Shards of Flame

Chapter 8 - Angus

Jinkley steps through the flap of my tent. I'm lying on my back, hands tucked beneath my head, staring at the fly buzzing around.

"Your Highness?" Jinkley asks, his tall frame hunched.

I sit up, my back cracking. "Yes?"

"The camp will finish packing up soon Your Highness." He says, picking up the cushions scattered around the tent.

"You don't need to do that Jinkley." I say, standing up.

He grins at me, and leaves the pillows in a pile by the door flap. "The servants have so much to do that even a tiny thing, like picking up scatter cushions, can be massively helpful."

"Huh." I wonder.

"Come on Your Highness, we need to meet up with Ess. She's dangerous when she's left alone." He says, hurrying me out the flap into the chilled air.

"Ess? Not Miss Esmerella?" I tease, waggling my eyebrows, an impish grin on my face.

He blushed furiously, vibrant green covering his entire face. "N-n-no, she- she told me t-to call her that, I wouldn't normally-but she- she's terrifying." He admits, looking down at his shifting feet.

I clap him on the shoulder. "I know you wouldn't Jinks. And you're right. She is scary."

"Glad you finally see that Ember." Ess' lilting voice announces from behind me. She skips up to us, her hair trailing behind, unlaced from its usual tight braid. She comes to a stop, hands on her hips, hair rippling in loose waves around her face. The contours of her delicate face are cast in shadow. Her dagger is hanging in a sheath around her waist, the ornate metal carving gleaming in the sun. The leather sheath looks supple, like it is constantly in use. When she reaches a hand up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, I spot another piece of glinting metal. A sword, I realise. A bow is also strapped across her chest and a leather quiver swings against her back.

"Where did you get the weapons from?" I ask, sweeping my gaze down her body, resting on the sharp sword on her hip.

Ess regards me with a cool look, then tosses her hair, the lengthy tresses whipping around her face in the wind. "Oh. I snuck out of camp last night to get them." She says, drawing her dagger and picking under her nails with it.

My mouth drops open, "What do you mean snuck out of camp?" I say, incredulous.

Ess had sat down on the floor, cross legged and was drawing patterns in the snow with the tip of the dagger. She looks up. "Do you have a hearing impairment? I said I snuck out of camp." She looks at Jinkley, "What's with this guy?"

"How did you sneak out? There are guards patrolling the perimeter regularly, and even so, your village is miles away!" I ask, bewildered.

"Ember." Ess says, standing up. She walks over to me slowly and pats me on the head. "I'm stealthy. Plus, the guards," she glances at Jinkley with a smile, "well most of them anyway, are completely incompetent. It was disappointingly easy to get past them. Even you could have Ember." She pats my arm and gives me a condescending smile. Ess steps back, her loose hair cascading around her shoulders in a glossy teal wave.

"What makes you think I'm not good at sneaking around? I managed to escape the camp." I say, following Jinkley.

Ess scoffs. "Yeah, then had to be carried back by a seventeen year old glass girl." She whispers to me, somehow making it sound threatening.

"That's not the point." I grumble, scuffing my shoes on the ground.

Ess laughs, then skips up to Jinkley, threading her arm through his as he looks down at her with a smile. I sigh and jog after them through the snow filled air.

The camp has nearly been packed up, all that's left is a few flaming torches which haven't been packed up by servants yet. Ess is sitting cross legged again on a boulder, sharpening her dagger. The blade is shining in the sun, the light blinding. Jinkley is leaning against Ess' boulder, chatting to her. He's shed his leather armour, and looks more casual than I've ever seen him, wearing a thick cream tunic and dark brown breeches. Ess is dressed in a similar fashion, except her tunic is covered with a heavy cloak, the dark fabric pooling around her on the rock like an inky pond. The sharp twang of rock against steel rings out into the air. Ess' hair is still unbound, the wavy strands reaching all the way down to her waist. Her clear laugh bounces around the camp. Sunbeams halo around her head, bathing her in an angelic glow. Snow crunches to my left and I turn my head.

My brother, Oliver, is striding towards me. "Brother!" He says, clapping a hand on my shoulder. I grit my teeth. Another laugh from Ess peals out through the frozen air. My head whips around to see that Jinkley has now hopped up onto the boulder and is tugging half of Ess' cloak over his shoulders, causing her to shriek at the cold. She bats at his chest and pushes him off the boulder, accidentally bringing herself down with him. Ess squeals when they hit the ground, scrabbling to get up. Laughing, Jinkley stands up, swiftly untangling Ess from the fallen cloak and helping her up. I feel a strange pang of jealousy shoot through me when I see them together, having fun. "Jealous brother?" Oliver laughs. "You seem to be quite taken with the Glass person." He leans in and whispers conspiratorially, "You have to be careful. Someone saw you yesterday, outside her tent, getting closer than two trialists should. If someone sees that again, that'll reflect badly on you, and in turn father and me. Stay away from her." He spins on his heel and strides away.

I scoff and turn to Jinkley and Ess, who are now throwing snowballs at each other like the immature children they are. Well, Ess that is. Jinkley doesn't act like a child. At least not when he knows I'm watching. "Hey! Jinkley!" I shout to them.

Jinkley immediately stiffens, his arm frozen mid-throw. He turns his head to look at me, and is immediately struck by a snowball to the side of his face. Ess starts laughing again and takes off, scampering up the boulder to retrieve the haphazardly stacked weapons.

"Hello there Ember!" She says cheerily, strapping the weapons back onto her body. "Who was that?"

"My brother." I grumble, leaning against the side of the boulder.

Ess slides off the boulder, landing next to me. "Ah. Your brother. I've heard he's the nicer one." She looks at me, "The better looking one too."

I turn my body to look down at her, ignoring Jinkley who's standing a few feet away. "Oh, I don't think you believe that sunshine." I say, delighting in the pale blue blush that floods her cheeks.

However, to her credit, she scoffs and says, "Maybe buy a mirror Ember, you'll see what I mean." She pushes off the boulder and snatches her cloak from where it had been laying.

I chuckle as she walks away.