Season’s Dragons: Winter, page 6
“So the water choke thing…” I pointed out as she snapped back into reality.
“When I feel really desperate about something, sometimes I feel Mother nudge me in ways that I can’t describe. Don’t mistake me for Cestra, please don’t!” This time she was the one frantically shaking her hands. “I don’t need another worshipper kissing my feet. Instead think of it like Mother helping guide my magic at opportune times.” She did a little jump, her eyes sparkling in delight. She was hiding something, even while trying her best to dumb it down for me.
“So you wanted to protect me?” I tried to wring the truth from her, “and Cestra helped you out?”
She paused for a moment, before giving a happy little nod.
“That…if you were anyone else I would call you for being a liar…but it explains a lot of things” I stared into the fire. Does that mean back then, when I stared into those dead eyes, I was staring at Cestra? Did that mean I’m literally being protected by a god? That was a thrilling thought, for sure.
“Hehe! I’m so happy you believe me! Do…Does that make you feel better? Can we be friends again?” She leaned into my personal space once more as I gently pushed her away from me. She was like an overeager child.
“I feel…okay now.” I returned a grin. I still didn’t know how I felt about it, but I wasn’t scared anymore. “I’m guessing the glare was from your mom telling me to stop being stupid and getting my arm stabbed.” I snickered, thinking of Cestra like an annoyed mom babysitting Aria and I while she glared at me, dead serious.
“No, Mother does not like you being reckless. She might do something dangerous.”
Her tone was devoid of her usual chipper tones and it sent goosebumps down my spine. Before I could respond, she looked away, a hurt frown forming across her lips. “I don’t like it either.”
It was hard not to comfort her when she was like this. “Come here. I’ll play with your hair and stuff. Like the adorable girl you pretend to be.”
She giggled, before leaping into my lap.
“Your hair is so straight. Is it always like this?” I wondered out loud as my hands ruffled her head. Her hair would always flow back into perfectly straight locks, organizing themselves seamlessly.
She nodded as I started to braid it, or tried to. Every time I tried to tie it into a knot it seemed to suddenly become slippery, as if resisting my attempts to change its form.
“I don’t think you can braid my hair anymore, but feel free to try! Before my Pact Mage powers came out, they used to be all wavy and not white. Was a big shock to my folks!”
Her hair was indeed impossible to braid, in no small part because I suspected it was alive.
“What about your parents?” I wanted to ask more about her family, but I felt her entire body stiffen like a board.
“Pass…” she said weakly before shaking her head. “Mmm, sorry sorry! I’ll try and talk a little more about it. It’s just sad, that’s all.” I gave her an approving rub on the head as she sunk into my coat, making cute little noises all the while.
She reminded me so much of a cat. A cat who can channel the powers of god.
“Us Pact Mages have responsibilities beyond our family, and my family didn’t like that.” Aria sulked a little before bouncing back, trying to lift the tone. “D-Don’t feel bad for me! It worked out pretty well for me…else I’d probably be married off to some noble that I didn’t love in the south.” I didn’t need to see her face to know something hurt her in the past. She normally had such a beautiful straight posture, but now she was slumped over as I played with her hair.
“You like a lot of touches. Head pats. Stuff like that.” I gave her a playful pinch on the neck to prove a point. She yelped before turning around, giving me a pouty frown. She was playing around too.
“Mmm…it’s like a cat who likes belly rubs. The cat does not let just anyone give her belly rubs, but she loves belly rubs from friends.”
I was holding back tears at her description, but also suppressing a snicker. She knew she was a cat! That was adorable.
She turned around, wondering why I wasn’t playing her hair anymore. Luckily I had stopped snickering by then.
“So friends then?” I wondered out loud as she gave a confident “Mhm!”
“Well, you’re my only friend…so you have to make double duty!” she chirped as I raised a doubtful eyebrow.
“I’m your only friend? I think you have more friends than just me,” I asserted. She was a Pact Mage. She was beautiful. She was the kind of girl every guy would love to take care of and adore.
“They’re not friends. They’re allies, worshippers, admirers, or zealots.” She sighed as my hands moved down to her shoulders, hopefully comforting her.
“Okay, what makes you different from all those people then?” I pointed out, but she didn’t pause to think this time. She already knew.
“I’m hunted, adored, and worshipped because I’m a Pact Mage, because there’s something to gain. I don’t enjoy spending time with them, but I enjoy spending time with you.” I couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine a soft, bubbly smile. “Also, I imagine it’s the same for you as well. You’d spend time with me, whether I was a Pact Mage or not.”
“To be fair, I did fall for your eyes first and that’s…” I thought out loud before I realized what I was saying. We both froze mid-motion.
She slowly turned around, her cheeks entirely red as she stared up at me.
“I didn’t mean it like that! I didn’t fall for your eyes, no, I mean your eyes are really pretty, no…gah!” I was waving my arms, frantically trying to explain my feelings in a way that didn’t sound like I wasn’t falling in love with her eyes or insulting her. It wasn’t working. It wasn’t working!
Then I felt a soft bonk on top of my head. Ow.
“Come on you two. Weapon practice,” Caen growled as I rubbed my head.
When he said you two, he just meant me. Aria was as lethal with a weapon as without, and besides, she had proven herself both surprisingly hard to teach due to her short height and her inability to correct her shots.
“All right, all right,” I said as Aria still looked up at me like a lost doe, still with flushed and embarrassed cheeks.
“I’m just wondering, but what does Cestra think of me?” I picked up the axe Caen handed me, thinking out loud as she fidgeted.
A soft smile slipped around her cheek as her fingers crossed. Finally, it came out as a barely audible whisper.
“She approves.”
I nodded. Approves, huh? I skipped through the snowbank to catch up to Caen. “Good, because your ‘mom’ is scary stuff…but thanks a bunch! Talk to you later.” I gave a parting wave as Aria pressed both hands onto her chest with a coy little smile.
“Bye, Charlotte.”
Chapter 6: A Mage’s Duty
“And backfoot! Raise, then counter!”
I swung Caen’s sword the best I could, but his instruction was impossible. Originally, I was surprised at how light it was, then, when I started using it, the regret started sinking in. It wasn’t like an axe, where if you could land one good hit, the fight was over. A sword needed footwork, blocks, and counters. Trying to do that with snowshoes on…
I tossed the sword into the nearby snowbank.
“This is ridiculous! How am I supposed to guard and counter in snowshoes and boots?” I glared at Caen, tired and frustrated.
Instead of answering, the old man reached over and picked up his sword. Then, with fluid grace, proceeded to do the exact upper guard followed by a counterattack. In snowshoes.
“Ya, but you had a lot more practice with the stupid thing,” I grumbled as he wiped the snow off his blade.
“Neither me nor the inquisitors care.” He slowly sheathed his blade. “Stick to an axe. Better yet, get a pike so that you don’t get your arm chopped off.”
There was an uncomfortable silence between us as I kicked the snow. Caen had started teaching me some advanced weapon skills. Axes were easy. Same with the spear. Then came the big kicker; the sword. Nothing I did ever made the darn thing work. Every fancy flourish ended with me face first in the snowbank. Every single guard felt like I was reaching just a little bit too far, or pulling a tendon. Every careful piece of footwork was ruined by snow, or worse yet, myself.
“How’s Aria on the bow?” Caen’s voice shot through as I was getting ready to leave from the failed attempts.
“She…” I scratched my head. It was difficult to explain, but Aria was terrible with a bow for completely different reasons. She had a lot of pull strength, and her accuracy was great…except when the wind started blowing. It was almost like she had no ability to adjust her shots. Having an archer whose aim was ruined by a slight breeze was not a great selling point.
“She can hit things, as long as they don’t move and there’s no wind.” I gave a worried murmur as Caen shook his head and gave a tired sigh. At least she had her magic.
“Two days left, right? We’ve been out for a while.” He noted as I nodded. Despite our best efforts, having to skip Oakhenge meant we were running out of food. Aria didn’t help matters. I’d likely need to go hunting today if we were going to get any food before the long trek tomorrow.
“Well, now that we’ve figured that I can’t swing a sword to save my life, how about I do what I do best.” I grinned as I picked up my bow and wiping the snow off. Wielding a sword was one of those childhood dreams. They were beautiful weapons, and using one made me feel like a hero, dancing about and being heroic for all of ten seconds. After that it was tripping over my own legs and faceplanting.
It’s a tough sell when I can dent someone’s helmet in with an axe.
“Hey! Could I come along?” Aria waved as she rushed over to my side, a bright smile on her pale cheeks. She was still in that fall dress, while the rest of us were bundled up like turtles. Quite the enviable ability, if only it wasn’t so rare.
“Of course! Come along.” I looked at her hands as I strapped on my quiver. I had been feeling better about seeing the dead man drowning in my dreams. Even if Aria’s explanation was incomplete, even if I still didn’t know her motives, she was on our side. Also a literal god but that was beside the point.
Aria gave a few excited claps before she opened her waterskin. Water rushed inside, before she closed it with a pop. It was a genuine miracle to see her magic in action, even if I had seen it time and time again.
“You’re going to hunt with magic? I thought you needed to pace yourself.” I pointed at her now-filled waterskin, only to be met with a foxy grin in my direction. She’d been getting close to me the last few days. I would wake up with her by my side, wondering if I had a good night’s sleep. Her wanting to come along for a hunt felt natural.
“Oh don’t worry about me. Let’s go!” She was cheerful and I felt her smile spread to my face.
* * * *
It didn’t take long for me to find a pair of deer tracks and they weren’t far from the camp either. I kneeled as Aria’s eyes inspected the tracks with newfound curiosity. As I began to follow the tracks, I felt a shy tugging on my cloak. It was Aria, looking at me with a shy, reserved look to her eyes.
“You don’t mind me following you around everywhere, do you?” She circled around curiously as I gave a welcoming smile. She really was like a child at times.
“No! Of course not!” I let out an easygoing laugh as we continued tracking. “I find it cute, even if it’s a little weird waking up with you watching me while I sleep.”
I was expecting her to act all flustered, but she did not. Instead she stuck by my side, looking out for me while I tried to find the next set of tracks.
“Do you want me to stop doing that? It does make me really tired in the mornings.” She gave a squeaky yawn. Ever since our talk that day she’s been taking a lot more naps. Enough that I’ve had to carry her at times.
“Actually, I would rather you take care of yourself. You don’t have to go out of your way to make sure that I’m doing fine,” I said as I held the path open for Aria. I didn’t remember this area well, but I do remember it well enough to guess where the deer were going.
“But I thought that’s what friends did?” Aria looked up at me as the two of us walked through the quiet winter wasteland. She wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t feel like I was the kind of person that needed to be pampered by a tiny girl who might be some percentage god.
“It is, but you can do a little of both. If you wake up at the time that you’re comfortable with, then we have an alert Aria, and I don’t have to carry you as much! Win win!” I didn’t know what I expected, but it was not a mischievous grin.
“But what if I want you to carry me? Hmm?” She put a cheeky finger on her lips, still grinning. This girl!
“I’m just kidding.” She waved her hands with a little laugh. “You spoil me enough already, so I shouldn’t be like that.”
Several minutes passed as the two of us talked about whatever came up. I was so used to hunting being a quiet affair but hearing and seeing Aria’s reactions turned a normally tense endeavor into a hangout with a friend. It was almost enough to make me forget that we were hunting something. Almost.
“Oh! We’re getting close!” I gave a cheerful wave as Aria tagged along, skipping by my side.
“To be fair, that magic water strangling thing was super cool. Just terrifying,” I added as I leaned down, examining the track. They were fresh. I notched an arrow as I hunkered down, trying my best not to make too much noise.
“I admit, I try to not look at spooky faces either.” Aria pointed out in a whisper, now crouching with me. Even she was picking up that the time for casual conversation was ending.
Then my eyes opened wide. The tracks abruptly stopped and two inquisitors were dragging off the deer. Crossbow bolts were planted into a nearby tree. I waved my hand as the two of us quietly scurried behind a line of trees and bushes for cover. Aria gave me a worried stare and I nodded, before putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. If it came to a fight, then a fight we would give them.
They were dressed in the red and white attire of the church, a blanket of chainmail around their torsos. The thin one was reloading his crossbow while a much burlier inquisitor was tying the deer onto a large sled. They lacked snowshoes, so it seemed like they stumbled onto our deer by accident. Their poleaxes were leaning against a nearby tree, ready to be used by whoever reached them first.
“That’s food taken care of.” The larger man swiveled his head in our direction as we both ducked under the bush. Aria looked even more terrified now.
“I can’t believe Regis is marching us this hard through the snow.” The thinner man looked nothing like the proud inquisitors that I saw earlier. There was a different glint in his eyes. A dangerous, uncaring shine. “If we don’t find them, the winter is going to find us. Then bury our sorry hides.”
“Short break before we head back?” the larger man asked as Aria began to fidget. She was getting nervous, but I didn’t dare to speak. The only comfort I could manage was a soft squeeze on her shoulder, holding her back.
“Ya. Let’s call it a chase.”
“Deal.”
I stared at Aria as she began to scurry away. I squeezed her shoulder just a little bit harder and shook my head. They would hear us, especially if a branch got caught.
“Fifteen minutes is way too long!” Aria whispered as softly as she could as I looked at them, before putting a soft hand on her lips. They had our food and their camp was likely only a short walk away. I pressed a hand behind my ears, signaling for Aria to listen. At first her eyes were a frantic scattering of white, but on my signal she calmed, nodding. She was a clever girl, I’d give her that.
“You know, Clair’s found their tracks. At the rate they’re going, we’re going to catch them tonight.” The thin one snickered. “Then it’s game over. They might’ve gotten away at Oakhenge, but they won’t get away again.”
I saw Aria’s face as her expression matched mine. That was why everything was so quiet. I thought that the blizzard had covered our escape earlier. Now we faced a much more terrifying alternative.
“Have they barricaded down the next town?”
“I think they sent another regiment over to Arlond, but that place is pretty big. If all else fails, they’re blowing up the bridge.”
Arlond would starve.
My heart let out a sympathetic pang as I saw the large man place a hand on the bridge of his winter cap, shaking. Without the bridge, there would be no way to Mithil once the snow closed in.
“That’s not a village. That’s one of the major towns. Thousands!” he shouted as the thin one shrugged with the same uncaring attitude given to a dead goldfish.
“The church has demanded, and we serve.”
This time it was my turn to stare at Aria in terror. They were going to box us in! Even if we somehow escaped from here, they’d box us in Arlond, and then torch the town for good measure.
“They’re going to pin us down,” I frantically whispered, panicked.
“I didn’t know that they would do this! We need to get out of here first.” Her gaze hardened, as she began to crawl out of her hiding spot. Too late. Her silver eyes flickered as dreaded words hit my ears.
“Hey, did you hear something?”
No time for talking. I acted on pure instinct as I popped out of cover, my legs still numb. I bit down as I aimed a shot at the thin one’s legs. Aria was already running to reposition, plumes of mist lifting behind her as she ran.
“Aaah!” The scream echoed across the thick snowbank and I winced. Hopefully we weren’t alerting an entire camp of inquisitors. From the corner of my eye I saw the large brute ready his crossbow, taking aim at the only enemy he could see. Snowshoes were not the greatest for nimble action, but in that moment, I managed it. Adrenaline and the fear of death were stronger than numb legs. I tumbled forward. My heart was racing as a bolt whizzed by my side, striking the tree with a spray of bark.
“Get the Pact user!” the thin one screamed, still clenching his impaled leg as I took a quick glance over at Aria. She was already covered in protective mist, planning the next step of attack.
