to break free and their tails were only moments behind.

Now that they were in the less chaotic side streets, they were finally able to relax and move at their own pace. Rowan struggled to believe that any serious trading ever happened when the market got to be like that and the idea that it was potentially a regular occurrence was terrifying. That thought was pushed aside by Tehri tugging on Rowan's hand. So much for taking things slowly.

After that, they spent a significant time window shopping, as they tried to figure out what everyone liked. The relaxed nature of it all also gave Rowan the chance to give Tehri some preliminary advice on her own Awakening. It wasn’t perfect, Rowan was still inexpensive in and of herself, after all, but it was better than Tehri going in blind like Rowan had seen a little too often back in the caves.

Rowan also went off a couple of times by herself, leaving Tehri and Seres with Lochlan and Liadra, so that she could buy a few small presents for the two of them in secret, along with an Alyran Raindrop for herself. Gods, how she missed that soft, delectable orb of colour and fruity goodness.

After she devoured her treat, Rowan made her way back to a highly suspect pair. Tehri and Seres were both glancing over at her and giggling as she turned the corner to the street they were waiting in. Rowan gave them a questioning look as she approached.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Nope!" Seres laughed back.

"Well okay then."

*****

Over the course of their time in the commercial district, the three girls found themselves mostly purchasing clothes to restock Tehri's nonexistent wardrobe, along with a few trinkets. Rowan also made sure to buy her some new art supplies. It took a while to find the right kind, as Rowan was no expert and Tehri was having a hard time communicating what she needed through Seres and she wasn't yet strong enough to use her own words.

Apart from that, however, they just stuck to window shopping. To do much more might have been overwhelming to the point of ruining the moment. Fortunately, they managed to find the right balance to the slice of life that they were seeking.

Unfortunately, the eternal march of time would eventually catch up to them as Tehri's stomach spoke the universal language of "Feed me!" They quickly shifted their focus towards accomplishing that request. As the centre of the commercial district was still on the busy side and none of them were in the mood to trek back to the inn for lunch, they sought out a small tea house from Rowan’s childhood memories.

They were almost halfway there when Tehri stopped them. She was tugging on Rowan's hands and pointing towards an alleyway. As fear crept up Rowan’s spine, she heard it, an almost imperceptible crying amidst the shadows. Seres, on the other hand, still hadn't realised what was going as she continued walking forwards. Rowan was torn between them as Tehri rushed off towards the alley. It happened before she could even respond; Tehri was also acting at an Awakened level, after all.

Rowan’s only real choice in that moment was to call after Seres whilst keeping her eyes on Tehri who slowed down the moment she reached the alley. Rowan saw her tiptoe inside, past a few crates and into the shadows. Fear started to gnaw at Rowan's stomach as she waited, each second punctuated by that soft crying.

And then Tehri was there, cradling a small, four-legged animal with a mantle of stars; it was a baby Tamarin Fox.

"She's hurt," Tehri croaked weakly.

"Ahhh," Rowan fumbled. She'd been caught completely off-guard by the discovery; Tamarin Foxes were practically mythical given how elusive and rare they supposedly were. Instead, Seres took the initiative of wrapping the small fox in a cloak to keep her warm.

She needs milk, Tehri signed once her hands were free, can we bring her with us? Please? We can't leave her alone, or she'll die.

Rowan could feel the emotion in the request as she felt her own flare in response. That alone was enough to understand the meaning behind it and Seres' translation just confirmed it.

"Of course," Rowan replied softly, nodding her approval. The poor kit looked like she was on the brink of starvation. Rowan dreaded to think what had brought her to Næmyris and left her in this condition.

With the answer given, Tehri took the fox back from Seres and they quickly made their way to the tea house. Rowan asked for warm milk the moment they entered the building, leaving a poor waiter fumbling around to fulfill the request while another led them to a table. Before long, the fox had her first meal in what might have been days, whilst everyone else waited for their food to be served.

The little kit continued to gather her strength bit by bit as Tehri fed her. Rowan knew exactly what she was doing; it had come instinctively to her. Just as compassion had given Tehri her voice back, compassion was helping the fox heal just a wee bit.

Once the kit had drunk her fill, she promptly fell asleep in Tehri's arms. A few minutes later, the food arrived. It was a simple mean, though admittedly not a simple as the kit's one, consisting of lightly toasted sandwiches and a hearty autumnal soup. For Tehri, however, it was significantly more complex as she tried to navigate it around the fox without waking her up.

They continued to chat as they ate and once they were all finished eating, the conversation transitioned into initial lessons for Rowan on sign language from  Tehri and Seres. It was a strange concept at first, speaking with one's hands. That is, right up until Rowan realised that she already articulated a fair bit with her hands already; signing was just the next logical step. Thus, she was, with some difficulty, taught how to weave language into gesture. After an hour or so, she was starting to get a firm grasp of the basics.

Alas they couldn't just sit around all day, not when they still needed to bring it to its sombre end.

*****

The three girls meandered to Eclipse Memorial, dropping off their shopping and purchasing some flowers on the way. Before long, they were stepping outside of the town and into the memorial site that now dominated the sight of the attack all those years ago. It was similar to a standard graveyard, but at the same time, it was much more. The monuments were all made of brilliant white stone of varying kinds. In the centre of the memorial was a grand obelisk made of gilded marble. With little else to direct them, they followed the flowing paths to the heart.

Almost every grave that they passed on their way was well cared for, each one given their melancholic due. It was a beautiful yet depressing thing to see whilst being a painful reminder of all the lives that had been lost. The weight of that loss was only amplified when they reached the central obelisk. Every inch of stone had been engraved with the names of those that had died and those that had been taken. Rowan read every last one of them. Halfway down the second side, she felt a lead weight tug on her heart. Three names blazed before her.

Hlii’hæra Talyren Naliir

Rowan’efrii Alyris Naliir

Tehri’aana Feiandra Naliir

Just seeing one of them would have been enough to get her heart bleeding, but all three carried the force of an entire caravan tumbling down the side of a mountain. Tehri saw it too and the pain they shared could be felt in the way they leaned into each other’s arms, the moment joined by a small fox who had likely suffered a similar fate. They had survived, but those words were a monument to the cost of it all. Furthermore, it presented them with the finality of truth. Even with Rowan seeing her mother’s last moments, this set it in stone for all to see.

That didn’t mean that she was ready to say goodbye. Not yet. For that, they needed to find her final resting place. Fortunately, they weren’t the only visitors around, so they opted to ask around before looking by themselves. The first few weren’t much help. If anything they seemed mildly annoyed that they had been disturbed. Eventually, however, they found their way thanks to an elderly couple who were going around cleaning the less cared for graves.

Seres took hold of the kit from Tehri and held back as they approached the monument. It was far from what Rowan was expecting; it lacked the larger than life panache that she associated with her mother, or more accurately, her nature as a bard and performer. Instead, the small, eleven-sided pillar spoke more of a graceful elegance that was only enhanced by the golden filigree that was woven into the fabric of the stonework. Rowan and Tehri read the words on the front facing side together.

From this life to the next, we see this monument to Hlii’hæra Talyren Naliir, beloved wife, mother, and the heart of our community. She will be sorely missed and never forgotten. May her soul forever know love and peace on the other side and may her family be strong in the years to come.

Here lies a memory of song.

Rowan’s cheeks were wet with tears before she had even finished the first sentence and they only flowed stronger with every other word that followed. Even so, she was confused by the last line. Then she heard it.

Hush now little one

the day is won

Sleep now little one

The sun is gone

Mama's here

to wash away your fear

Mama's here

to wipe away your tears

Author's Note: Happy Twosday everyone. Getting back into the rhythm of writing is hard and I'm sorry for any readers that I've disappointed these past few months. It's been tough, I'm not gonna lie but I appreciate each and everyone of you that is still here, especially my patrons, beta readers and everyone on the discord server. You've all helped me get through this rough patch and I hope I can make it up to you.

Interview Teaser

I welcome you all to this small teaser for the pilot episode for a series of interviews between Rowan and a Særan Investigator. With that said, I'd like to thank Liz Rossi, the producer of this episode and Kaldigo, Ardent Flame and voice of Kalan Dro'gal. Speaking of voices, I'm acting as Rowan in this episode, so now you all know what I sound like.

Interview Blooper Reel

Here is an extra special blooper reel from the recording of the interview. It was mostly me fumbling around in apparently adorable ways (not my words I swear). Have fun listening to me embarrass myself 🙃🙂. 

Ardent Tears Interview (Pilot Episode)

I welcome you all to the pilot episode for a series of interviews between Rowan and a Særan Investigator. The episode is a little rough around the edges, but I'm happy with the results. With that said, I'd like to thank Liz Rossi, the producer of this episode and Kaldigo, Ardent Flame and voice of Kalan Dro'gal. Speaking of voices, I'm acting as Rowan in this episode, so now you all know what I sound like.

I'd appreciate any feedback you might have so we can make the next episode the best that it can be.

Music Credits

https://freesound.org/people/Kyster/sounds/197115/

https://freesound.org/search/?q=&f=grouping_pack:%2212548_Bork%202013%22%20&s=%22%22&g=&advanced=&a_tag=&a_filename=&a_description=&a_packname=&a_soundid=&a_username=

https://freesound.org/people/Kyster/sounds/197110/

https://freesound.org/people/Ellary/sounds/504893/

https://freesound.org/people/Ellary/sounds/478318/

https://freesound.org/people/Metzik/sounds/371222/

Update

Hello everyone. First things thirst, I want to apologise for the radio silence and lack of content over the course of the past two months. The last chapter I released coincided with me having a fairly significant surgery (it was under general anaesthetic) and I had to recover. As I was recovering, we had Christmas and then I managed to get myself food poisoning. Last of all, January has been an exceptionally difficult month (this weekend in particular) for me with my mental health as its the anniversary of my mum's death.

 Its not really an excuse for complete silence on my end, but I'm going to treat February as a fresh start. Part of this will be the release of the Interview pilot episode which  is in the process of being edited. I look forward to sharing it with you all. Until then and the next chapter, thanks for bearing with me.

Chapter 36: Sisters on the Town I

The air was crisp and the sun was shining brightly as Rowan stepped out of the Crimson Drakiir with Seres and Tehri in tow. They had a busy day ahead of them. To start, however, they just went for a casual walk. It wasn’t much, but it gave both Rowan and Tehri a chance to re-familiarise themselves with the home that they had lost.

They didn't linger for too long in the busy town centre, instead options for the quieter suburban districts. That way, they were able to have a more relaxed start to the day. It also meant that they could walk around without Lochlan and Liadra breathing down their necks.

That isn't to say that they weren't being tailed. It's just that Lochlan and Liadra were staying far enough back that it wasn't blatantly obvious what they were doing. At least that would be true if it wasn't for Lochlan flirting with literally anyone and everyone. He even flirted with an old lady at one point. Rowan could have sworn that she was both incredibly on board with the idea and highly suggestive. She was also enthusiastically telling him about her thirty-seven grandchildren as she linked arms with him.

Instead of fooling around and helping him, Liadra just carried on following them, and even managed to almost fade into the background. If Rowan wasn’t keeping her own watchful eye on their surroundings, she would have lost Liadra in no time. It was actually rather impressive to see her act independently, given how Lochlan tended to overshadow her with his particularly bodacious way of doing things.

There was another silver lining to the old lady taking Lochlan away to do Goddess knows what with him as it meant that it was less likely that he would try and flirt with her in front of Tehri. Rowan shuddered at the thought and the colour drained from her face as she realised he could do much worse; he could flirt with Tehri. Rowan really hoped he had some sense in that regard. After the old lady, however, she had her doubts. Even so, she refused to dwell on the notion for more than a few seconds. She’d address the issue if and when it became a reality. For now, Tehri was her priority.

*****

With everything that had happened over the last day, Rowan was able to look at the town in a more natural light, free from overwhelming nostalgia. She was glad it was gone; the memories would just make her feel sad, perhaps even depressed. Now was not the time to be feeling such negative emotions, not when she was meant to be spending time with Tehri.

The lack of full-on nostalgia also let her experience the town a little more objectively. Much of her observations from the day before were much the same, but she was able to appreciate them a little better. A big example of that was how she no longer felt quite so tiny amidst the various buildings. It was kind of a funny realisation as she hadn't actually grown much in the caves. Not physically at least. She had, however, grown a lot as a person.

With that in mind, she imagined the effect was much greater for Tehri as the past five years had been much more significant for her. Her face also spoke of wonder, though Rowan wasn’t sure exactly what had sparked it. Even so, seeing Tehri smile made her happy; she didn't need to know the exact reason. All that truly mattered right now was to make sure that Tehri didn't lose that smile.

With that in mind, Rowan took her two sisters to one of the small, out of the way parks on the outskirts  of the town. Her reasoning was twofold, the first of which being that it would be a nice quiet place where the three of them could play some simple and slightly silly games, the kind that children might play. The second reason tied into the park being out of the way as it would let Rowan tease Tehri without the presence of a large audience to make her feel overly embarrassed.

Once they entered the park, Rowan spun around bodaciously so that she could give her two sisters a brilliant smile. With her arms stretched out dramatically, she called out to them. “Glorious sisters of mine, I welcome you both to our grand stadium where we will compete for the title of best sibling.”

Seres slapped her forehead and sighed audibly in response while Tehri just stood there looking flabbergasted and amazed. After a moment of taking everything in, Tehri raised her hand questioningly.

“Yes, Tehri?”

“Umm, what do you mean by sisters, plural?” She didn’t manage to say all of that, but Rowan was able to get the gist and Seres filled in the gaps from Tehri’s signing.

“Oh right, yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that.”

“With everything that happened while we were held in captivity, Rowan and I formed a rather close bond,” Seres explained. “She also saved my life. I owe her everything and more.”

“I could say the same thing,” Rowan added.

“But…”

“Don’t worry, Tehri, I’m not about to steal Rowan away from you. If anything, I’d be honoured if you would also consider me as family.”

“I couldnae a’ said it better myself. Seres is right, Tehri. Just because I love her like a sister, I’m not about to love you any less. If anything, I’m just going to love you more than ever.”

“Seems like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? Not only do you get more from Rowan, you also get a whole new honorary sister, and I promise I’ll do my part. I’ll even tell you all of Rowan’s embarrassing secrets.”

“Hey! That wasnae a part of the deal.”

“It is now,” Seres laughed.

Tehri soon joined in. Quietly at first, but it didn’t take long at all for the sound of her lilted giggling.

“Enough of that!” Rowan said after several minutes of trying to shield her ears from the silvery peels of laughter. When the laughing eased up, she started speaking again. “Okay, so back to the reason why we’re here. As I said before, I thought we might play a game or two. I even grabbed a few props for some of the classics when we were still at the inn,”

“What’s first, then?”

“Blind Miirak,” Rowan answered, pulling out a long strip of cloth from a pouch at her belt. “Do you know the rules, Seres?”

“Of course I do,” Seres harrumphed, her hands resting on her hips in indignation. “I might be a princess, but I’m not so sheltered that I don’t know how to play such a simple game.”

“Great, you can go first.”

“But…”

Rowan gave Seres a sly turn of her lips as she capitalised on her little revenge for Seres offering up her embarrassing secrets. “Having second thoughts?” she asked. It wasn’t much of a revenge, but it was the best she could do when it was just the three of them as all of Seres’ embarrassing secrets would be lost on Tehri.

Seres just sighed in response. “Fine, I’ll do it. But you owe me a treat if I catch you. And you better not use your abilities to gain an unfair advantage. If you do, I’ll be forced to retaliate in kind and that wouldn’t be fair on Tehri.”

“If you insist.”

With the terms agreed, Rowan blindfolded Seres, turning her into the villain of the game. That left Rowan and Tehri as the poor victims of the terrible miirak, a horrifying demon with obsidian eyes that supposedly went around eating naughty children who stayed out too late. The game was created by children as a way to combat their fear of the miirak, and the game’s popularity suggested that it had been very successful in that regard. It helped that the rules were fairly simple.

The first round started as a blindfolded Seres started spinning in place as Rowan and Tehri ran circles around her. Then everyone stopped and the real challenge began. Seres’ job was to catch either Rowan or Tehri, and they had to do their best to keep moving and not get caught. The game  would continue until there was only one survivor remaining. Of course, as there were only two of them, sabotage was both expected and encouraged.

With that in mind, Tehri beelined for Rowan, being as loud as possible while Rowan took the opposite approach. It didn’t take long for Seres to make her move. Instead of going straight for Tehri, she went to intercept her at just the right time. This inadvertently had her going straight for Rowan. At least it would have had Seres’ dizziness not veered her off course. Tehri pulled back and Rowan resorted to diversionary actions.

The round continued for another five minutes with Rowan managing to avoid capture at the last second as Tehri attempted another bait and switch. Overall, it was clear that Rowan was taking it easy on Tehri, but that was okay. If Rowan was being serious it would have been over within moments and that wouldn’t have been fun for anyone. This way, everyone was able to have a good time. To make sure the fun continued, Rowan also chose to take the role of the miirak next.

They played a few more rounds before moving onto some other games of a similar nature, Alas, they couldn’t play forever, especially with Tehri’s constitution. As such, they stopped as soon as Tehri started showing any signs of tiredness. It was incredible that she lasted as long as she did, considering everything that had happened to her since the storm. Rowan knew that she had to be exhausted, but she maintained a strong face and it warmed Rowan’s heart.

With the games done and dusted, everyone took the executive decision to sit down for a few moments.

“You did great Tehri,” Rowan said.

Thank you, Tehri signed back.

“No problem. Take as long as you need to catch your breath. We can do some shopping later. My treat. Before that, would you mind telling me what it was like in Aran Village. Be as wordy as you want to be. Seres can translate.” Rowan gave Seres a look before she could object, hoping to convey some of her intent. It wasn’t a perfect way to learn sign language, but it was a start and there was the added benefit of getting to know more about Tehri. Furthermore, it would give Rowan a perfect segue into asking about Kamren.

Tehri started by telling them about her quaint little life with Hana and Byrden, focusing heavily on everything they had done for her. She also went into great detail on the strange little ways in which village life was different compared to life in Næmyris. In some ways, her descriptions almost made it seem idyllic. At the same time, it was also clear that the village was severely lacking in certain amenities that Rowan had just assumed were commonplace once a settlement reached a certain size.

How could people live without plumbing? That was one of Rowan’s immediate thoughts until she reminded herself that she knew the answer all too well. At the same time, she couldn’t exactly compare life in Aran Village to life in the caves. They were completely different beasts. No, that was still an unfair comparison. It was more like comparing a rabbit to a Vhoraks.

Rowan’s attention was once again drawn back to Tehri as she started telling them about her garden and the horrifying foods that Hana had created since learning that she was pregnant. Seeing that Tehri had found a new way to express herself with the garden brought a genuine smile to Rowan’s face. Meanwhile, Seres turned pale at the mention of congealed frog jelly soup.

After a fair while, only one subject remained. “Are you not going to tell us about Kamren?” Tehri was blushing before Rowan had finished asking.

“If it helps, Tehri, I can tell you about Rowan and Lady Alena,” Seres offered.

“You wouldnae dare!”

Seres did indeed dare as she ignored Rowan’s protests completely. “So Rowan and Alena managed to become the talk of the capital over the course of a single night. They managed to dance so passionately together that they managed to light some flames that many had considered to be more frigid than a boreal storm.”

“No more!”

“And then they were acting all lovey-dovey in the days that followed, I think Rowan might be smitten.”

Rowan’s heart was racing faster than she had ever ran and she was blushing so hard that she was half-convinced that even her hair was somehow turning redder. Trying to tease Tehri with Seres right there was perhaps one of the most idiotic ideas she could have possibly conceived.The only positive was that Tehri was smiling and any hint of being reserved around Seres was non-existent.

“Please stop, Seres. I’m just curious.”

Tehri also signed something to Seres which Rowan interpreted as “It’s okay, you can stop now.” She then went on to sign, He’s my friend. He learned sign language so that we could talk. No one else made the effort apart from Hana and Byrden.

“So he’s just a friend?” Rowan asked knowingly, though her voice was still quivering slightly with embarrassment.

No. He was also my first kiss and…

It was clear that Tehri was saying a lot more than just that on account of her still signing. Rowan couldn’t be completely sure what she was missing, but she could guess a fair bit from Seres’ reaction and refusal to translate any further. There was also the fact that Tehri was blushing almost as furiously as Rowan had been just a few moments ago.

“You can stop there, Tehri. I think I’ve got a good grasp of your relationship now. Perhaps we should get going before it gets any colder. Yes, that’s why we should leave. Oh look, Lochlan managed to escape that old lady.”

Rowan was on her feet in an instant as she brushed herself down. She nodded to Lochlan and Liadra before turning back to help Tehri and Seres to their feet. Without giving anyone a chance to argue, she marched out of the park with a gentle grip on both of her sisters. The rest of their day stood before them.

Chapter 35: A Voice Rekindled

Rowan woke early the next morning. There was much that needed to be done and hardly any time to do it. That was how it felt at least. Unfortunately, Seres was still sleeping and Rowan wasn’t prepared to wake her up when it was still dark outside. It had been a long night with the performance and everything that had followed.

Everyone wanted to talk to the two of them, Rowan because of the performance and who she was and Seres because she was a princess. They were so relentless in their pursuit of conversation that Rowan was denied the chance to talk with Tehri. She wanted to confirm what she had heard, but instead people kept trying to hit on her or ask what it was like being an Ardent.

By the time Rowan had broken free of the inquisition, Tehri had already retreated to her rooms, as had everyone else from Aran Village. Rowan wasn’t exactly surprised. They must have all been exhausted after the forty or so mile trek from the village and everything else they had been through.

After half an hour or so of trying to fall back asleep and failing due to her thoughts being too busy, Rowan chose to pass the time in the bath. It was a way to relax and the hot water really helped to release the strain on her muscles. After the stunt she had pulled yesterday, it was definitely needed, especially as she hadn't given herself a proper chance to relax.

Even so, the run had strained her a lot less than she would have expected. If anything, she felt confident that she could maintain that kind of speed for at least an hour. What she really wanted to know, however, was how close she had gotten to her top speed. It was difficult to say for sure, as she wasn't sure how fast she was going and her upper limit was nigh impossible to calculate.

There were just too many factors to consider. First was her natural top speed according to her various physical characteristics. Then there was the basic enhancements from being an Ardent, which weren't exactly universal, and whatever strength and speed she could get from Elan Fiir. After that, it got complicated as her base abilities were further bolstered by an amount proportional to her emotional state. Add in the fact that different emotions could interact in different ways and some directly interacted with her physical abilities.

It was an interesting quandary, and one that she'd have to look into testing at some point. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure how useful it would be in a combat scenario, as she wasn't exactly the best at being introspective in really tense situations. If anything, the more she actually thought about it, she was awful at it most of the time. This was one of those relatively rare occasions that she was making an effort to consciously reflect on things. It certainly beat letting her subconscious do it for her. That almost always led to downward spirals or unpredictable mood swings.

Rowan eventually left the bath when she heard Seres stirring. Her skin was like a prune as she dried herself, a depressing sign that she had been in the bath far too long. The fact that her stomach was rumbling and the sun was shining brightly through the window hammered the point home.

Seres was stretching dramatically as Rowan walked into the room. "Morning, Rowan," she yawned. "Is breakfast ready yet?"

"I haven't checked yet so I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing it is. We can go down as soon as you're ready."

"Why have you stopped using your accent?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your accent. You were using it all of yesterday, but now you've gone back to a heartlands accent."

"I didn't mean to. It just feels weird using that accent when its just the two of us."

Seres gave Rowan a deep, meaningful look that spoke volumes. It made Rowan feel a little guilty as she realised it was a sign of her treating Seres differently than the rest of her family.

"Well I think it's a nice accent," Seres declared. "If anything, I prefer it to the heartlands accent. It's part of who you are and you seem more relaxed when you're using it. Don't hold back on account of other people. Especially me."

"I'll do my best to keep the accent, then."

"Just do what's comfortable. If it helps, I think Lady Alena will also find it rather charming."

Rowan started steaming as her face tried to turn a deeper shade of red than her hair. "Let's go get breakfast," she stammered awkwardly as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

*****

Liadra and Lochlan were ready and waiting for the two girls as they went down for breakfast. Rowan and Seres joined them at their table. It made things easier if the unlikely situation arose where Seres needed any protection.

The villagers started trickling down towards the end of breakfast. Hana and Byrden looked particularly ecstatic as they came down with Tehri. Rowan immediately pushed aside her bowl of porridge as she rushed out of her chair to hug Tehri.

"It's a miracle," Hana was saying as Rowan skidded towards them on her knees, "Tehri actually said something."

Tehri was making some small sounds of protest at all the fuss. It wasn’t much, but it was significantly more than it had been yesterday.

"I hope you all slept well," Rowan said after greeting everyone.

"Better than the past few days, that's for sure," Byrden answered.

"Have you heard Tehri speak yet?" Hana said.

"Aye. Last night, right as I finished singing. I wanted to talk to her about it last night buy I didnae get the chance."

"You did seem pretty swamped," Byrden said.

"Well that's not going to stop me today," Rowan said, giving Tehri another hug.

Tehri blushed furiously from all the attention. She tried to say something, but it came out as barely more than a broken whisper.

Rowan saw that she was struggling. It wasn’t difficult to see why; after years of not speaking, Tehri's vocal cords had probably atrophied by a fair margin. Not only that, but it was naïve to think that Rowan had cured all the trauma that had stolen her voice. This was just the beginning, and the road to her recovery would likely be a long one. Rowan was determined to help her as best she could.

She gave Tehri a warm, comforting smile. "You dinnae need to push yourself, Tehri. I know it's difficult, so take all the time you need. It doesnae need to be today or tomorrow or even next year. Just keep working on it and you'll be able to talk my ears off whenever you're ready. In the meantime, I'll learn how to sign so we can talk like that, okay?"

Tehri nodded as a lone tear trickled down her cheek.

"Excellent. I've got a few things I want to do today and I was hoping you'd join me for some of them. It might be painful though, so I'll understand if you dinnae want to or you dinnae think you're ready."

Tehri signed something back that looked like an affirmative prompt, but Rowan asked if either Hana or Byrden could translate. With the go ahead from them, Rowan was able to continue.

"Well the first place I want to visit is the memorial. We lost so much during the eclipse and I want to pay my respects. We'd be able to say hello to Ma as well. Is that okay?"

A few more tears and couple of signs let Rowan know that Tehri would do her best to be strong and that she would go. Rowan whispered some barely audible thanks and continued on.

"The next bit might be a little bit more difficult. I'm planning on going back home and giving it a full clean. Seres has already agreed to help, as have her guards. It might involve seeing Da though and I know that might be difficult for both of you."

There was an audible gulp from Tehri as she started signing, I can do it.

"Only if you're sure."

"We'll help with the cleaning as well," Byrden offered.

"I have a lot to say to him," Hana added.

"He might not be what you're expecting," Rowan said, "but I appreciate the help." Her face was sullen at the memory of how her father had been when she saw him yesterday. If anything, she was more worried about how he would handle the reunion.

"Anyway, I'll let you have breakfast first. This is likely going to be a busy day, so you'll need the energy."

Rowan gave Tehri one last hug and then returned to the others and the cold remains of her porridge.

As she sat down, Seres whispered something into her ear. "There's something I think you might want to know. It's about Tehri."

Rowan pulled her head back immediately and whipped it around so that she could look directly at Seres. Her heart started to race. Seres could have seen any number of things with her eyes. "What do you mean?" Rowan stage whispered.

"I'll tell you upstairs after you finish your breakfast."

"But it's gone cold already." Cold porridge didn't bother her that much, but that wasn't why she was complaining. It was more of an excuse to hurry things along so that Seres would tell her what she apparently knew.

Seres wasn’t having any of it. Instead she gave Rowan a knowing look and a sly grin. "I thought you might say that so I ordered some nice warm honey milk that you can mix in."

Rowan had to stop herself from salivating at the mention of honey. It appealed too much to her sweet tooth. There was no helping herself. She wanted to know what Seres had to say as quickly as possible, but she had been countered perfectly. Only one solution came to mind. Rowan poured the milk into her bowl and then wolfed the contents down in a fashion that made it look like she was inhaling a tornado. A few seconds later, there was nothing left.

"That was just impressive," Liadra remarked.

"A woman after my own heart," Lochlan added with a heavy sigh and a fluttering of his eyelashes.

Rowan kicked him in the shins and took hold of Seres' hand. "Let's go!"

Unsurprisingly, Rowan had managed to inadvertently draw a fair bit of attention with her actions. She may have also accidentally given the rumour mill enough fuel to spawn countless inaccurate tellings of their non-existent love affair, not that Rowan cared.

Once they were in the room, Rowan  repeated her request for Seres to let her know what she meant. Seres answered with, "I think Tehri is on the verge of Awakening."

Several emotions danced across Rowan's face as she processed what Seres had just said. "W-w-what? Why didnae you say anything yesterday?"

"I would have done if I was sure, but I wasn't. The cracks were only just beginning to show, but I think your singing last night may have pushed her a little further along."

"Is there any way of stopping it?" Rowan wasn’t exactly sure why she was asking. Maybe she was worried about how Tehri would handle it if she did Awaken, especially with her mood swings. Then again, she couldn’t exactly talk, especially with her own mood swings. Even before she Awakened they were just as bad as Tehri's, if not worse, and they were also significantly more reactive and unpredictable. If anything, to deny Tehri her Awakening would be to reject everything that had led her to this point. Rowan didn't want that.

Seres just shook her head. "It's probably just a matter of time at this point. Trying to stop it would be like single-handedly trying to stop a boat with several sprung leaks from sinking."

"Any idea on how long she's got?"

Seres answered with a look that said something along the lines of, "How the fuck am I supposed to know?" The swearing wasn't even an added affectation by Rowan; she could see it in the eyes.

"Point taken, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to prepare her for this."

"Just do your best and I'm sure she'll understand. Maybe write it down? That way she'll be able to digest it at her own pace."

"That's a good idea. I'll do it later, but first we have to visit my mother's grave."

Seres nodded and went on to say, "Are you sure you're ready? This isn't something you should rush."

"What do you mean?"

"You've only just been reunited with Tehri and you want to go straight to the heavy stuff before you've even had a proper chance to be sisters."

"You might have a point there."

"Of course I do. And don't worry, I'll be there to help every step of the way."

"Thank you."

With a few new items added to their agenda, they went to find Tehri. It was time to start the day for real.

Chapter 34: The Spirit of Næmyris I

Rowan found Seres resting in her home with Lochlan and Liadra watching over her. She looked both surprised and relieved when Rowan walked in and announced herself.

"Did you find your sister?" she asked.

"Along with a small group of people from Aran Village," Rowan answered. "They were being attacked by a mandra."

Rowan saw the colour fade from Seres' face as she processed what Rowan had said. "Please tell me they're okay."

"I got there just in time. The wolves will be feasting tonight."

"What do you mean?" Seres inquired hesitantly. There was some relief in her tone, but the concern was still very much palpable.

"The mandra's dead. I kinda sliced it in two."

"In a single cut?" Liadra interrupted in shock."

"Like butter."

"So they're safe?" Seres asked, bringing the conversation back to the villagers.

"Completely. I found them around thirteen miles away and escorted them back. They were dressed in rags as well so I bought them all some new clothes."

"That's a relief. Where are they now?"

"The Crimson Drakiir. It's that inn that we passed on our way here. I wanted to make sure they had food and shelter for at least a few days. Reserved us a couple of rooms as well because we cannae stay here. Not when it's like this."

"I'm sure we'll be able to get the place cleaned up in no time," Seres suggested.

"We can start tomorrow," Rowan replied, shaking her head. "I'm not sure I'm prepared to stay the night here. Tehri and Da certainly aren't."

"If that's what you think is best, I'm not going to argue."

"Thanks," Rowan said earnestly. She hadn't expected that Seres would suggest that they should try and get the place cleaned up then and there. It would have been an ambitious ask, even without Rowan's excuses, given how late it was.

"Shall we get going then?" Seres asked, getting up from her chair.

"In just a moment," Rowan replied. "I just need to gather a couple of things first."

"Take your time," Seres smiled.

With Seres giving Rowan leave, she made her way up the stairs, nostalgia warming her spirit as she navigated the familiar corridor that led to her room. She coughed a few times when she opened the door as it kicked up a thick layer of dust. When the dust settled, she looked upon her room for the first time in five years. With the exception of the dust, it was exactly as she had left it. Even her bed was in the same unmade state.

It was a melancholic reminder frozen in time. By stepping inside, the stasis was broken and time was given the chance to finally start moving forwards again.

Rowan started looking around. She only vaguely remembered where everything was. Thankfully, she had enough of an idea that she was able to find the lute that her parents had bought her for her eleventh birthday in the closet. It had been kept safe from the dust by the case it had been stored in, much to Rowan’s relief.

She took it over to her bed and opened it up. The lute was completely unmarked by time. Even now the polished wood and golden filigree shone just as it had done on the day Rowan had been given it. When she sat down and played a couple of notes, the sound was magical. It gave Rowan hope that her plan would work.

After stretching her musical muscles for a few more minutes, Rowan packed the lute up and took it downstairs. "I'm ready now," she announced as she entered the living room, "Shall we go?"

Rowan saw three nods and they were off. Lochlan and Liadra parted from them around half away to gather the horses so they could be stabled at The Crimson Drakiir while Rowan and Seres went straight there.

By the time they walked throughbthe door, the villagers were all chowing down on a hearty wild boar stew and thick slices of buttered bread. The smell was salivating, but Rowan refused to drool. Unfortunately, her growling stomach betrayed her. She hadn't realised it, but she was absolutely starving. It wasn’t exactly surprising, considering the speed she had been going earlier or the distance she had travelled, but still.

As she blushed away in awkward, hungry embarrassment, Seres asked Reiman for four extra servings. Rowan then found herself being led to the table that Tehri was sitting at. Seres must have seen the familial Resonance.

Rowan did her best to push away the embarrassment as they got the silent go ahead to sit down. Hana, Byrden, and Kamren were also sitting at the table which gave Rowan a small degree of comfort.

"Hello again," she greeted them before moving on to introductions. "This is Seres, the Star Flower Princess."

"Stop that, Rowan," Seres complained, giving her friend and sister a mighty poke of protest. Rowan just laughed in response and Seres turned back to the others. "Anyway, yes, hello, as Rowan said my name is Seres and I'm the second princess but please don't act all stiff and formal because of that."

Despite Seres' request, everyone at the table still bowed. Seres just sighed and rolled her eyes in response while Rowan took charge of introductions again.

"So this is Byrden and Hana, the couple that have been watching out for Tehri this whole time. I've not actually properly introduced myself or spoken to Hana yet so sorry about that. Over there is Kamren. He's Tehri's boyfriend, not that either of them would tell you that. They're being adorably hush hush about the whole thing. Lastly we have my dearest little sister, Tehri. I say little, but she's already taller than me. She also hasnae been able to talk this whole time."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Tehri," Seres said and signed with a smile.

Animatedly, Tehri signed back and the two had a quick silent exchange that everyone but Rowan could understand.

"Since when could you talk like that?" Rowan asked Seres in surprised amazement.

"Since I was around seven years old," Seres answered smugly.

"It would have been nice to have known that sooner," Rowan sulked.

"And what would you have done if you did? It's not like you would've known to learn."

"Point," Rowan said glumly.

"Stop being such a downer," Seres chided, nudging Rowan with her knee.

"I'm not!" objected Rowan loudly before immediately shutting up with a soft, rosy blush.

"Is she usually like this?" Byrden asked.

"All the time," Seres answered. "She'll be back to normal in no time. Congratulations on the baby, by the way."

"How did you know about that?" Hana asked.

"I can sense the Resonance," Seres explained. "It's small, but it's definitely there."

"We'll take your word for it," Byrden replied. It was clear that the explanation had gone straight over their heads.

In the awkward silence that followed, a barmaid arrived with their food. Rowan practically inhaled the meal before the woman had even finished serving them. She then asked for seconds and let the slightly horrified barmaid know that she was very likely going to ask for thirds.

As she waited for the extra serving to arrive, Rowan looked at Hana and Byrden and bowed her head in gratitude towards them. "I want to thank you both for looking after my sister for all these years. Even with your village being destroyed, it is clear that she's had a good life whilst living with you."

"It was the least we could do," Byrden replied.

"And we'd do it again," Hana added.

"Even so, I cannae thank you enough."

"You really don't need to."

"I really do. Because of you, I was able to see my sister again. You cannae believe how much that means to me. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to pay you back in full. For now, I'll have to settle with making sure you can have a life here. Be it a place to live or a smithy to work, I'll pay for it until you can support yourselves."

The shock from Hana and Byrden was palpable beyond measure. "I don't think we can accept that," Hana replied after a moment of consideration.

"Why not?" Rowan asked.

"It wouldn't be fair on the other villagers," Hana responded.

"You don't need to worry about them," Seres interjected. "They'll get plenty of support from my mother and the Bureau of the Red Chain."

"The what now?" Hana and Byrden asked in unison.

"It's the agency in charge of supporting people that are less fortunate. They aren't perfect but they will help if we can get word to the capital or one of the city branches."

"How are we going to do that?" Rowan asked.

"We'll need to go to Tærin of Feldran. The sooner the better as well. This storm was even worse than I had imagined and my mother needs to know."

"If you give me a day or two to get things started here, I can go to Tærin. With the speed I was going earlier, I could probably get there in less than an hour. I just need to maintain it for long enough. I'll be able to make it back the same day as well."

It was a ridiculous proposition and one that resulted in Seres giving Rowan a look of 'seriously?' for a good few seconds. Eventually she managed to say, "If you think you can handle it, I won't stop you, but only if you're sure."

"Of course," Rowan laughed. She then looked at Hana and Byrden sincerely. "Do you both still think that you cannae accept my gratitude? Starting a new life from scratch isn't easy, especially when you've got a baby of the way."

"When you put it like that," Hana started.

"It'd be difficult to say no," Byrden finished.

"Great. All I ask in return is that you continue to care for Tehri. Unfortunately, our father isn't doing great and neither myself or our brother, Tyris can give her the care she needs and deserves. All we have is our love. I ask that you do the same, Kamren."

"Yes, ma'am."

"We'll do our best."

"Thank you. I think that's enough serious talk though. As for a lighter topic to carry on the conversation with? Please tell me all of the embarrassing things I've missed Tehri do these past few years."

Tehri squirmed in silent protest as Hana and Byrden relayed the awkward and extremely embarrassing highlights of Tehri's adolescence. Every so often, Rowan could almost swear that she could hear small indiscernible sounds coming from Tehri. Actual proper sounds as well, but only for, at most, seconds at a time.

After around fifteen minutes of story time Seres tapped Rowan on the arm. "Hey, Rowan? Shouldn't Lochlan and Liadra be here already?"

The question immediately put Rowan on edge. "You're right. They've been way too long." She half stood up and started looking around for signs of the duo. Then she sighed in relief. "They're over there in that shadowy corner eating some stew."

Seres joined in with the sigh of relief. "The location of that table is far too appropriate for them. It's almost uncanny."

"Tell me about it."

The conversation returned to normal after that slight interlude, and people started to pile in having heard of Rowan's upcoming performance. She knew that's why they were here because practically everyone was talking about it.

There were a fair few familiar faces amongst the crowd. Some were less recognisable and others not at all, but it was enough to bring a smile to her face. Even so, she decided not to mingle.

That didn't stop people from approaching her, the first of which being Brent, her old family doctor.

"Ah, Rowan, it really is you," he greeted her. Unlike many of the other people she had seen, he was looking great for his age and mostly unchanged. The only aspect of him that was any different was his shiny bald head.

Rowan smiled warmly at him. "Doctor Bræn? I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm more than okay," he laughed. "This must be Tehri," he then said, looking across the table.

"It is. She's been in Aran Village this whole time. Would you mind looking over her? She's been unable to talk ever since the attack."

"Are these the people that have been looking after her this whole time?" he asked, motioning to Hana and Byrden.

"Yes," Hana replied. "My name is Hana, and this is my husband, Byrden."

"Excellent. If you can tell me your own observations and what other doctors or healers have said, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Hana and Byrden spent the next ten minutes bringing Doctor Bræn up to speed as he pondered everything they told him. "Have you considered that it might be a psychological issue?" Doctor Bræn suggested.

"Psychological?" Rowan asked.

"Yes. I'd need to do a thorough exam to rule out everything else, but considering Tehri already suffers from psychological challenges and the symptoms started after a highly traumatic event, it would make sense."

"What can we do to help?"

"It's difficult to say for sure, psychology isn't my area of expertise after all, but I'd suggest trying to find a way to help her process the trauma. My theory is that she created a wall in her mind to protect herself and she's been throwing herself against it all these years, trying to find her voice. It's an unfortunate example of someone unintentionally hurting themselves with their coping strategies."

"Well I hope you're right."

"So do I. If its something else, it's far beyond my ability to treat. I'll give her a proper exam tomorrow. I can give you one as well if you wish."

"Thank you."

"Indeed. I won't take any more of your time. I'm just glad to see you're both safe." Doctor Bræn then offered Seres a slight bow before taking his leave.

The next familiar face came as Rowan was setting up for her performance. Master Idyr limped towards her with his daughter in tow. "As I live and breathe," he almost cried as he saw her, "it really is you."

"It is? I mean, yes, it is I." Rowan fumbled her response a little bit, but she was still very happy to see her old teacher alive and relatively well.

Out of nowhere, he burst into tears and wrapped his arms around her in an emotional embrace. "Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you." He kept saying it over and over again while his daughter awkwardly kept back, though Rowan could still see the gratitude and adoration in her eyes.

"Um, what exactly am I being thanked for?" Rowan said awkwardly.

"My daughter! Namiiri is alive and free thanks to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I was one of the people that was able to escape when you went after your sister," Namiiri, the daughter, explained as her father continued to cry incoherently into Rowan's shoulder. "We barely made it back, but without you, we wouldn't even have had the chance. You're an Ardent aren't you?"

"I am and I'm glad at least some people were able to escape when I Awakened. Is the rest  of your family okay?" Rowan knew it was a risky question, but she had to know.

"My little brother was trampled in the attack and my mother was horrifically scarred. She doesn't go out much anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. You've suffered at least as much as we have."

"Even so…"

"We just need you to accept our thanks."

Rowan was getting an incredible sense of deja vu as the conversation parroted her earlier one with Hana and Byrden, only this time she was on the receiving end.

"Okay, I will. You can stop hugging me now, Master Idyr.

"Sorry," Idyr replied, taking a few steps back.

Rowan gave them both a warm smile and said, "I hope you enjoy my performance tonight."

They nodded and took their leave after that and Rowan took to the stage.

"Good evening, everyone," she called out as she set her lute to her lap. "To those of you that dinnae know who I am or cannae recognise me, I am Rowan, daughter of the Heartborne Songstress, Hlii'hæra, and Ardent Flame of Midiris, and I have returned.

"When Næmyris was attacked five years ago, we all lost something. This is not the same Næmyris that I grew up in, that I remember so dearly. Instead it has become a broken shell without the spirit of home. Everyone has been anchored to the past while the world has moved on without you.

"Things cannae continue on like this. That's why I'm here tonight. I cannae bring our loved ones back to life. I cannae erase what happened and I cannae free those that are still in chains. Not yet at least. What I can do is give Næmyris back its spirit. I can bring us together and give us all a future. I can give us Hope."

Rowan started to sing and play her lute as she let the light of hope take hold and fill the room. She sang of loss and pain, of love and compassion, and of taking the first step forwards. It was a purely original song and she was composing it on the fly with the aid of her mother and Elan Fiir.

As the song continued, Rowan pulled on her compassion and empathy for the pain that everyone was suffering. She took half of it from everyone and held onto it for a couple of verses. For those two verses, Rowan carried the full weight of that suffering on her shoulders. Then she started to spread it out across everyone.

By the end of the song, everyone helped carry the weight of everyone else's suffering. For some, it lessened their load, while others had their's technically heightened. Even then, however, they were stronger together. Rowan maintained her hope and compassion for the entirety of the performance.

There was no standing ovation when Rowan struck the last chord, no cacophony of applause. Instead there was just profound, emotional silence and tears. Rowan had reminded everyone that they weren't alone, be it in their suffering or in any other sense.

In the moment of silence, only one quiet, barely audible word was spoken.

"Rowan."

For the first time in five years, Tehri spoke.

Chapter 33: Charity

Rowan stood before her sister, sword in hand and a face full of uncertain joy. She sheathed Elan Fiir quickly and rushed over. However, a large, incredibly well muscled young man stepped between them as she approached.

"Who are you?" he asked in an interrogatory tone.

"I could ask you the same thing," Rowan challenged.

"Byrden, blacksmith."

"Rowan, Ardent, and that girl's sister." Rowan recognised his name from the letter and she would likely need to thank him later, but right now he was in her way and she wasn't in the mood to be polite.

The man turned to face Tehri and asked her, "Is this true?"

Tehri simply nodded in response and Byrden cautiously stepped aside.

Not wanting to waste another second, Rowan jumped into her sister's arms. "I've missed you!" she cried in melancholic joy. She felt Tehri's arms wrap around her. At long last, they were together.

After a few, probably awkward, minutes Tehri pulled away and reached up to her neck. Rowan instantly noticed that Tehri was wearing the bracelet that she had commissioned back in Tærin. It had been meant to help bridge the distance that had grown between them. She was glad to see that it had reached her.

Tehri's hands continued and she unclasped something from her neck. Before Rowan could see what it was, Tehri wordlessly reached forwards around her neck and fastened it in place. When Tehri pulled back the second time, Rowan saw her twin moon pendant hanging from her neck. Tehri smiled at her warmly and Rowan hugged her tightly.

"Miss Rowan, I think you're crushing her," the blacksmith interrupted.

Rowan immediately let go and clambered back several feet. "I'm so sorry, Tehri. Are you okay? I didnae hurt you did I?"

Tehri waved her hand and shook her head as if to gesture something that Rowan didn't quite understand.

"Is something wrong?" Rowan asked anxiously.

"She can't talk," Byrden answered.

"What do you mean?"

Instead of Byrden answering, one of the women in the small group decided to interrupt them. "This is all well and good," she said, "but don't…"

Rowan stared daggers at her and prayed it wasn’t the woman mentioned in the letter. "Shut the fuck up or Goddess help me. Please continue, Master Byrden"

"Right well she's been unable to talk the entire time that she's been with us. We don't know why. Even when we got her checked by a doctor, they couldn't think of a reason why."

While Byrden talked, Tehri signed something. "She says that she's trying."

"She can talk with her hands?

Tehri nodded smugly.

"That's great!" Rowan beamed. "You'll have to teach me, Tehri, and I'll help you find your voice."

Tehri nodded again, only this time she did so with a massive animated grin.

Rowan then stood up to address the group as a whole. "Hello everyone, my name is Rowan. I'm sure you must be exhausted after trekking all this way from Aran Village, but this is no place for a group of unarmed civilians. I can escort you to Næmyris, but we need to leave now before the mandra brings in anything more dangerous."

She was exaggerating the danger a little bit. Most of the more dangerous creatures were situated deeper into the forest or closer to the mountains. A mandra that close to the buffer zone was an anomaly.

"How much further is it to Næmyris?" one of them asked, a boy around Tehri's age.

"I'm not completely sure with how fast I was running, but it can't be much more than a few hours."

"A few hours?" It didn't tell them much, but it certainly put Rowan's speed into perspective. Rowan saw several jaws drop. This was likely their first time being exposed to what an Ardent was besides hearing the name.

Rowan held Tehri's hand firmly as she guided the group through the forest. She quickly identified Hana from the crowd by how Byrden helped her through the undergrowth. The woman that had interrupted her reunion with Tehri kept to the back while the boy that had asked how far away they were was hovering nearby. Rowan wondered what relation he had to Tehri or the Kaafasts if any.

"You're going to trip if you don't watch where you're going," Rowan told him.

He fumbled over his response as he very quickly went flat on his face.

Rowan laughed as she stopped and faced him. "Told you so," she said, reaching out to help him up.

"Thank you," he replied, taking her hand. With him once again standing, they started walking again.

"So, care to tell me your name and why you were hovering?" Rowan asked inquisitively.

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Kamren, Tehri's, ah, friend." He stammered awkwardly towards the end there.

Rowan caught onto the implications in his introduction pretty much instantly. She could recognise that tone from a mile away. "Just friends?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered almost immediately. If that wasn't enough to confirm Rowan's suspicions, Tehri's rising blush certainly was.

"Well thank you for taking care of my sister."

"Yes, uh, thank you, ma'am." Rowan could see the awkward embarrassment practically oozing out of him. It was adorable. She'd still need to test him at some point to see how worthy of Tehri he was, however.

"With that said, if you do anything to hurt her, you'll answer to me."

Kamren paled visibly from the palpable threat in Rowan's voice as he retreated slightly. Tehri pulled slightly on her arm and gave her a look of protest.

"I'm mostly just teasing him," Rowan whispered. "At the same time, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Not if I can help it."

Tehri gave her a small, awkward smile in response as they then went on with their trek through the forest. Not long after entering the buffer zone, they were joined by a group of rangers. With a full escort, the rest of the journey occurred without incident.

All in all, it took them just under four hours to reach the treeline. Rowan had covered that distance in just a few minutes. She wasn’t exactly sure how many. Even with her enhanced reflexes, she was too focused to even think about it.

The rangers left them as they stepped out of the forest. Næmyris was close enough that people could almost touch it. They only had roughly two more miles to go. Rowan took them past where she had been doing her high altitude scouting to see if Seres was still there with Lochlan and Liadra. Unsurprisingly, she wasn't. Rowan might have slapped them if they had left her there in the cold.

Next stop was the town proper. The group managed to garner a significant number of looks from the people going about their business. There wasn't any helping it, they were all dressed in rags and mismatched clothing whilst being led by the extremely well dressed, crimson haired Rowan. People were starting to recognise her on account of how much she favoured her mother. It wasn’t enough for people to be certain, but it was certainly enough to get the rumour mill rolling.

Rowan took them straight to a tailor so that they could get out of their clothes and into something fresh and new. She didn’t waste time trying to find the perfect store like she had done with Seres in Feldran. All that mattered here was speed and the clothes having a good enough fit.

Some of the people in the group tried to pay for their own clothes, but Rowan waved them off. "I've got this," she told them. When they tried to object, she simply told them, "You've just survived a hellstorm and your village has been destroyed. You'll need that money to start a new life so keep it. Trust me, I have enough to get you some clothes along with food and shelter for a few days."

She got a few doubtful looks right up until she started pulling out gold chain coins. The group needed no more convincing after that. Rowan bought everyone two sets of clothes. It almost felt wrong spending that much money at once. The 'almost' came from Rowan realising that her coin pouch was barely any lighter and remembering that she had spent about as much buying clothes for herself in Feldran. Having money directly from the Crown was ruining her perspective

Getting everyone shelter was the next priority. She would also need to reserve rooms for Seres, Lochlan, Liadra and herself. Ideally she would rather sleep in her own bed, but her house was nowhere near clean enough for that.

When Rowan considered all the inns in town, she decided on The Crimson Drakiir. It was the largest inn in Næmyris and it would serve as the perfect place for Rowan's plan to bring back some of the town's spirit.

Næmyris had suffered a disaster like no other. When the raiders attacked, they destroyed more than lives and families. They decimated the townsfolk and spirited away what little strength the survivors had left. After five long years the scars were still raw. Rowan knew that she couldn’t restore what had been lost but she was determined to give people the strength to start moving forwards. She wanted to give the town and everyone within the chance to live again.

When they entered the inn, they were greeted by the owner who immediately turned pale. It was like he had just seen a ghost.

"Long time no see, Master Reiman," Rowan greeted him. He didn't look exactly like how she remembered him, but he was recognisable enough, even with his greying brown hair and beard.

"Is that really you, Rowan?" he asked.

"The one and only," Rowan replied.

"We heard rumours and someone mentioned seeing someone with your hair walking through town, but no one dared believe it was true. Have you seen my boy? Did he escape as well?"

The question pained Rowan and she knew how much the answer would hurt Reiman. At the same time, lying to him would be too cruel; she couldn’t do it. "I'm sorry, Master Reiman. I haven't seen him in over a year. I'm sure he's still alive, however."

"Is that so?" The moment of hope on his face vanished into shadow.

"With that said, I'll do all I can to free him and everyone else. You have my word as Ardent Flame of Midiris."

"How can a lone woman free so many?"

"I'm not alone and I'm not just a woman. I'm an Ardent and a sister of the Crown."

Rowan could feel the jaws dropping all around her from the proclamation and Reiman started looking a little brighter. She felt a little smug from the reaction.

"Unfortunately, that is a quest for the future. Right now I need to reserve every single room you can spare for these poor people. They came from Aran Village after it was destroyed by the storm. I'll also need a place to stay along with the second princess and her two guards. One room for Seres and myself and one room for the guards. We would stay in my house, but it is in dire need of a clean. I can pay for weeks worth of room and board up front for all of us."

This time, one of the barmaids dropped a dozen or so pints of ale and the colour fled once again from Reiman's face. She should have expected something like that would happen; offering to pay for seven days worth of room and board for nineteen people up front was not a thing that normal people would do.

"Are you sure you can afford that?" Reiman asked hesitantly.

"I was given more than enough by Her Majesty," Rowan answered.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Write up what I owe you and spread the word that I'll be singing tonight. I might not be my mother but I learned a lot from her and I am an Ardent."

"Understood." Rowan could almost swear that he was smiling.

"Great! Now I just need to find Seres and bring her over." With a smile on her own face, Rowan then turned to Byrden and Hana. "I won't be long, but please take care of Tehri while I'm gone. I'll thank you both properly later."

"You've done more than enough," Byrden replied sincerely.

"I really haven't. This is only the start of my gratitude."

Rowan then left Tehri in their care and left for home. She wanted to make sure the house was more presentable before bringing her there. It was going to be painful so Rowan wanted to numb the impact as best she could. There was also the issue of their father. Rowan wasn’t sure how well he would handle seeing Tehri. For now, things could remain as they were. The first steps towards change were set for later that evening. Until then, Rowan had to prepare.

Chapter 32: Family

Rowan led her companions past the docks and into the town proper. From the look of it, the storm hadn't done much damage, likely because of the strong building and the well maintained storm drains. Floods were a thing of Næmyris' ancient history.

Nostalgia hit hard as they entered the Emyr Quarter. A lot was different, the town didn't feel like it was made for giants to start, but even more was the same. It was difficult to describe. As they continued through, Rowan could see phantoms walk the streets. She saw a younger version of herself running around with Kyr and Kiriin. No doubt it was a memory of one of the many games they had played.

Their route became less direct as Rowan's memories took them down a long meandering path. They passed by The Crimson Drakiir on their way. Rowan barely recognised it. It was the same inn, but the warm, welcoming atmosphere was gone. Rowan wasn’t surprised. Ros, the owner's son had been taken just like her, only he hadn't come back; Rowan couldn’t stop him from taking the deal. With his loss, the spirit of the inn had been struck low and no-one remained that could bring it back.

The gardens were next and they were exactly as Rowan remembered. She could see the bench where Kiriin had snuck up on her the day Bragi gave her the scar on her brow. She could see the flowers. It was a difficult arrangement, but the feeling was the same.

As they went from one garden to another, they arrived at the twins' house. The feeling from seeing it hurt even more than seeing The Crimson Drakiir did. Her heart ached and when the door opened, it almost stopped. For a second Rowan saw the twins' mother and heard her calling out for them like she had so many times before. Then Rowan blinked and the illusion shattered, it was just some random woman yelling at her kids to not get in people's way.

It was a bitter feeling that remained as they hopped from garden to garden en route to her father's store. When they arrived, Lochlan and Liadra stepped away to give Rowan some space. She took a deep breath, and with Seres at her side, she opened the door.

Someone spoke as soon as the door bell sounded and they stepped inside. "I'll be with you in a second." Rowan didn't recognise it, not entirely at least. It was definitely male, but it also sounded old and weathered and it had a wizened quality.

Rowan was confused. Her father didn't have anyone like that in his employ when she was younger. Her heart sank as the possibility that he had sold the shop dawned her. But then again, Tyris hadn't mentioned anything like that happening.

When the man stepped in the shop for the storeroom, her heart broke. It was her father for sure, but he was not the same man. In five short years, the ruin of ages had ravaged his face and body. There was nothing to him. His skin hung from his meager frame and his flesh was pallid. He looked like a man that had given up on living without knowing how to die.

To Rowan it had been five short, agonising years. For Gyren it had been five long, empty and broken decades.

"Hello?" he said, as if confused by the shock on her face, or worse. "Hæra, is that you? No, it can't be. Who are you? Explain yourself."

"Da, it's me, Rowan." Tears were streaming down her face and Seres was squeezing her hand.

"Impossible!" Gyren shouted with all the pitiful strength that his aged lungs could muster. "My daughter is gone, witch. Dead! Just like my wife."

"Da, look at me!" Rowan pleaded

Gyren tried to turn away, refusing to look at her. "Leave me! I will not be fooled by phantoms of my past. You cannot broke that which is already broken."

Rowan pulled her hand free from Seres' grasp and grabbed her father by shoulders. Looking deep into his eyes, a feat made easier by his sorely reduced stature, and let every single one of her emotions wash over him, hoping that something would break though his terrible curse.

"Da, please! It really is me. I'm home."

"Rowan?" he said finally. Something had changed in his eyes. It wasn’t much, but it gave Rowan hope and she filled the room with its healing light. "Is it really you?"

"It really is, Da." Rowan wrapped her arms round him, being careful not to damage his withering bones.

He hugged her back, faltering tears streaming down his own face. "I thought you were dead. I'd given up hope years ago. Now you're all safe."

"All of us? What you mean, Da?"

"Tehri's with a family in Aran. She's safe with them."

The name sounded familiar and it filled Rowan with panic. She knew exactly where Aran Village was and it had been in the storm's path between two rivers.

"It's time to close up shop, Da. It's time to go home."

Rowan needed answers and she wasn't going to get them here. She nodded to Seres and started leading her father out of the store. Seres left just in front of her.

When they were outside, Rowan told her father, "Give me your keys and I'll close up shop." As he rummaged around for his keys she turned to face Lochlan and Liadra as they made their way over. "I need you to look up information about Aran Village for me. Stable the horses and then ask around if anyone knows if the storm hit the village and how it fared. See if you can discover anything about a girl called Tehri. When you're done, get someone to direct you to the Naliir household. I'll open the door."

"I second that command," Seres added.

"As you wish," the two replied in unison with a bow before turning to leave.

Rowan then took her father's keys and locked up his store. Once that was done, they made the short wall home, though it took considerably longer with Gyren's pace. When they finally got there, Rowan barely recognised it. The front garden was completely overgrown and vines spanned the walls.

"It's so sad," Seres muttered as Rowan unlocked the door.

It was immediately apparent that the inside wasn't much better. There was dust around every corner and in every nook and cranny and more was kicked up with every step. If Rowan hadn't seen the occasional footprint or handmark, she would have sworn it was abandoned.

Rowan took them into living room and sat everyone down.

"Right, I think it's time for some introductions and then I'm going to make some tea." She was trying to keep strong, but she couldn't stop her voice from breaking with sadness. "Da, this is Seres Lanafae, the second princess. She was captured by raiders and bandits just like I was. Together, we were able to escape and we took the Blood Rite with the turning of the moons.

"Seres, this is my father, Gyren. The years have not been kind to him, neither has my absence or my mother's death from the look of things."

"It's okay, Rowan," Seres smiled, "You don't need to push yourself."

"I'm fine. I promise. Just let me make some tea."

"I'll join you." Seres wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Fortunately, the kitchen was slightly cleaner than the rest of the house, and there wasn't a sign of any dirty dishes. That made Rowan feel better as it meant that her father could at least clean after himself. He was also keeping the pantry sort of stocked. It had the absolute bare minimum, which fortunately included a root tea. Rowan brewed it with Seres' help and then returned to the living room with it.

Rowan placed her cup down and slapped her cheeks in an attempt to psyche herself up. "Right. Okay. So. Da, I have a few questions and I need you to answer them to the best of your ability." She hated the idea of interrogating her father, but it needed to be done, especially after he mentioned Tehri.

"First things first. When did you find out about Tehri?"

He gave it some genuine thought before answering. "A few years ago, I think? I don't remember exactly. The family sent a letter."

"Do you still have it? The letter I mean. And why didn't you tell Tyris?"

"He can't look after her. It would just have confused her. She's happy where she is now."

"That isnae for you to decide, Da! None of it is. How would you know anyway? Did you ask him? Did you ask her? Have you even been in contact with her since then?" Rowan was needing to contain her anger. Tyris has been looking for Tehri all this time and their father knew exactly where she was. A hand came to rest on her own and she was able to calm down a little bit. Seres was there beside her.

"I didn't need to. Tehri needed love and support. Despite holding much of it in my heart, I'm incapable of giving it."

"Because I've lost heart, Rowan. Hæra is gone and I am nothing without her."

Rowan almost wanted to scream, to tell him that she was right here. At the same time, she knew it would probably push him over the edge, especially when she considered that she didn't know how to communicate with her. It could also remove any lingering hope that he might have of seeing her on the other side. Trying to explain that both were possible would have been nigh impossible.

"What about the letter?" Rowan finally asked after a minute or two, repeating her earlier question. "Do you still have it?"

He answered through unspent tears. "Yes, I think I do." When he finished speaking, he got up and shuffled out of the room. Rowan sighed heavily the moment he turned the corner.

"You can do this," Seres said warmly, "I know you can."

"My heart hurts. Nothing Tyris said could have prepared me for this. He didn't even have a chance to prepare and here I am, interrogating him."

"I'm sure that deep down, he understands. At the same time, he's not wrong when he says that he lost something when your mother died. I'm not positive, but I think they entered a Blood Soul Pact."

"Isn't that really dangerous?"

"How else do you explain his aging? He looks older than my uncle, but I know he can't be much older than fifty."

"Fifty-two," Rowan answered.

"Exactly. I'm not sure what it will mean for him going forwards, but he won't ever get back what he's lost."

"I wish I could do more for him."

"Just be his daughter. That's all anyone can ask for."

They heard Gyren shuffling down the stairs after that. Rowan prepared herself for whatever was next. When he stepped into the room, he had an old piece of paper in his hands.

"Here it is," he said, passing it over to Rowan. She read over it a few times.

“Dear M ter Nal■r,

Last year, my wife and nd your dau■■er, Tehri’aana washed up in our vill age and ■■ severely injured. We took it upon oursel■■■■■■■■her treated by a surgeon in Talaran. She barely survi ved the ordeal, but she is overing quite well. She has unfortunately lost ■■■■■■ and is yet to find it again, however d tors assure us that s only a ma tter of time. She wants to r■■■■home to you and your wife. We would bring her to you, but we are to afford it due to the medical expenses. As such, we are hoping that yo e able to c here to Aran Vill■■■■■en the rivers T■nra and Karik.

Regards,

By■den and Hana K■■fast.”

It was full of tears, holes, and ink stains, but Rowan was able to get a good idea of the contents. What was clear was that there wasn't any evidence in the letter to suggest that Tehri was definitely happy there, and Rowan doubted that there was any more. What seemed likely was that her father had convinced himself that it was true. She couldn't say she blamed him though; she wanted to believe it as well.

"I sent a letter back to them with enough coin to cover their expenses as well as a little extra. It was all I could do to give my support with the state that I'm in."

"I know, Da. You must be tired. If you go to bed, Seres and I will sort things out around here."

"That sounds like a good idea." Almost immediately Gyren fell asleep. As soon his breathing settled, Rowan picked him up gently and carried him to his bed.

When she returned, Seres gave him a pensive look. "Not going to tell him about the storm?"

"He doesnae need to know. Especially not when we dinnae know the full picture ourselves."

*****

The knock on the door from Lochlan and Liadra came a few hours later. Rowan and Seres did their best in that time to clean the entryway and the living room. All in all they did a pretty good job considering the complete lack of cleaning supplies.

When Rowan opened the door, Lochlan fired an instant compliment in the form of, "Nice makeup." Granted, considering that he was referring to the dust that they were wearing, it was probably more of a quip than a compliment.

Unfortunately, both Rowan and Seres flubbed the retort, so Rowan just settled on, "Come on in." She led them into the living room and offered them a drink, which they both declined, probably out of fear that it would be 90% dust. She couldn't blame them.

Once they were all sat down, Rowan motioned for them to start their report. Unsurprisingly, considering it was his area of expertise, Lochlan was the first to respond.

"We don't have anything concrete on the state of Aran village right now. We were able to get some information, however, by talking to some merchants that had left the village before the storm hit; two beautiful women and a particularly fine gentleman, I might add." The cuff that followed from Liadra made her opinion on the matter known, and while Rowan liked beautiful women and handsome men as much as the next girl, she was inclined to agree that it was a superfluous detail.

"Anyway," Liadra took over, "what he's trying to say is that the merchants saw Tanra River rise by at least two feet whilst become thrice as dangerous. They almost lost their boat."

"So it's not look good for Aran Village?" Rowan asked, a knot forming in her throat from the anxiety.

"We didn't say that," Liadra replies, trying to smother the flames only for Lochlan to interject with, "But yes." He didn't mince the words, he just said it plain. It was oddly refreshing, coming from him, even if it filled her with dread.

"Any word on Tehri?"

"I can't say for sure as you only gave us a name to work with, but one of the merchants said that a strange girl had asked her to deliver a letter addressed to you."

Rowan's heart soared. She could almost kiss Lochlan for giving her that news, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. "Do you have the letter?" she asked.

"It was lost during the storm," Liadra replied, breaking the bad news. No hypothetical kisses for her.

"There's no helping it I guess. Time for Plan S."

"What happened to all your other plans?" Seres asked with a fair bit of concern.

"Irrelevant," Rowan answered, waving her off. "I'm going to need all of you. Well, mostly just Seres, but I need you to watch her."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of this, Rowan. Remember what happened the last time you had a weird idea?"

"It's fine. The chances of you collapsing this time are only fifty-fifty."

"Fifty-fifty?" Seres exclaimed. "That's madness."

"Trust me, it's not as bad as Plan R."

"You aren't exactly filling me with confidence here," Seres retorted.

"Well if it helps, Plan R involved running all the way to Aran Village and trying to track her from there."

"You're right, that is beyond stupid. What about Plan S?"

"The idea there is for you to use either your gravity or magnetism crystals to make me float really high while I use the terror that I'm feeling right now to survey the land and scan for any large groups of people."

"I'm not sure I can do that, Rowan. I mean it's theoretically possible, but…"

"Then we should try it." Rowan gave Seres her best kitty cat eyes and she finally cracked.

"Fine! But I want a song in return."

"Deal!"

That was how they ended up in the fields outside of Næmyris. A few people seemed to recognise Rowan, but they weren't sure and she didn't care, she was too focused on the task at hand.

They finished setting up fairly quickly. Granted, they only had four key items, so it wasn't exactly a challenging endeavour. Overall, they had a large sheet to catch Rowan just in case things went wrong, an extra sheet that Rowan had insisted on bringing, an iron rod, and Seres' crystals which were being kept out of sight.

Rowan grabbed onto the iron rod and faced towards Aran Village while Seres sat directly in front of her in a rather questionable position. Unfortunately it was required to best increase their odds of the plan working.

They tried magnetism first as it had the most obvious reason to fail. Said failure condition became painfully apparent very quickly, as Rowan felt herself being pulled into the air by the iron rod. At first, Rowan seemed to be going straight, but slightest deviation turned her trajected path into a parabola. Seres' attempts at correcting it just made things worse. Fortunately, they had managed to rope the spectators into catch duty and they did an absolutely stellar job. Which is to say, Rowan landed with only mild bruises and a racing heart.

With magnetism, at least on its own, discounted, they moved onto gravity. With gravity, they only needed physical contact as opposed to the questionable starting position from before, but that didn't make it feel any less weird, at least as far as Rowan was considered. The most disconcerting part was the slow descent into weightlessness, especially as her body still followed the normal rules of inertia and her mass was unchanged.

Once it got to the point Rowan felt like she had negative weight, Seres gave the signal and she leapt into the heavens. Thanks to the little she had left, Rowan managed to get enough height that her ears popped and breathing was getting slightly harder. It was also high enough for her to see for miles upon miles, which was exactly what she needed.

Rowan started by tracing the path along the river. It was by far the safest option if anyone from Aran Village was travelling east, especially if the group lacked any maps or navigation skills. It was also the slowest route, by far. Assuming equal modes of transport, the river route was slower by a factor of at least seven if you were trying to get from Aran to Næmyris. Rowan saw a few small groups in her trace, but none that she was willing to put her faith into.

With the river groups catalogued, Rowan turned to the direct path through Madarak Forest as she started to fall. If you didn't get lost in the forest it was pretty much a straight line between the two settlements. Unfortunately, getting lost was only the start of the dangers once you got further into Madarak Forest. You also had the wildlife to contend with. It was the reason why Rowan was only allowed to go in so far.

Unfortunately, most of the Madarak path was covered by trees, so Rowan needed to look for other signs of passing. She caught sight of what was probably smoke from a campfire as her weight returned.

"GOD FUCKING SHIT TITS!"

Rowan had to act fast to avoid going splat. She was on schedule to hit terminal velocity and the sheet below was not going to slow her down any meaningful amount over any meaningful distance. With no other options, Rowan pulled out the extra sheet from her satchel and prayed that it wasn't extra breathable as she grabbed the corners with all her might as the air tried to catch the ballooning sheet above her.

For several arduous seconds, Rowan was terrified that her plan had failed when the wind finally caught her makeshift parachute. Rowan's heart was racing and adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"Is Seres okay?" she asked no-one in particular.

"She's fine, just exhausted," Liadra answered. "What about you? I can't believe you survived that."

"I'm good. No time to talk. Saw campfire smoke. Might be Tehri. I'm gonna go look. Keep Seres safe. Bye."

Wasting not a moment longer, Rowan took off at full speed. She was going so fast that any unenhanced reflexes would be meaningless. It was an exhilarating feeling that was only enhanced by the adrenaline and the potent cocktail of emotions that she was experiencing.

Within moments she hit the tree line, and in the next it was a distant memory as darted through the forest. Two-thirds of the way, she saw a group of people set on by mandra. Without thinking she dived in and with one fell strike she cut the giant bear-like creature in twain.

Rowan finally stopped as the two halves of the mandra fell behind her. She turned to face the group, hoping that her theory had been correct, though she'd be happy regardless for saving them.

From the mismatched attire and scarce belongings, they certainly looked like refugees. Rowan looked over then one by one. When her eyes finally met the strawberry blonde girl with blue eyes, she was greeted by her own jumping heart and the smallest sound from the girl's delicate lips.

Chapter 31: The Home Stretch

Rowan and Seres were enjoying a nice quiet midday meal with Kelsi on the second day when they received news that the Dusk and Twilight Officers had arrived. Those weren't the exact words that the servant had used but it was close enough.

Instead of getting off on the wrong foot by leaving them hanging, Rowan and Seres agreed to invite them in immediately. They were soon greeted by a taller, somewhat statuesque woman with pretty features, a stern expression, and raven black hair with midnight blue highlights, along with a surprisingly average gentleman with a mischievous grin and blonde hair that almost seemed to blush.

They were both very clearly human without even a hint of Ferran ancestry, nor did they have the incredibly rare hallmarks of a Kairosi or Miriel ancestor. The woman was also incredibly pretty and the man was rather cute. He was also the first one to speak.

"Hold me Liadra, I think I must be dying. There's no other explanation for the three rising beauties that I see before me." He then took to one knee and bowed dramatically before Seres. "Forgive me, Your Highness, for I have been brought low by your radiant visage and alongside your most lovely companions."

Rowan was having second thoughts on him being cute. If anything, he was a bit much. That didn't stop Kelsi from steaming up and fainting.

The woman seemed to agree that he was a bit much as she slapped him curtly across the back of the head. He of course objected, but she just ignored him and spoke to Seres directly. "Forgive my partner, Your Highness," she said. "He's a fool that likes to think he's charming. Forgive my rudeness as well for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Liadra, Junior Lieutenant of Dusk and this is Twilight Operator Lochlan."

Liadra then turned to greet Rowan. "You must be Flame Lady Rowan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and I look forward to working with you. Her Majesty has provided us…"

It looked like she wasn't going to be much fun based on the way she spoke.

"…so we have an idea of how we can best…"

Out of nowhere, Lochlan pointed dramatically in a seemingly random direction and practically shouted, "Liadra! Look, a mandra!"

Instead of taking it in her stride like Rowan expected, Liadra cried, "Where?" with girlish glee as her previous train of thought fizzled. When she realised that there wasn't an adorably fuzzy and incredibly dangerous bear-like animal in the room, Liadra turned crimson and tried to hide her embarrassment behind her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she practically cried. "Please forget that ever happened."

And just like that, Rowan's impression of Liadra did a complete two-seventy and a few random forty-fives. Lochlan, on the other hand, followed a less chaotic path in that the only thing he had subverted was his cute face.

Still, she and Seres spent the time getting to know them at least a little while Kelsi recovered. They were going to take a fair bit of getting used to, especially if they were going to be travelling together. There was also the issue that Rowan needed to be confident that she could trust them which was no easy task. As it was, she only trusted them to not harm Rowan, but that alone didn't really warrant their presence. What she really needed was to know that they could protect her as well, but that was something that she could only really learn through sparring. She still had an idea for how she could at least establish a group dynamic.

When Kelsi eventually recovered, she left so that she could work on her studies without fear of Lochlan giving her an aneurysm from all of the blushing. With her no longer in the room, they could get down to more serious conversation such as working out what the two new additions were capable of and what skills they were meant to contribute. Rowan took charge of the conversation the moment that Kelsi left the room.

"Okay, I don't want to be rude, but I think we need to talk about what we can all do and how we can work together. If we ignore this, we'll just stumble over each other as soon as we get in a fight should one arise and that'll just get someone killed. Before we continue, however, I want to see your genuine selves. A mask is all well and good, especially considering your positions in the military, but we need to work together and I'd rather do it as friends."

Lochlan looked wistfully at Rowan as she finished her speech. "Liadra," he sighed, "I think I've fallen in love for the second time in as many hours. To whom should I direct my affections?"

"You should get your mind out of the gutter and behave," said Liadra before she returned to the matter at hand. "As I said before, I'm a member of Dusk and I specialise in protecting VIPs from the shadows and dealing with internal threats quietly or with diplomacy and social maneuvering. I'm sure I don't need to explain the implications behind dealing with things quietly?"

"You're an assassin?" Seres guessed quietly.

"Not exactly. At least not all of the time. We tend to be more of a targeted strike force whenever we're sent on the attack. One of my senior officers was responsible for dealing a crippling blow to the raiders by eliminating several members of their high command."

"Impressive," Rowan admitted, "but it doesn't tell me much. Are you any good in a fight? What weapons do you prefer? What can you do outside of combat?"

"Well as I said, I have some training as a bodyguard and I typically fight solo or in small teams like this one. I mostly use short blades and razor shields up close or a bow at range. If need be I'll also use paralytics and tranquilliser venous. As for outside of combat, I'm skilled at hunting and navigation. My Gift is that of the Predator for reference."

"She's also great at finding great bars," Lochlan interrupted.

"Shut up, Lochlan!" Liadra cried.

"I don't think I will. It's my time to talk. Before I tell you completely divine ladies about myself, there is one last thing that needs to be said about Liadra."

Liadra went from composed to visibly terrified when Lochlan said that so Rowan just had to inquire. "Go on," she said.

"Well if she ever volunteers to cook, don't let her."

"Why not?"

"Because every meal that she's ever made with me around has been impossibly bland."

"My food is jam packed with nutrients I'll have you know," Liadra objected.

"And I've had field rations that taste better."

The more Lochlan spoke, the harder it was for Rowan to get a read on him. Even so, he had managed to highlight one skill flawlessly and that was his ability to get a rise out of Liadra. Thanks to him, Rowan was getting a reasonable idea of what Liadra was like deep down, and she knew that Seres was doing her own quiet analysis as well.

The back and forth between two officers continued until Rowan was forced to interject. "This is all well and good, but it's not going anywhere and we still have a lot to get through."

Liadra just stopped talking, but Lochlan sighed dramatically. "Truly, you have my deepest apologies," he said with a touch of panache. "Let's see what I can do to answer your questions. As a Twilight Operator I specialise in information, be it acquisition or taking advantage of it, and people. The two go hand in hand really. Traditional combat isn't exactly my forte unfortunately, but I do have the standard army training as well as dedicated self defence, particularly in hand to hand. You never know when a tavern brawl might break out. Speaking of which, I can smooth any issues like that should they arise without the need to pull rank. It helps avoid too much attention, though I doubt that will be possible when we have an Ardent, a princess, and my dear cousin here."

Rowan would never have guessed it from their appearance, but it made sense considering their interactions. They had been far too familiar with each other to just be army buddies, especially considering their differing branches and apparent ages. There were still a few more questions that Rowan was left with, however.

"So, what else can you do, and what is your Gift?"

"Well I'm an excellent cook and I can haggle most merchants to within an inch of their abacus. As for my Gift, I think that'd reveal a bit much, don't you think?"

Seres interjected almost immediately with a sardonic grin as she said, "He's a Cryptic."

Lochlan gave absolutely no hint that Seres' theory was correct, but the poorly veiled laugh from Liadra, along with all the context clues, was confirmation enough.

Rowan waited for things to calm down a little before she started speaking again. Once it had, she started with, "Thank you both for your cooperation. As for a basic overview of what I can do, I'm an Ardent who primarily uses a sword in a very fluid style…"

Rowan went over what she could do in and out of combat in relatively simple terms. She then let Seres decide on what she wanted to tell them about her own abilities. In the end she opted to tell them as much as she could. There was no point in taking the risk of surprising either of them.

When that was done, it was time for them to formulate some tactics. It was agreed immediately that at least one of them would need to stay with Seres at all times if they could help it. Rowan also made the executive decision that only she and Liadra could act as Seres' sole guard should the situation arise and in Liadra's case, only for a short time.

As an extension of this matter it was decided that they would only ever split the group up into two subdivisions except in emergencies. That left the possible teams as Rowan/Seres - Liadra/Lochlan, Liadra/Seres - Rowan/Lochlan, Rowan/Liadra/Seres - Lochlan, etc. Six combinations in total. Finally they had to agree on their basic combat strategy. Lochlan and Liadra would be there to guard Seresand make sure that no-one got near her. Meanwhile, Seres would use her crystals as needed while Rowan cleaned house. Hopefully, they'd never need to put their strategy to the test.

Once the serious talk was done, they fell back on the significantly more relaxed and casual activity of playing games. It quickly became obvious that the two additions to the party would create a very different gaming dynamic.

*****

By the third day, the storm was a distant memory. Without the looming threat of torrential rain, Rowan and Seres could look to their departure from Feldran. Rowan wanted to leave immediately, but Seres tempered her excitement by reminding her that they still had things left that they needed to prepare. Fortunately, most of it was being handled by Duke Kamran's staff, such as supplies for four people and horses for Lochlan and Liadra.

There were still some things, however, that the staff couldn't do or that, more accurately, required a personal touch. For that sole reason, the two girls went shopping with Lochlan in tow. The fact that they were bored stiff waiting for everything to be prepared didn't play into their decision at all. Not one bit.

The air was crisp and fresh as they stepped out of the keep. It was a welcome change to the bleak, stormy weather that had kept them inside for two full days. They could even see the cool blue sky, though they were also quickly reminded that winter was almost upon them by the glittering frost and cold breeze. Neither of the girls had dressed, or even packed for the weather, and Lochlan had been too busy complimenting them to suggest that they try on something warmer.

Fortunately, their boots were up to the task of navigating the cold, muddy, post-storm city streets. It helped that the city infrastructure included good drainage and that there were workers washing away the mud and dirt from the pavements and cobbled streets.

In light of the weather, they decided to stop by a tailor first so that they could stock up on some winter clothing. It took a little bit of time to find a suitable store as they needed clothes that were ready to go and properly sized while maintaining their image.

Satisfying one, or even two of those conditions was relatively easy. All three together was another matter entirely. Unfortunately, they couldn't or weren't willing to pass up on any of their requirements. Time was a no brainer, as was the clothes being close enough in size. Then there was the issue of image. Some might consider it to be less important, but appearance mattered when it came to making an impression and the girls had also been forced to wear little more than rags for years; they were not passing up the opportunity to look good.

In the end, it was Rowan and her rather awkward size that made things difficult. She was tiny by human standards, not even being five feet tall, but she was on the tall side for a Ferran. It wasn’t an issue when things were being tailored specifically for her, but her size was far from standard.

Eventually, however, they managed to find a store that met their requirements. It took a fair bit of time and asking around, but having Lochlan around certainly helped. The store was called 'The Silver Thread' and they found it in a weirdly out of the way part of the city's upper district. It was also so nondescript on the outside that it actually stood out.

The inside, however, was a completely different story. Rowan and Seres were treated to a mannequin menagerie of autumnal red and forest green framed in polished mahogany. Their eyes were filled with wonder and a desire to purchase everything and Lochlan was not helping. In fact, he was doing the complete opposite by highlighting clothes that he thought they would look particularly fetching in. To make matters worse, Rowan was inclined to agree with him.

Their jaw-dropping stupor was interrupted when someone, either the tailor or an assistant, approached and greeted them. She gave them a warm, healthy smile and said, "Hello, how can I help?"

Lochlan stepped in with the initiative and responded with, "My charges here are in need of some clothing more suitable for the autumn frost of today and the winter chills of tomorrow. We were directed here because of the excellent quality and a fully realised line of clothing designed for half-bloods. I'm sure my charges will be delighted if you could pick out some choice items for their perusal."

"Yes, of course." The woman maintained her composed customer service attitude almost perfectly in the face of Lochlan's flowery address. Her smile did get a little bit bigger as she turned to find some clothes, however.

In the end, they purchased several pairs of soft, wool lined leggings, some woolen skirts and tunics, linen undershirts, cotton shirts, thick wooly socks, vest coats, and new winter cloaks. All in all, it was probably enough to make Lochlan wince at the cost and the woman serving them very happy. The clothes were all packed into canvas bags and then divided between Rowan and Lochlan.

The next port of call came in the form of Resonance Crystals which presented the complete opposite problem to the clothing issue in that there was too much choice. They ended up simplifying their decision by asking everyone which was the best store in town. People gave different answers of course, but it narrowed it down significantly and it kept their options open in case their first choice was missing something.

Seres went through three different stores to find the best, most efficient crystals available. She started with fire, ice, growth, light and gravity to improve her existing toolkit. Then she looked at expanding it with some recommendations from Rowan. The first ones to be added were lightning, wind and water. Rowan suggested a thermoregulator as well, but Seres wasn't sure how useful it would be in combat so she settled for a smaller one for utility.

The next thing that Rowan suggested were crystals like growth ones. She called them shaping crystals as they took a pre-existing base and encouraged it to "grow" and adopt a certain shape. Earth and rock were the clear choices with how abundant they were as a base, but Seres could see the combat utility of glass as well so she got all three.

Finally, she chose a nice round magnetism crystal. In a sense it was the most valuable crystal of the lot based on its defensive potential and it was ridiculously cheap as well because most people found actual magnets to be more practical. They were right of course, but only because they needed an array to get comparable value.

When they left, Seres carried the bags filled with Resonance Crystals and they set a course for their next destination, a bookstore. As an item on their itinerary, it served a very different purpose to the others as it was a largely personal venture. That is to say that Rowan was there to buy a present for her brother. Ideally she would have done it back in Midiris, and she would have if she hadn't accidentally forgotten.

Unfortunately it wasn't exactly something she'd needed to think about so it kind of slipped her mind. If it hadn’t been for the weather reminding her that it was almost winter, she might have forgotten entirely. Thankfully that hadn’t happened and she was able to buy him "An Account on Rueni Expansion" by Forum Elkaan.

Then it was off to the Messenger's Guild to arrange for it to be delivered along with a letter for Alena to tell her that she enjoyed her present. And like that, they had nothing left to do other than head back to the keep.

Around halfway, Rowan was reminded of the floating rocks of doom as one of them almost crushed Lochlan. If it hadn’t been for some smaller chunks falling off first, Rowan might not have been able to react in time to save him. Thankfully, that hadn't been the case and Rowan was able to yank him away just in time. On the flipside, he would need to worry about the whiplash from being thrown across a large square by an Ardent.

"Damn that hurt," he said as he walked back, rubbing his neck

Apart from the cries of horror and screaming that followed a human size boulder falling from the sky, the rest of the journey back was largely uneventful. The only thing to do after that was make sure that everything was packed and ready to go. Part of that included the girls getting changed into their new clothes, and the feeling of the soft lamb's wool was simply divine.

With that done, it was finally time to say goodbye and leave. Kelsi took it surprisingly well, though Rowan imagined the promise that they would come visit again some other time probably helped. Lord Kamran on the other hand was significantly harder to say goodbye to and not because he was emotional or anything like that. Rather it was because he was stood on top of a tower without any standard access and keeping watch over the city. In the end, they had to settle with shouting their farewells from atop the battlements. In return, he gave them a somber salute.

When they climbed back down, Liadra and Lochlan were already on their horses, ready to leave. Rowan and Seres mounted as well and the four of them started the final leg of their journey.

*****

They arrived at the small trade settlement on the northern side of Lake Emyr just after lunchtime the next day. Rowan and Seres stopped by a small tavern to eat while Lochlan and Liadra went looking for someone that would be willing to ferry them and six horses across to Næmyris on a Day of Rest.

There was no guarantee, however. Their requirements made it particularly difficult, as the law gave every worker the right to take at least one of the two monthly Days of Rest as holidays except in emergencies and neither Rowan or Seres would pull rank to deny someone of that. If all the ferriers with boats capable of moving horses were taking the day off, they would need to wait. Thankfully, they didn't need to worry about it.

Liadra returned after around an hour with news that they had found someone, but it was going to be expensive and Lochlan was trying to haggle the price down. Not wanting to delay, Rowan and Seres drained what remained of their drinks and left money for their tab as they rushed out.

Halfway to the docks, Rowan slapped herself in the face after realising she had accidentally paid in silver instead of bronze. She'd need to be careful in the future, even if she could spare the money. It would have been problematic if she had accidentally paid in gold, after all.

Speaking of which, the ferrier was asking for exactly that, four gold specifically with a one gold surcharge if they shat all over his deck. Lochlan managed to get it down to three gold up front and a two gold shit charge. The ferrier was still clearly cheating them, even an idiot could see that, but it was clear to see why. All he would really lose if his gambit failed was the chance that they wouldn't choose him tomorrow if they decided they weren't desperate enough to wait. On the other hand, he had a chance to earn what he'd probably make in a particularly busy month in a single two-three day round trip. He could even get a little extra by ferrying people back.

Rowan decided that she didn't want to wait and Seres gave no arguments to the contrary so they reluctantly paid and led the horses onto his leaky barge. It certainly lacked the raw style and panache of The Wind Rose. It even fell short of the travel barge that she had taken with her father to and from Tærin City all those years ago. That didn't stop it from functioning, however, so Rowan held back her complaints.

After the first couple of hours it became eminently clear why Liadra hadn't joined the navy as her face turned green and she threw up over the side of the barge.

"How is this enough to make someone seasick?" Rowan remarked in amazement.

"For as stern as her heart is, her stomach is unfortunately lacking. I thought I made that clear enough when I said how awful her cooking was."

"Can't you be serious for once?" Seres said, lambasting him. Meanwhile Rowan just gave him a look.

"If I was serious all the time, people wouldn't trust me," Lochlan answered.

"What?" Seres replied flatly.

"I'm a spy, Princess. I get information from people trusting me and letting down their guard. If I was your stereotypical Cryptic, I'd be better off wearing a sign telling people what I am. It's why Stoic Cryptics make awful spies. On the other hand, they make excellent information brokers. There is another reason for the way I behave, however, and that's because it makes people smile."

"I really hope you're bullshitting us," Rowan laughed, "because that last part makes you sound like a good person."

Seres actually snorted as Lochlan grabbed his chest and gave Rowan the most exaggerated and pained expression imaginable as he said, "You wound me!"

"Yeah, yeah. You didn't give us a proper answer as to why Liadra's sick. You travelled by boat to catch up to us didn't you?"

"Why do you think we were late? She was sick every step of the journey. Don't ask her to swim either, she hates it."

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Seres asked.

"She's family," he shrugged. "Now please excuse me while I go make sure she doesn't faint and fall overboard."

Rowan took back her assumption that Lochlan was simple. That conversation proved he was anything but simple. She still wasn’t sure exactly what, and she might never know considering his Gift, but it was a start.

*****

The barge carried on throughout the night and Rowan caught her first glimpses of Næmyris as the sun rose. It filled her with glee to see it so close. Even though it was still a few miles away, Rowan felt like she could almost touch it.

As they got closer, it was clear that something was different about the town. There was a large lakeside memorial. Rowan couldn’t see the details, but she understood its purpose. The ferrier took his hat off and held it to his chest at the sight of it. Rowan could even see a tear in his eyes, a stark contrast from how he had been the day before.

"Did you lose people during the eclipse as well?" Rowan asked.

"My grandson and daughter in law," the old man replied, his voice clearly pained. "He was just a wee blighter. My son took his own life not long after."

"I'm so sorry," Rowan almost cried.

"Don't be, lass. There's nothin' ye could a done about it. I'm guessin' from ye words that ye lost people too?"

"I was there when it happened. They killed my mother and captured me. I only just escaped."

"I heard some rumours of that nature. Somethin' bout the Princess and her giving out lots of money to some people. Explains the gold. Take two of it back, lass. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you."

"Just don't let it get too cozy. It'll be out in a hair when the time comes to pay the shit charge."

"I'm sure they're behaving."

"Trust me lass, I've never met a horse that would pass on the chance to shit all over a boat. Happens all the time."

"I'll take your word on it."

Rowan actually took his warning to heart all because of Nami. She would do it just because she heard it costs extra. Lo and behold, she was looking particularly smug as Rowan led her out of the hold and handed over the gold. Then she took a deep breath.

She was home.

Interlude: A Voice Beneath the Waves

A couple of days had passed since Tehri first heard the rumors about her sister. It was safe to say that she had been jumping in silent glee since then. She had celebrated with Kamren later that first day and Hana cooked something nice as well.

There were still a few challenges, especially with how expensive it was to get something delivered to the capital in any meaningful time frame and there was no guarantee that she would see it. She had tried before with Tyris  and it hadn’t worked. Either that or he had ignored it. Tehri didn't really want to consider that option so she did her best to disregard it.

Even with the cost and the risks, Tehri was still willing to consider sending a letter. She had even spent every moment that she could when she wasn't otherwise distracted composing it. When it was finally done, she rushed to the market to find a merchant bound for Tærin City. She paid the woman handsomely and even bought some of her wares in the form of some brightly coloured yarn. Tehri was of a mind to do some knitting.

There was one slight dampener to Tehri's mood as she made her way home, however, which came in the form of an angry looking mass of clouds coming in from the west. Even so, a little rain never hurt anyone and the house was nice and warm

*****

The rain started falling a few hours later. It was light at first, but as the day went on it got heavier and heavier to the point of being akin to a violent cacophony. Byrden came home before it got too bad. Had he waited much longer, he might have needed to hole himself up in the forge. As it was, he had sealed it up to the best of his abilities.

Tehri could see that he was scared about his smithy. It was close to the river and he had said that the normally gentle flow was already breaking the banks. Tehri had already given up hope that her garden would survive. She cursed herself for thinking it was just going to be a mild downpour. Each crash of thunder made her practically jump out of her skin.

By nightfall, the full weight of the storm was upon them. The thundering rain spoke to a primal fear in Tehri. It called to the night of the eclipse and the sound of a thousand crashing hooves. The memory was ingrained into her unconscious mind regardless of the fact that she had slept through the whole thing.

The small family of three huddled around the fire for warmth. It was a small comfort for Tehri. She craved the company of others out of fear that she would lose herself from the storm. From the way the usually confident Hana was shaking, she felt the same.

Tehri knew that they were lucky. Their house was especially well built as far as the village was concerned. Only a few others could compare. The rest were perfectly functional most of the time, including when it was particularly stormy. This was not, however, anything close to an average storm. Even the worst storms of the past five years didn’t compare. Neither did the earthquakes or the eruptions to the north.

Tehri was scared that the majority of the village wouldn't survive the night. The lightning made everything worse. It was assaulting the village with vicious intent and every strike was accompanied by a deafening roar. Before long, the charged air started to produce a sickly sweet aroma and Tehri could feel blood coming from her ears.

A few hours later, Tehri was practically deaf in her left ear and her right wasn’t far behind. For that reason, she was denied any warning for what was about to happen. The storm had been feeding the Tanra and Karik Rivers that flanked either side of Aran village nonstop and they had grown decadent. Each river drank its fill and then carried on drinking until it could hold no more. The two torrents crashed at Aran Village and the river banks became a distant memory.

The flood came crashing through the house in an instant. Within seconds Tehri was separated from Hana and Byrden. They had both managed to grab hold of something as the combined might of both rivers hammered into them. Tehri had no such strength. She was slammed against a wall and moments later she was being pulled through the broken remains of the front door.

Panic hit hard and fast. For the second time in Tehri's short life, the Karik River was trying to kill her and this time it would likely succeed. She started hyperventilating which wasn't exactly the smartest thing she could do while she was being thrown around like a ragdoll by the river.

After anywhere from a few seconds to an hour passed, Tehri felt someone grab her arm. Then she was coughing up a day's worth of water from her lungs. Kamren was looming next to her on his knees, his hand up in the air. From the burning in her ribs and the fact that he was the only other person around, it was clear that he had revived her. She tried to get up and give him a hug. With how battered and bruised she was, it was a challenge, but she eventually managed and he hugged her gently back. It was a small comfort, alongside the familiar touch of her bracelet and her sister's pendant.

Now that she was aware, Tehri realised that they were in one of the village's barns, specifically the more durable of the two. Kamren had managed to carry her through the flood and the storm and up the ladder to the barn's second level. They'd be safe there as long as the barn remained strong. Tehri was willing to risk it. Anywhere else was too risky and she was too scared to go back into the water. Unfortunately, there were other issues they needed to be concerned about, namely the fact that they were both soaked to the bone.

"We can't stay like this," Tehri signed.

"What do you mean?" Kamren responded.

"We'll get sick if we stay in these clothes," Tehri answered. "We need to remove them and huddle together for warmth."

Tehri wasn't sure if she had signed clearly enough because she was shivering and he was blinking in confusion. She was about to sign it again when he asked, "Are you sure?"

She replied with, "Yes." One of her first lessons with Master Idyr had been survival techniques and right now she loved him for it.

Out of respect, they stripped back to back, though it was largely a moot point once they sat side by side against the hay. As they sat there in silence, the storm raging around them, Tehri wanted to ask Kamren what had happened and why he was alone. Unfortunately, signing wasn’t exactly designed for side by side communication so she had to improvise. That is to say, she shuffled round until she was facing him and then she simply asked him.

"We were hiding in our home like every other sane person. Once the winds really picked up, however, the thatching practically disintegrated. At that point it was too dangerous to stay inside so we braved the storm. I got knocked off my feet pretty quickly and Ma got pinned down by a tree. Lightning struck as Da tried to free her. It hit the tree and it exploded in their faces. I could barely recognise Ma after that and Da wasn’t much better. There was nothing I could do for them. If I was any closer, I'd probably be dead as well."

Kamren was visibly crying as he told the story in both sign and spoken word. Tehri placed a comforting hand on his leg as he continued.

"After that, I tried finding shelter with our neighbours but no-one would let me in so I tried to make my way to your house. I was around half way when the flood hit. Thankfully, I saw it coming so I was able to get some height before it swept me away. I'm glad I did as well because it let me catch a glimpse of your bracelet quickly enough for me to catch you. After that I struggled to get you here and you know the rest."

As Kamren finished his telling of the events, Tehri reached up and hugged him fiercely, not caring about the pain or discomfort. She knew all too well the pain of loss. All she could do now was provide comfort for Kamren and pray that Hana and Byrden were alive and relatively well.

*****

Tehri and Kamren woke up the next morning covered in hay and holding onto each other. They scrambled up and threw on their now relatively dry clothes. The barn had survived the night and it was clear that the storm had passed for the most part. It was still very much raining, the noise made that abundantly clear, but there weren't any howling winds or rushing flood water. Instead it had mostly settled down.

They slowly made their way down the ladder. Tehri was nervous to be heading back into the water, but there was no helping it; she had to find her guardians. It helped that water had retreated enough to only reach her knees and it was fairly slow moving. They waded through to the barn doors, careful not to stand on anything hidden by the muddy water. Kamren opened the doors and they anxiously stepped outside.

The village was in ruins. It had been completely devastated by the storm. Tehri was amazed that there was anything left. She was also terrified, with the nightmarish scene before her eating away at her hope.

"Let's hurry," she signed to Kamren.

"Sure thing," he answered back, only half signing. Fortunately, Tehri's hearing had started to return.

They made their way through the village, seeing only the occasional person looking around aimlessly. Tehri tripped a couple of times as they made their way to her house and was extremely grateful that she couldn’t see what she had caught her feet on.

When they finally reached the Kaafast home, Tehri was glad to see that it was in a much better state than much of the village. That is to say that there was still half a building. Tehri wanted to call out for Hana and Byrden, but she couldn’t even manage a whisper. Even now, her voice was lost to her. Instead, Kamren did what she could not.

After five minutes shouting and searching through the rubble they heard a noise coming from one of the intact rooms. They had to remove a fair bit to get inside, but once they did, Tehri breathed a sigh of relief. Hana and Byrden had managed to jury-rig their bed and a wardrobe to elevate themselves above the water line. They were both alive and in miraculously good condition.

Hana dived off the bed and hugged Tehri. "I'm so glad that you're safe. We thought we'd lost you."

"I had to stop Hana from going after you," Byrden added as he hopped down. "Do you know if the forge is safe?"

"We haven't seen it yet," Kamren answered.

"That's a shame. It's good to see you, Kamren. Is your family safe?"

"Dead." His answer didn't really need more elaboration than that.

"I'm so sorry."

"I couldn't save them, but I did save Tehri."

Hana let Tehri go and turned to face Kamren. "Thank you, Kamren, and sorry for your loss."

What now? Tehri signed.

"We check the forge and then look for survivors," Byrden answered.

"And then we'll need to ask if we want to rebuild or move on," Hana added.

"I don't think there will be enough people left to rebuild," Kamren lamented.

He was right. By the end of their search, less than a quarter of the village's population had survived. As for the buildings, roughly half just didn't exist anymore and less than a tenth were even moderately intact. It was clear that they couldn’t stay. There was one thing they would need to do before they even started getting ready to leave, however, and it was something that they couldn't avoid.

The survivors all worked together to gather the bodies and prepared to bury them. It was a grim task, but they couldn't let the bodies fester and contaminate the river. A few more people fell to illness as they worked. Tehri was numb by the end of it. At the same time, numb wasn't quite the right word to describe what she was feeling on account of the fact that she was still very much feeling. She just didn't know any words that'd be more suitable.

Fortunately, the end also meant that they could start getting ready to leave and Tehri knew exactly where she wanted to go. Næmyris. It didn't take much to convince Hana, Byrden, or Kamren and roughly half of the remaining survivors agreed to go with them, though some were bound for Tærin City. The rest decided to go west.

Before everyone left, they gathered what food they could salvage and shared it equally. Any unclaimed valuables from the search were also considered fair game for anyone that found them. That included taking them straight from the dead. No-one was going to begrudge anyone else for giving themselves a leg up when they had lost everything. Byrden had instead dug up a cache from underneath his ruined forge and packed it along with whatever tools he could find.

The last things to be sorted were clothes. Similarly to the food, clothes were shared as needed. It resulted in some very mismatched wardrobes, but it was necessary.

Finally, when dawn broke the day after the rain stopped, they were ready to leave. Onwards to Næmyris.

Chapter 30: Feldran

There was something different about the girls the next morning when they woke up. Seres could see it and Rowan could feel it in her bones. They were sisters. The Goddess had made it so. It was a good feeling and it had banished the nightmares for one night at least.

They had a breakfast of chopped mataberries, honey roasted ham, and smoked cheese on slices of bread toasted over the embers of their fire. The horses were given oats and an apple each, which they greatly appreciated, even if Nami demanded extra. It was a simple and delicious affair.

Then it was time to break camp. They were getting rather proficient at it, which was fortunate considering their bandaged hands. Rowan found herself wincing a couple of times from being a bit too enthusiastic. In hindsight, they hadn’t needed to cut their hands quite so much, but what's done is done. For now, they'd just need to be careful while they healed.

Part of being careful came into play as soon as they were on the road again as they became very aware that a canter would be untenable as things were. As such, they settled on a walk until they figured something out. Fortunately, even with the delay they arrived at the gates of Feldran only a few hours past noon. At least that's what the girls had estimated based on the last time they had seen the sun. Now all they had to go by were some exceptionally angry looking clouds. The girls put up their hoods in anticipation of a storm.

Feldran dwarfed both Baromiir and Telmaris combined. That still left it smaller than the capital, but size wasn't what made the city impressive. If anything, the size was a footnote when compared to what made the city truly unique. It had been carved out of a mountain that had been shattered by Resonance.

At its core, the city was the mountain with the buildings made from grey stone and tiny glittering crystals, both mundane and Resonant. It was a sign of where the city's wealth had come from as one of the prime sources of Resonance Crystal in the world, let alone Llen Fær. Feldran was also home to some exceptionally rare and even unique crystals, including the elusive Gravity Crystals as evident by the casual floating rocks above the city. Seeing them made Rowan feel exceptionally nervous of the possibility of something interfering with the Resonance. The impending storm didn't help either.

The rain started as the girls approached the queue to the city. It quickly became apparent that the queue had formed because the guards were extremely thorough in their investigations and checks. No doubt because of the comparative size and importance of Feldran, along with the large amount of traffic that the city was used to.

Seres lead them past the queue and onto the gate which resulted in some very loud complaints from various merchants and travellers getting rained on. Something along the lines of, "Hey, Fuckers! No skipping the line!". A guard stopped them as soon as they were close enough.

"Afternoon, ladies," the guard said with a distinctly feminine voice, greeting them with a pained smile. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait in the queue like everyone else."

Rowan unfastened her badge and showed it to the guard. "Are you sure?" she asked.

The badge seemed to give her some pause. She looked at it for a second and then called over another guard. "Hey, Keio, do you recognise this?"

The other guard walked over and looked at the badge and Rowan saw instant recognition. "Let them through, Brii," he said.

"But…"

"The captain told us to expect this. It's the Ardent Flame and Her Highness, Princess Seres."

Rowan saw the guardswoman back. "My apologies, Your Highness, milady. Go right ahead."

The way into the city was opened to them and for their trouble, they were treated to a confusing array of cheers and curses from the line. They were greeted to a large plaza on the other side of the gate which webbed off in various directions towards the city's myriad districts.

"Where to first?" Rowan asked over the loud pitter-pattering of heavy rain.

"To the keep," Seres almost shouted back, "we'll be granted sanctuary there."

"Are you sure?"

"There isn't a single lord or lady that would deny a princess hospitality in good faith. Plus, Duke Kamran is a relative of mine."

Even with the wide open streets, it was a difficult ride. The rain was getting heavier by the minute and the wind was coming in fast around the Kærinsiir mountains. The paving was quickly becoming slick with icy cold water, making it hazardous to go any further on horseback. They would need to lead the horses the rest of the way.

The long winding path up to the keep felt far steeper than it had any right to be. Thankfully, when they introduced themselves at the gatehouse to the first bailey, Duke Kamran's men took over leading the horses, while a runner went on ahead. Before handing Nami over, Rowan removed Elan Fiir from where it had been strapped to the saddle. When that was done, she attached it to her belt and joined Seres in trying to not get swept away by the violent gale. They held onto each other tightly and Rowan instinctively drew upon the essence of her mother's weight from Elan Fiir, effectively granting them the additional mass of a third person.

Thanks to the runner, they were greeted at the main entrance by the Duke's chief steward, and a fourteen year old girl. The steward ushered them in, not caring that they were carrying in the storm or treading mud. Meanwhile the girl just stared at them, wide-eyed.

"My apologies, Your Highness, for the rude welcome granted by the inopportune weather." The steward spoke with a voice as dignified, yet dusty, as his appearance suggested. He was a middle aged man in pristine brown robes, tiny glasses, and hair that was a weird cross between a tonsure and a ponytail.

"Unless Uncle Kamran has gained the ability to control the weather in my absence, there is no need, Rodin. Might I introduce you to Rowan, the Ardent Flame. Rowan, this is Rodin, the chief steward of my great great-uncle, Duke Kamran, and this is…" Seres trailed off as she tried to introduce the girl.

Rowan curtsied to Rodin and he bowed. "Greetings, most esteemed Lady of Fire. The Duke will be most thrilled to meet you." After greeting Rowan, Rodin introduced the young girl beside him. "This is Kelsi, the Duke's granddaughter."

"Granddaughter?" Seres asked with some confusion, "I was unaware that Uncle Kamran had any children, let alone grandchildren."

"She was adopted during your absence, Your Highness," Rodin explained.

"Ah. Well welcome to the family, Kelsi. It is a pleasure to meet you." Seres gave her a bright smile.

Rowan added to it with a smile of her own. "I second that."

"Hello," Kelsi replied shyly with a bright eyed curtsy.

"Would you like to show our guests to their rooms, Kelsi?"

At the request of the steward, the young girl without any hallmarks of nobility excitedly walked them through the keep. Despite her energy, however, Kelsi didn't actually say much of anything. If anything, she seemed happy enough being in the company of Rowan and Seres. Rowan couldn’t exactly blame her, this was probably her first time seeing a princess, after all.

Seres was taking everything in her stride. Rowan, on the other hand, was sharing a little in Kelsi's awe. She was in a castle. An actual castle. The legendary abodes of heroic knights and Rowan was in one. It wasn’t exactly like the ones from the stories she had read as a child, and it was more colourful than the rough, grey exterior, but it was still a castle. Seres being there only added to the effect.

Alas, Rowan had to remind herself that she wasn't in one of the stories from her childhood. They had been filled with whimsy and adventure as opposed to needless death or suffering. Rowan knew that her life wouldn't be anything like that. There wouldn't be a heroic duel at the end of her journey that would bring an end to all the evil in the world. As for living happily ever after? That wouldn't be life. Not really. Life had ups and downs. Life was contrast. You needed both light and shadow to see the whole picture.

"Lady Rowan," Kelsi chirped, "this will be your room."

Having been snapped right back into the present, Rowan gave the young girl an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Lady Kelsi. Could you tell me which room Seres will be sleeping in, please?"

"Her Highness will be in the room just across from you, Lady Rowan. These are the guest apartments so feel free to use everything here at your leasure. Also, I'm not actually a lady. Not really. Duke Kamran adopted me after my parents died in a mining accident just over three years ago."

"That's awful!" Seres exclaimed.

"Would you mind telling us what happened?" enquired Rowan.

"Just before the accident, one of the mining companies discovered a new Resonance Crystal deposit. Apparently it was absolutely massive and filled with lots of different kinds as well. The mining made it unstable though, and one day it went boom. Half of the entire mine was destroyed in the explosion.

"Pretty much everyone had given up on the miners. Everyone except for my parents. They ran a toy store and knew most of the miners by name, they were always coming by to get presents for their children. Mum and Dad couldn't bear to see those children cry so they rallied together a rescue operation. They managed to save everyone that survived the initial explosion and collapse. But another explosion happened and it killed them. The Duke adopted me as a way of acknowledging their heroics."

The girl wasn't much of a storyteller. Even so, both Rowan and Seres were crying from her tale. To call her parents heroes was an understatement. They deserved every honour. Unconsciously, Rowan hugged the young girl.

"Your parents were nobler of heart than most," Rowan told her. "I don't know the Duke, but I'm sure he saw that same fire as well."

"Do you really think so, Lady Rowan?"

"I do. Also, you don't need to call me Lady Rowan. Just Rowan is fine."

"Rowan's just like you," Seres explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Her father is a merchant and her mother was a bard. She was given her titles by my mother for keeping me safe from terrible people and helping me and many more people escape from captivity."

"We'd been told that she was the new Ardent Flame, which is totally amazing, but I thought she was already a noble." Kelsi had squeed the aside with abundant enthusiasm; a sign that Seres wasn’t the only one she was excited about seeing.

Rowan blushed slightly. "That's definitely new. I'd like to say that I'm common as bricks, but I think being an Ardent kind of disqualifies me from that and my family were more in the middle ground anyway."

"What's it like being an Ardent?"

"I don't really know how to explain it," Rowan admitted. "I can barely remember what it was like before I Awakened. A lot has happened the past five years and this feeling has kind of bled into all of my memories. What I can say is that it's intense and not always in a good way. If anything it's a mix of good and bad."

At that point, servants arrived with their packs.

"I should return to my studies," Kelsi said sadly, retreating past the servants.

"You can stay here a little longer, if you'd like," Seres called out to her.

"There's still plenty we can talk about and we've got games as well," Rowan added with brilliant cheer.

*****

Seres slipped away a short time later. She had Rowan know that she'd be perfectly safe and that she just needed to contact her mother. Her uncle had a direct line to the palace which made things significantly less awkward than going through the city officials and the local administration bureau. Such were the perks of family.

A servant took her to her uncle's study where he kept the Communication Resonance Array. It was a large room filled with books, scrolls, maps and various Resonance Crystals. The last time Seres had seen this room had been as a young girl. She remembered sitting on her uncle's lap as he told her stories. The memory made his absence all the more noticeable.

He was still nowhere to be seen. Which was to say that he was in his bed. They had arrived during one of his rare unscheduled naps. His sleeping schedule, or indeed lack of it was an enigma to everyone that knew him. Seres recalled a time from back when she was just a child where he had only slept once over the course of an entire week. Even then it had only been for a few hours. That made it seem likely that he would be there for dinner at least.

Even so, Seres knew that he wouldn't object to her calling home. Rodin had given his permission as well. All she had to do was wait while the servants set everything up; she'd never had the chance to learn how herself. They finally triggered the signal to the palace and moments later the message was being taken to the Queen. Then she heard it, her mother's voice.

"Dearest Seres, I'm so glad that you're safe. After we received word from Baromiir, I was so worried."

"I'm perfectly fine, Mother. Rowan was the one that suffered."

"So you said. The investigation team had already arrived and they have a portable Communication Array so I can deliver my verdict quickly when the time comes."

"What's likely to happen?"

"The rapist will be executed as per Rowan's request. Maybe not exactly as she requested, but he will die." The mere thought of execution was enough to make Seres turn a little pale. It was still the least that he deserved. "The two guards will be punished in accordance with your orders. No doubt the investigation will find them guilty of more crimes that they'll need to be held accountable for. As for the guard captain, he will be punished in accordance with how involved he was with the corruption. At the very least, he will lose his rank. At worst, his life."

"That's no small range."

"Neither is the range of his potential crimes. By the end of the investigation, the entirety of the Baromiir guard will need to be restructured and reinforced."

"I guessed that would end up being the case," Seres sighed, not really wanting to think about it. "I'm glad that the investigation is underway, but it's only part of the reason I wanted to call."

Queen Elarin responded in a more sincere and heartfelt tone compared to the more serious one she had been using before. "I would hope so. There's something that I need to say as well, but you can go first."

"Well I've started training with Rowan and I told her about my abilities."

"That's good. I hope you've been training with them. Have you been practicing how to use them in combat?"

"I've been doing a little bit, but only once trying anything combat related," Seres admitted.

"That's better than nothing. How did it go?"

"Better than I expected. I tried taking some inspiration from Rowan, but it was mostly improvising. It also drained me way too quickly. The crystals I have are too small and the cut makes them really inefficient."

"They were designed to be used in jewellery so that they didn't draw any extra attention."

"Which is great for emergency self defence, but in an actual fight I need something better."

"Well you're in the perfect place to stock up."

"Not with this storm."

"A storm in Feldran? It must be really bad if it wasn’t broken up by the mountains."

"I nearly had impromptu flying lessons," said Seres with a light giggle. It had been terrifying at the time, but hindsight painted it in silver.

"I'm glad that you're okay. Thank you for telling me, Seres. Now I can organise some survey and rescue teams to assess the damage. It would have taken closer to a week for the report to reach me normally."

"Why so long?"

"Because the meteorological society is full of wizened old men and women that seem to operate in geological timescales. And unfortunately, they are the ones that make the report."

"That's…"

"Truly. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Rowan and I did the ritual last night." Seres held her breath as she waited for her mother's response.

"It would have been an incredible waste if you hadn't," Queen Elarin laughed.

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because…"

"It's not like you got pregnant and eloped with some stranger. You just asked the Goddess to acknowledge the bond between you and Rowan. I had already accepted it was going to happen as soon as you both told me what had happened in the caves. Why else do you think I gave you that white silk handkerchief?"

"I didn't really think about it."

"Plus, I'd never have trusted Rowan with your protection if I didn't trust your bond. However, that does bring me to what I needed to say. I trust that Rowan is fully up to the task of protecting you in a fight. With that said, the incident in Baromiir highlighted that there are some issues that she isn't equipped to handle and neither are you.

"I was naïve to think that the two of you could handle everything alone. You need more people to help cover all of your bases. To that end, I've sent two junior officers from the Dusk and Twilight branches of the Army. If they aren't already in Feldran, they will be soon enough. Hopefully the storm won't hold them back."

"Are you sure this is necessary? It was just one incident."

"And I'm not risking a second. Not until you have some more protection. It will make things easier for Rowan as well. She may be an Ardent, but she's still vulnerable. If the man that attacked her had a knife, he could have killed her."

It was painful to hear her mother say it, but it was true. In combat, Rowan would be a force to be reckoned with, but if you get close enough to her and she's not expecting an attack for whatever reason, she's as good as dead. Seres didn't know why Rowan didn't see the man as a threat until it was too late, but the fact that it had happened was evidence that it could happen again.

Realistically it was both good and bad that she hadn't. On the one hand, it meant there was this risk. On the other, Seres didn't need to worry about her lashing out at every single perceived threat, regardless of whether or not one even existed.

"Rowan won't want to wait around," Seres said finally.

"That shouldn't be an issue," Queen Elarin responded, "You need to wait out the storm, after all."

"True. But what if they aren't here by then?"

"Then I'll be very concerned as to why. They were travelling by rowboat with a full team of rowers. Even with the storm it should take them less than a week."

"Well I'll let Rowan know."

"Good. Stay safe, my beloved Seres."

"I will. You too, Mother, and carry my love."

The call came to a close and it left Seres with a lot to think about. What were her shortcomings? Was she holding Rowan back? She didn't exactly add much to a group dynamic other than pulling rank and offering support and that last one was being generous. Apart from that, she had half a royal education and charitable and somewhat idealistic nature.

She was brought back by her memories. It had been forever since she had done anything worthy of the name the common folk had given her. The Star Flower, Princess of the Dawn. It was a sign of their love, for all she had given them before she was taken. Now she was a shade of the girl she had been back then. Even so, Rowan had told her that she still shined. Seres was determined to prove her right.

*****

Seres arrived back in the guest rooms a while later, arms loaded with books. She quickly placed them on the table before collapsing into a chair. Rowan wasn’t expecting that. As far as she was aware, Seres had only been gone to talk to her mother. The reality before her made it seem like she had instead raided a library. That isn't to say that it mattered. Seres could have been doing practically anything while she was gone and it wouldn't have mattered as long as it wasn't dangerous and she stayed in the keep. Furthermore, Rowan wasn’t going to be rude by not even saying hello.

"Welcome back, Seres. What's with all the books?" It might not have mattered, but Rowan was still curious.

Seres gave her a warm smile with a glint of determination in her eyes. "Hi, Rowan. I thought I'd catch up on some things I was supposed to learn while we wait for the storm to pass."

"Anything interesting?"

"Not really. It's mostly etiquette, law, , commerce, foreign relations and customs."

Rowan grimaced. "You're right, that sounds incredibly dry."

"There's some military theory as well, but I don't exactly have much academic experience in that area besides what they taught us in the caves."

"My brother taught me a little when I was younger, but I'm in a similar boat for the most part. Maybe we can work on it together."

"Sounds like a plan? Where's Kelsi?"

"She had her own lessons to attend to."

"Sorry, I should have come back sooner."

"It's fine. I was just singing to myself while I waited and she only just left." Rowan may have been exaggerating a bit there, but she didn’t want Seres to feel bad about it.

"That's good. Shall we do some studying now or later?"

"May as well start now. If it gets too dry we can always play some games later."

"True."

Rowan shrugged.

*****

A few hours later they got word that Duke Kamran was awake and that breakfast was being prepared. It was a little weird to hear their dinner be called that, but the servant's tone suggested that it was a little in joke on the Duke's sleeping schedule. She was not, however, expecting that the joke would extend to the meal itself.

All in all, Rowan's first impressions of the Duke were interesting to say the least. To put it simply, he was ancient. His skin was weathered like parchment and his few remaining wisps of thin white hair were wiry at best. Even his ears were balding. At the same time, he looked like he could probably destroy someone at least half his age in a fight. His muscles were beyond firm as evident from how his bare, sleeveless arms rippled with every movement. He also held the strength of ancients in his eyes, the wisdom of his age old vigil.

What threw Rowan off, however, was the way he wolfed down his giant breakfast of smoked applewood bacon, wine-poached sausages made from aged venison, a spiced drakiir egg soufflé, fried buffalo tomatoes, wild mushrooms, and freshly baked bread dripping with melted butter. Everyone else was eating from similar, albeit significantly smaller, dishes and even then it was a challenge to keep up. Rowan could feel her stomach straining before she even reached the halfway point.

Once he finished eating, he turned to face Rowan and started speaking in a slow, aged voice. "I must apologise, Lady Rowan, for the events that transpired five years ago."

That got Rowan's immediate attention. "Why is that, Duke Kamran?" she inquired.

"Because the reports show that the raiders travelled through my duchy and right past my city on their way to attack Næmyris. And then they dared to use the same route to escape. Yet, in spite of this truth, I failed to notice. In all of my long years, that is, along with the death of Kelsi's parents, my biggest failing."

Rowan saw pain in his glacial blue eyes and felt it too. "You don't need to blame yourself," she said with every inch of sincerity that she could muster, "they managed to keep themselves hidden for years up until that point. Everyone missed the signs. Those that didn't were probably either corrupt or dead."

"True as that may be, my life is my vigil, and my vigil is this fair nation and all those who dwell within it. To deny my vigil would be to deny the Gift that was granted to me by the Goddess."

That was a lot to take in and Rowan wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say in the face of such conviction. Seres, on the other hand, just laughed. "Uncle Kamran is always like this. Some say he is the reincarnation of Aegis Admiral Taan. That's impossible of course and rather rude at that, don't you think?"

"I guess," Rowan replied hesitantly.

"I'm with Princess Seres," Kelsi added quietly. "To say that he's a reincarnation based on his merits kinda invalidates them as his merits."

"That makes sense."

"Well said, Kelsi," smiled Duke Kamran. "It would indeed be boorish to think that we were just the product of our ancestors, blessed they may be. They give us strength, but we must be the ones to act so that those that come tomorrow might make the next day even better. I for one will not rest until I see my successor rise from the ashes."

"Don't look at me," Kelsi replied, shying away slightly.

"Fear not, Kelsi, that is not why I adopted you. I was actually thinking young Lady Rowan here, should she survive the trials that await her."

"Me?" Rowan's face was a perfect picture of surprise at the declaration.

"Of course. Who better than the Ardent Flame of Midiris? Should you survive, you will live a long life, far beyond my own. Furthermore, I do not believe that you will abandon your home."

"Well no…"

"Thus, I think it is quite fair to assume that you have potential."

"Just go along with it, Rowan."

This was going to be an interesting few days.