These Old Bones

15-1

15

Sleep came, but it didn't come easy. Dreams of the girl reaching the Temple Valley and striking down everyone there with the long dagger she had taken as a sword. Dreams of the girl dying as he screamed at her to use her magic. Dreams of the girl using her magic and turning it upon him and Tiera. Dreams upon dreams upon dreams, none of which had happy endings. He awoke in the morning awash with sweat and the covers and pillows of the bed thrown to the floor.

He washed away the sweat, wishing he could wash his mind of those dreams and the memories of his many mistakes. The sweat cleaned away, but the memories remained. He dressed, feeling more comfortable in his clothes than he had the day before, the mail shirt hanging now as it always had. Other things made him uncomfortable, now, and clean clothes and repaired mail shirts seemed trivial in comparison.

Entering the hall of the vine castle, he found Tiera sat waiting. Hers and the girl's packs set beside the double doors, a new, metal tipped spear leaning against the wall. He assumed it a gift from Irimik, or the Toad-Kin. Tiera had an air of sadness about her that didn't seem to fit the girl. She had her intense moments, her serious moments, but here, in a relative safe place, he did not expect those feelings from her and neither would he expect sadness.

"She wants to leave." Tiera glanced at the packs. "She says she won't use the magic and when she reaches the Temple Valley, she'll refuse to become their vessel. What was said last night?"

Brorzjav told her of the conversation, every part, leaving nothing out. Tiera made slow nods as he spoke and then sighed, leaning back, clutching at her hair with both hands.

"I'm not one for reassuring people." He ducked his head. Before the girl braided his hair, it would have fallen across his face, hiding his guilt. He had no way of hiding it now.

"Oh, Grey, it's not your fault. We both gave her a false idea with the training. We've not sat her down and explained it to her. Not properly." It seemed to take a great mental effort for her to stand. "She's out there now, going through her patterns. When Irimik tried to talk to her about her magic, she just shut her down."

"If she doesn't accept it, she'll get ill again. Damned fool child!" He began to storm towards the door. To rush outside and rip the long dagger from her hands. Drag her by the scruff of the neck to Irimik and stand over her as she practiced her magic. But he didn't. "I don't know what to do."

"What can we do? You know what she's like. If we don't leave with her, she'll go alone." Tiera moved to the doors, picking up her new spear. "And short of keeping watch on her day and night, or locking her away somewhere, she'll find a way. She's stubborn, like you."

"She's nowt like me." He turned back towards his room, to retrieve his pack. "We'd best be off then, afore she starts walking without us."

With his backpack strapped on, Notch at his belt and his cleaned and repaired cloak around his shoulders, he left the vine castle for the last time, finding Irimik stood upon the stairs, pipe in hand, staring at the girl as she accepted the pack passed to her by Tiera.

"I did rather hope you would all stay longer." Irimik allowed smoke to escape from the side of her mouth. "It was nice having someone to talk to. The Toad-Kin treat me with too much respect, apart from my servants, of course, but that's why I picked them as my servants."

"You could always go home. Maybe you'd be accepted there now. Things might have changed." Tiera and the girl stood waiting for him, Viriili holding the pommel of her long dagger almost as a sign of defiance.

"This is my home. These are my people. I can never leave them." She sidled next to him, linking her arm in his and looking up at him. "It was just ... nice."